8 Tasty Places to Eat in Khiva (Restaurants, Tea Houses, & Cafes)

When you look into the food of Uzbekistan, it may seem homogenous at first glance, but it is so far from that when you break it down by city and region. Khiva and the Khorezm region have such a rich (and unique) food culture that one of the best things to do in the city is eat.

In this guide, I list an array of cafes and restaurants in Khiva that I enjoyed, as well as one that I didn’t get a chance to check out but my friend in Tashkent swears it has amazing food (I will be making a beeline for it as soon as I am back in Khiva).

At the end, I also list a place I did not have a great experience at despite two attempts, so you can steer clear of it and spend your money elsewhere.

I think by planning where to eat in Khiva before you arrive, you can ensure you try all of the unique Khorezm dishes so you don’t leave this part of Uzbekistan disappointed.

Did I miss your favorite place to eat in Khiva? Please let me know in the comments. Thanks!

Where to Eat in Khiva Overview

I am going to be honest and state that I didn’t love Khiva’s restaurant scene. I feel so bad to say this because the cuisine in Khiva is very delicious (despite shivit osh because I hate dill, but I assume most people will love this dish).

The first mistake I made was only going outside the Itchan Kala for two meals. I had four days in Khiva and I really wanted to focus this food guide on restaurants inside the Itchan Kala and not outside of it (because most people don’t have four days and they aren’t adventuring around town for food). Most of the food inside the Itchan Kala was just mid, as a result.

The second mistake I made was going to places I didn’t enjoy a second time, hoping that I had ordered the wrong thing. I rarely do this, but I really wanted to make a couple of places better than they actually were, so I made second attempts. At the end of the day, one of these places is actually still on this guide due to its popularity and views (Terrassa Restaurant). While the food isn’t the city’s best, it still warrants a place here for the atmosphere and views.

Another disappointment I had with several Khiva restaurants is that the service was horrific. I was shocked at how poor it was compared to other cities in Uzbekistan. This may be due to low wages, so I dismissed it quickly, but it is something I want to point out here for visitors to be aware of, so you can go into each dining experience with patience.

I also put a cafe in this guide because I adored it. It was run by a young man who seemed very excited to welcome tourists to his city and share his passion for coffee and cakes with everyone. The coffee was also tasty!

Foods to Try in Khiva and the Khorezm Region

Before we start on the restaurants, I think it is good to know of a few local dishes you can order in Khiva and the Khorezm region. Here are four popular ones you’ll see across menus in Khiva:

• Shivit Osh: dill-infused noodles covered in a yoghurt sauce topped with meat and veggies
• Khorezm Plov: tends to be less oily than other plovs in Uzbekistan and uses yellow carrots and less spice.
• Tukhum Barak: egg-filled dumplings that taste like an omelet wrapped in dough
• Guzlama: a large, fried street food that is filled with meat or other deliciousness

My Favorite Restaurants in Khiva, Uzbekistan

1. Arxi Terrasa Restaurant

This was easily my favorite restaurant of my trip to Khiva. Arxi Terrasa was a restaurant that I found on Google Maps that had high ratings and some photos from guests. I always take Google Maps with a grain of salt in Central Asia, as it is not the platform that most locals use.

There are a few levels to Arxi, so be sure to let them know you want to sit on the top terrace if you reserve ahead. The menu was diverse and had options for both meat-lovers and vegetarians.

They also have an entire page dedicated to national and local dishes like Ghul Khonim and Shivit Osh. I actually opted for the Ghul Khonim while my friend chose the Shivit Osh. We also got a salad.

In the evenings, the restaurant provides a lively ambiance as local musicians come to play with traditional instruments. It was really a fun way to watch the sun go down over Khiva.

Arxi Terrasa is open daily from 11am to 11pm. You can make a reservation with them on WhatsApp at +998 99 435 06 22. I went at 7:30pm which was the perfect time to see the sunset on the terrace.

2. Sultan Restaurant

Sultan Restaurant was the second-best place I ate at in Khiva. My friend found it on a map close to where we were doing a wood-carving workshop and headed over there for lunch. The restaurant was clean and inviting and the service was surprisingly good for Khiva standards.

