One platter on this menu is literally named after a king. And yeah, its price tag looks like it was set for royalty, too.
The spot behind it serves halal Uzbek food in New Jersey, and the doors stay open until 2 a.m. every single night. That’s the detail I can’t get over.
Most kitchens are mopping floors by then.
The menu reads like a road trip along the old Silk Road. Think plov, chebureki, manti, lagman, and a long lineup of kebabs.
Inside, traditional garments and cultural pieces fill the room with color and warmth.
I’d say this is the kind of place built for a crowd. Grab your hungriest friends, your loudest cousins, and maybe a calendar reminder to stretch first.
That king platter is sitting there, waiting for someone brave enough to order it.
A Platter With A Royal Name Deserves A Royal Appetite
Some menu items whisper. The Old Bukhara King Platter basically walks in wearing a crown.
Old Bukhara lists this headliner at the top end of its menu, and the name says plenty about its mission. It’s built for a table full of people who showed up hungry and plan to stay a while.
The $250 King Platter includes Old Bukhara djiz, kazan kebab, tandoori lamb, lamb roulette with prunes, tushonka, and tandoori chicken, all served with salads and sides. An even larger $350 version is also listed on the menu.
It feels a little like ordering a surprise party for your stomach.
Here’s what we do know about the kitchen backing it up. The restaurant serves lamb, beef, and chicken kebabs, plus Uzbek-style lulya kebab and kazan kebab.
So the odds of a sad, lonely plate are pretty low. A platter wearing the word king isn’t going to arrive looking shy.
My advice is simple. Bring a group, skip the snack before you go, and let the platter be the centerpiece of the night.
Big celebrations deserve big gestures. A birthday or family reunion is a pretty great excuse to order something with a royal title.
Nobody has to know you were just really hungry on a Tuesday.
The Name Comes From A City On The Silk Road
Bukhara is an ancient city in Uzbekistan. For centuries, it sat along the Silk Road, where traders swapped spices, fabrics, and stories.
Old Bukhara borrows that famous name, and the menu leans right into the heritage. You’ll find dishes tied to Central Asian home cooking, all served halal.
That history matters because Uzbek food grew from a crossroads. Rice dishes, hand-pulled noodles, dumplings, and grilled meats all share the same table here.
It’s a little geography lesson you can eat.
Fun fact for your next trivia night. Plov, the famous rice dish, is often called the national dish of Uzbekistan.
The restaurant even offers more than one take on it. Bukharian Sofi Plov appears on the menu, and that’s a dish name you won’t spot at most New Jersey strip-mall spots.
So when you sit down here, you’re not just grabbing dinner off Route 9. You’re tasting a tradition that traveled a very long way to reach Monmouth County.
Pretty impressive mileage for a bowl of rice. I’d say that alone earns it a spot on your weekend list, especially if you love food with a backstory.
Colorful Decor Makes The Dining Room Feel Like Someone’s Home
Walls can tell stories too. Inside Old Bukhara, the room is dressed in vibrant Uzbek decor, with traditional garments and cultural items on display.
The effect is warm and homey rather than stiff or fancy. It feels more like a family dining room than a chain restaurant with framed stock photos.
That cozy setup is a big reason the place works for gatherings. You get color, personality, and a sense that someone cared about every detail on the walls.
Take a minute to look around before the food shows up. Embroidered fabrics and traditional clothing pieces give you a peek at Uzbek culture without leaving the Garden State.
There’s also an upstairs area, which is handy for bigger parties. If your group is larger than four, calling ahead is a smart move.
Families with kids, couples on a date, and friends after a late concert can all find their corner here. The space bends to fit the occasion.
Honestly, good decor makes food taste a little better. It’s hard to explain, but a bowl of lagman just feels more special surrounded by handmade patterns and bright textiles.
Crispy Chebureki Might Steal The Spotlight
Golden, folded, and fried. Chebureki are half-moon pastries stuffed with meat, and they’re one of the most talked-about items at Old Bukhara.
They make a great opener before the bigger platters arrive. Grab one for the table, then try not to fight over the last piece.
The appetizer list doesn’t stop there. You’ll also spot manti, which are steamed dumplings, and khanum, a rolled dough dish that’s popular across Central Asia.
