Tashkent Supermarket: The Grand Bazaar of Brighton Beach
Located at 713 Brighton Beach Ave, Tashkent Supermarket is the beating heart of "Little Odessa" and the flagship of New York’s Central Asian culinary revival. While its newer Manhattan sibling captures the TikTok spotlight, the Brighton Beach original is a sprawling, high-energy temple of food that feels less like a grocery store and more like a permanent festival.
Founded by Odiljon Tursunov in 2012, this market was born out of a family’s longing for the traditional breads and halal sausages of their native Uzbekistan. Today, it is an 24/7 institution where the aisles move like a tide, carrying you through a 200-tray buffet that has been called "the city’s longest, largest gastronomic yacht."
The "Full Immersion" Buffet
The defining feature of 713 Brighton Beach is its massive, double-sided hot and cold bars. It’s an overwhelming, magical experience that requires a "commitment to the wave" of local shoppers.
The Plov Islands: You’ll find four to six varieties of Plov (pilaf) at any time. Look for the Samarkand or Tashkent styles—fragrant mounds of rice jeweled with lamb, garlic, chickpeas, and raisins.
The Bread Bar: The scent of the tandoor is constant. The star is the Tandoori Non, a thick, chewy flatbread with a stamped center. If you’re lucky, grab the Bukharan Fatir, a large, flaky layered bread that is a regional masterpiece.
The "Salad sub-genres": Tashkent breaks salads into three worlds: mayo-heavy Slavic classics like "Fantasy" (topped with pomegranate seeds), sharp vinegar-based vegetable mixes, and rare meat salads like Norin—a cold delicacy of wispy handmade noodles and horse sausage.
The Samsa Corner: These are flaky, tandoor-baked "meat pies" that hide fistfuls of spiced lamb or pumpkin beneath oven-burnished exteriors. When they are fresh out of the clay oven, they are the best value in Brooklyn.
A 24/7 Culinary Museum
Beyond the ready-to-eat trays, the market serves as a vital resource for the Central Asian and Eastern European diaspora:
The Pickle & Soup Bar: A dedicated section where you can ladle dozen of varieties of soup—from the "bubblegum pink" cold Svekolnik (beet and labneh) to the hearty Lamb Shurpa.
The Smoked Fish Gallery: One of the most extensive selections in the neighborhood, featuring everything from hot-smoked sturgeon to rosettes of cured salmon.
The Halal Butcher: A prime destination for high-quality, pre-marinated meats and traditional homemade Uzbek sausages that you simply cannot find in a standard supermarket.
The Vibe at 713 Brighton Beach
The atmosphere is "controlled chaos." It is loud, vibrant, and packed with "unsmiling but focused" locals doing their weekly shop. There is no seating; this is a takeout empire designed for the high-speed rhythm of Brooklyn life. If the peak-hour rush is too much, locals know to visit before 8:00 AM, when the store is quiet and the hot bar is at its absolute freshest.
Insider Tip: Do not overlook the "Mystery Fish" (Paltus). It’s actually a transliteration of the Russian word for Halibut, and at Tashkent, it is often fried or grilled to buttery perfection and sold at a steal compared to restaurant prices.
