Boulevard restaurant&bakery — Restaurant in Samarkand City

Elevated fusion with soul. Excellent value.

We ate here 3 times in our 9-day stay in Samarkand and thoroughly enjoyed every meal. We wished we had time for more meals at Boulevard.

Boulevard was consistently good - from the coffees to the freshly baked bread to the pasta and appetizers.

"How good is this bakery?", you may ask. Well, the bread and croissants were so good it earned the approval of a French member of our group. She kept returning for baguette, breakfast and coffee!

During our stay, we ate at restaurants near the Registan, near the Bazaar, off side streets, and local gems like Zokir Osh. We ate broadly and enjoyed trying different restaurants & local places.

For fusion Western- fusion Uzbek produce, Boulevard is the BEST. Do not go to the tourist traps near Registan! Comparing quality, prices & service, I would eat at Boulevard every day. It's simply no contest, Boulevard is the best.

Head chef Firuz leads with expertise and heartfelt wishes to nourish his guests. We felt his intentions to offer each meal as both food for the body and food for the spirit.

We sampled appetisers like the eggplant & stracciatella, dips, chicken pate, salads, burrata. Mains were grilled chicken, duck breast, veal, gnocchi, tagliatelle & risotto.

Head chef Firuz's signature dish of raw organic honey and saffron, cream butter with toasted bread was incredible. Salty, sweet. It is a very meaningful dish as this was a reminder of his childhood. His family weren't wealthy, so his mother used to make this simple dish for him. Despite its simplicity, it is a deep dish - full of thoughtful care, love and the rich produce and heritage of these lands. Thank you, Chef, for this sharing of a beautiful taste & memory. And thank you Abdulatif for explaining the meaningful memory behind this dish. This is a testament to how passionate Chef Firuz is about food, flavour and nourishment. His intention is to offer exceptional fresh produce to his guests in the same way he was cared for & nourished as a child. 👏🫶🙏

Service was attentive, welcoming & professional. The waiters Abdulatif (twice for lunch and dinner service) & Azim (once for dinner service) were exceptional. They always checked in on us and explained everything. Very helpful and considerate in their pacing of setting the table and refilling our drinks. Well done!

The pacing of the dishes was spaced well, and we didn't have to wait on any mains.

The atmosphere is both cosy and contemporary - a fine balance of decor, textures, lighting, fresh flowers, cleanliness and music. It's so inviting and comfortable that I enjoyed a long lunch and working on my laptop so much that I ended up staying for dinner and inviting my fellow travellers to join me.

Whenever we returned, they would remember us and made us feel welcomed and at home. We weren't just diners at a restaurant, we felt like guests. That is a wonderfully rare atmosphere for any restaurant to have. Much respect for this mindset!

Highly recommend coming here for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The bakery, dessert and coffee & tea selection is outstanding. Espresso is on point (hats off to the barista!) Try the Raf (frothy coffee of Russian origin). Or the great range of tea - they have aged Shou Pu'Er, LongJin - which was a pleasant and pleasurable surprise!

Basically, if I stayed in Samarkand, I'd book as close as possible to Boulevard so I could pop in whenever I wanted. It's an absolute gem. 5 stars for food, service, atmosphere. Thank you, Boulevard for the wonderful food and making us feel at...

Boulevard is a well-designed restaurant with inside seating facing an open kitchen and an air-conditioned terrace, both indoors. The space is comfortable, inviting you to spend hours lingering over wine and conversation.

The meal started with complimentary house-made sourdough bread served with whipped honey butter — fresh, warm, and very good. The restaurant makes it themselves and boasts they have the perfect sourdough starter to give it the exceptional flavor it has.

The pasta with seafood was a bit boring — I hate frozen peas! — it could have used a bit more sauce or oomph. It felt more like filler to sate me than to excite my taste buds. The beef cheek was tender and served over mashed potatoes — solid dish overall.

On a separate visit, I ordered the steak, which was disappointing — too much fat and gristle, and the texture was off. The other parts, however, were perfectly cooked -- the meat just needed a bit of trimming -- I was constantly chewing and picking strings out of my teeth. However, the roasted vegetables were excellent and easily the best I’ve had in Uzbekistan.

I also tried the salmon fillet with potato purée, which was a delight. The salmon was crispy and perfectly cooked, paired beautifully with the smooth, creamy potatoes.

Wine service was smooth and professional. The use of Zwiesel glasses and the presentation — with the wine balanced expertly on the back of the server’s hand in transit — was illustrious and grand.

The restaurant also has a good dessert menu, and the coffee and espresso options are a strong finish if you're looking for something after the meal.

Service is polished and welcoming. Would...

As someone who has been to countless restaurants in various countries around the world, I can confidently say that this is an extraordinary restaurant. Although Uzbekistan is a beautiful country, unfortunately, the service sector here is significantly underdeveloped. My wife visited me recently and hadn't been able to eat properly for days—until we discovered this place. We were so pleased that there were days we came here three times a day. This is a world-class restaurant.

To anyone visiting Samarkand, I wholeheartedly recommend not bothering to try other restaurants. We've tried them all, and most have poor service, low hygiene standards, and inattentive staff. However, here, Roksan, who handles customer reception, and Behzat, our waiter, are excellent employees. They are extremely attentive and friendly, which is something we're not used to in Uzbekistan.

The food is incredibly delicious, and you can see the kitchen—it’s impeccably clean, as are the restrooms. The music makes you feel like you’re dining at a luxurious restaurant in Paris. I especially recommend the pasta, salads, and of course, the desserts. Additionally, this is the only place in Samarkand where you can find proper coffee.

As expats in Uzbekistan, and particularly in Samarkand, we really needed a place like this. Thank you to whoever is running this restaurant. Otherwise, we would honestly struggle to find a...