There are plenty of Leh restaurants you will keep coming back for more and we had a fantastic time trying most of them. Most of them are situated on the famous Changspa Road, few of them are listed below.
Dzomsa-Refilling water bottles and recycling waste. (The branches in the Main Bazaar and Changspa don’t serve breakfasts). Ladakhi breakfast menu: khambir (leavened bread) with homemade khakla (butter) and fresh apricot preserve, jo labuk or tang tur, a sort of raita with veggies.
Desert Rain-(01982-256426) juices on the blackboard (Rs. 20–50). Try Club sandwiches (Rs. 50) or that gooey bowl of cheese, veg or tuna Maggi (Rs. 20–50).
Lala’s Cafe-Gur gur cha (Rs. 60 for the full wooden churner experience/Rs. 15 for a cup). Lemon-honey-ginger (Rs. 15–25), juices (Rs. 30–60), hot or cold chocolate (Rs. 15–35), khambir with butter, curd (Rs. 40–60), jepschul or phemar, variations of tsampa mixed with cheese and butter (Rs. 30) or quiches (Rs. 60) and pastas (Rs. 120–150).
World Garden Cafe-At the mouth of the Changspa Road, (9906990198) a fried dumpling with chocolate and dry fruits in its belly, Sweet Jesus (Rs. 100), Hello to the Queen (Rs. 100), a biscuit-banana-chocolate-fudge mix, Mars Chapatti (Rs. 120) is the real chocolate huckster. Order this large half-moon pastry (gujiya/calzone-like)
taut with Nutella, banana, coconut, dry fruits and bars of Mars.
Open Hand– This place down the road from Hotel Yak Tail and Penguin Restaurant (keep walking until you get to Alpine Villa) is a different kind of ‘garden’ restaurant. (www.openhand.in) Try their pancakes filled generously with chocolate, banana, apricot cream or apple crumble or any of their breakfast selections, from yoghurt muesli to toast, sausages and eggs.
Bon Appetit-(251533) on Changspa road. Order a lovely tomato and locally grown rucola or rocket salad (Rs 200) and the trio of dips—baba ghanoush, hummus and a yoghurt dip with wild chives and its flowers – served with naans stuffed with olives and sundried tomatoes (Rs. 180). Wash it down with a glass of jungle tea (Rs. 160) steeped with cinnamon, cardamom, rum and honey. Main course of penne with lemon butter and tuna (Rs. 220), Asian stir-fry (Rs. 210/260) or honey mustard chicken (Rs. 280) arrives.The chocolate momos (Rs. 180) here are a revelation.
Chopsticks-(9622224727) Good Chinese and Thai food. New location at the Raku Complex on Fort Road. Recommend the chilli garlic noodles (Rs. 110–140).
Tenzin Dickey-Tibetan Restaurant, best Cheese and potato fried momos. Rs. 200 for two; Fort Road; 9906990704.
Budshah Inn-(8803730732), near the post office in the Main Bazaar is known for its Kashmiri meal. Kashmiri naan (Rs. 50) stuffed with almost equal measures of dry fruits and paneer.
Cafe Jeevan-(9419129157) Towards the tail of the Changspa Road, this Sikh-run establishment steers clear of all meats (eggs are okay). Try the pizzas (Rs. 145–180) and the mango pulp with cream (Rs. 90), and avoid the creme caramel or chocolate (Rs. 85).
Pumpernickel-Their yak cheese sandwiches are good. Rs. 300 for two; Sabzi Mandi Road; 962228521.
Mentokling for Vanilla Milkshake
Chinese Bowl – Vegetarian Fast Food
Reasonably priced menu and tasty food, this place is a favorite with backpackers.
Known for Chinese food, french toasts, egg sandwiches, crepes.
Wonderland Restaurant and Coffee House
Located at the center of Changspa, Wonderland Restaurant offers Indian, Chinese, Continental and Korean food. We loved coming here for its lively atmosphere, good quality food and nicely done interiors.
Otsal Restaurant
Located towards the end of Changspa, Otsal Restaurant is on the upper floor and accessed by steep stairs on the outside of the building. Inside, it’s a large a hall with regular table seating, as well as Ladakhi style seating on mattresses with low tables at the back of the room. Its known for amazing pizzas, but what made Otsal special was that it has a small collection of books and encourages its patrons to sit around reading and relaxing without being hurried away.
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