The 10 Best Restaurants In Bhutan

Ambient Cafe is a favorite with tourists and expats, or ‘chilips’ as they are locally known, this modern and stylish cafe is located in the center of capital Thimphu, overlooking its buzzing main street Norzin Lam. The welcoming, spacious and cozily lit cafe is decorated with comfortable cushioned wooden armchair seating and a ‘take one, leave one’ book exchange shelf where guests can trade in their old books for new. Guests rave about the cafe’s collection of freshly brewed coffees and teas, while the banana milkshake offers a cool, refreshing alternative. The menu is simple and mostly western in flavor, with a range of salads, sandwiches, cakes and pastries to choose from.

Chig-ja-gye is located within the luxury hotel Taj Tashi, a beautiful building which mixes traditional Bhutanese dzong architecture with contemporary, stylish flair and offers stunning views over the surrounding Thimphu valley mountains. Chig-ja-gye is no different – gold-leaf paintings and decorative dhungs, traditional trumpet-like instruments, are contrasted with modern seating and furnishings, while Buddhist prayer wheels can be seen from the restaurant’s windows. Chig-ja-gye gets its name from the 108 earthly temptations in Buddhism that a person must overcome to reach nirvana, among which are gluttony and greed – perhaps ironic considering the wealth of traditional Bhutanese dishes on offer. A meal at Chig-ja-gye wouldn’t be complete without trying ema datshi, widely regarded as Bhutan’s national dish, which is a fiery mix of chilli peppers and cow’s-milk or yak cheese.

A quiet retreat away from busy Paro, Olive restaurant at Nak-Sel Boutique Hotel and Spa resides in the remote Ngoba village, eight kilometers away from the town. The eco-friendly and energy-efficient hotel is a community project built using native and locally sourced materials, with much of its furnishings crafted in Ngoba Village. The hotel boasts a picturesque stream and waterfall running through the property and breath-taking views of Jomolhari, a Himalayan mountain that sits on the Tibet-Bhutan border. Olive serves Bhutanese fare with continental flavors such as the specialty dish kewa datshi, a curry made with potatoes and cheese, and the yak burger with spicy homemade mustard, watercress salad and potato wedges.

Established in 1997, Hotel Ghasel overlooks the very heart of Thimphu, the lively Clock Tower Square, which is a popular meeting place and cultural venue. The hotel restaurant serves a good-value, all-vegetarian menu of Bhutanese and Indian food, and was the first vegetarian restaurant to open in Thimphu. Recently renovated, the restaurant has a policy of serving only the freshest organic food and the usual, expected fare like pakoras, parathasand vegetable curries. The vegetarian thali(a selection of various small dishes, usually including rice and chutney) and masala dosa, a pancake made from rice batter and black lentils with a spicy potato stuffing, are definite favorites at Ghasel.