As someone who love authentic cuisine of all origins, I admit that I do have some blind spots when it comes to some options. Little did I know but a pizza joint around the corner from my home in S. Raleigh offered up authentic Uzbeki cuisine. Uzbekistan (Central Asia) has strong Turkic influences and beyond Uzbekistan, there’s a large population in Afghanistan. So let’s look beyond that history and geography lesson to better understand Uzbeki food! And shockingly enough, this humble eatery is a great place to start to understand Uzbeki and Central Asian cuisine.
3 Olives – Karavan, Raleigh – Location, Decor
If you want to check out Karavan, it sits in a run-down little plaza in South Raleigh, off of Garner Station Blvd, a short 10 minute ride from downtown Raleigh. Karavan is part of a 3 Olives Pizza restaurant which serves up your typical Italian-American menu (pizza, calzones, subs, salads) along with their authentic Uzbeki cuisine. And while I’ve tried their pizza and it’s quite good, I’d focus on the Uzbeki side of things.
The dining room at Karavan has a Middle-Eastern geometric design along with wood elements throughout the space. It’s just enough of an interior design touch to hint at the menu they are serving up. It’s a humble space but different and reflects the Uzbeki menu so it works nicely to set the mood for your meal.
3 Olives – Karavan, Raleigh – Menu, Food
While the menu for the pizza part of 3 Olives is long and expansive, the Uzbeki menu is pretty tight with about 15 items in total for appetizers, entrees and desserts, most are in the $8 to $15 range. You may need to Google some item names to figure out what to order but I definitely recommend the barak, fried beef dumplings served with a light tomato sauce. One thing that I did notice is that the sauces served at Karavan lean more towards what I would call the Mediterranean side of things, they are lighter, more mellow types of sauce vs. something more aggressive and pungent.
If you don’t order the barak, the manti is a great entree option! Six larger-sized dumplings stuffed with steak and onions. You can order them steamed, fried or do a combination of the two. There is a LOT off food here and they are served up with a tomato sauce and yogurt sauce. While they look familiar to be as Asian dumplings, the spices and flavors used here are definitely different and unexpected.
Another interesting entree option is the khachapuri, a large boat-shaped bread filled with cheese and topped with an egg. It’s also a large entree and the dough here is excellent. The cheese is sort of a ricotta/feta type cheese and a bit smooth and filling. Overall it’s beautiful on the plate but probably not my favorite choice given the cheese used. If you want to do an entree that’s a bit more basic, Karavan serves up a variety of grilled kebabs served with toothsome rice pilaf and grilled vegetables. It’s hard to go wrong with this option!
3 Olives – Karavan, Raleigh – Service, Conclusion
While Karavan is pretty casual in price and decor, the service is quite good, they’ll clear plates quickly and fill your water as needed so nice job there. Overall I’ve enjoyed my visits to Karavan even though I don’t think I’ve entirely figured out Uzbeki cuisine. Some people have compared it to Georgian cuisine, I’d compare it to Turkish cuisine but given it’s geological location, it makes sense that Uzbeki cuisine will overlap with quite a few different ethnic offerings. But in the end, you need to appreciate it for what it is, authentic down-home cuisine that tastes like something coming out of your grandma’s kitchen. Especially if your grandma was Uzbeki, enjoy!
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