Khiva's restaurant scene is small and tourist-driven, with the best places clustered along the main east-west street of Itchan Kala and around the Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum. The two specialities to try are tukhum barak (small parcels of egg in a wheat-flour wrapper, served with sour cream) and shivit oshi (green dill noodles, sometimes called "Khorezmi spaghetti", served with a meat-and-tomato sauce). Both are particular to this part of Uzbekistan and worth seeking out.
Khiva Moon and the rooftop restaurants of the larger guesthouses around Pahlavon Mahmud are the safe picks for a full meal. Cheaper plov, samsa, and grilled meats are sold from kiosks around the Polvon Gate. Alcohol is available but more restrained than in Tashkent.