In our gastronomic guide, we will tell you where to start exploring Buryat cuisine, where to try Semey tarochki and where to go for good coffee and delicious desserts.
Buryad cuisine
Baikal omul dishes are now a rare sight, but you can still find ukhas with various kinds of fish and sagudai, slightly salted thin slices of fish. As for desserts, you can try boovys, deep fried bits of yeast dough, or urme, dried milk foam sometimes mixed with ground bird cherry. Also worth trying other dairy products such as salamat made from sour cream and flour, dry ayrkhan cottage cheese, or dried homemade khuruud cheese. Buryat spirits are also made from dairy products. For example, tarasun, often called "milk vodka", is made from prostokvasha or soured milk. All of these tasty desserts are washed down with green tea with milk called "nogoon sai". Sometimes salt and butter are added into it.
You can try juicy buuzys, hearty shulen, unusual arbin, flavorful bukhleer and many other dishes in restaurants Orda, Tengis, Voyage and Baatarai Urgoo. Here you'll experience classy serving, elegant interior, live music and a special atmosphere. We also recommend visitng the Altan Burged banquet hall, which is the only place in the city that serves khorkhog, a Mongolian mutton dish, cooked on hot stones according to a traditional recipe. First, let's find out what the Buryat menu includes. Buuzys are the most popular Buryat dish, cooked from minced beef or mutton wrapped into dough and steamed. Sharbin is similar to belyash, while kushuur resembles fried buuzy. Local soups will keep you warm during cold days: shulen is a soup with homemade noodles and mutton, banshatai shulen is the same but with dumplings, and bukhleor is boiled meat with broth. Buryats love not only meat but also tripe dishes. For example, try khotorgoyn shuhan - a blood sausage - or ereelzhe - a liver sausage; khoshskonog - boiled mutton back gut - or oryoomog - mutton tripe tied in a braid; khugabsha - wrapped liver - or arbin - frozen horse lard with liver; khirmasa is the same as shulen, except it's made of mutton tripe, and many other delicacies. Bi sadaab**Buryat for "Mmm, I'm so full now"
Every eatery in Ulan-Ude serves traditional Buryat dishes. That's why you'll always be able to try out local culinary traditions, even if you're staying in Buryatia's capital for only a short while and have time only for lunch at the hotel or in a roadside café.
Baikal omul dishes are now a rare sight, but you can still find ukhas with various kinds of fish and sagudai, slightly salted thin slices of fish. As for desserts, you can try boovys, deep fried bits of yeast dough, or urme, dried milk foam sometimes mixed with ground bird cherry. Also worth trying other dairy products such as salamat made from sour cream and flour, dry ayrkhan cottage cheese, or dried homemade khuruud cheese. Buryat spirits are also made from dairy products. For example, tarasun, often called "milk vodka", is made from prostokvasha or soured milk. All of these tasty desserts are washed down with green tea with milk called "nogoon sai". Sometimes salt and butter are added into it.
You can try juicy buuzys, hearty shulen, unusual arbin, flavorful bukhleer and many other dishes in restaurants Orda, Tengis, Voyage and Baatarai Urgoo. Here you'll experience classy serving, elegant interior, live music and a special atmosphere. We also recommend visitng the Altan Burged banquet hall, which is the only place in the city that serves khorkhog, a Mongolian mutton dish, cooked on hot stones according to a traditional recipe. First, let's find out what the Buryat menu includes. Buuzys are the most popular Buryat dish, cooked from minced beef or mutton wrapped into dough and steamed. Sharbin is similar to belyash, while kushuur resembles fried buuzy. Local soups will keep you warm during cold days: shulen is a soup with homemade noodles and mutton, banshatai shulen is the same but with dumplings, and bukhleor is boiled meat with broth. Buryats love not only meat but also tripe dishes. For example, try khotorgoyn shuhan - a blood sausage - or ereelzhe - a liver sausage; khoshskonog - boiled mutton back gut - or oryoomog - mutton tripe tied in a braid; khugabsha - wrapped liver - or arbin - frozen horse lard with liver; khirmasa is the same as shulen, except it's made of mutton tripe, and many other delicacies. Bi sadaab**Buryat for "Mmm, I'm so full now"
Every eatery in Ulan-Ude serves traditional Buryat dishes. That's why you'll always be able to try out local culinary traditions, even if you're staying in Buryatia's capital for only a short while and have time only for lunch at the hotel or in a roadside café.
Russian cuisine
Every eatery in Ulan-Ude serves traditional Buryat dishes. That's why you'll always be able to try out local culinary traditions, even if you're staying in Buryatia's capital for only a short while and have time only for lunch at the hotel or in a roadside café.
Try duck, potato pancakes or pork and top it off with pickled milk-caps - this and many other gastronomical adventures await you in Skrylnikova Eating-House. The restaurant is located in the restored manor of merchant A.A. Skrylnikova in the historic part of the city. Stuff yourself with blinis with various toppings in the Klubnichkaya blinis house and candy shop or with original pelmeni in the Pelmen' restaurant, or try ukha and varenikhi in the Razdol'ye restaurant.
Every eatery in Ulan-Ude serves traditional Buryat dishes. That's why you'll always be able to try out local culinary traditions, even if you're staying in Buryatia's capital for only a short while and have time only for lunch at the hotel or in a roadside café.
