Hotel Uzbekistan

Hotel Uzbekistan opened in 1974 to cater to Soviet diplomats in the capital city of Tashkent, which has a two-thousand-year history of existing at the crossroads of the trade routes known as the Silk Road.

An example of Soviet modernist architecture also known as brutalism, it came to be considered a Grand Hotel. Until recently, it was the only hotel capable of handling large groups, thanks to its seventeen floors of accommodation.

By most accounts, little has changed since it was built, but what was once deemed grand now feels like a relic. Still central and commanding in stature, its exterior is either loved or loathed. The lobby remains striking, bright, and well preserved.

The restaurant, by all readings, has also not undergone any grand renovations—some feel this adds to its charm. The menu, which you might describe as vintage, includes items such as Tongue in Mustard Sauce (tongue, mustard, cream, mayonnaise, spices) and Scheherazade Salad (pineapple, turkey, smoked meat, mayonnaise, lettuce, spices). Such items could be interpreted as good reminders not to speak, but they’re also why your eyes feel such relief when you reach the most unadorned, strangely comforting option, which simply states: “Sandwich.” As an Uzbek proverb tells us: “Respect for bread, respect for nation.

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