Planning A Trip To McLeodganj? Get The Perfect Mountain Meals At These 7 Places

The hills are our favourite place to be, and what better than a weekend trip to Dharamshala? Obviously, we recommend you traverse further and end up in McLeodganj or even better, Dharamkot. But once you do, these are LBB’s choice eateries in this Tibetan town.

Jimmy’s Italian Kitchen

A sister concern of the Clay Oven, Jimmy’s Italian Kitchen does really good pizza. We’ve even heard patrons raving about their pastas and the chicken in red wine sauce. Think Big Chill at half the price, and with a better location.We recommend that you go with time on your hands because the service is a little sleepy, but then so is the town. The chocolate mousse is exquisite.

Clay Oven

This is our go-to, and favourite spot in the main square. So much so that the owner is our emergency contact for food, drinks, advice, and all other needs. As for the food, we loved the chicken momo; hot dumplings in the cold weather and their exquisite hot peach tea was blissful. We went a second time and got their desserts too. The lemon cake is a bit dry but otherwise the food is amazing.

Green Hotel

With people milling about with their laptops or couples canoodling on sofas, the Green Hotel is exactly what it sounds like. A huge garden at the back of the restaurant has everything from ferns to fuchsias, and a view to die for. The back of the homey place opens out on to the hills, and a view of the valley from a height.

This is a fab joint for vegetarians, vegans and people who are lactose intolerant. Plus, they have shelves full of books to trade from. Boy, are we tempted to go back!

Trek And Dine

This is for those who have stayed away from the bustle of the city and are enjoying the the wood-fired pizzas and late night soirees of Dharamkot. We tried their Pita and Hummus and we must accept that an entire plateful of hummus is not for the weak. We also recommend their espresso in the mornings and the sandwiches to go with. PS: Portions are big.


Shiva Cafe

Notoriously infamous, Shiva Cafe is where you can find some quality questionable stuff and also momos for when the munchies strike. We recommend that you don’t take your mom along; it isn’t the most PG-rated place. Hippies mill around through the day but we insist that you go for the view and not the crowd. The breathtaking view is worth the hike.

Illiterati

This book cafe’s ravioli is out of this world. We won’t recommend this place for the peace and quiet, especially since it’s in the middle of the town and the noisy road outside can be a dampener. We would love you to go for the burgers though. Flavourful wood-fired food, the smoky taste-memory makes us want to catch a bus to Mcleod right now.

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A full time enthusiast of the 'gram', Kasturi paints and writes on her eponymous blog. She's looking to establish herself in a stable job despite her impending and current existential quarter life crisis. Not having stayed in one place for too long, she muses about the Arts and has an astronomical appetite for, well, food.