Try duck, potato pancakes or pork and top it off with pickled milk-caps - this and many other gastronomical adventures await you in Skrylnikova Eating-House. The restaurant is located in the restored manor of merchant A.A. Skrylnikova in the historic part of the city. Stuff yourself with blinis with various toppings in the Klubnichkaya blinis house and candy shop or with original pelmeni in the Pelmen' restaurant, or try ukha and varenikhi in the Razdol'ye restaurant.
Cuisines of the world
Like many other large cities in Russia, Ulan-Ude has loads of eateries that serve dishes from every part of the world. Korean cuisine is all the rage now. You can grill samgyeopsal meat or have warm kimchi tige soup in the Seoul Chicken café and Kimchi Panchan café. Try the Thai tom yam at Tom Yam Bar, or head straight to the Dadong café, the Gyojou gastronomical bar, the Hua Mulan restaurant or the LapSha small noodle shop to try out Japanese rolls or Chinese guo bao rou. Enjoy Georgian cuisine in the Genatsvale restaurant or in the Mama, Ya V Batumi café, and definitely try the famous Uzbek plov in the Tashkent City café.
Like many other large cities in Russia, Ulan-Ude has loads of eateries that serve dishes from every part of the world. Korean cuisine is all the rage now. You can grill samgyeopsal meat or have warm kimchi tige soup in the Seoul Chicken café and Kimchi Panchan café. Try the Thai tom yam at Tom Yam Bar, or head straight to the Dadong café, the Gyojou gastronomical bar, the Hua Mulan restaurant or the LapSha small noodle shop to try out Japanese rolls or Chinese guo bao rou. Enjoy Georgian cuisine in the Genatsvale restaurant or in the Mama, Ya V Batumi café, and definitely try the famous Uzbek plov in the Tashkent City café.
European cuisine
To take a break from your incredible gastronomic adventures, check out restaurants and cafés with more familiar European cuisine. The Efir and Empatio Efir cafés are well-known for their exceptional attention to visitors and for the dish that will satisfy even the pickiest eaters. Try the French onion soup in the Provence restaurant, black pasta with mussels or Neapolitan-style pizza in the Intalia trattoria, or steaks in the Lanchester grill bar. Have a cozy lunch in the Arig or Atlas Vkusa café, or have a fun evening in the Che Guevara restaurant.
To take a break from your incredible gastronomic adventures, check out restaurants and cafés with more familiar European cuisine. The Efir and Empatio Efir cafés are well-known for their exceptional attention to visitors and for the dish that will satisfy even the pickiest eaters. Try the French onion soup in the Provence restaurant, black pasta with mussels or Neapolitan-style pizza in the Intalia trattoria, or steaks in the Lanchester grill bar. Have a cozy lunch in the Arig or Atlas Vkusa café, or have a fun evening in the Che Guevara restaurant.
Coffee, breakfast and desserts
True coffee lovers will always go look for a good coffee shop first when on a trip. We recommend checking out Trista Barista, Macondo, Marco Polo or the Trevellers' Coffee chain. Here you can enjoy your favorite drink, work at your laptop or have a nice breakfast. You'll also find delicious breakfasts in the Sisters café (especially try syrniki with bird cherries) or the Malevich café-lectorium, where you'll have the opportunity to build your own breakfast like a constructor. Dessert lovers should visit Rittel, the Sakhar chaykhana, or My Pie - you won't be disappointed.
True coffee lovers will always go look for a good coffee shop first when on a trip. We recommend checking out Trista Barista, Macondo, Marco Polo or the Trevellers' Coffee chain. Here you can enjoy your favorite drink, work at your laptop or have a nice breakfast. You'll also find delicious breakfasts in the Sisters café (especially try syrniki with bird cherries) or the Malevich café-lectorium, where you'll have the opportunity to build your own breakfast like a constructor. Dessert lovers should visit Rittel, the Sakhar chaykhana, or My Pie - you won't be disappointed.
Fast-Food
Want to spend more time walking and grab a bite on the go? Ulan-Ude has plenty of places with tasty fast-food. Try tasty shawarma in City Bar or ShaurMeals, hearty burgers in Mitberi or Food Truck 28/40, and chebureki with any condiment in the CheburekMi bistro. Order delivery of spicy chicken winds from Tsypa or delicious pizza from Zen Pizza, Dorios or Puzzle Pizza.
Want to spend more time walking and grab a bite on the go? Ulan-Ude has plenty of places with tasty fast-food. Try tasty shawarma in City Bar or ShaurMeals, hearty burgers in Mitberi or Food Truck 28/40, and chebureki with any condiment in the CheburekMi bistro. Order delivery of spicy chicken winds from Tsypa or delicious pizza from Zen Pizza, Dorios or Puzzle Pizza.
Pubs
Adventurers and nightlife lovers will definitely find where to have a good time in Ulan-Ude. You can listen to live music in Churchill or Harat's Pub. In "Tam gde", "Gallery" and bar "41" you will be treated with signature cocktails. From the windows of the "Chaikhana" and "Bar 12" panoramic bars you will have a stunning view of Ulan-Ude, which you will remember for a long time.
Adventurers and nightlife lovers will definitely find where to have a good time in Ulan-Ude. You can listen to live music in Churchill or Harat's Pub. In "Tam gde", "Gallery" and bar "41" you will be treated with signature cocktails. From the windows of the "Chaikhana" and "Bar 12" panoramic bars you will have a stunning view of Ulan-Ude, which you will remember for a long time.
The cuisine in Buryatiya's capital is so rich and diverse that every foodie will find something here that suits their taste. Cozy coffee shops, fabulous restaurants, authentic eateries and family cafe's — we are sure that you will definitely discover your favorite place in Ulan-Ude.