Osh is the real gastronomic capital of Kyrgyzstan. Here, at the first sound of the morning call to prayer, entire neighbourhoods come alive with a variety of street food. Large tandoor ovens are fired up to a red heat to bake fluffy, crispy flatbread, generously covered with cumin.

Starting in the early morning, you can visit local cafes to taste fresh, thick rice soup called “mastava,” spiced with rings of fire chili. It pairs perfectly with ayran, a cool and tangy yogurt drink popular throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. If you want something simpler, then order an fragrant shorpo soup with crispy grains of black pepper.

For lunch, the famous Osh samsa is a must-try! While samsa is a very popular dish all over the region, only in Osh can you find the most authentic tandoor samsas in such delicious variety. Make sure to also sample savory kebabs, which are a favorite of both visitors and locals, especially Osh’s popular minced meat lula kebabs.

For those who are a little tired of meat dishes, we suggest enjoying a taste of the most famous steamed mini-manti, little dumplings filled with mashed potatoes and chickpeas, seasoned with mouthwatering chunks of tail fat. For dessert, please don’t forget to try the local varieties of halwa, a light and nutty traditional treat!

Osh is a never-ending feast of flavours. If you like a dish, thank the chef and be sure to ask for his name. In Osh, in search of the best kebab, samsa or pilau, the focus is always on the cook.


  • Shashlik!
    Shashlik! This delicious dish, beloved all over Central Asia, is an Osh specialty for good reason. Almost every cafe offers many kinds of shashlik. There are lamb ribs, pieces of lamb with tail fat, lamb liver, tender pieces of beef, seasoned chicken, and several kinds of lula kebab.
  • Pamil Tea
    If you want to enjoy a cup of properly brewed fragrant green tea, Osh is the place to do it! Here, even in the height of summer, the locals sip hot green tea in the shade of plane-trees, sitting on a traditional tapchan.
  • Navai-Nan: Delicious Flatbreads of the South
    Nowhere else in Kyrgyzstan is there such a variety of tandoor flatbreads as in Osh! In almost every quarter there is a tandoor stand, where mouth-watering hot flatbreads are sold from daybreak onward. To prepare them, the master bakers get up as early as 3:00 in the morning, kindle the tandoor, and knead the dough. The smell of freshly baked flatbreads wafts over the city blocks as a signal that morning has come.
  • The smallest manti
    Maida manti is the most popular vegetarian dish in Osh cuisine. In the past, they were called “Chychkan-manti” (or “mouse-manti”) because of their small size. Another common name was “eki tyiyn manti,” a reference to their Soviet-era price of 2 kopecks apiece. Today, of all the names, only “maida manti” remains.
  • Original Samsa is in Osh!
    Together with pilau, samsa is one of the five culinary staples of Osh. It is difficult to imagine Osh cuisine without it. Unlike the samsa common in South and Southeast Asia, Osh samsa is much bigger, fuller and tastier!
  • Osh Pilau
    Pilau, or “ash” in Kyrgyz, is Osh’s signature dish! It’s probably no coincidence that the name of the city and of its most famous food sound so similar. In Osh, they cook a classic variant of pilau, which differs from those found in Tashkent or Samarkand. There are similarities with the variations of pilau in Andijan and Margilan in Uzbekistan and Uzgen in Kyrgyzstan.

  • Monuments as symbols of changing eras

    An imposing monument to Communist leader Vladimir Lenin, erected in May 1985, still stands in Osh’s central square. The statue itself is 11 metres high…

  • Osh Pilau

    Pilau, or “ash” in Kyrgyz, is Osh’s signature dish! It’s probably no coincidence that the name of the city and of its most famous food…

  • Teshik-Tash

    Teshik-Tash is one of the oldest and most colorful passageways to the bazaar, dating back to ancient times. Long ago, it was the most common…

  • Rabat Abdullah Khan Mosque

    Rabat Abdullah Khan Mosque, a historical and architectural monument of the Shaybanid era, is located at the northern foot of the Suleiman Mountain.

  • National Drama Theatre

    The Osh National Drama Theatre named after Sultan Ibraimov is one of the largest and most famous theatres in Kyrgyzstan. The theatre company was established…

  • Shashlik!

    Shashlik! This delicious dish, beloved all over Central Asia, is an Osh specialty for good reason. Almost every cafe offers many kinds of shashlik. There…

  • Original Samsa is in Osh!

    Together with pilau, samsa is one of the five culinary staples of Osh. It is difficult to imagine Osh cuisine without it. Unlike the samsa…

  • Toktogul Park

    One of the oldest city parks in Osh, Toktogul Park was founded in 1878 as the city garden of the Governor-General. During the same period,…