Just terrific food !! I remembered my mother's special dishes and they have captured all the sytle and flavors. My friend is from Russia and said it was the best food she has eaten since leaving her country. The service and food are wonderful . Absoutely 5 stars for the quality.

This five star review is very personal. If I wasn't me, it would get a 3 or 4. But let me convey my feelings. It might make you want to go check it out. I'm a Ukrainian Jew. I used to be a Russian Jew, because when my parents came to the US as refugees, it was ALL just one big, happy, Russia dominated prison camp. Er, did I say prison camp? I meant happy smiley camp. But I digress. So imagine my surprise upon moving to Arizona when I drove past Samarkand Restaurant a block away from my apartment. I came back. I saw that it was Glat Kosher (the the highest level of kosher). Bukhara Jews from Uzbekistan. Wow! So what you get is pretty much as authentic as, Uzbeki food gets. With a Soviet twist... they have borsch. You can't eat there. Unless you're having a party. This is what local Russians - there I go again! People from the former Soviet Union - use it for. It's basically a take away place. I got the ploff and the Uzbek version of piroshki, samos which come with a delicious roast eggplant-based salsa which was probably my favorite of the dishes. All amounting to comfort food for an old soviet refugee like me. The food was good. Not spectacular but good, and the portion was large. The ploff was super traditional, except made with beef instead of lamb. The easily fixed problem? It wasn't spicy enough for me. Anyway, it was a wonderful stroll down memory lane. I'll try the borsch next time.

Loved this place!! Food excellent. Personal service. Make sure to call first to be sure they are open and serving (they also cater events). We loved it!! And not too expensive either

The sign outside proclaims that the place is Russian. But if you consider that the city of Samarkand is one of the largest cities of Uzbekistan, you won't be surprised to note that the restaurant has strong Middle Eastern influences, and these influences are reflected in the murals and the menu. My friend and I came in mid-afternoon so we were pretty much the only people there. We ordered eggplant salad, cabbage salad, and kababs; all were quite tasty and filling, especially with the samples of the dense Uzbek lepeshka bread the friendly hostess gave us. A really nice Russian lager complemented the fine meal. I'll definitely be back; I need to try the more mainstream-Russian dishes next time.