I ordered plov and she ordered tukhum barak. We were both very satisfied. We sat on the first floor and took advantage of the air-conditioning after sitting in the sun for an hour.

Sultan Restaurant is open daily from 11am to 11pm. You can make a reservation with them by sending a message on WhatsApp to +998 91 436 68 62. We were able to get in during lunchtime without a reservation, but I wouldn’t count on it for dinnertime.

3. Tea House Mirza Boshi

Mirza Boshi Tea House is actually a restaurant owned by a friend, Anna Pasha, who is a Khiva tour guide, and her family. To be honest, I didn’t have a full meal at Mirza Boshi. I arrived there for a shivit osh masterclass and since I knew one of the owners, we chatted for an hour and ate food before the class.

She knew I wasn’t a fan of dill despite being signed up for the class, so she gave me all kinds of food on their menu. It was all extremely delicious. I had soup, pumpkin samsas (absolutely incredible), stuffed peppers, and more.

Mirza Boshi was extremely inviting and offered a nice aesthetic in Khiva. This is a fantastic place to head for lunch or dinner. They are open daily from 9am to 11pm. Do not leave without having a bowl of ice cream (random, but it is delicious there).

4. Restoran Tandiriy

I decided to go to Restoran Tandiriy in Khiva because I was walking back from visiting a Soviet-era mosaic and got hungry. I was planning to visit their Tashkent location when I returned, but I figured it was pretty similar and went to their Khiva restaurant instead.

The aesthetic is worth the trip alone; it is a beautiful restaurant. When I got there, they didn’t have everything on their menu, so I ordered nohat shurak and their chirokchi salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, and suzma. The suzma was overly smoky and I found that inedible (personal thing… it was well-made). The nohat shurak, a dish mainly associated with Samarkand, was very tasty.

Tandiriy is situated a little outside the Itchan Kala and is open daily from 11am to 11pm. Service was horrendous here, so go with a little patience.

5. Aim Coffee

I had to throw Aim Coffee on this guide as it was such a pleasant surprise right by my hotel. This small, standalone coffee shop sits near the East Gate and serves espresso drinks, iced coffees, and some small cakes. I ordered a flat white and a medovic cake and was impressed by both. It was easily the best coffee I had in Khiva.

Aim Coffee is open daily from 9am to 10pm. They have limited indoor seating but you can grab a to-go coffee.

6. Terrassa Cafe & Restaurant

Oh, Terrassa Cafe & Restaurant. Everyone includes this restaurant on their guides and Khiva to-do lists. Is it good? Not really. Is it even worth visiting? Yes, absolutely.

I went to Terrassa for my first dinner in Khiva and I ordered their plov trio. It was awful. This wasn’t even a matter of taste. Do not order this. Some of the people around me were ordering fried lamb and meats, and they looked like a far better option.

Despite my dissatisfaction with the plov trio, the salads were all delicious. I made another reservation for Terrassa Restaurant two nights later when my friend was going to arrive, as I figured it would be nice to enjoy their famous terrace.

We ordered tukhum barak, salads, and a lula kebab. It was all just okay. What I enjoyed most about Terrassa was the tea. And the views. Because it definitely wasn’t the food or service (staff were friendly, just extremely inattentive and overworked).

So, go here at your own discretion, but do know that this is probably the most popular restaurant in Khiva and it books up days ahead.

It is best to make a reservation ahead of time or to stop there on your first day and reserve for later in your trip. You can contact them on WhatsApp at +998 55 603 91 11. Terrassa Cafe & Restaurant is open daily from 7am to 11:30pm.

7. Bread & Samsa

If you’re looking for a quick snack, there is no better place to visit than Bread & Samsa, which serves, as you guessed, bread and samsa. They are located right beside Terrassa Cafe & Restaurant to the right. You will see the tandir and possibly some breads stacked on a table.

They offer everything from pumpkin bread to potato samsas to different varieties of tea. They also have beef and chicken samsas and more. Bread & Samsa is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Bring cash!

8. Botirbobo Restaurant (Recommended by a Friend)

When I visited Tashkent and told my friend I struggled a little with finding good places to eat in Khiva, she told me one of her favorite restaurants in Uzbekistan was there. It is called Botirbobo Restaurant and it is located outside the Itchan Kala.

