McLeod Ganj Restaurants

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The Black Magic Restaurant is a classier joint. Sedate lighting, glass and chrome affair, ample space. It is a joint for a good dinner, not a hasty meal; a place to unwind after a tiring day of sight-seeing; a place for good music, matured wine, aged whiskey and delectable cuisine.

If you want to celebrate your wedding anniversary, have a memorable meal with your beloved or arrange a tryst, this is the place.

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McLlo Restaurant occupies a vantage position in the scheme of things in McLeod Gang: it overlooks the main square for a respectable height. You climb a flight of stairs, grab a seat near the window facing the square, order your favourite beverage and/or dish and watch the world go by below. You’ll never get bored as the scene downstairs keeps changing, people mingling about, tourists studying their maps and consulting their guide books, monks in red flowing robes watching bemusedly, vehicles picking up and dropping off passengers and monkeys leaping from branch to pole, pole to wire, wire to building.

The décor of the restaurant is done tastefully. The bar is well-stocked and the fare superb. What more can you ask?

I first visited this place back in 2006 during my initial stay in Mcleodganj. My experience was very positive which is what drove me back in for breakfast just a few weeks ago. Time has not been good to Peace Cafe.

We stopped in just after 8 A.M. to a fairly full cafe. We were given menus promptly and our orders were taken quickly. As with many of the Tibetan restaurants in the area you are given a small piece of paper and pencil with your menu. You write down your order and hand to the servers.

A simple order of boiled eggs, muesli, momos and chai was not delivered as ordered. We had to explain the order, not a hassle by any means but a bad sign. The tea was very bland and overpriced...just Rs 4 on the street and much tastier. The muesli was not really muesli but corn flakes spread on curd and some fruit on top. For Rs 60 it was overpriced. Even the momos were disappointing.

As much as I liked this place originally, I have to say skip it for now. Maybe new owners, maybe a bad morning to visit them...but it’s just not worth the money when there are so many great choices in this town.

It doesn’t come any easier than Gakyi. The place is neat and clean, the owner is a feisty Tibetan woman who’s personality and comments make for entertainment and the food...it’s just good. The menu consists of Tibetan, Indian, Chinese and Continental food. It’s best to stick to the Tibetan and Chinese fare as this is what they know best.

My favorite breakfast is a plate of the Tibetan brown bread with butter, honey and jam. For Rs 35 it’s a steal. You can find several types of tea and other tasty drinks for reasonable prices and the muesli is tops here. It may be Rs 60 for the special muesli but you get a huge bowl of goodness topped with honey. Skip the chai here as well, can find it cheaper and better on the street. The interior is a no frills place with wood tables, wood benches and a few chairs. Food comes out as it is ready.

Get here early in order to find a seat. This place is busy most parts of the day except for the very off times in-between meals. Part of the fun in eating here is grabbing an empty seat at a table with strangers and getting to know them. You won’t find locals here, everyone is a tourist. Most of the diners are happy to talk and share their stories, very rarely do you find a quiet soul. This past trip I met a middle aged Brazilian woman who had just given up her job at a large TV network, sold her car and gave up her apartment to move to India for 5 months. She had been there for a month so far.
Another gal I met was an Indian girl, 26 yo from Holland who had been adopted from Bombay at a young age and was just returning to India for the first time. She was on a 3 month trek around the country.

Gakyi is well known among the tourists. Stop in to get ideas for side trips, places to stay, other places to eat, what to avoid in town, and of course good cheap food.

Favorite Dish: Tibetan Brown bread for breakfast, Veg Tofu Chowmein for lunch or Dinner, and of course the Spinach/Cheese Momos.

Just about every restaurant in McLeod serves up a great breakfast...Tibetan bread, huge bowls of fresh fruit yoghurt, eggs, banana pancakes...all add up to one heavy but delicious breakfast!

Try some fresh fruit juice or the famed hot ginger lemon tea (or the million other types) and wake up! The area rises and goes to bed early, so keep up with the routine..dont worry the crisp mountain air will be glad to help! :)

Favorite Dish: Everything's great, and extremely cheap! after a meal, walk the mountains for exercise!

This cosy little cafe was a welcome haven for a wet and cold walker!! The food is the cheapest I have ever had, filling and wholesome.

Favorite Dish: The Thenkthuk (I think thats how it is spelt) is a broad noodle dish in a vegetarian broth with plenty of fresh veggies. It was delicious and very filling, perfect to drive away the cold, and at only 30 rupees impossible to fault!!

A really lovely warm and cosy restaurant. The waiters are friendly and helpful and the food is phenomenal.

Favorite Dish: Both the meat and veg thali were the best I had on my whole tour of India and beats a lot of the curry I have had in the UK!!

Lots of foreigners= lots of food!
There's a rooftop Israeli restaurant, where we had some good albeit fried chicken! That was the night their electricity went out, so we dined by candlelight. And yes, it was lovely! :-)

Besides this you'll get some Indian/Tandoori, Chinese food etc...but my tip: stick with the Tibetan, once you leave, you'll miss it forever!!