Must-see restaurants in Himachal Pradesh

  • Johnson’s Cafe

    Manali

    The relaxed yet stylish garden-fronted restaurant at Johnson's Hotel frames a mountain view through foldaway windows, and its wood-fired pizza oven is…

  • Maitre

    Himachal Pradesh

    Easily missed opposite the petrol station, around 2km south of central Kullu, Maitre is the most appealing Western-centric restaurant for miles around,…

  • Bodhi Greens

    Dharamsala

    For beautifully blended flavours, this all-vegan delight is hard to beat with its imaginative range of stews, delicious 'Buddha-bowls', soups and curries…

  • Moonpeak

    Mcleod Ganj

    As well as McLeod's best barista coffee, this excellent gallery-cafe serves some very imaginative cuisine including brown-bread open sandwiches (try the…

  • Himachali Rasoi

    Shimla

    It's just four heavy wooden tables crammed into a bazaar-box shop-unit but the metalcraft lamps add character and the deliciously flavoured thalis …

  • Cafe 1947

    Manali

    This mood-lit bar-restaurant with a willow-shaded riverside terrace is popular for smoking shisha pipes (₹460) to an insistently upbeat soundtrack. It…

  • Gaur Niwas

    Himachal Pradesh

    Gaur Niwas is a classical if mostly ungentrified heritage house where you can savour meals from tandoori trout to fair-value thalis to penne alla zingara…

  • Rocky's Cafe

    Manali

    Trancey vibes and dangling prayer-catchers set the tone, and there are plenty of chess sets on the wide sunny terrace, but what really makes the climb…

  • Café Simla Times

    Shimla

    Fronted by an old Fiat 1100, the enticing Simla Times combines a wonderfully panoramic open terrace area with a casually cosmopolitan indoor section of…

  • Ashiana

    Shimla

    In a distinctive all-window circular building, Ashiana is an almost-elegant restaurant for snacks, Indian and (some) Chinese food plus a few Himachali…

  • Wildflower Hall Restaurant

    Himachal Pradesh

    This timelessly refined restaurant offers indoor, conservatory and terrace dining, the latter with superlative views towards the distant Himalayan…

  • Vibes

    Manali

    Upstairs, 250m south of the bus station, Vibes is a great place to try authentic, beautifully presented Himachali food that's rarely available outside…

  • Casa Bella Vista

    Manali

    Just across the river from Old Manali, climb a short stairway to enjoy Bella Vista's high-quality vegetarian Spanish and Italian food served in a…

  • Lazy Dog Lounge

    Manali

    This slick restaurant-bar produces flavoursome international food – from roast-pumpkin soup to peri-peri chicken, quinoa salad to semi-deconstructed pad…

  • Norling Restaurant & Cafe

    Dharamsala

    The Norbulinka's magical Hummingbird Cafe has a certain Tibetan elegance and outdoor tables that spill into the idyllic, tree-shaded rock garden.

  • Drifters' Inn

    Manali

    This loungey restaurant-cafe with a mellow, jazzy soundtrack is good for hearty breakfasts, strong coffee and international dishes, from eggs Florentine…

  • Nick’s Italian Kitchen

    Mcleod Ganj

    One of McLeod's undisputed traveller hubs, with its shelves of books and very extensive rear terrace, well-run Nick’s goes well beyond Italian (though the…

  • Chopsticks

    Manali

    Tibetan lutes and ornate Chinese lanterns give panel-walled Chopsticks an attractively distinctive if slightly dated feel. It's handily located just…

  • Lung Ta

    Mcleod Ganj

    This popular, vegetarian Japanese restaurant is renowned for its daily changing set menus, but also worth visiting for its fairly authentic miso soup (₹50…

  • Tasty Tibet

    Himachal Pradesh

    Above a clothes shop on the motorbike path that links the town and New Bus Stand, this delightful place is cheaper than most dhabas yet has almost the…

