Qamdo Dining

Qamdo Dining tells you what and where to eat in Qamdo during your Tibet travel. As we all know, Tibetan food is mainly animal by-product, such as beef, lamb, pork, butter and cheese, while vegetables are limited in Tibetan family.

What to Eat in Qamdo

In Tibetan people's daily life, tea, fresh milk, and yogurt are indispensable. A variety of cooked wheaten food and staples have been similar to those in any other areas in China, but residents here still keep the habit of having traditional buttered tea, milchigs, pork, beef and mutton. You should try the following special food when you travel to Qamdo.

Featured Food in Qamdo

Air Dried Meat (风干肉)

As the staple of herdsmen in Tibet, the food made from mutton or beef is dried by air, nutritious and tasty. To a great extent, air dried meat is the very picture of typical characters of Tibetans – openness, impassioned, and wildness.

Cheese(干酪)

There are two kinds of cheeses. One is the substance from milk after being extracted butter. After boiling, it condenses into the solid form before pressing it to the various shapes. The other is done by boiling in the buttermilk before drying it and cutting it into thready or granular shapes.

Tsampa (糌粑)

Zanba/Tsampa is one of the traditional staple food of Tibetan herdsmen. In fact, it is the highland barley fried noodles, and is the staple food that Tibetan people must eat every day. Zanba is the flour ground from highland barley. When eating, mix the highland barley flour with yak butter tea, milk residue and sugar evenly, then knead into a ball with your hands. It is not only convenient to eat, rich in nutrition, high heat, very suitable for stopping hunger and resisting cold, but also easy to carry and storage. When visiting a Tibetan family, the host will certainly serve the fragrant buttered tea and highland barley fried noodles.

Tibetan Noodle

Tibetan noodles are pressed in advance with plateau wheat, a specialty of Tibet, cooked and dried for stand-by.When eating, put it into the yak meat soup pot until the noodles hot. Put the cooked Tibetan noodles into a bowl, fill it with delicious beef soup, sprinkle some diced beef. You can also add Tibetan hot sauce according to your taste.

Yak Meat (牦牛肉)

Living in the area above 3500 meters all year round, yaks often eat wild herbs such as fritillaria, cordyceps and so on. Therefore, their meat is delicious and tasty. Yak body is treasure, meat can be eaten, skin can be sewn into garment, boots and bags, etc., head can be processed into crafts, tail can be made into brooms, and bullwhip is an aphrodisiac medicine. In addition, yak beef can be braised in soy sauce, stewed or dried to eat, with unique taste.

Mutton (羊肉)

Mutton is another specialty in Qamdo. Honestly speaking, the mutton is also the main food of Tibetan people, which is the same as the beef. The meet of sheep and goat is different, so before you order the dishes, you can tell the restaurant what kind of meat you want to eat.

Drinks in Qamdo

People in Tibet have the tradition of drinking buttered tea and Highland Barley Wine. There are a number of traditional beverages enjoyed by the Tibetan people.

Yogurt(酸奶)

Tibetan yogurt is a kind of unique dairy product in the Tibetan area. It is made with the yak milk which has been extracted yak butter. It is rich in nutrition, helpful for digestion, producing saliva and slaking thirst. It is most suitable for the old people and children.

Tibetan Wine (藏酒)

It is a kind of low wine at twenty to thirty degrees, made from wheat or highland barley after ferment. Fresh and mellow, Markam county and Yadong county is most famous for Tibetan wine.

Buttered Tea (酥油茶)

It is the main drink of Tibet. In the winter, you can dispel cold. If you feel starved, you can satisfy your hunger; if you are sleepy, buttered tea can assist you in relieve from fatigue. Hospitable Tibetans often entertain guests with this tea, so you are suggested not refusing them, otherwise you are considered impolite.

Highland Barley Wine (青稞酒)

The highland barley wine is a Tibetan favorite, a kind of liquor made from highland barley with low alcohol content. In Tibetan areas, almost every family can make the barley wine. Every time when festival, marriage, giving birth to a baby, welcoming friends and relatives, barley wine is the best drink for Tibetan people to entertain guests. The Tibetan people have a long history of brewing highland barley wine.

Where to Eat in Qamdo

Most of restaurants in Qamdo cater to visitors, offering local cuisine, Sichuan and Hunan Cuisines as well as Indian, and Western dishes.

Recommended Restaurants in Qamdo

Healthy Chestnut Chicken 蜀中吴石锅养身板栗鸡
Address: No.116, Qichi Street, Karub District, Qamdo昌都市卡若区齐齿街116号
Tel: 0895-4837365
Ran Mu Qi Tibetan Restaurant 燃木齐藏餐厅
Address: Blue Lake Inn, Ranwu Town, Qamdo 昌都地区然乌镇蓝湖驿站旁
Tel:15608950788
Yanjing Tibetan Noodle Restaurant 盐井正宗面
Address: Naxi Ethnic Village, Markam County, Qamdo 昌都地区芒康县纳西民族村
Tel: 0895-4612134
Yi Pin Xian Beef Restaurant 一品鲜生态牛肉馆
Address: Qiongbu Road, Dengqen County, Qamdo昌都市丁青县琼布路
Tel: 13549051946
Anduo Regong Tibetan Restaurant 安多热贡藏餐阁
Address: Tea Horse Square, Karuo Town, Karuo District, Qamdo昌都市卡若区卡若镇茶马广场
Tianfu Restaurant天府酒家
Address: No.171, Nanhai Street, Chengguan Town, Karuo District, Qamdo昌都市卡若区城关镇海南街171号
Ao Si Bao Restaurant 澳斯堡餐厅
Address: The Sixth Floor, Kanuo International Plaza, Karub District, Qamdo昌都市卡若区卡诺国际广场6楼
Tel: 0895-4666696

Where to Drink in Qamdo

Mijing Cafe秘境咖啡
Address: Baimashang Street, Baxoi County, Qamdo昌都市八宿县白马上街
Tel: 0895-4565588
Guangming Tea House 光明茶馆
Address: 317 National Highway, Dêngqên County, Qamdo 昌都市丁青县317国道
Tel:/
Jubao Tea House (Changqing Street Branch) 聚宝茶楼(昌庆街店)
Address: Xingfu Street, Karub District, Qamdo 昌都市卡若区幸福街
Tel:0895- 4826789
Mijing Cafe 塞比亚咖啡餐吧
Address: No .A2202, Commercial Plaza, Wolong Street, Karub District, Qamdo 卡若区卧龙街商业广场A2202号
Tel:13638986828