Tibet has unique food and drink due to its highland climate, religious beliefs and distinctive ethnic customs. Famous traditional food includes butter tea and fried flour. Tibetans eat a lot of beef and mutton but avoid dog and donkey meat.

Butter tea is the most common drink in Tibet and made by mixing brick tea, butter and salt together.

Fried flour is made out of barley flour and eaten together with butter and sugar. Tibetans often bring barley flour with them in small leather bags when they leave home to do business. From barley flour Tibetans also make barley beer, which tastes a bit sour and is a favorite drink in Tibet.

In Tibet, tourists have access to Tibetan cuisine, Sichuan cuisine and western style dishes as well as Nepalese and Indian food in some hotel restaurants. It's worth noting that Sichuan dishes in Tibet are more expensive than in other parts of China.

Dine in Lhasa

Most of the restaurants in Lhasa cluster around the Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street, the center of Lhasa City. Here are some of them:

* Crazy Yak Saloon
Has unique Tibetan decor and furnishings as well as highly acclaimed Tibetan food, especially yak meat. Another highlight is the Tibetan song and dance show from 7:30pm to 8:30pm every evening.
Location: next to Kirey Hotel, No.101 Beijing East Road
Tel: 0891-6336845

*Xue Shen Gong Restaurant (Snow-Deity Palace Tibetan Style Restaurant)
One of the only slap-up Tibetan food restaurants in Lhasa serving authentic Tibetan food such as mashed yak meat, yak blood sausage, Tibetan momos and yogurt are on offer.
Location: west of the Potala Palace Plaza
Tel: 0891-9003803

*Snowland Restaurant
Serves a range of western food, Tibetan food and Nepalese food at affordable prices.
Location: No.4 Tibetan Hospital Road
Tel: 0891-6337323

*Tashi Restaurant
English-speaking staff serve Tibetan food as well as spaghetti, mashed potatoes and fries.
Location 1: at the corner of Beijing Dong Lu and Mentsikhang Lu
Location 2: in the Kirey Hotel, on Beijing Dong Lu
Tel: 0891-6323462

*Makye Ame Restaurant
Serves tasty dishes with pasta and pesto and makes good coffee. A few computer terminals are available.
Location: No.1 East Barkhor Street
Tel:0891-6324455

*Chengdu Laoma Hotpot
Serves spicy Sichuan hotpot.
Location: No.188 Beijing Zhong Lu
Tel: 0891-6832511

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