  • La Plage

    Manali

    This decadent summer-only outpost of a chic Goan eatery serves French standards, like onion soup or mushroom quiche. You can also try specialities like…

  • Renaissance

    Manali

    Twinkling fairy lights and strings of plastic flowers give a sweetly naïve charm to this cosy cafe-restaurant. Its Mexican meals are worth trying, while…

  • Jimmy’s Italian Kitchen

    Mcleod Ganj

    Spacious and inviting on two levels, with options to sit at gazeworthy-window bar stools, Jimmy’s offers a choice of 18 sauces for its pastas including a…

  • Nau Nabh Restaurant

    Himachal Pradesh

    This small, refreshingly air-conditioned hotel restaurant provides Rampur's best dining experience serving a rasoi-e-khaas (house kitchen) selection of…

  • Chalet Restaurant

    Himachal Pradesh

    Enjoy Naldehra's finest dining to the strains of classical music or pay 25% extra to be served on the lovely lawn-terrace. The menu ranges from moussaka…

  • Clay Oven

    Mcleod Ganj

    Upstairs at the start of TIPA Rd, the adobe-and-hardwood interior is made all the more attractive with globe lanterns and flower baskets hanging over the…

  • Valentino's

    Himachal Pradesh

    For al dente pesto-pastas, a range of Mexican options and Kullu's best coffee (robust single/double espressos ₹60/80), head 2km south of the centre and…

  • Wake & Bake

    Shimla

    On two upper floors via an almost invisibly narrow stairway, this loveably cosy coffee shop serves espressos made from organic South Indian beans, but…

  • June16

    Himachal Pradesh

    Just before the main road curves around to the paragliding landing point, June16 is the cutest of several loveable Bir cafes. Romantically named for the…

  • Corner House

    Manali

    Corner House is a convivially stylish yet laid-back place for a whole gamut of cuisines: the menu includes Burmese, Thai and German options as well as…

  • Cloud 7

    Himachal Pradesh

    Upmarket dining in a revolving restaurant which takes two hours to make a full turn. At weekends there's an impressive buffet.

  • EBR Cafe

    Shimla

    This arty new six-table cafe focusses on healthy-diet veg-, quinoa- and salad bowl-meals, protein shakes and 'detox shots'. It also fixes tacos, pasta and…

  • Morgan's Place

    Dharamsala

    Down an easily missed stairway from the Himalayan Cafe, Morgan's rooftop terrace has some of the most glorious mountain views in Dharamkot, while proper…

  • Emaho Bistro

    Himachal Pradesh

    Emaho is Rewalsar's top place for barista-style coffee with picture-perfect lake views from its sunny raised terrace, and a small selection of books to…

  • Rasta Cafe

    Himachal Pradesh

    Rasta is the top traveller hang-out for, well, practically anything we tried. Service is friendly, and the space is bright and airy with pine tables and…

  • Hotel Srikhand Restaurant

    Himachal Pradesh

    Come for the spectacular mountain views from big picture windows, stay for cooking that's far better than you might anticipate from a governmental hotel…

  • Cafe Dalhousie

    Dalhousie

    Pseudo-antique furniture and framed sepia photos in a heritage building create a peaceful dining oasis amid the throng of shoppers just off Gandhi Chowk…

  • Green Hotel Restaurant

    Mcleod Ganj

    This traveller-oriented hotel restaurant, with a sunny terrace and comfy couches inside, serves very good vegetarian food that spans a wide range of…

  • Rupin River View Hotel

    Himachal Pradesh

    Halfway between Sangla and Chitkul, the Rupin View makes an ideal meal stop if you've got your own wheels, less for the fairly standard food than for the…

  • Cool Talk Cafe

    Dharamsala

    Eschewing wi-fi and alcohol, this neat little cafe declares itself a 'sanctuary for body, mind and soul'. Dishes include toasted sandwiches, Indian…

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