Try These Cheesy Snacks At The New Uzbek Grocery On Bay Parkway

There’s a new Uzbek grocery store in town and you should try it.

Brothers Aziz “Alex” Bakirov and Bakhtiyor “Bakha” Bakirov opened their business Korzinka-UZ at 7112 Bay Parkway — the former site of Lee’s Hair and Beauty Salon — two weeks ago. (Lee’s has moved to a new location on Avenue O).

The store’s name means basket in Russian, and the UZ stands for Uzbekistan, Aziz said. While this is the family’s first food business venture in Brooklyn, they owned a supermarket back in Uzbekistan, where they moved from seven years ago.

The well-lit ethnic market’s walls are lined with imported breads, grains, and packaged products, fresh produce are stacked in the center aisle, and there is a halal deli counter in the back.

Aside from offering the standard Turkish and Russian fare, Korzinka is a good place to find obscure Uzbek cheese snacks like sulguni, which come in matchstick-shaped sticks, and kurut, pungent cheese balls coated in fiery orange powder.

“They’re good with beer,” said Aziz, 21, an FDR High School graduate.

We sampled one of the stinky cheese balls, and while the funky fumes initially tickle the sinuses, the salty taste becomes more agreeable with each chew. They are a great choice for those who enjoy pairing salty snacks with their brew.

The brothers say they selected the the storefront because there is limited availability of Uzbek groceries around the busy intersection where Gravesend and Bensonhurst meet.

“There’s one on 86th Street and one on 60th, but nothing in between, so it feels good to serve people,” said Aziz.

Indeed, a wider selection of food stores is always a positive development for area. Welcome to the neighborhood, Korzinka, and good luck!