Vegan Food in Tashkent, Uzbekistan: Discovering the Beautiful Eco Cafe
It’s no secret that the Central Asian cuisine is very meat-heavy. I knew before travelling to Uzbekistan that it’d be hard to find vegan food in Tashkent or elsewhere. I assumed I’d likely be eating a lot of salad-and-fries combos, and had a pocket in my backpack stuffed with nuts and protein bars. Luckily for me, I came across Eco Cafe in Tashkent, and had it bookmarked long before I set foot on the plane.
Eco Cafe is the first restaurant that’s fully vegetarian in Tashkent, and going by Happy Cow, still its only one. I’d even be willing to bet that it is currently the only purely veggie restaurant in Uzbekistan.
For my fellow vegans, it is worth noting that Eco Cafe is vegetarian, but any dishes with dairy or eggs are clearly marked on the menu.
During my time in Tashkent, I ate at this lovely place three times. It’s an unassuming place, on a quiet, mostly-residential street just outside the heart of the city. It sits underneath the Art Eco Hotel, and you’re greeted with outside seating and lots of greenery immediately. Inside, the cafe is light and airy, with plenty of space yet doesn’t feel bare. Stepping through the doors feels like walking into a cosy, welcoming living room, with plants hanging from macrame pot holders and light filtering through the windows.
The menu is extensive. They have daily specials such as vegan plov or laghman noodles on different days, as well as a regular menu.
Over my three visits, I didn’t have a single bad meal. Some of my favourite dishes were:
Spinach pasta with green sauce – a take on a spaghetti and pesto dish, but packed with more greens so feels a little healthier. The taste is a lot lighter than your regular pesto dishes, but still feels satisfying.
“Cute” salad (pictured) – a chopped salad with a tangy mix of cauliflower, corn, tomatoes, and peppers, wonderfully balanced with a creamy cashew dressing
Soy meat and tofu pita – this “pita” was very different to the pita I’m used to. It’s a flaky bread that melts in your mouth, wrapped around a filling of salad, tofu and seasoned soy meat. It was delicious and by far my favourite thing on the menu.
They’ve also got a bunch of different desserts that look great. I don’t have a massive sweet tooth, but their bars, cookies and tarts all look great. Prices are super reasonable too. A good meal here will set you back about £6-8, including a drink.
Beyond the food, the cafe itself is a community hub with plenty of events and such welcoming staff. Everyone I spoke to had excellent English, and the menus are printed in English too. I was particularly grateful for this as my language skills go as far as speaking French in a Dublin accent, and nobody needs to hear that.
Eco Cafe Tashkent has been going for about 10 years, and it operates as social hub as well as a restaurant. On one of my visits, there was an English language meetup. This is something they do every Sunday and there was a lovely buzz about the place. From looking online, it seems like they also have yoga classes and other community events.
For my fellow vegan or vegetarian travellers, go to Eco Cafe. I was so glad to have found this little oasis in what is otherwise a very meat-heavy country, and it’s somewhere I would gladly become a regular if I lived nearby. During my time in Uzbekistan, I really struggled to find vegan food, and will write a post about that later, but at least you can be guaranteed good vegan food in Tashkent!
They also do takeout and delivery if you can’t make it in person. I got their soy meat pita delivered to my hotel on my last day in Tashkent, and was very grateful for it in the airport that evening. It definitely beat the airplane food!
Eco Cafe:
Address: Olmachi 37, 100052, Toshkent, Uzbekistan
