Ulaanbaatar Restaurants

Asian BBQ Good value restaurant. Guests can select their own meat and also choose vegetables, spices and sauces. Large hotplate where the cooks stirfry the meat and vege selection of each guest, while guests watch. Then if you would like to go back for seconds, that's okay too (at no extra charge. Very tasty meal. Other salads from buffet available for starters, included in set charge (I think it worked out at $US14- per head for dinner).
Good selection of meats, veges, spices and sauces.
Busy when we were there. Party atmosphere, happy, chatty ambience (not the place for a quiet dinner for two).
Desserts also available at additional cost.

Favorite Dish: See above.

We went to Marco Polo before the droves of people ventured in. It was nice. We got to pick our own table. The waitress's spoke English and here's why... there is a strip club upstairs... which wasn't open at the time but many service men come to the restaurant to eat and then head upstairs so she told us she learned English (besides what is required in school) from them. The food was surprisingly good- not fantastic- but for UB- good. The spaghetti and meatballs was a treat. Wine selection was plentiful. Open 11 a.m. to midnight. As Lonely Planet states, the decor is kind of weird but who really cares.

Favorite Dish: Spaghetti and meatballs. Pizza. Claim to be the best pizza in UB.

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If you're a westerner and worried about what you are going to be able to eat in Ulaanbaatar you can just eat at this place and you'll be all good. This place is a combination convenient store, which is on the first floor, and coffee house/cafe which is on the second floor. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but they had lots and lots of coffees, teas, lattes, all that garbage. But they also serve fruit juices, soft drinks, etc. No alcohol unfortunately, but this is the kind of place you would normally go for breakfast and lunch anyway.

Nayra Cafe is also a wireless spot, so if you have an Ipod Touch like me, or you have a laptop (not the most anticipated accessory for a backpacker although I did see it believe it or not), you can come here and use the internet while you eat or drink.

The menu is pretty extensive and the staff speaks decent English. Lots of sandwiches, appetizers, and desserts. On any given day, you'll see Westerners here more than anything but it is also popular with many Mongolians, mostly the women folk.

Favorite Dish: Peanut butter balls, potato soup and french fries : )

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If you're still in a Pizza mood, you can try the American Ger'll (which I didn't have the chance to do) or you can go to Pizza Broadway, which is of much better quality than Planet Pizza. They offer plenty of seating, whether it's upstairs or downstairs. The service is about what you'll get used to in Ulaanbaatar. Not lightning quick, but tolerable. You can drink until your heart's content here as well. It was here that I also experienced the occasional power outages of UB.

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This was one of two pizza places we frequented in Ulaanbaatar, the other one being Pizza Broadway. Planet Pizza is definitely the more "Fast foodish" of both of them, and a little cheaper also. Not the best quality ingredients but if if you like your pizza thick crust style, you'll be happy. After all, pizza's pizza. don't get your hopes up-No Chinggis beer to drink with it : )

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You'll see this place recommended on a lot of websites and in travel books. It's an ok place, but in my opinion they don't compare to the Nayra Cafe. The benefit of Chez Bernard is that it is right on Peace Avenue near a lot of shopping, but that's really about it.

If you go, I would go for a snack or dessert and not an actual meal. General service takes forever, and I suppose it is due to the fact that the kitchens in your typical Mongolian eatery are not that large and maybe they only have one stove going. Once the food arrives, it's barely worth waiting for. To make matters worse, it's somewhat overpriced and you'll eventually find you can get comparable food and better service elsewhere.

Like I said, it's good to go into if you're in the area and you just happen to stumble upon it. But unlike a lot of reviews you see, I think this place is grossly overrated.

All the hallmarkings of a corporate style restaurant franchise but it does provide some authenticity as this was where we were taken for dinner by our local Mongolian friends. The menu is huge, so you shouldn't have any issues finding something to hit the spot, even if you're a vegetarian. Whether you want some local stuff like mutton or buuz, or you want something like a steak or ribs or even a salad for your main course, it's all here. Probably one of the nicest places you can eat at in UB

The Beatles song 'Back in the USSR' will spring to mind when you enter this Soviet time warp. They have a pretty diverse menu including Russian favourites such as pelmeni (dumpling soup) and borscht and VODKA, plus other stuff from the former Soviet Union such as Georgian stewed meat, Uzbek manti (lamb dumplings) and Kyrgyz pancakes. It has a great atmosphere, with pictures of the old Soviet republic capitals, statues of Lenin and covers of old Soviet magazines. They've got beer there as well, of course.