Must-see restaurants in Tibet

  • Wordo Tibetan Courtyard

    Shigatse

    For something a bit special, head out to this stylish Tibetan restaurant near the Summer Palace of the Panchen Lamas. Sit in one of Tibet's loveliest…

  • Lhasa Kitchen

    Lhasa

    With a wide-ranging menu of Nepali, Indian and Tibetan dishes, good breakfast options, decent prices, pleasant seating and a great location, it’s no…

  • Snowland Restaurant

    Lhasa

    This old-timer has a new location but is still an extremely popular place that serves a mix of excellent continental and Nepali food in very civilised…

  • Third Eye

    Shigatse

    A Nepali-run place that is popular with both locals and tourists. Watch as locals sip thugpa (Tibetan noodle soup) while travellers treat their tastebuds…

  • Peacock Restaurant

    Ngari

    This place has a good range of tasty Chinese dishes and friendly service in pleasant surroundings.

  • Seyzhong Nongze Bösey Restaurant

    Lhasa

    Super-convenient if you’re visiting the next-door Ramoche Temple, this pleasant upstairs Amdo Tibetan restaurant offers great views over the street below…

  • Uyghur Ashkhana

    Ngari

    For a taste of Central Asia head to this popular Uyghur restaurant (ashkhana in Turkic), 100m from the main roundabout. A bowl of suoman (fried noodle…

  • Chulong Nunnery Teahouse

    Ü

    Super-friendly place on the main street run by nuns from nearby Chulong Nunnery. Grab a flask of sweet milk tea (from ¥9) and choose from momos (dumplings…

  • Friendship Snowland Restaurant

    Ü

    The backpacker-inspired menu at this pleasant Tibetan-style restaurant includes banana pancakes, hash browns and omelettes, making this your best…

  • Lāsà Cáishén Cáng Cān

    Ü

    Across the parking lot from the monastery entrance, this pleasant roofed courtyard with historic photos of Mindroling adorning the walls prepares basic…

  • Lhatse Tashi Restaurant

    Ngari

    Opposite the Lhatse Tashi Dronkhang hotel, this restaurant is owned by the same people and offers cosy Tibetan seating and a good range of food, served by…

  • Dunya

    Lhasa

    With calming decor and wide-ranging food, this cosy place is no longer Dutch-owned but it still captures Lhasa’s tour-group zeitgeist, and is often packed…

  • Tibetan Family Kitchen

    Lhasa

    This former mom-and-pop joint has upgraded to a stylish Tibetan building on the southeastern corner of the Barkhor. The homemade recipes such as yak meat…

  • Pentoc Tibetan Restaurant

    Lhasa

    Charming English-speaking Pentoc and her sister opened this simple local restaurant after working in longtime favourite Tashi I for many years. The menu…

  • Yaraso

    Lhasa

    Dimly lit, well-appointed modern restaurant offering authentic Sichuan cuisine, such as Chungking spicy noodles (重庆小面, Chóngqìng xiǎomiàn, ¥16), as well…

  • Kyaka Shak Kitchen

    Lhasa

    The atmospheric stone walls and wooden benches of this Tibetan restaurant on the Barkhor give it the feel of a traditional inn, which is fitting as the…

  • Tashi Choeta

    Shigatse

    This bright restaurant offers Amdo-style food, namely steamed yak-meat momos. And there's Lhasa Beer to wash them down with. Watch the chefs at work…

  • Rindhing Garden

    Tsang

    This pleasant courtyard restaurant offers Tibetan specialities such as stir-fried yak with celery (¥28), fried potatoes with lamb (¥45) and a selection of…

  • Woeser Zedroe Tibetan Restaurant

    Lhasa

    This is where visiting and local Tibetans come to fill up after a trip to the Jokhang. Add some pleasant traditional seating and a perfect location to the…

  • Father Vegetarian Restaurant

    Lhasa

    This hole in the wall ('Yebche Gartse Suertob' in Tibetan) is a good place to get an authentic vegetarian lunch. There's no English menu, so consider…

