Although Lhasa is the capital of Tibet, tourists will still find that the food available here is largely what can be found in other parts of China. Among this,   Sichuan style cooking is very popular.The standard of restaurants and cooking here has vastly improved in recent years here and Tibetan  food is becoming increasingly popular with visitors. The local staples are tsampa (roasted barley bread), momo (dumplings filled with vegetables and meat) and thukpa (noodles with meat).

There are so many restaurants in Lhasa that it is possible to eat in a different place every night! The most popular area to search around  is the Tibetan quarter near Barkhor Square. Tashi Restaurant, Kailah Restaurant, the Third Eye Restaurant, the Alougang Restaurant and the Snowland Restaurant are all good places to sample some of Tibet's more unusual cuisine.

The restaurant in the Banak Shol Hostel is as good a place as any to eat, and the Yak burger with fries (RMB16) is extremely delicious. There is a roof top restaurant in the Barkhor Cafe which is always very crowded in the summer. Internet can also be found here (RMB40 per hour), although a student price of RMB30 can usually be negotiated. Another internet cafe with the same prices, is situated 50 yards west of the Banak Shol, on the other side of the road.