If dumplings are your thing, you’re in good company. Chuchvara, smaller Uzbek dumplings, also show up on the menu, and samsa makes an appearance too.
A smart ordering strategy helps here. Pick two or three small bites to share, then save room for the heavy hitters.
Hot and cold appetizers both get their own spots on the menu. That means you can balance something crunchy with something cool and fresh.
Fair warning, though. Once the pastries hit the table, nobody’s going to remember they promised to eat light.
Pastry has a sneaky way of turning a quick bite into a full round.
Plov, Lagman, And Comfort Food With Serious Roots
Rice gets the royal treatment at this place. Plov is cooked with meat, carrots, and spices until every grain carries flavor.
Old Bukhara offers Bukharian Sofi Plov, and other plov styles appear too. It’s the kind of dish that tastes like a grandmother made it.
Then there’s lagman, a noodle dish with meat and vegetables. Those long noodles make for a hearty bowl, perfect on a chilly New Jersey evening.
Beshbarmak is another classic worth knowing. The name roughly means five fingers, because it was traditionally eaten by hand.
Don’t worry, forks are allowed. Nobody’s checking your technique at the table.
For something a little different, look for lamb roulette with prunes or the stuffed eggplant. Both show how Uzbek cooking mixes savory and sweet in clever ways.
A tip for first-timers is to split one rice dish and one noodle dish. That way, you get two sides of the menu without committing to a single favorite.
Comfort food often feels local and familiar. This version just happens to come from halfway across the world, and it still lands like a warm hug.
Kebab Lovers, Your Grill Dreams Just Got Bigger
Skewers, skewers, and more skewers. Kebabs show up all over the menu at Old Bukhara, and they’re among the most popular picks.
Lamb, beef, and chicken versions each get their own spot. Uzbek-style lulya kebab, made from seasoned ground meat, is another favorite to try.
Kazan kebab adds a twist. Kazan refers to a big cooking pot, so it’s a different style from the classic grill.
Want something to anchor the whole table? The tandoori whole chicken is a bold choice for sharing.
Grilled meat is a natural match for fresh salads. Ordering one bright salad alongside your kebabs keeps the meal from feeling too heavy.
This is also where the King Platter idea makes sense. When a kitchen has this many grill options, a giant board starts to sound reasonable.
If your crew can’t agree on beef or lamb, order both. Problem solved, friendship saved.
The best kebab night happens when everyone grabs a skewer and passes plates around. It turns dinner into a group activity, and that’s half the joy of eating here.
Night Owls Finally Have Somewhere Good To Eat
Late-night food usually means a drive-thru bag and regret. Old Bukhara changes that math in a big way.
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week. That’s a long day for any kitchen, and a gift for anyone with odd hours.
Coming home from a concert? Finished a late shift?
Craving dumplings at midnight for no good reason? All valid.
You’ll find the restaurant at 14 US-9, Morganville, NJ 07751. Some listings connect it with neighboring Marlboro, so don’t be confused if you see both names.
Route 9 makes it easy to reach from many parts of Monmouth County. It’s a straightforward stop whether you’re local or just passing through New Jersey.
Planning a big group dinner at night? Weekend evenings can get busy, especially when live music is on.
So patience helps when the room fills up. Order a few appetizers early and let the evening unfold.
Honestly, a kitchen serving plov at 1 a.m. feels like a small miracle. I’d absolutely make a detour for that, and I suspect your hungry friends would too.
Takeout Works Too, But The Room Is Half The Fun
Not every feast needs a tablecloth. Old Bukhara offers delivery, pickup, and curbside pickup for nights when the couch wins.
That makes it easy to try a few dishes at home first. Chebureki, kebabs, and plov all make solid candidates for a test run.
One small tip helps a lot with takeout. If you want certain items kept cold, say so clearly when ordering.
Still, eating in has perks you can’t box up. The decor, music, and bustling tables add a lot to the experience.
Old Bukhara also belongs to a small family of restaurants. Sister locations include River Edge and Staten Island, so the name may already ring a bell.
The Morganville spot holds its own, though. With a 4.5-star rating on Google from more than 600 ratings, it has clearly built a following in New Jersey.
My suggestion is to start with takeout if you’re curious. Then come back with a crowd and go big.
Because once you’ve tasted the food, that king-sized platter starts calling your name. And it doesn’t take no for an answer easily.
