Popular Cafe
– Enjoy Lip-smacking Coffee with Your Loved Ones
Need a quiet and nice cafe to chill out? While Suja (Himalayan butter tea) is the national drink of Bhutan, Coffee is gaining popularity. With the introduction of free Wi-Fi, there are now a plethora of places to get delicious coffee, hang out, set up a second office, or plan afternoon meetings at the cafe in Bhutan.Most of the cafes in Bhutan have a vibrant architectural structure and offer good views.
From whimsical to third-wave coffee shops, here are some of the most popular cafes and coffee shops in Bhutan.
Continue reading to learn about the finest spots in Bhutan to grab a hot cup of coffee and a tasty bite to eat. Take a peek at some of Bhutan’s most well-known cafes:
The Zone
The zone is one of the favorite cafes in Bhutan for foreign residents as it offers a Bhutanese twist to a small American dinner.
The menu has it all; starting with Fries, Burgers, ribs, pizza, hot dogs, momos, fish, chips, and ice-creams. The café has a pub-style interior which makes it desirable and delightful. In Thimphu, you will find the best of the crowd in Zone. This place offers an amiable ambience with soothing music and classic décor. The best dishes offered include Yak Burger and pork ribs. The zone is a perfect choice if you want to enjoy your evening with good food and drinks.
Ambient Cafe
Ambient café in Thimphu Bhutan, would remind you of European culture and its fusion with the Bhutanese culture. This café is filled with books and curios placed on the shelves. This café has a fun environment achieved from its lively interiors. Overall one would always enjoy spending time over here.
The menu has a western touch as you can enjoy delectable sandwiches, delicious pizzas, and several-flavored shakes. The ice-tea is a must-try item over here, especially with grilled sandwiches. They also have a wide range of drinks including smoothies, juices and special espresso coffee. A little bakery in the café allows you to select your favorite cakes, waffles, loaves of bread and ice-creams. Ambient Café has scrumptious breakfast, lunch and brunch options. You can even get some tips on the local mountain-biking routes by the owner.
Karma S Coffee
Karma’s Coffee is a relatively new coffee shop in Bhutan and in very less time has acquired a lot of popularity. The interiors of the café are cozy and warm yet conventional.
You can have a peaceful reading with a book in one hand and their exclusive cappuccino in another. They also have a dedicated smoking zone, so the ambiance of the café does not get hampered. All the coffee lovers cannot miss this professionally admirable café where all their tastes and desires get fulfilled. This café also offers some delectable brownies and snacks. You can come here for an afternoon brunch and enjoy some simply delicious deserts in Thimphu.
Season Pizzeria
Situated in the heart of the city, Season’s Pizzeria / Restaurant offers a range of delicious delights, from signature pizzas, spaghetti, and pasta to some of the best desserts in town. Some of the most popular desserts include apple pie, lemon cake, blueberry cheesecakes, and chocolate brownies.
The pizzas here are the best in town. They have a nice range of creative and fresh toppings such as fresh mushroom, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes.
The Season Restaurant or the Season’s Pizzeria is also the only restaurant offering Italian cuisine on their menu. You can select Italian dishes combined with roasts and steaks. Even they offer great variations in their sandwiches that are made from fresh European bread. You must try from their range of thin-crust pizzas and salads as they are a must-have in a meal. This restaurant is a success not only with locals but with tourists as well. You can also enjoy its outdoor interiors despite its proximity to the Hong Kong market. Vegetarians have a nice list of varieties of pizza.
Coffee Culture
Coffee culture is a vibrant and busy coffee shop and pretty popular among Bhutanese. Here you can get that youngster vibe.
The menu is set on the chalkboard , having sandwiches, pizza, wraps, salads, and burgers. Even they have some exotic desserts including walnut brownies and beverages. There are two floors in the café, the under one offers wooden interiors whereas the upper ones are a hangout space. One of their specialties is chili cheese momos. You must try from the variety of cakes and cheesecakes too. They have an American impression on their menu as the wraps and the pizzas are excellent. The prices are not high, which means you can opt for more and more.
Clou9 Cafe & Bar
Clound9 café and Bar is the restaurant which will take you away from the typical monotonous restaurants. They offer great value for international cuisines and their presentation. You can have a fusion of great salver from all around the world starting with Italian pizzas, American burgers, deli sandwiches and Italian ice-creams called gelato. This restaurant is situated in the clocktower location and has a contemporary setting comprising a magnificent silver-grey dining room. Space has been renovated and persists of contemporary white furniture which looks serene and calm. In this restaurant, you can also satisfy your ice cream cravings as it features an ice-cream bar along with a bakery station.
Mountain Cafe Paro
This chic cafe with a warm and relaxing ambiance is the place to go if you’re looking for a place to relax and enjoy your meal. Located in the heart of Paro town, the mountain cafe offers a wide range of delicacies- continental, Indian, and local cuisines- to choose from.
Top it with a good cup of roasted coffee of your choice. The best of its menu are veg cheese sandwich, cheeseburger, and a mixed green fruit salad. All organic. If you want to try out Bhutanese food, khurle (buckwheat pancakes) with spicy ema datsi is something to die for. Now combine all of the above with friendly staff and quick service, you can’t be at a better place than this!
Thija Cafe
Thija is the only café in Bhutan where you can have a Baskin Robin ice-cream. It is placed at the clock tower and does offer mouth-watering palates and deserts. This is one of those very rare places in Bhutan where you can have an early breakfast service. It is usually occupied by tourists because of the convenience of the location. The opening time of the cafe is 08:00 am, and as soon as it opens the line of scrumptious breakfast spreads get started. You can have toasted multi-grain loaves of bread combined with your preferred egg preparation and salami. This café gives great value to money and quality.
