# Shashlik: Uzbek grilled kebabs

> Skewered marinated lamb (or beef, chicken, liver) grilled over charcoal. Served with raw onion rings, vinegar, and non bread. Available everywhere from bazaar grills to fine restaurants.

**Shashlik** (from Turkic *shish* = skewer) is the universal street food and restaurant staple of Uzbekistan.

Types:
- **Lamb shashlik** — the classic. Cubes of lamb shoulder marinated in onion juice, vinegar, salt, cumin. Threaded on flat metal skewers alternating with fat cubes.
- **Jigar (liver)** — lamb liver cubes wrapped in tail fat. Charred outside, pink inside.
- **Lyulya** — minced lamb formed into cylinders on the skewer. Spiced with cumin and coriander.
- **Beef (govyadina)** — common, slightly cheaper.
- **Chicken (toyuq)** — often whole legs or wings on a skewer.
- **Kartoshka (potato)** — potato chunks threaded on a skewer and grilled. Vegetarian option.

The standard serving:
- 1 skewer = ~150g meat + fat
- Served on the skewer with:
  - Sliced raw white onion
  - White vinegar splash
  - Sumac powder
  - Fresh non bread
  - Achichuk salad (tomato-onion-cucumber)

Where to eat:
- **Bazaar grills** — every bazaar has a shashlik row. Order by pointing at the type. 1 skewer: 25,000–40,000 UZS ($2–3).
- **Chaikhanas** — order 2–3 skewers per person as the main course.
- **Specialist shashlik restaurants** — Tashkent has dedicated houses; Bukhara has several along the Samani Park road.

Vegetarian note: outside of kartoshka (potato) shashlik, vegetarian options at grill stalls are limited to salads and non.

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Keywords: shashlik, kebab, grill, lamb, street food
Updated: 2026-08-15
Category: food
URL: https://uzbguidedtours.com/kb/kb-food-shashlik