Tashkent

Tashkent is closed, it is a new restaurant called Oasis. Photos and 3 stars are for the new restaurant Oasis.

My rating should actually be «incomplete» because I’ve never actually been able to eat here. Not for lack of trying.
The first time I tried to go there with my wife it looked like it was open, the doors were open, but when we went inside there was only a group of shady looking guys in track suits sitting at a table smoking cigarettes who glared at us and said «we closed». If they hadn’t looked like such a caricature of Russian mobsters I might have said something. Discretion is the better part of valor though so we walked right back out.
The second time we tried to eat there it was clearly open. There were multiple parties eating and waiters taking orders, the whole deal. The host told me they were closed though. I used to live in Russia and I’m actually used restaurants pretending they’re closed when they’re clearly not because they don’t want to serve Americans. Usually though if I stand my ground and argue with them in Russian they usually relent and let me eat. I guess they figure if I speak the language well I can’t be all that bad. Not Tashkent though. They refused to budge though and the host refused to acknowledge the fact that the other patrons even existed.
I’m not going to suggest that it’s some kind of a front because that would be slanderous, and I don’t attribute to malice what can adequately explained by stupidity. They might just have no concept of how to run a business.

Since new management took over, Great food, very nice athmosphere, very good service, and ideal for parties, however suprizingly reasonably priced. Would definatly go back and recommend to others

So… does everyone else’s bill wind up with an unexpected and non-​negotiable 15% «service charge” – which the waiter insists does not include his tip but instead covers salaries and overhead – or did we just get shook down because we’re not Russian?
Not that we would return anyway, given the smattering of fruit flies floating peacefully in the condiment jars. Still, bugs did not deter us once we were already seated and starving. Good samsas; acceptable kebabs; standard wheel-​sized loaf of bread; standard Russian-​restaurant pacing (that is: plan to stay awhile). Much of the menu was unavailable for obscure reasons. We were the only people there.