Experience authentic cuisine through guided food tours in Mongolia.
Mongolia, the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky, offers vast steppes, the Gobi Desert, and nomadic culture unchanged for centuries. Experience horseback riding across endless grasslands, stay in traditional gers, and witness the ancient traditions of eagle hunting and throat singing.
The best guided culinary experiences.
A guided walk through Ulaanbaatar's best street food spots, local market stalls, and traditional canteen restaurants (guanz). Sample buuz (steamed dumplings), khuushuur (fried meat pies), tsuivan noodles, and Mongolian dairy products including aaruul and tarag.
An immersive guided tour through Mongolia's largest market focusing on traditional foods, dried goods, and dairy products. Learn to identify different types of dried curd, fermented dairy, and traditional nomadic preserved foods. Includes tastings and cooking ingredient shopping.
A progressive multi-course dinner tour visiting three of Ulaanbaatar's best Mongolian restaurants. Each venue showcases a different dimension of Mongolian cuisine — from traditional guanz cooking to modern Mongolian fine dining. Wine and airag cocktail pairings included.
A unique food experience exploring Mongolia's extraordinary fermented dairy culture. Visit a traditional dairy producer, learn about airag (fermented mare's milk), arkhi (dairy vodka), tarag (yogurt), and aaruul (dried curd). Participate in a milk processing demonstration.
Discover Ulaanbaatar's surprising café culture with visits to the best specialty coffee shops and bakeries. Sample Korean-influenced pastries, Russian-inspired breads, Mongolian milk teas, and international café fare. Insight into how urban Mongolian food culture has evolved.
Choose based on your culinary interests.
Guided street food crawls visiting guanz (local canteens), market stalls, and street vendors. Best near Narantuul Market and local residential neighborhoods. Cost ₮30,000-60,000 ($8-17).
Guided tours of Narantuul Market and State Department Store food halls. Learn about traditional Mongolian ingredients, dried goods, and dairy products. Cost ₮40,000-70,000 ($11-20).
Progressive restaurant dinner tours visiting 2-3 restaurants in an evening. Modern Mongolian and traditional guanz options available. Cost ₮100,000-200,000 ($28-56) per person.
Focused experiences on specific Mongolian food traditions — fermented dairy, buuz making, traditional barbecue methods. Includes producer visits. Cost ₮60,000-120,000 ($17-34).
Tour recommendations, DIY routes, and local recipes.
Learn to make local dishes yourself.
Learn to make Mongolia's most beloved foods — buuz (steamed lamb dumplings) and khuushuur (fried meat pies) — from a Mongolian family kitchen. Classes include preparing the dough, spicing the filling, folding techniques, and sharing the meal together. Small groups of 4-8.
An immersive class in a traditional ger learning to cook authentic nomadic dishes. Prepare tsuivan (stir-fried noodles with meat), suutei tsai (Mongolian salty milk tea), and a simple khorkhog (stone-cooked meat). Classes available in Terelj National Park ger camps.
A professional cooking class at Modern Nomads restaurant learning contemporary interpretations of traditional Mongolian recipes. Chef-led instruction covers ingredient sourcing, flavor balancing, and presentation techniques. Class ends with a full dinner featuring dishes you prepared.
A hands-on workshop making traditional Mongolian dairy products including tarag (yogurt), aaruul (dried curd), and simple airag preparation. Learn about the central role of dairy in nomadic Mongolian culture and take home your own aaruul sample.
Create your own culinary adventure.
Self-guided food route through central Ulaanbaatar covering street food, market tastings, and local restaurants without a guide. Best done on foot in the city center area.
Stop 1: Narantuul Market food section — try aaruul (dried curd), freshly made tsuivan, and hot suutei tsai (salty milk tea) from stall vendors (₮2,000-8,000 per item)
Stop 2: State Department Store basement food hall — sample traditional Mongolian preserved meats, dairy products, and packaged snacks. Good for food gifts to take home.
Stop 3: Millie's Café (Seoul Street area) — order tsuivan noodles and a Mongolian soup. Popular with both locals and expats. ₮8,000-12,000 per dish.
Stop 4: A local guanz (canteen) on side streets near Peace Avenue — order the daily set meal (tsets) which typically includes soup, rice or noodles, and meat. ₮4,000-7,000.
Stop 5: Modern Nomads or BD's Mongolian BBQ for dinner — end the self-guided tour with a proper sit-down meal. ₮15,000-25,000 per person.
Get the most from your culinary adventures.
Mongolian cuisine is heavily meat-based — vegetarians should specify dietary requirements carefully, as even 'vegetable' soups may contain meat broth
Suutei tsai (salty milk tea) is an acquired taste but is culturally important — accepting a cup in a nomadic ger is considered respectful
Buuz are typically eaten with hands at family occasions — follow local etiquette and bite a small hole to drink the soup before eating the dumpling
The best authentic guanz (canteens) are found in residential neighborhoods, not on tourist streets — look for hand-painted signs and plastic chairs
Airag (fermented mare's milk) is available seasonally (June-September) when mares are milking — a truly unique Mongolian experience worth trying
Bring small denomination tugrik bills to markets — vendors rarely have change for large notes
Korean and Chinese food is widely available in Ulaanbaatar and often very good — Mongolia's proximity to both countries has influenced the urban food scene significantly
Narantuul Market has excellent dried goods at very low prices — stock up on aaruul, dried berries, and packaged Mongolian snacks as inexpensive souvenirs
Food hygiene at luxury restaurants and hotel dining is excellent. Street food is generally safe but choose busy vendors with high turnover.
Traditional Mongolian meals revolve around the 'white foods' (dairy) in summer and 'red foods' (meat) in winter — a complete different menu experience depending on season
Get our complete foodie guide with tour recommendations, DIY routes, recipes, and dining tips.
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