Once I saw her link to it on Google Maps, I do remember seeing this (I scour around for food when I travel), and I remember seeing one off-putting picture (it was of a hot dog), and it was the reason I never went out there. Well, darn it.

Julia, my friend who runs Craft&Culture with her husband, is a huge foodie and I like 100% of the places she suggests to me, so I have this added to my list of places to visit next time I am in Khiva.

I decided to include it here anyway for those of you visiting Khiva. Botirbobo offers a lot of different options, including those hot dogs (but more traditional options, as well as shashlik). They are open daily from 10am to 11pm.

A Restaurant Worth Skipping in Khiva

Bir Gumbaz Tea House

I feel bad to list this across multiple guides, but I really want people to lower their expectations before heading to this place because it was incredibly disappointing (and I went there more than once). Bir Gumbaz Tea House has one of the best views in the city, with a terrace that offers an unobstructed view of the iconic Kalta Minor minaret. The inside is also kind of cool and atmospheric. That is where it ends.

I ate several of their menu items, and all were pretty lousy. They tasted old and premade. I doubt they were, but the lack of pride in preparation was astounding. The service was also pretty bad, so much so that the group I went with on the first day refused to tip because the group leader had to do all of the service while the staff sat around.

I only returned to Bir Gumbaz to get a cardamom coffee and enjoy the terrace with a view. The coffee came out ice cold and once I could get someone to let them know, she just blamed the machine. I had to have her stick a finger in it to believe me. Nevertheless, she said she would bring another and never did until I prompted her.

There are better places to go in Khiva; I hope that Bir Gumbaz gets better in the future.

FAQ About Eating Out in Khiva

What food is Khiva known for?

Khiva and the Khorezm region have unique dishes compared to other parts of Uzbekistan (but you can also find the national favorites).

Some of Khiva’s most well-known local dishes are shivit osh (dill-infused noodles topped with root vegetables and meat), Khorezm plov (made with cottonseed oil and is less oily), tukhum barak (egg-filled dumplings), and guzlama (deep-fried dough with meat and fillings inside).

Does Khiva have vegetarian and vegan options?

While it may be harder to track down vegan options, you can certainly find vegetarian options within the Itchan Kala and touristy areas of the city. Terrassa Cafe & Restaurant, Arxi Terassa, and SULTAN all offered vegetarian-friendly dishes.

How much does it cost to eat out in Khiva?

In touristy areas, you will pay up to $7 for a dish for one person. This is for a main and does not include salads, appetizers, or drinks. You can certainly dine more cheaply if you go outside the Itchan Kala a bit.

Do restaurants in Khiva serve alcohol?

Despite being a Muslim country, it is easy to find alcohol, especially beer and wine. Be sure that the place you’re dining at is not Halal or that it is not an Islamic holiday, as this may reduce the number of alcohol options.

Do you need to book reservations in advance?

If you’re traveling in spring or autumn, yes, I would book dinner reservations ahead of time. And for places like Terrassa Cafe & Restaurant, it is best to book a couple days ahead. You can usually book by WhatsApp or by calling them directly.

Is it safe to eat street food in Khiva?

If you see samsas, guzlama, or bread being sold by vendors on the street, indulge! The street food is safe to consume in Khiva, just use your best judgment. Look for lines of people and places that are cooking it fresh in front of you with a tandir or oven.

Should you eat inside or outside the Itchan Kala?

Eating inside the Itchan Kala can offer the ease of English menus and English-speaking servers. But the prices may reflect this slightly. By venturing outside the Itchan Kala, you may end up with a more local (and cheaper) experience, but it may come with Uzbek/Russian menus and a more challenging interaction with servers.

Do you have any suggestions for restaurants in Khiva that I left off this guide? Please let me know as I would love to add them to my list for when I return. Thanks!

More Khiva Travel Guides

• Things to do in Khiva
• Woodcarving workshop in Khiva
• Shivit osh class in Khiva
• Is Khiva worth visiting?
• Where to stay in Khiva
• How long do you need in Khiva?

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