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Ala Turka
Filling platters of Turkish food. If you want doner kebab, arrive before because they usually run out.
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Ananda Café & Meditation Centre
Enjoy herbal teas and some excellent vegetarian dishes made from rice, buckwheat, tofu, lentils and other natural products. Vegetarian buuz and khuushuur are also available. Profits from the café go to supporting a local orphanage, the Lotus Children's Centre, and as the name suggests, yoga classes are available, as are vegetarian cooking classes.
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Ba Shu Restaurant
Reasonably priced and central Chinese restaurant.
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BD's Mongolian Barbeque
This is the first American chain restaurant to open a franchise in Mongolia - ironically, it's not American cuisine but Mongolian barbecue. Despite the staged atmosphere, Mongolians seem to like it and it's certainly a filling option if you're half-starved after a countryside trip. Profits from the restaurant go to the Mongolian Youth Development Federation (MYDF).
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Berlin
An old stand-by, this cafeteria-style place has good-value burgers and spaghetti. Long lines form during lunch hour.
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Bonito
For around Tug12000 you get an all-you-can-eat feed of Brazilian meats, soups and salads. It also serves wine and excellent cocktails.
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Brau Haus
Brau Haus 'Two slices of crusty pork roast' and 'one whole pork knuckle' may not sound like the most appetizing menu items, but rest assured this brew pub can serve up some tasty dishes to go with tall glasses of beer. The bar has an attractive, airy layout, made more interesting with some B&W photos of old Ulaanbaatar. Live music on Friday.
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Café Amsterdam
At the time of writing this place was set to open as Mongolia first literary café. The Dutch owners have promised café au lait, pannekoeken (crepes) and homemade cheese (in season), as well as shelves of books that you can borrow, trade or buy. Poetry readings and guest speakers are expected so check the chalkboard for upcoming events.
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California
One of Ulaanbaatar's most popular restaurants, this place has an array of eclectic menu items, including a Thai steak salad with Caesar dressing, authentic chicken tacos and shorlog (shish kebab with cream sauce). All of these are recommended. There is a huge variety of food to choose from and the portions are generous and heavy on the calories (this place is a real diet killer). It's also one of the few places in town that is open for breakfast.
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CCCP
The Beatles song 'Back in the USSR' will spring to mind when you enter this kitsch Soviet time warp. Meals include old Russian favourites such as pelmeni (dumpling soup) and borsch, plus other treats from the former Soviet world, such as Georgian stewed meat, Uzbek manti (lamb dumplings) and Kyrgyz pancakes. It has a great atmosphere, with pictures of the old Soviet republic capitals, statues of Lenin and covers of old Russian magazines.
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Chez Bernard
The most popular backpacker hangout in Ulaanbaatar, this Belgian-owned café has European breakfast platters crammed with fruit, cheese, yogurt, eggs, bacon and toast. Food quality is somewhat hit-and-miss and the bakery items are overpriced (around Tug1500 to around Tug2500 ), but the place does have atmosphere, especially in summer when you can sit on the deck. There's a noticeboard for organising trips to the countryside or swapping used books. It also sells new and used camping gear.
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Chinggis Club
Micro-brewery serving some of the best beer in the country. There's also a filling meat-and-potatoes menu designed by a German chef.
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City Café
On the 1st floor of the Mongolian Artists' Exhibition Hall, it has some surprisingly good Chinese and Korean dishes.
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City Nomads
Upscale Mongolian atmosphere although most of the menu is Western in style and taste. It's attached to the Negdelchin Hotel.
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Delhi Darbar
In most cities, travellers tend to overlook the restaurants and bars set inside hotels, or only eat at the hotel in which they are staying. Ulaanbaatar, however, has a number of excellent restaurants and bars, privately owned and managed, inside the city's top end hotels. Delhi Darbar is an Indian restaurant in Puma Imperial worth checking out.
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El Latino
Cuban restaurant with colourful décor. However, the chef is from Belarus so there are also some tasty Russian dishes.
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Emerald Bay
Excellent Mediterranean menu includes pork gyros and grilled salmon. Vegetarians should be able to find a salad or soup to their liking.
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Grand Khaan Irish Pub
Big crowds, lots of smoke, free-flowing beer and loud music set the scene for Ulaanbaatar's most popular night spot. The pub-grub menu includes an array of salads. An attached café (open to ) serves espressos, cappuccinos and croissants, plus English and German breakfasts.
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Hazara
This North Indian restaurant has been serving up delectable dishes for more than a decade, always with the same winning menu and colourful décor. Each table is covered by a colourful samiyan (Rajasthani tent), so it's easy to escape to India for an hour or two while you dine on excellent murgh makhni, naan basket and saffron rice. In terms of pure taste, quality of service, freshness of food and consistency, this is arguably the best restaurant in town. Hazara is located behind the Wrestling Palace.
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Ikh Mongol
The flagship restaurant for APU, one of Mongolia's largest food and alcohol producers, Ikh Mongol doles out huge platters of grilled meat and jugs of beer. Needless to say, it's not a great place for calorie-watchers. There is daily live music ( ) and a large beer patio built on two levels. It's on the east side of the State Circus.
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Indra
Located just off the Square, this popular eatery, housed in a converted basketball court, serves decent pasta, ramen (Japanese egg noodles), salad and pizzas.
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Khaan Buuz
This is a nice Khaan Buuz, west from the Flower Center on Baga Toiruu west. But there are dozens of Mongolian fast-food restaurants and they can be found on every block in the city. They serve up industrial-sized buuz (steamed mutton dumplings), plus soups and bifshteks ondogtei (beefsteak with egg); many of these operate 24 hours. Meals cost around Tug900 to T1500.
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Khan Brau
Popular European-run place in the city centre, the porch attracts a good crowd in summer. There is live music from Tuesday to Saturday.
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Le Bistro Français
The soft lighting, cream-coloured walls and French art give this bistro a peaceful, romantic ambience. Having settled in, enjoy a starter of Burgundy snails followed by a Chateaubriand flambé with cognac, washed down with a French red wine. We were a little disappointed with the pastas, but the meat dishes are highly recommended. Ice cream and crepe desserts are excellent.
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Los Bandidos
This place is advertised as 'the only Mexican and Indian restaurant in Mongolia', a claim that we won't try to argue with. It serves nachos, fajitas, enchiladas and burritos, as well as meals hot from the tandoori oven.
