The Zone is a favorite among the tourist and locals for a taste of delightful locally-infused organic Continental meals. Located in the heart of the town, The Zone is a cozy pub serving delicious dishes and snacks, beers on tap, various cocktails and mocktails along with select pastries and homemade cookies.

With a subtle touch of traditional influence the Zone is more like a sports bar with tastefully done interiors and intimate seating arrangement.  They are popular for their delicious menu including burgers specifically their Yak burgers, fries, ice cream, pork ribs with local side dishes, pizzas, momo/dumplings, hot dog and fish n’ chips. The zone also has a karaoke and a small outdoor sitting to enjoy the varieties of beverages including fresh brewed coffee and the popular local Red Panda Beer.

Ambient Café located in the heart of the town enjoys a relaxed ambience and is a favorite hangout place for expatriates, visiting tourists and locals in the capital. Ambient Café is centrally located with the best possible views of the main market lanes, the mountains and of the main traffic where the traffic is manned by the graceful hand gestures of a well-dressed traffic personnel at the intersection. With a colorful traditional décor, innovatively designed and well-appointed intimate seating areas The Ambient Café is managed by a couple well versed in warm hospitality and good food.

Popular amongst people from all walks of life, especially for expats, the Ambient Café is a de facto office with their free wifi, a mini-library, excellent fresh brewed coffee, fresh fruit shakes, juices and peaceful setting. Additionally the café serves delicious finger foods and full meals like grilled sandwiches and wraps, healthy salads, vegetarian lunch set/Thali, homemade pastries and ice creams.  

Located in the Clock Tower Square in the heart of the capital city, Cloud 9 Café & Bar serves the best and delicious international cuisines in town. A stylish upscale restaurant with chic décor, luxurious, modern and clean furniture and fittings Cloud 9 Café & Bar is a favorite among tourists and locals alike. Their best-selling menu includes handcrafted gourmet burgers, wood fired pizzas, healthy salads, fancy espresso creations, cold – pressed fresh juice, milkshake and delicious homemade ice cream and gelatos.

The Café features an ice cream bar, a bakery selection, a well-stocked bar that can all be enjoyed in their fine indoor dining as well as their outdoors seating overlooking the Changlimithang National Stadium.

Patrons at the Coffee Culture are welcomed with the aroma of fresh brewed coffee and warm ambience as soon as one walks into the Café. Enjoying a central location in town, the first floor has a warm décor with wooden sitting similar to an American traditional diner while the upstairs floor doubles up as an interior balcony with comfortable couches and sofas, additionally they also have outdoors space too. 

Their big chalk board menu has a variety of options in coffee, pastries, finger foods, quick bites including lunch and dinner sets which are all excellently prepared with equally delicious taste. Visitors raved about their cheese cakes, lava cake, brownies, crème brulee, pizzas, patties, tarts and ema datse momo (chili cheese dumplings). 

The Babesa Village Restaurant located next to the expressway towards the town is in fact a 200 year old traditional mud rammed building customized to a restaurant catering to tourists and locals. The restaurant is more popular with the locals for their traditional dishes but also picking up popularity with visiting tourists for its authentic homecooked food. The house is one of the few remaining traditional houses in Thimphu city being preserved in its original and rustic glory of past architecture and construction style retaining the mud rammed earthen walls and wooden floors displaying traditional artefacts and household/farming tools.

The traditional ambiance is amplified by the local dishes that are served starting with Suja (salt and butter tea), and an array of traditional dishes including Shakam Paa (beef jerky with vegetables), Sikam Paa (dried pork with vegetables), chicken curry, Lom (Dried turnip leaf) and Mengay commonly known as Bhutanese Pizza. To make the experience more traditional the seating is on floor mats with low tables and the dishes are serves in wooden plates and cups.

Kalden Restaurant is perhaps the best restaurant in all of Thimphu for their delicious traditional dishes very much similar to homecooked with the original taste. Most popular with the locals but increasingly picking up with visiting tourists, Kalden Restaurant is conveniently located in the middle of the town, and though a bit rustic in its setting and space, however the delicious food makes up for the crowd and compact space. With the sole business of serving and eating, Kalden Restaurant is a must visit while in the Capital. 

Their delicious and savory menu includes rice as their principal dish accompanied by an assortment and choices of curries of dried beef, dried pork, beef/pork ribs, liver, tripe, Ema Datsi (dried chili with cheese), egg cheese butter fry, mushroom cheese, spinach cheese and all these dishes are served with Dhaw (whey) and butter/salt tea or coffee.

Hayate Restaurant as the name suggest is a Japanese restaurant which is very popular with resident Japanese expatriates, visiting tourists and locals craving a change from the usual Bhutanese cooking. Credited to a young couple for bringing Japanese delicacies and dishes to the Bhutanese platter this family run restaurant is trendy for authentic Japanese dishes infused with organic Bhutanese vegetables, herbs and fruits.

Their menu includes the Hayate Ramen, Chashu Don, Pork Gyoza, chicken miso ramen, sushi and many delicious Japanese dishes with local Japanese wine which are all served by their courteous and efficient staffs.

With the growing number of tourists visiting Bhutan from all over the world, Fu Lu Shou, a Chinese restaurant, is one of the many additions in the ever growing number of country-specific restaurants in the capital. Fu Lu Shou Restaurant specialized in Chinese cuisine caters to the ever growing number of Chinese tourists and to offer a variation to the locals from their usual palate. This exotic Chinese restaurant run by a couple (Bhutanese husband and Chinese wife) aspires to serve authentic Chinese dishes infused with local organic ingredients without the Chinese MSG (Monosodium glutamate/flavor enhancer) making it more healthy and wholesomely nutritious. 

Reminiscent of a typical Chinese restaurant, the décor is warm with many distinctive Chinese decorations and set up. Among a variety of dishes, some of the favorites from their menu are the clay pot trotters, double boiled soup, beef with bitter gourd including a special menu for children.

Located in the main town and extremely popular with tourists, Cousins Restaurant serves delicious and sumptuous Bhutanese and continental meals. Keeping up with the growing tourism industry and increasing number of tourists, Cousins Restaurant specializes in excellent home style Bhutanese cooking fused with Indian, continental and Chinese dishes adapted to foreign taste with special care and attention to dietary preferences and restrictions. All their ingredients are local, fresh and organic, picked up from the nearby farmers’ market. Their bar is also stocked well with local spirits like whisky, wine and beer.

Bhutan Orchid Restaurant enjoys a central location in the Capital and is a convenient place for meals while in town. Well known for their authentic local dishes Orchid Restaurant emphasizes on organic and simple fine dining experience serving multi cuisine dishes with fresh organic vegetables and fruits straight from the farmers market in town.

Their regional specialties like Hoentey (dumplings stuffed with spinach, amaranth seeds and cheese), puta (buckwheat noodles), and seasonal mushrooms and ferns are well regarded and the restaurant is positively reviewed on the popular TripAdvisor forum.