Drinks With a Meaning: Top 7 Bars in Tashkent

The Bar’s image is based on the Prohibition era in the United States. It was then the ban on alcohol led to the appearance of the new kind of establishments: speakeasies, where the talk was quiet and drinks illegal. Only the insiders and their friends were admitted to those bars. This was also the case with The Bar when it opened: it had no address, sign, or phone number.

The drink menu supported the concept and consisted of about 20 cocktails from that era. Among them was Mary Pickford, the cocktail that dates back to the 1920s, as well as Sazerac, which gained popularity during the Prohibition. Ordering drinks that were not in the menu was against the bar’s concept. Thanks to its original format, T.B.S.E. soon became legendary.

Now the bar’s rules are more democratic: visitors can order anything they want, even the most traditional cocktail. But it’s much more interesting to try an original drink that the bartender mixed based on your preferences and desires learnt during a carefree conversation. This format does nothing to ruin the classic atmosphere or the concept of an early-20th-century American bar. After all, it was due to the Prohibition that many mixology masterpieces were created.

A gastrobar by friends who relocated from St. Petersburg: this idea spontaneously came to three buddies during their road trip from Russia’s cultural capital to the capital of sunny Uzbekistan. So in autumn 2024, Tashkent saw the opening of a cozy atmospheric place filled with beautiful ideas.

It may sound surprising, but a deep meaning underlies everything about Cultura. You can feel it in the location, just next to the Central Exhibition Hall, in the panoramic windows overlooking what is perhaps the city’s greenest avenue, and, of course, in the drink menu, where each cocktail is a famous literary work translated into the language of taste.

The menu includes Brodsky, Tolkien, Márquez, and other classic writers. Here, you can try a cocktail version of Hemingway’s «The Old Man and the Sea», titled Lack of Luck. Or Anna Akhmatova’s poem «Tashkent in bloom» reimagined as a mix named Hanami. One of the founders of Cultura will be happy to tell you the story behind each drink.

Gravity made a swift entrance into Tashkent’s night life. Just as swiftly, it became the city’s trendiest establishment. It set the trend for club admission for residents and their friends only, as well as canonic rooftop parties. Original space-inspired cocktails make you all the more eager to visit Gravity.

The massive bar zone is the first thing you see as soon as the elevator doors open. It is the place of active cocktail mixing. This is where refreshing summer Ba-Ba-Basil, spicy Cosmo Stars with citrus notes, and creamy vanilla Milky Way are born. In addition to the options from the menu, the bartender will be happy to create something just for you. All you have to do is ask.

After getting your drink, you can stay at the contact bar’s or move to the stools by the panoramic windows to enjoy the view of the night city. This is yet another reason why you won’t be able to leave the Gravity zone for a long time.

The restobar 12 is a new but already trendy star on the city’s gastromap. Its eclectic panoramic view from the 12th floor of The Tower Hotel is what makes it a point of attraction. Another key element of the establishment is its contact bar glowing against the simple grunge interior in thick semi-darkness.

The bar zone is on fire both visually and emotionally: the tone is set by smart bartenders, live sets from local DJs, and a rich drink menu with more than 70 kinds of spirits, wines, soft drinks, and craft infusions.

We recommend paying special attention to the bar’s original cocktails. Predictably, there are 12 of them. Only named by number, they call on visitors to turn drink sampling into a challenge. We, however, recommend to plan several visits to try them all. After all, they’re all exceptional.

There are all kinds of bars. Wine ones, for example. A great example of this type of bar is Just Wine Bar & Store, located on the main pedestrian street of the city: Broadway (Sayilgoh). Contrary to what the name suggests, the bar has a rich menu and a wide selection of spirits. But it is wine that Just Wine is most passionate about.

You can use the wine bar shelves to learn geography: they feature wines from Europe, South Africa, the Caucasus, Americas, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as Uzbekistan’s wineries. The sommeliers, who resemble guides in popular tourist locations, will tell you a fascinating story about each variety and vineyard.

After a short lecture, you can take a seat in the wine bar and put you the newly gained knowledge to use. To better digest new information, you can take a bottle home.

This legendary bar turns 20 this year. It seems that CMI has been around as long as the city’s nightlife itself. It has seen the dawn, the decline, and the renaissance of Tashkent’s club aesthetics. The bar’s locations, formats, and sizes may have been changing, but the glamorous vibe of loud parties of the 2000's has remained the same.

Nondescript outside, this enclosed space with a striking island bar feels bold and gives you an energy boost, like a contrast shower the moment you enter. CMI’s drink menu features almost all the classics of mixology: from Long Island and Bronx to Mai Tai and Cuba Libre.

The «after party» part of the name suggests people come here to end their night on a high note. Or to start their morning. Because at CMI, time has no power over you.

This authentic venue is a bar meeting a gallery meeting a coworking space. To enter the establishment located on the 7th floor of a semi-abandoned office block, you need to pass the trial of the elevator. The creaky dark beaten freight elevator now takes up those seeking new experiences. An elevator attendant who picks up strictly four passengers each time fuels the horror atmosphere. «Where are we going?» «Is this the right place?» «We’d better stay together!» The thoughts run through your head as you ride up. But once you arrive, the unexpectedly light and homey space makes you feel calm.

The first thing you feel like doing is getting rid of the remaining anxiety by drinking a refreshing cocktail at the bar. Now, as you relax and take a seat on the leather couch in the soft yellow light, you can delve into the cinematic atmosphere of Nukus 89, which is more like a house concert in a Khrushchevka block in a bedroom suburb.

Photos: websites and social media restaurants; Yandex Maps