Samarkand Plov Lunch Crawl

The Samarkand Plov Lunch Crawl is a self-organised lunch centred on the city's plov centre at 12 Ibn Sina Street, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where rice is cooked in the morning and served until it runs out. The listed opening window is roughly 11:00 to 15:00, and the centre specialises in several types of plov, so ordering one small portion of two styles is the best way to compare them. Cost is about 35,000 to 70,000 UZS (roughly $3 to $6) per person. The route begins with a morning stop at Siab Bazaar for bread and samsa, continues by taxi to Ibn Sina Street to arrive before 13:00, and ends with tea. The telephone number given for the plov centre is +998 93 348 00 21, and a second option for evening plov is Khan Ahmad Restaurant at 66 Ibn Sina Street, +998 97 926 00 00, which is a short walk away. Decor is simple and the diners are mostly local. Plov is meat-based, so vegetarians should skip this route in favour of the market walk. Cash in som is the safest payment, and the plov sells out by mid-afternoon, so late arrivals risk finding nothing.