mongolia dining minus meat
Mongolia is not a country renowned for being vegetarian-friendly. Because of the traditional nomadic lifestyle, as well as the harsh climate, growing vegetables hasn’t formed part of the local way of life.
People joke that in Mongolia you eat meat, more meat, with a side order of meat on top of that. So Intrepid’s Laura Carroll was pleasantly surprised to find that, at least in Ulaanbaatar, it’s possible to be vegetarian without too much trouble…
“In the city, there are actually three purely vegetarian restaurants. Ananda Cafe supports the Lotus Children’s Centre and local teens gain work experience by serving up tasty vegetarian dishes on a menu that changes every day. It’s a good place to go, knowing that in addition to enjoying a good meal you’re also supporting a good cause.
Nearby is the Stupa Cafe, part of a Buddhist meditation centre, that specialises in snacks, smoothies and vegetarian dumplings. Finally, there’s Luna Blanca, just off Sukhebaator square, that does a full array of traditional Mongolian dishes in meat-free variations.
Beyond those, many mainstream restaurants in the city cater for an international clientele and have learned to adapt to their dietary needs. Modern Nomads Restaurant has a few good vegetarian dishes, and at Altai Mongolian Barbecue you can get all the veggies you desire – as long as you don’t mind that on the communal grill they’ll be cooking next to meat as well.
So there it is, the rundown of the best places for vegetarian food in Mongolia. In the countryside you might still face challenges, but at least in the city you’ll have lots of options for delicious, healthy vegetarian food.”
Tour Mongolia with Intrepid on trips like these great small group adventures:
Wild Mongolia – 15 days
Trans-Mongolian Express Westbound – 21 days
* photo by Jenny Wogan – Intrepid Photography Competition
Last time I had a Mongolian bbq was in New Zealand – back in 1996. It was fun, cos you pick the ingredients you want and the cook/chef stir fries them for you in a wok. If I ever get to go to Mongolia, this is something I hope to experience.
Sounds like you had the western version of the mongolian bbq! The one I experienced (cooked by local nomads) in Mongolia consisted of a huge old metal milk storage jug thingy filled with layers of stones, meat and potatos and then cooked over a fire for a few hours. Possibly doesnt taste quite the same, but the experience was one in a million!
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In UB, there is also a vegetarian restaurant above a clothes shop, about 5 minutes South of the main square (Sukhebaator square). You can find it if you walk to the Bayangol hotel, then through the hotel’s car park to the South West side – enter via the clothes shop, up the stairs at the back.
Only downside is that it closes at 7pm each evening. Not as wide choice as Luna Blanca, but still offers a good variety including my favourite Borsch soup.
Since vegetarianism in Mongolia seems to be linked to abstinence from alcohol, only alcohol free beer here, but there is a nice truely local bar downstairs and next door – open after the restaurant is closed.
Rough location of restaurant here on this google map link: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=47.912399,106.913731&daddr=&hl=en&geocode=&mra=mi&mrsp=0&sz=18&sll=47.912401,106.91415&sspn=0.002564,0.004828&ie=UTF8&ll=47.911366,106.913329&spn=0.002564,0.004828&t=h&z=18
Finally, near to this vegetarian restaurant (opposite of the road, in the park – down a dark, but safe, road) is the main stream (and slightly expensive) Seoul restaurant – serves a wide variety of food, including a small selection of vegetarian dishes as well as alcohol and meat dishes.
I’ve recently been in UB and vegetarian food seems to be getting more popular by the day as more locals are returning to buddhist practices. Although not usually a meat eater myself, like Kristy I enjoyed the “true” Mongolian BBQ when I went to visit Intrepid’s nomad family friends. The setting (cozy inside the family ger) and the company (Mr Bold and his lovely family) made it a truly memorable meal!
For maps of the restaurants and other sources of information for Vegan and Vegetarian restaurants (now more than 25!) you can go to http://www.unitedgreen.asia It is Mongolian language but easy to see the map and links
I’m looking forward to go to Mongolia! I heard that their Mongolian Barbecue is a must. Hmm, maybe next year I’ll stop over Mongolia and taste their delicacies. Thanks for the post!