Makye Ame

Makye Ame occupies the famous yellow house on Lhasa's Barkhor circuit, and its rooftop tables look across the pilgrims' kora to the golden roof of the Jokhang temple. The menu is a proper introduction to Tibetan cooking - butter tea, momos, yak dishes, and the sweet tea Lhasa runs on.

The restaurant has hosted travelers for decades, the staff speak English, and the people-watching from the roof is some of the best in Tibet. Go for lunch to catch the kora crowds, order the momos, and let the rooftop become your base camp for the afternoon.