Must-see restaurants in Tajikistan

  • Traktir Konservator

    Dushanbe

    In an unprepossessing alley near the Opera House, this surprisingly atmospheric restaurant is a treat both in terms of its rural Russian decor (think…

  • Rudaki Restaurant

    Dushanbe

    Offering a full à la carte menu in addition to an excellent buffet selection, the Rudaki Restaurant at the Serena Hotel is a popular choice for a…

  • Sayokhat

    Tajikistan

    Penjikent's most imaginative eatery, this eccentric wooden structure boasts timber stairways and cosy booths and is festooned with traditional artefacts…

  • Chaykhona Rokhat

    Dushanbe

    This grand Soviet-era, Persian-style, open-sided chaikhana (teahouse) is the Dushanbe classic – a great place to sip tea, slurp a bowl of noodles or enjoy…

  • Obi-Togmat

    Tajikistan

    Around 20km west of Ayni, this characterful roadside teahouse has capitalised on the mountain water that rushes through the premises. Cauldrons of chicken…

  • Omar Khayan

    Tajikistan

    Delicious Georgian cuisine is served from the decorated interior of this upmarket restaurant, and the bar in the corner offers a pre-dinner rendezvous…

  • Café Safina

    Tajikistan

    This popular meeting point has menus (unlike most chaikhanas), curtained booth seats and a large outdoor terrace on the street made cheerful with fresh…

  • Marco Polo

    Dushanbe

    This fun little venue, designed as an odd combination of stalactite-filled cavern with covered tables and cloth serviettes, provides a cool spot on a hot…

  • Izum

    Dushanbe

    Local fabrics and piled cushions lend an exotic aura to this trend-setting restaurant, with its intimate booths and hubble-bubble bar. The tablet menus…

  • Morning Star Café

    Dushanbe

    With a menu of choices popular among homesick travellers and resident expats, this welcoming cafe serves good locally roasted coffee, cakes, wraps and…

  • Lola Teahouse

    Tajikistan

    In a leafy haven opposite the bazaar, this highly popular restaurant offers a particularly recommended plov. Other local dishes feature an abundance of…

  • Restaurant Murodi

    Tajikistan

    This pleasant restaurant set in a garden with daybeds and a fountain is near the new mosque north of the city centre. It serves a good plov and shashlyk…

  • Obod

    Tajikistan

    Behind a vine-fronted facade, eight tables are arranged around a central fountain pool in a shaded courtyard, making this a lovely choice for lunch or tea…

  • Café Ravshan

    Tajikistan

    This central semi-smart cafe features mirror-facet flowers and chequerboard couch seats. The kitchen serves great barbecues, particularly okaroshka …

  • Oriyol Teahouse

    Tajikistan

    This splendid traditional-style teahouse with wooden pillars and carved ceiling offers a range of local dishes for a dining experience that's a cut above…

  • Sary Osyo

    Dushanbe

    This simple family-run restaurant in a vine-covered yard attracts a local crowd at lunchtime hoping to dine on Dushanbe's best plov (pilaf).

  • Café Merve

    Dushanbe

    This hugely popular bustling cafeteria makes a lively spot for Turkish breakfasts, kebabs, pizza, salads, cakes and instant coffee (but no alcohol).

  • Taj Mahal

    Dushanbe

    A range of well-prepared Indian dishes, cooked by an Indian chef, is served at brightly clothed tables in this ever-popular central favourite.

  • Tarabkhonai Paymona

    Tajikistan

    Gharm's main restaurant is upstairs beside the Megafon office on the city's central block (diagonally across from the statue of Somoni). Kebabs, delicious…

  • Arirang

    Dushanbe

    The smell of garlic hints at the authentic Korean food offered behind the misleadingly dreary facade of Arirang. Ropes, manuscript panelling and bundles…

  • Puppet Kurutob

    Dushanbe

    This unmarked outdoor eatery with striped awning serves a tasty kurutob and attracts a steady stream of customers. It is tucked round the side of the…

  • Mukhiddin

    Tajikistan

    This very popular bazaar chaikhana has fine views and specialises in breakfast options. The door directly right of the bazaar's main entrance leads to…

  • Bread shop

    Tajikistan

    For delicious, hot-baked bread straight from the tandor, stop by this unassuming bakery on the scenic way out of town (following the Isfara River along…

  • Cafe Ayni

    Tajikistan

    The photographs of kebabs and burgers decorating the outside of this cheerful cafe dispense with the need for English. It's in the heart of the main…

  • Oshi Abdurahman

    Dushanbe

    One of several unassuming venues to try the locally popular dish kurutob and other cheap and cheerful dishes. Closed during Ramadan.

  • Cafe Sharq

    Tajikistan

    For those on a very tight budget, the cheap pre-prepared meals being served within the green-and-yellow southern facade of the Panchshanbe Bazaar fill a…