"Set in a restored Khiva madrasah, Khorezm Art plates shivit oshi and plov — book a terrace table inside Ichan Qala."
Khorezm Art Restaurant occupies a restored 19th-century madrasah — the Allakulikhan, near the Tash Hauli Palace — inside Khiva's walled old town, Ichan Qala. It opened in 2008 as a venture to provide vocational training in food and hospitality, and is run by a Franco-Uzbek couple. The result is a bright, tasteful regional dining room with an outdoor terrace and a small art gallery.
The kitchen makes the case for Khorezmian cooking. The signatures are shivit oshi — the region's emerald dill-flavoured noodles — and a proper plov, alongside local specialities such as tuxumbarak and pumpkin manty. The Franco-Uzbek ownership shows in a short run of French desserts, from chocolate crêpes to a fondant. Unusually for meat-heavy Uzbekistan, there is real choice for vegetarians. Prices are modest, in keeping with a training restaurant.
The madrasah setting is the draw: cool stone, a calm courtyard and well-spaced tables, so diners aren't crowded together. The decor is tasteful rather than touristy, there is often live music, and the terrace catches the evening light. It feels like a cultural stop as much as a meal — fitting for a restaurant born as a training project inside a monument.
For a memorable dinner, a relaxed lunch between the monuments or a low-key celebration in Khiva, Khorezm Art is the standout: Khorezmian cooking in a restored madrasah, a courtyard terrace and modest prices. A natural first-date table.
Not for diners after fast, casual street food or a late-night scene — Khorezm Art is an unhurried, monument-set dining room geared to a slow, cultural meal.
Khorezm Art occupies the restored Allakulikhan madrasah, near the Tash Hauli Palace, inside Khiva's walled old town of Ichan Qala in Uzbekistan's Xorazm Province.
The signatures are shivit oshi — Khorezm's emerald dill-flavoured noodles — and a proper plov, alongside local specialities such as tuxumbarak and pumpkin manty, plus a short run of French desserts.
Khorezm Art opened in 2008 as a venture to provide vocational training in food and hospitality, set inside a restored 19th-century madrasah and run by a Franco-Uzbek couple.
Yes. Unusually for meat-heavy Uzbekistan, Khorezm Art offers real choice for vegetarians, alongside its Khorezmian specialities and a small selection of French desserts.
It is set in a restored madrasah with a calm courtyard, well-spaced tables, an outdoor terrace and a small art gallery, often with live music — as much a cultural stop as a meal.
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