TasteScope: Where to Find the City’s Best Croissants

Bon! has been on the market for more than a decade and is rightly considered one of the city’s pioneers — among Tashkent’s first French-style coffee shops. What began as an introduction to the culture of the classic boulangerie has grown into a large network, both across the city and beyond. Inside, the Parisian note is set by authentic Art Nouveau posters, round wooden tables and chequerboard floor tiles. The menu is built around all-day breakfasts, with a generous display of pastries and desserts at the counter.

Price: 12,000 UZS

The croissant makes a strong first impression: golden, well shaped and neatly laminated, with a restrained, even rise. The pastry holds together rather than collapsing into flakes, giving the texture more softness and stretch than crispness. Inside, the structure is tidy and evenly aerated. The crust gives a light crackle, though it lacks the sharper, more dramatic crunch expected from a truly classic croissant. The flavour is gently buttery and not particularly sweet, which leaves it leaning closer to a well-made breakfast roll than a fully convincing French pastry.

Cake Lab opens in soft pistachio tones, with panoramic windows, gold-framed arched mirrors and curved upholstered banquettes that give the room an easy polish. The window seats are the obvious favourites: a place to sit slowly and watch the city move past. On the ground floor, a generous pastry counter sets the tone, with rows of desserts and baked goods facing a shelf of fresh bread.

Price: 23,000 UZS.

The croissant is small and slightly flattened, but its structure is more convincing than its shape suggests. The layers are clearly defined and deliver a confident crunch. Inside, the crumb is nicely aerated, though it lacks the soft pull one looks for in the dough. The flavour leans lightly savoury, while the finish is somewhat dry.

Paul’s first Tashkent address, on Amir Temur Avenue, brings with it a pedigree that dates back to 1889. The franchise works to a strict playbook: croissant dough is brought in directly from France, preserving the signature taste of the brand’s classic pastry wherever it is served. The interior leans into the mood of a polished European brasserie, with moulded walls and vintage Paul posters. The menu moves well beyond French bakery staples, spanning Italian pasta, fresh fish, steaks, burgers and ice cream.

Price: 40,000 UZS.

The croissant arrives in the classic crescent shape, with a delicate crust that breaks cleanly at first bite. Inside, the crumb is airy and well developed, marked by large, uneven pockets and a dough that retains both softness and structure without tipping into heaviness or dryness. The flavour feels carefully judged: lightly buttery, gently savoury, with a subtle tang that keeps the richness in check. It is the sort of croissant that asks for nothing alongside it — complete and convincing on its own. The crumb could be slightly more even, but the flaw is minor and easy to forgive.

Arkady Novikov’s restaurant is built around the idea of a country estate with its own cheese dairy. With panoramic windows and greenery throughout, the space feels like a bright, generously scaled conservatory. The eye moves naturally to the open kitchen, framed in wood cuts, and to the minimalist ring lights suspended overhead. Painted tableware and textured glassware add to the mood of a relaxed meal at home. The menu is grounded in simple, familiar dishes made with natural ingredients, with house-made cheeses taking the lead.

Price: 46,000 UZS.

The croissant arrives with a real sense of ceremony: tall, generous, and beautifully risen, with a vivid golden layer running through the centre. It is served as a small ritual in itself, with butter and cherry sauce alongside. The flavour is confidently, almost dramatically buttery — dense, rounded, and close to brioche in character — while the balance of salt and sweetness stays deliberately neutral. The butteriness does all the talking. The dough is fairly firm, with a gentle pull, and a quiet bread-like note running underneath.

The local Breadly project has long since moved beyond the intimate bakery format into something closer to a full gastronomic space. Its newest branch, near the Alisher Navoi Theatre, opened only recently but already fills the room with reliable ease. The interior has presence: snow-white pleated sofas, a dark antique wooden cabinet, a decorative ice-cream cart and a delicate fountain at the centre of the room. Living plants and mirrored arches open the space visually, filling it with light. Breadly takes a principled approach to baking: no semi-finished products, no artificial additives — only hand-made pastry prepared with traditional techniques.

Price: 45,000 UZS.

Breadly’s croissant feels like a masterclass in classical French technique. Visually, it is compact and precise, with sharply defined layers and a beautifully controlled shape. The first bite delivers the kind of crisp, confident crackle that pastry lovers look for, giving way to an elastic, gently chewy crumb with an even, well-developed honeycomb structure. The flavour is exceptionally well judged: pronounced butteriness without excess, balanced carefully against salt and sweetness, with just enough acidity to sharpen the finish. Everything falls perfectly into place, making this the most convincing and technically complete croissant in the entire selection.

The two-storey café on Mirabad Street more than earns its name, putting beautifully composed breakfasts at the heart of the place. The interior is rich in detail: a staircase with a large arched mirror and cascading lights connects the floors, while the main room brings together contemporary art, a white piano and pendant lamps with deep red shades. The summer terrace is the real pause in the composition. Set beneath a glass roof, with striped sofas, woven chairs and greenery throughout, it feels like a small country escape in the middle of the city. The menu stays firmly in morning territory: breakfast classics in every possible form, alongside a generous counter of desserts and fresh pastry.

Price: 43,000 UZS.

The croissant first wins attention with its lacquered sheen: brushed with sugar syrup, it looks almost dressed for the occasion. But the effect is largely visual. Inside, the crumb is tight and fine, the dough only mildly elastic. The flavour keeps to neutral ground, leaving a light sweetness rather than real depth. It also feels a little dry, and the crust misses the crisp, audible break that defines a great croissant. Beautifully presented, but the promise of its glossy finish is not quite carried through.

Breadly takes the gold without much competition. Faultless lamination, a crisp, resonant crust and exceptional balance — a croissant that proves local bakers are playing at a very serious level.

Paul claims silver. The franchise’s rigorous standards show in every layer: complex flavour, proper French structure and the kind of crust that breaks exactly as it should.

Syrovarnya lands in third place for sheer indulgence — generous in scale, deeply buttery and rich enough to make the denser dough easy to forgive.

Bon! follows as a reliable classic: consistent, creamy and comforting, though its pastry leans closer to refined viennoiserie than a truly sharp French croissant.

Benedict ranks just above the bottom of the list. The glossy finish makes a strong visual impression, but the crumb feels too tight and the crust never quite delivers the crunch one hopes for.

Cake Lab closes the selection: visually polished, though ultimately let down by a drier texture.