Chaykana Review – Delicious Uzbek in the West End

Go for an Uzbek Feast at Chaykhana

Chaykana is located in the main business stretch of the West End, in a small renovated space with dine-in seating and some seasonal outdoor tables as well. Although they offer pizza and wings (similarly to a few other Uzbek restaurants like Pizza Bari Halal downtown), our visit was focused on trying traditional Uzbek cuisine.

The menu is pretty extensive and features salads, hot starters like samsa (traditional savory filled pastries), cold appetizers like labneh and eggplant spread, a few sandwich options, a ton of soups, and meat-heavy entrees like plov, manti, and lamb shank.

There are also non-alcoholic beverages like teas, ayran, and kompot. We tried the kompot which was a house made blend of cherry, raspberry, and apple juices. It was sweet but not overly so – refreshing on a hot summer day.

I am a sucker for pastries and baked goods so I knew we had to start with the samsa. There are a few different filling options like chicken, pumpkin, and beef, but we knew the rest of our meal was going to be meaty so we tried the spinach samsa. The pastry was an ultra flaky puff pastry, and the inside was a meltingly tender spinach seasoned with herbs and green onions. The tomato garlic sauce on the side was perfect for dipping.

As any good Pittsburgher, we love our dumplings, so the manti were also on our radar to try. The tender dough was stuffed to the brim with well-seasoned beef and onions, and the yogurt and herbs on top provided a counterpoint to the richness.

Just be aware that manti are huge, so this one is a dish worth sharing!

We really wanted to try their plov as we've had the dish at Pizza Bari and loved it, but alas the version here uses nuts so we had to pick something else. We chose the beshbarmak, which was equally delicious. This one started with a layer of homemade noodles and was topped with a super rich and savory lamb broth, a huge lamb shank, onions, and herbs.

The lamb itself in this dish was a generous portion, and it was cooked to perfection. The whole dish was so rich and comforting, like a giant hug.

We were enjoying the food so much that we decided to go for dessert, too- the honey cake. Ordered partly because Jeremy is a beekeeper but also because it just sounded so delicious. Layers of a honey sponge cake with a rich graham-like flavor alternated with a light pastry cream. It was a lovely end to a great meal!

Although the place was packed during Saturday lunch when we went, the service was speedy and very friendly. There is so much to try here that we can't wait to return!

Chaykhana is located at 410 S Main Street in the West End.