Samarkand Plov Center (Osh Markazi)

Samarkand Plov Center (Osh Markazi) is a plov centre at 12 Ibn Sina Street, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, serving Uzbek food. This is a plain, no-frills plov centre where rice is cooked in the morning for the lunch crowd and served until it runs out; decor is simple and the clientele is mostly local. The kitchen specialises in several types of plov, which makes it a good place to compare regional styles in a single sitting. Opening hours are listed as daily 11:00–15:00 (until the plov sells out). The phone number given for the venue is +998 93 348 00 21; numbers on listing sites sometimes differ from reality, so a call before a special trip is sensible. A typical meal costs about 35,000–70,000 UZS (~$2.9–5.8) per person at the Central Bank rate of roughly 12,000 UZS per US dollar, with tea usually inexpensive and drinks extra. No booking is needed for individuals; groups should telephone ahead. It sits on Ibn Sina Street, a short taxi ride from the Registan. Payment is by cash in Uzbek som or by card at most sit-down venues, and a service charge of about 10 percent is sometimes added to the bill, so a glance at the receipt avoids double tipping. Lunch tends to be calmer than the evening rush, and the Samarkand summer heat from June to August makes shaded or air-conditioned seating worth asking for.