Mongolian food is the food of herders: meat, dairy and flour, cooked simply and served generously. It was built for cold winters and long days on horseback, so it is hearty and mild rather than spicy, and most visitors find it comforting rather than challenging. Ulaanbaatar is the best place to try the whole range, from quick lunches at cafeteria-style dumpling shops to sit-down dinners in restaurants that serve traditional dishes to international guests. A useful note before you arrive: Mongolian barbecue and Mongolian beef are not Mongolian dishes, and you will not find them here.
Dumplings: buuz and khuushuur
If you eat only two things, make it these. Buuz are steamed dumplings filled with minced mutton or beef, onion and a little seasoning, and they are the signature food of the country. Khuushuur are the fried cousin, a flat half-moon of the same filling in a crisp pastry, juicy inside and greasy in the best way. Around Naadam in July, a larger round version of khuushuur is sold in great quantities. Eat both with your hands, take a small bite first to let the hot juice out, and have a cup of tea beside them.
Noodles, soups and stews
Tsuivan is a plate of hand-cut noodles stir-fried with meat and vegetables, hearty and filling. Soups come in several forms, including a vegetable and meat soup called nogootoi shol, a dumpling soup called banstai tsai and bituu shol, a meat soup with dough. Another favourite is khorkhog, a rural celebration dish in which mutton is cooked with hot stones, and some restaurants in the city offer a version of it. If you are invited to a family ger, expect boiled mutton, dumplings and noodles, because meat is the centre of the meal. Niislel salad, a potato and meat salad in the Russian style, is a reminder of the Soviet years and appears on many menus.
Dairy and drinks
Suutei tsai, salty milk tea, is the national drink and the first thing a host will offer you. It tastes closer to a light soup than to English tea, and it is worth trying more than once, because the first cup is rarely the best. Airag, fermented mare's milk, is the traditional summer drink of the steppe, slightly sour and faintly fizzy, and it is most often found in the countryside from early summer onward. A polite sip is enough if it is not to your taste. Mongolian dairy also includes dried curds, clotted cream and fried dough called boortsog, which you will meet at tea tables. Local beer and vodka are widely served, and a toast is a social event, so accept the first round graciously.
Where to eat
The centre has everything from fast, cafeteria-style places where you can simply point at the food, to restaurants that serve elevated versions of traditional dishes, to large halls that pair a meat-heavy menu with a stage show. Some venues share a name, so confirm the address before you take a taxi, and book ahead for any restaurant that hosts a nightly performance. Shopping centres also contain good restaurants and are a welcome refuge in winter. If you want variety, the city has a growing café scene along with Korean, Japanese, Turkish and Western restaurants, which is helpful for vegetarians, since the traditional diet gives them little to eat.
Table manners and hospitality
Accept food and drink with your right hand, or with your right hand supported at the elbow by your left. Never refuse a first offer outright, and if you cannot finish something, take a small taste and say so politely. In a ger, avoid stepping on the threshold, walk clockwise inside and wait to be shown where to sit. Dietary needs deserve notice, because vegetarian meals are hard to find outside Ulaanbaatar, so say so when you book a ger stay and bring snacks.
Practical tips
Carry some tögrög for small places, though cards are commonly accepted in larger restaurants. Check whether a service charge is already on the bill before you add a tip. Tap water is best avoided, so drink bottled or boiled water, and choose busy places where food is cooked fresh. In winter, dumplings and a bowl of hot soup are the best reward after the cold outdoors, and a stop for tea near Gandan Monastery or the central square makes a natural break in a sightseeing day. On a tour to Terelj or Hustai, a family meal is often included, which is a good way to taste home cooking without having to search for it.
