Recently I visited McLeodganj- the ultimate destination for all the foodies and adventure lovers. Majorly inhibited by Tibetans, the hill station is famous for its Tibetan cuisine, in addition to Israeli and Mexican. One can try variety of restaurants and cafes from Main Square to Bhagsu Road and will never get disappointed. Each restaurant having its own speciality, I would tell you my favourites from a vegetarian’s point of view. Your must try bucket list should definitely consist of Carpe Diem on Main Square for the ambience of the place, and even more for their delicious wood-fire oven pizza, which goes well with a beer. It is a typical party destination, usually full of foreigners and you can feel the love in the atmosphere, with guitars in the background. Hungry much? Go to The Chocolate Log at the end of the Main Square for the yummiest North Indian Food, your evergreen paneers and butter naans, or try their delicious pastas. Do not forget to taste the beverages. My favourite one would be their Cafe Mocha. Yum yum.
Hill stations are quite famous for their momos, aren’t they? Try steamed or fried or tandoori, veg or non-veg momos at the Tibet Kitchen in Main Square, you’ll probably love them all, if you can compromise on your spice buds a little. Also, do fulfil your sweet cravings by grabbing a bite from Tibet Quality Bakery and The Pastry Shop, both on Main Square.
The Main Square has almost 100 restaurants, maybe even more, so I definitely couldn’t explore all of them in my four day trip. Do share about your McLeodganj food experience in the comments. Now the roads diverge from Main Square. The one towards Bhagsu Temple awaits you for more appetising food. Just a little distance walked and you see Nick’s Italian Kitchen to your right. Walk into this place for a wonderful pizza experience. Continue on the road and at the end of the main road, you’ll reach German Bakery, which is usually having a waiting if you go at peak hours. This is a cool place to hangout, the pebbled floor and the graffiti and posters on the walls making it an appealing hangout for youngsters. The place serves a variety of cuisines from Indian to Israeli to Mexican to Italian. The quantity of food in a single serving is quite huge, and so is the taste of the food. I ordered Mexican Mushroom Tacos and was already full upon eating off just half of my plate, but couldn’t resist the savoury food.
Next, walk towards the Bhagsu Waterfall and on trekking little above the waterfall, you’ll find Shiva Cafe. Starting with, this place has a pool. You can view the waterfall on one side and greenery all around. Where else would a person want to be if not here. The sculpture of Lord Shiva and many other pictures of gods adds another kind of essence to the place, and I’m not talking about religious essence, something magical. Moving to the food, it has every regular dish any cafe would serve and the food is spicy, and delightful. After walking a big distance for this happening place, do refresh yourself with the tasty lemonades they serve. The other road towards Dharamkot takes you to trekking, nothing special about the cafes on the way as they’ll just fulfil your hunger cravings, but trek to Triund is a must-do if you visit McLeodganj. You can find some good restaurants at Temple road too, just adjacent to the Main Square. Khana Nirvana is a quite famous one, though I haven’t tried eating there. Finally, when you are satisfied with your food experience at McLeodganj, it is time to pack your bags and come back home. Bon voyage!
Very few peopele know about Tibetan cuisine. Traditional Tibetan cuisine is mainly based on dairy products. Share your thought on travel blogs and travel forum of eChutti and let others know about best dishes to try in this cuisine.
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