In Lhasa, there are many public places of leisure and entertainment, including cinemas, bars, cafés, teahouses and night clubs. In the bars, customers may not only relish the delicious Tibetan food, but also may watch the unique Tibetan dance and singing.
Several unique restaurants close to Barkhor Street and Jokhang Temple are highly recommended by travelers having been there, such as Dunya Restaurant (in western style), GanglaMedo (in Tibetan Style) and Makye Ame (玛吉阿米, in Tibetan style).
These restaurants with not only offer delicious food and wine, but also provide nice view and comfortable atmosphere.
Top Bars in Lhasa
STILL FUN 萃坊
- Address: Yabshi Phunkhang Heritage Hotel,No.16 Xiasasu 2nd Lane( 夏萨苏路16号尧西平康古堡酒店内)
- Tel: +86-0891-6333363
- Hours: 19:00–02:00 in the next morning
Low House Buddha Bar 矮房子音乐
- Location: No. 8 Beijing Dong Road(北京东路8号)
- Tel: +86-13518993045
- Hours: 19:00–02:00
Yangjinma Bar 央金玛酒吧
- Location: In Danjielin Bar-street, Danjielin Road, Chengguan District (near Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street)(丹杰林巷4-8号）
- Tel: +86-13308990899
- Hours: 13:00-01:30
青唐酒吧LIVE HOUSE
- Address: No.10 Yutuo Road (near Jokhang Temple)（宇拓路10号）
- Tel: +86-18184916469
- Hours: 19:00-03:00
Coffee and Cafés in Lhasa
Spinn Cafe 风转咖啡馆
- Location: the east of the crossing for East Beijng Road and North Qingnian Road (北京东路与青年北路交叉口向东)
- Tel: +86-13989088152
- Hours: 13:00-19:00
Overflow cafe 咖香四溢咖啡屋
- Location: No. 2 Balangxue Lane (八朗学三巷2号)
- Tel: +86-17708910286
- Hours: 09:00-20:00
Cidu Coffee 慈渡
- Location: Cidu Hotel,No.34 Linluonan Road (near Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street)（林廓南路34号慈渡酒店内)
- Tel: +86-19989414581
- Hours: 10:00-24:00
Tea House in Lhasa
In Tibet, there are two kinds of unique tea: sweet tea and buttered tea. Tibetan sweet tea is also called Lipton tea, which is the mixture of black tea, white sugar and fresh milk. Buttered tea is made of butter and strong tea; it is a peculiar to Tibet.
Sweet-tea House in Canggu Nunnery 苍姑寺甜茶馆
This sweet-tea house is independently managed by the nuns in Canggu Nunnery, mainly serving with Tibetan noodles, Tibetan steamed stuffed buns and Tibetan sweet tea. Customers there not only can drink the sweet tea, relish Tibetan snacks, chatter with Tibetans, but also appreciate the colorful blossoms in the garden (except winter time). The sweet-tea house is located in Linkuo Road (林廓路).
Tibetan Family Feast 藏家宴
It is a Tibetan style restaurant. Visitors there not only can relish the real Tibetan buttered tea, but also can try some other Tibetan food including Steamed stuffed buns made of potatoes and barley wine.
- Address: 75 East Area, Tuanjie Xin Village, Chengguan District (城关区团结新村东区75号)
- Tel: 0891-6332886
- Average price per person: 50 yuan
Night Shows in Lhasa
If you want to have some enjoyment with the unique Tibetan culture but not killing time in a bar or a café at the night, the night shows in the theaters are nice options.
The shows (Happiness on the Way and Himalayas) listed below are the greatest two. They are all unique with typical Tibetan styles, including the decorations, the backgrounds, the costumes, the music, the songs and the dances.
However, they also have their own characteristics: Happiness on the Way more emphasizes in traditional Tibetan songs, music, dramas and dances, covering scenes of Tibetans' daily life, festival celebration and even Buddhists' discussion on Buddhism; while Himalaya mainly bases on a family's pilgrimage, and the show includes traditional Tibetan songs and dances and acrobatics.
- Kind reminder: Audience can take photos with the performers when the shows finished.
Princess Wencheng Drama
The large-scale show combines the traditional Tibetan culture into Tibetan folk songs and dances. The show's theme is "Harmonious Tibet and Happy Life".
Consisting of 5 main parts (the Water, the Earth, the Wind, the Fire and the Sky), the show tells a history of the Tibetan people with folk songs and dances.
Most of the performers in the show are great folk actors and artists from Tibet, as well as local farmers and herdsmen.
The curtains of the show are made with Tang-ga style (Tang-ga is a scroll of colored silk picture, and the content is related to Tibetan history, polity, culture and social life), and these large colorful Tang-ga curtains, together with the colorful Tibetan costumes, make the show more gorgeous.
Some unique Tibetan instruments are also used in the show, such as eagle flute, which is made of the wing bone of cinereous vulture, and has low tone.
- Chinese name: 幸福在路上 Xingfu Zai Lushang /sshing-foo dseye loo-shung/
- Opening hours: 20:15–21:55 at every night, each show lasts 100 minutes
- Ticket price: 180/380/580 yuan, free to children under 1.2 meters, and half prices for children 1.2 meters–1.4 meters in height
- Address: Tibet Drama Theatre, 188 Beijing West Road, Lhasa (拉萨市北京西路188号藏剧团演艺厅)
- Tel: 0891-6822 117
- Transportation: Take bus 111 or 302 and get off at Tibetan Drama Center (藏剧团艺术中心).
Himalaya
Himalaya is a show wonderfully presenting the nature of unique Tibetan religion, history and culture with interesting songs, dances and acrobatics.
The show is a "epic" with colorful costumes, superb dances and engaging voices, reflecting the rich Tibetan culture and a "paean" to the lives in snowy highlands.
Himalaya has 5 parts: the Birth of the Snow Mountain, the Holy and Pure Land, the Heavenly Dream of Guge Kingdom, the Favonian Rainbow and the Gathering in Tibet.
There is a originality in the show, that Himalaya is performed in a theater with oxygen support system, which pumps in oxygen for visitors who are new to the highland.
- Chinese name: 喜马拉雅 Xi Ma La Ya /sshee ma la ya/
- Opening hours: begins at 20:00 every night (lasts for 80 minutes)
- Ticket price: 200/400/600 yuan
- Address: Lhasa People’s Culture and Art Museum, Lhasa (拉萨民族文化艺术宫)
- Tel: 0891-683 6788
- Transportation: take bus no, 108, 801 or 105
