The food is often not the reason people travel to Ladakh, but it’s very often the reason people fall in love with Leh’s main market. The excellent food, friendly staff and beautiful views from many of the best cafes in Leh surprises most travellers. And in fact, the food is sometimes one of the unexpected highlights of a Ladakh trip.
I’ve always enjoyed heading back to Leh for the good food. From sitting at a rooftop terrace enjoying the view of Leh Palace to relaxing in a cafe with my laptop catching up on work, there’s cafes and restaurants for every taste.
Here’s my round up of the 10 best cafes in Leh, whether you want to try local Tibetan food or are looking for vegan or gluten free options.
What Kind of Food Can you Find in Ladakh?
Leh offers a wide selection of cuisines; almost every kind of food you could think of. There are restaurants with big menus, offering Mexican, Thai, Indian, Italian, Israeli and more. Plus, of course, you can also find typical Indian food, as well as the local favourite, Tibetan food.
I’m assuming you know most of the Italian, Israeli and Thai offerings, with everything from falafel to pizza available in Leh. But, if you want to try some of the regional delicacies, then here are some of the dishes you’ll want to try in Leh.
Ladakhi Food
Ladakhi food is often confused with Tibetan food, but it has a few distinctly different dishes. Ladakhi food focuses a lot on heavy stews with a local type of pasta or bread. But, Tibetan influences are still heavily found, especially with momos and noodle soups.
Local Ladakhi dishes to try include:
- Skyu: A soupy stew with root vegetables and leafy greens and flattened wheat dough. Skyu is also often served with some meat. especially in winter to keep people warm.
- Chutagi: A local wheat pasta in a rich stew-like sauce with some vegetables.
- Chhang: A local beer brewed from fermented barley.
- Khambir: A local wheat bread with a hard toasted crust, served with stew.
- Apricots: Apricots are grown extensively around Ladakh, so you’ll find apricot jam, stewed apricot and apricot juice offered.
Tibetan Food
Tibetan food has gained popularity across North India now. The combination of noodle soups, dumplings and yak meat can now be ordered at almost any restaurant in Leh. In fact, I would say Tibetan food is a must try in Ladakh.
Some of the best Tibetan dishes to try include:
- Thukpa: A wheat noodle soup with vegetables, but you can also get chicken or meat varieties.
- Momos: Certainly the most popular dish to try in Ladakh, these dumplings can be either steamed or fried and come in veg or non-veg options.
- Tingmo: This twisted steamed bread is soft and fluffy. Made from wheat flour it’s often served alongside a stew or soup.
- Yak cheese: A hard, tasty cheese, yak cheese can be either purchased by weight from cafes in Leh or you might see it added to dishes like yak cheese momos.
- Butter tea: Served at monasteries, festivals and special occasions, this is a famous drink in Tibetan culture. Prepared with butter, milk, salt and tea, it’s an acquired taste.
Leave a Reply