Lijiang Restaurants

So why did we end up going there that many times? Well becaues it's centrally located, it's got good coffee, nice ambiance and yummy but cheap burgers ;-) Local food in Lijiang are a bit greasy so it's easy to just go for Western food that are relatively safe. We stumbled upon Prague Cafe on our first night for coffee and dessert and we found ourselves going back and back again ;-) It's always frequented by Western tourists and Chinese young people alike. They either just hang around there or watch DVD's on the 2nd floor.

Favorite Dish: Chicken Burger, Blueberry Smoothie, Cappuccino

My husband and I loved this place, and frequented it during our winter 2005 stay in Lijiang. The waitress was adorable in her "Supergirl" sweatshirt, and she played great CDs. Best bargains on wine in Old Town, relaxed atmosphere, cute kitten, and great food, especially for vegetarians.

Favorite Dish: We ate the fried broccoli with roasted peanuts, along with a bottle of "Great Wall" red wine.

also called "Pizza - coffee, cold beer, beefsteak"
it is not about food I reccommend this place, it's because the ambiance of the place and the people who work in here and come everyday just to spend time with friends.
The people I met here come from different regions of China, and there was only one guy from Naxi people (Lijiang locals). They all came in here to travel, but decided this is the place they would like to stay, and for last 2-3 years they stay in Lijiang. What this young people do is illegal! They sing songs!!! yeah, that;s illegal in Lijiang!!!!! There is a law which prohibits singing in the old town of Lijiang, but if you'll happend to browse the streets of the old town in the evening, and I'm sure you will (because evening Lijiang is something special) you will find people singing songs everywhere... so this law doesn't apply very much....
anyway, back to the subject... this guys will be glad to invite you to sing with them, they like singing country music, all sorts of older songs from 60's-70's. They have books with all the songs they play, so if you don't know the words you can check it in the book (btw: they also have nice collection of books in there). The Naxi guy plays the guitar very well, he's got talent, I'm telling you! Yeah, and you'll be able to hear local naxi people's songs as well. I registered these guys singing on my mp3 player, probably I will post somewhere on the net and will provide a link later.
The place is very clean, comparing to other places and is decorated with style, I liked the Beatles posters they had... for a beatleman like me, that;s a pro.... :)

Favorite Dish: They serve delicious pizza's. Ofcourse it's nothing like original italian pizza, and if you ask me, I think in asia is really hard to find a place where they'll serve you with a normal-taste pizza. and this place is no exception, still it's much better then in other places, it has a specific taste and it's huge. Half a pizza will be enough for you! trust me... :)
They also have nice Yunnan Coffee, if you are coffee adicted you must try local coffee, it's really good!
In the morning you can have different types of breakfasts with a set menu.

They asked me about the music from my own country and I offered them the tunes I had in my mp3, oh boy... there where impressed!!! :) so next morning I came and downloaded all Moldavian music I had to their computer (by the way they have internet connected computer in there as well you can use). And this very same evening when I checked on them again they already managed to study the songs and burn some CD's for listening. So I was surprised to hear "Pavel Stratan" playing his guitar somewhere in Lijiang... :) But I was more surprised next morning, when I was taking my breakfast at some other place in the old town to hear pipe playing of "Gheorghe Zamfir"!!! That was amazing!!!! So, now you can also hear Moldavian tunes on the streets of old Lijiang town!!!

Prague Cafe is a small an cozy place right next to the river which serves good quality american and european style breakfast with fresh coffee. They have free internet and books for customers to enjoy. Price is a little higher than the chinese restaurants but if you crave for some western taste in your mouth, this is a nice place to go.

Great atmosphere - try breakfast there - upstairs in the winter months the sunshines nicely on the window seats....or in the afternoon sit outside in the sun...

Staff very friendly

Food - western/local

In my other tip (in "must-see's"), I mentioned that the food was yummy-- and it really is at Sakura. There's a full menu of local Naxi dishes, Japanese dishes, Korean dishes... and, for those needing a taste of the west, pizza, hamburgers, etc. We sampled lots and were pleased with every dish we tried. I'd recommend asking the staff about their favorites, or just look at the dishes people nearby have ordered. Everyone is friendly (we had one couple offering us a taste off their dish!), and the atmosphere is great. We loved the mix of world music they played-- just wish they'd make a CD!

Favorite Dish: We loved the hotpot (with a choice of meats and veggies). Nothing could have been nicer on a VERY cold wintery day! Also I remember the stir fried eggplant being particularly yummy. And if you have an appetite for pizza, look no further! It's better than any I've had in Hong Kong!

A very good place to go whenever you are hungry, they also have good breakfast and great pies (apple and strawberry), everything at reasonable prices. The setting is beautiful, there are tables directly at a small canal (okay, this is not too difficult to find in Lijiang!) and the atmosphere inside is very comfortable.
They also have a wide variety of local, italian, western and korean dishes, and they are all good!

Favorite Dish: Our favourite dish was definitely the hot (in both ways) korean soup, don´t recall the name but think the other soups were served cold.

While fellow-travellers headed down to the main drag to fill their morning bellies with familiar comfort food, I headed off to watch the old market square coming to life. The locals were drinking tea from their own tea jars, and feeding on soup and dumplings bought, freshly-made, from traders on the market.

So I set off to find out where it was all coming from and to investigate the fare that was on offer. It was amazing! Soup (I passed on that for breakfast, although it is a staple for many Chinese at breakfast time), heaps of fried things that looked suspiciously like some former insect, various vegetable dishes... the variety was amazing, and stood in stark contrast to the stands that were opening around, and which were clearly catering for a tourist clientelle.

Favorite Dish: I opted for a savoury dumpling, the size of a large fist, that could have been filled, for all I know, with some of those insect-resembling dishes. I don't care. it was delicious and warming and filling... just the thing to be munching in the early morning sunshine while watching others hard at work.

It cost so little that they practically paid me to eat it: probably around 20 cents. Yummy!

I did relent and have a less-than traditional coffee in a bar on the square that enabled me to continue my surveillance of Naxi salespeople setting up their colourful stalls. A lucky move as it turned out, as I met there a really nice French woman, also on her own, with whom I went off cycling that day.