The Besh Qozon Plov Centre: How It Works and What to Order

Ask any taxi driver in Tashkent where to eat plov and you will almost certainly hear "Besh Qozon". The name means "five cauldrons", and it is probably the best-known plov centre in the country. Local families, office workers and tourists who want to see plov cooked on an industrial scale all come here. Here is how it works and what to order so that your first visit goes perfectly.

What the place is

Besh Qozon, officially the Central Asian Plov Centre, is in the area of the Tashkent TV Tower, not far from Bodomzor metro station. It is a large building with several halls and a terrace. The main attraction is the courtyard, where huge cauldrons stand in a row, each cooking hundreds of portions of plov at once.

If you are lucky you will see the process: cooks in aprons stirring the zirvak, the base of meat, onion and carrot, adding the rice and covering the cauldrons with lids. It is an impressive sight, especially in the morning when steam rises over the yard.

When to come

The plov is cooked early in the morning and served from around 11 am. The golden rule is not to be late:

• 11:00 to 12:00 is the ideal time. The plov is fresh and the queues are still short.
• 12:00 to 14:00 is the rush. Office workers and big groups arrive, and it gets loud and crowded.
• After 14:00 or 15:00 the plov may run out. The cauldrons empty and you will be offered other dishes from the menu.

Weekends and holidays are busier, so come at opening time. Serving times can change, so check on site or ask locals.

How ordering works

The system may differ between halls. In some parts of the restaurant waiters take your order; in others you choose your dishes at a counter and then sit down. Do not hesitate to ask the staff how it works; they are used to tourists.

A portion of plov costs roughly what you would pay at an average Tashkent cafe, and extras are charged separately. Prices change, so check the menu on site.

Which plov to order

The main dish is Tashkent wedding plov, "to'y oshi". Its features:

• carefully chosen rice, loose-grained and soaked in oil and meat juices;
• beef or lamb cut into large pieces;
• yellow and red carrots cut into thin strips;
• sometimes chickpeas and raisins.

You can add extras that make it truly festive:

• Kazy, horse-meat sausage cut into rounds. The most popular extra.
• Quail eggs, boiled and placed on top.
• Extra meat, if you want something heartier.

What to have with your plov

• Achchiq-chuchuk, a salad of thinly sliced tomatoes and onions. Hardly anyone eats plov here without it: the fresh salad balances the richness of the rice.
• Flatbread, fresh from the tandoor.
• Green tea, plov's essential companion, served in a teapot and drunk from small bowls.
• Suzma or katyk, soured milk products that go well with the rich dish.

One lagan, a large sharing platter, with extras usually feeds two or three people unless you are very hungry. An individual plate is meant for one.

Tips for a first visit

• Do not be afraid to order plov for the table; it is cheaper and more fun.
• Ask for a seat with a view of the cauldrons if possible.
• Do not rush after eating; linger over tea. That is how everyone eats here.
• If you are travelling with children, order a separate children's portion or share a lagan, as servings are large.
• Cash and cards: big restaurants usually take cards, but it is worth carrying some cash.

Combining it with the TV tower and the memorial

Next to Besh Qozon are the Tashkent TV Tower and the Shahidlar Khotirasi memorial complex. A good plan for the day: the memorial museum and park in the morning, plov at 11 or 12, and the TV tower after lunch.

After plov, onto the road

Many travellers stop at Besh Qozon on purpose before a long journey. If you are heading to Bukhara, for example, that is about 570 km and seven to eight hours by car, so a filling lunch before you set off comes in handy.

On the Tashkent to Bukhara route, Yo'ldosh has shared rides leaving at different times of day, including after lunch. Drivers have verified profiles, you book your seat in the app, and you can agree on a pickup point in the chat; sometimes drivers collect passengers not far from the TV tower. Other destinations are on the routes page.

Besh Qozon is not a hidden gem but rather a must on Tashkent's food map. Still, it is the best place to understand why plov in Uzbekistan is not just food but a whole ritual, where timing, company and a giant cauldron that brings the whole city together all matter.

Cover photo: Игорь Улитин, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.