Himalayan Cafe
An awesome place to feel the warmth of finely made Lavazza coffee, outstanding homemade cakes, and crunchy-munchies fast food, snacks such as burgers and pizza – this up-to-the-minute coffee house is a good place to keep your memories intact and the best way to spend your day in the afternoon of cold months. The Himalaya café is managed by a friendly and very professional lady Mrs. Kinlay and some of the other staff. The Cafe Himalaya and its Bakery have got a clean atmosphere with the best of the sitting option. You can enjoy your warm coffee sitting in the balcony by watching the awesome view of Jangchup Lam.
Get freshly brewed Lavazza (Italian coffee), mouth-watering smoothies, milkshakes, fresh juice directly from the garden, freshly baked cakes, pastries, sandwiches, burgers, pizza. Don’t miss out on the Himalayan veggie salad that is made instantly to give you a fresh feel and right taste of the food. You will love to meet the chef
Busy Bean Cafe
Are you a coffee lover and a person who loves to sip on the coffee with ease and peace to its extreme? If yes, Busy Bean cafe in Thimphu is a place to visit & should not be missed at any cost. Closely held to Hotel Pedling, this café gives you the benefit of enjoying unlimited Wi-Fi with the availability of the best of the furniture in a relaxing ambiance.
This is considered to be the best of the café as it doesn’t ask you to get up and go if you aren’t doing anything. Take an ample amount of time and sip on your coffee with a newspaper in your hand, send emails or chat as long as you want. The comfortable cushions and the couches will give you a good feeling.
Coffee Studio
If you are a foodie and love to watch the interior of the place along with the food, this trendy coffee studio welcomes you in its arena. Located in Babesa, this brand new café offers good quality Bhutanese food with the best of the interior. Come and hop on at Babesa Lam Rd, positioned in Thimphu, Bhutan.
Chh'a Bistro & Bar
Are you planning an office party or a farewell to your friend? If yes, try this bistro and bar which is situated about 1 km from the town, positioned near to the river in Thimphu. It has a lot to offer you and that also in a peaceful environment. Get the taste of mouth-watering traditional Bhutanese food with the inclusion of various dishes. You can even opt for barbecue and their cultural programs. Not only you but your guests will also love this place as it provides lots of facilities along with good food. Facilities such as Outdoor Seating, Validated Parking, high chair availability, wheelchair facility, Buffet arrangement, reservations, takeout system, table service, the facility of bar with alcohol and cash only service with unlimited Wi-Fi and so on.
Authentic Pizza
If you are looking for a pause from the tasteless hotel buffets, burning chillies with cheese, this place provides decent pizzas. It comes in various tastes. You can try eating Bhutanese beef pizza that’s dried and comes with caramelized onions. It’s considered as the best Pizza place in the entire town of Paro with the availability of detached kitchen for preparing the veg and non-veg pizzas. Come and explore the one and only place of getting gene food. Once it was the only place where a lady chef used to prepare food among many restaurants in Bhutan
Tower Cafe
Maggi point- anyone? But hey, do not get confused, you don’t just get it but you also get lots of food varieties. It’s just the name. Go and get the taste of their sandwiches, burgers, cakes, pastries and many other food items. This café is situated just next to Clock Tower, Thimphu.
This place is mostly recommended for having hot coffee’s breakfast with a quick bite of Maggi. Don’t miss to take a walk down the Nordzin Lam that lies towards the Taj Tashi. Catch the market National Stadium that happens only at the weekends. It is also famous as Changlimithang Stadium. It would be better if you spend at least 4 days to enjoy everything it has to offer you. If a fan of herbal products then get it from here.
Burger Point
Fresh scrumptious meals and that also for the entire day- not able to believe it right? But it is true. People come to this place to try out their specialty – ‘The Dumplings’. In fact, momos, sandwiches, and Thukpa too taste great. Not only their food but their service as well as their location are also good. Located in the center of the town, it’s the most loved place by the locals. Though it has limited food items it is loved and liked by people because of its food quality- which is in fact value for your hard-earned money. Everywhere else you will get burger a bit expensive but at this place, you will get at a reasonable price.
The Boook Cafe
Need a quiet and nice place to eat out? The book cafe is the go-to place. Located on the opposite end of Paro police station, this elegant cafe is the only one in town that genuinely wants you to relax, have a good conversation if you have company and eat superb food. With no Wi-Fi, you can also pick a book from quite an impressive collection displayed on the shelf while sipping on hot Lavazza coffee. the menu is rich, from local delicacies to continental to Indian cuisines. And some of the best of its menu are minced chili fried rice, pan-fried noodles, and popular set meals. And you get one of the best momos (dumplings) here.
My Kind Of Place
Well, this is definitely your kind of place if you want to enjoy great food in an ambiance that is both appealing and appetizing. Located bang in the middle of Paro town, this upstairs restaurant- you have to climb a few flights up a traditional staircase – with a mezzanine garden, elegant interiors, and kind, heartwarming service can really pamper you. The food here is superb. And you can choose from a hotlist of Pan Asian and Bhutanese cuisines. The must-try on the list are hot bhaley (bread), with ema datsi, hoentey (buckwheat dumplings), homemade rice noodles, and st meals. So next time you’re in Paro, you know where to go!
Brioche Cafe Paro
This cozy café with a simple yet authentic setting, located in the middle of Paro town, has a calming effect. The vintage photographs on the walls evoke a feeling that you are in a museum of some sort. Owned by a five star hotel pastry chef, Brioche cafe offers the most exquisite cakes and pastries in the entire town.
The cafe also bakes all kinds of French pastries. Top of the list are tarts, apple pie, homemade ice creams, and sorbets. And combine that with a good, really good, cup of coffee or masala tea! You can drop by for a quick bite or for a long, endless coffee conversation.