  • Tibet Steak House

    Lhasa

    This well-run restaurant serves a mix of excellent Continental, Indian and Nepali food in modern and fresh surroundings. The Indian dishes are…

  • Sakya Farmer's Taste Restaurant

    Tsang

    Overlooking Sakya's main street, this Tibetan place is located upstairs and has a cosy atmosphere amid Tibetan decor. The waiters are friendly and will…

  • Markham Teahouse

    Ngari

    A cosy Tibetan teahouse whose comfy sofas beckon for sweet tea, breakfast omelettes, noodles and fried dishes, all easy to order on a picture menu. It's…

  • Old Tibetan Kitchen

    Lhasa

    A good new Tibetan place down an alley off central Danjielin Lu. Ask the chef for the ganggo (¥58 to ¥98), currently not on the menu, but a wonderfully…

  • Tashi

    Tsang

    This Nepali-run place (a branch of Tashi in Shigatse) whips up tasty and filling curries, pizza, pastas and yak sizzlers. It also has the best range of…

  • Dōngběi Xiǎofàndiàn

    Ü

    If you need a change from Tibetan and Sichuanese cuisine, these northeast-style dumplings prepared by a friendly transplant from Shāndōng province are…

  • Monastery Restaurant

    Ü

    Expect loads of atmosphere, sunny outdoor seating, a vegetarian menu and pilgrims galore at this welcoming place within the monastery compound. Fried…

  • Héngyuán Xiǎochī

    Eastern Tibet

    This late-running establishment specialises in pig's trotters (猪蹄, zhūtí; half a trotter ¥15) from the local free-ranging swine. It also serves decent…

  • Tidrum Nunnery Teahouse

    Ü

    The small nunnery-run teahouse above the hot springs makes a pleasant stop for tea or lunch. There's an attached guesthouse as well, where rooms are…

  • Aba Home Tibetan Restaurant

    Ü

    Invite your guide to this cosy, friendly and modern Tibetan restaurant, featuring traditional seating, a partial picture menu and lots of local colour…

  • Shǎnxī Fēngwèi

    Ü

    If you find yourself hungry while waiting for the PSB to open, pop across the street to this fantastic little joint run by a family from Shǎnxī province…

  • Sakya Hotel Restaurant

    Tsang

    This hotel restaurant is for those craving western food, such as omelettes, sizzlers and pizza. There are also Tibetan, Nepalese and Indian dishes. The…

  • Qinghai Salar Noodle Shop

    Ngari

    There's a good range of excellent-value and tasty noodle or rice sets at this tiny but superclean place run by Salar Muslims, an ethnic group from Qinghai…

  • Tashi Teahouse

    Eastern Tibet

    This classic Tibetan teahouse serves delicious diru (yak-meat noodle soup; ¥25), tsampa (¥2), thukpa (¥10) and butter tea (¥10 to ¥15). It's on the west…

  • Monastery Restaurant

    Lhasa

    This monastery-run restaurant near the bus stop serves reviving tea by the glass or thermos (¥7), as well as bowls of shemdre (meat and curried potatoes)…

  • Héruìtáng Fàndiàn

    Ngari

    One of many Sichuanese places on Darchen's main drag, but with a well-translated English menu with photos and even a spiciness rating. The Hunanese dishes…

  • Snowland Yungdruk Restaurant

    Ü

    Take tea or simple Tibetan meals in the sunny atrium if it's not full of locals playing dice. There are also a handful of very basic dorms off the back…

  • Tokyeling Teahouse

    Ngari

    This spacious and cosy teahouse underneath the Plateau Impression Hotel is popular with local Tibetans, primarily for its tasty yak meat momos and milk…

  • Āmā Chúfáng

    Eastern Tibet

    East of the canal area, this small but friendly Tibetan teahouse with a seemingly endless supply of sweet tea does a great job with Tibetan and Chinese…

  • Kerung Nepalese Restaurant

    Tsang

    Foreign groups often pack out this Nepali-run place, despite having a limited menu of dal bhat (rice and curry), chicken curry and breakfast dishes.