As much as I loved climbing to Tiger’s Nest, I loved spending a quiet day in the Bhutanese capital city of Thimphu, where I found some great coffee…
Best Coffee In Thimphu, Bhutan
I spent my first couple nights in Bhutan at the Le Méridien right in the heart of the capital and during the afternoon and evening, I was left alone, giving me time to explore the city.
The coffee was quite respectable at the Le Méridien, but I was keen to find out if there were any local coffee shops that offered excellent coffee..and I found two!
Right around the corner from the hotel was a second-floor café called Ambient.
Ambient Café
Nordzin Lam, Thimphu, Bhutan
+975 17 79 96 07
8:00 am – 9:00 pm (daily)
I came for coffee and stayed for dinner…it is sort of an eclectic place that has a nice coffee machine and coffee menu, plus fresh-squeezed juices, ice cream, and a menu with food. I loved the ambiance.
I began with a flat white and a green juice…both hit the spot so nicely that I decided to stay for dinner.
I ordered falafel…served with pita bread, hummus, and raw carrots, cucumbers, and tomato on the side.
It was the oddest-looking falafel I’ve ever seen, but it was good…very good, actaully.
The following day, I tried another coffee shop right in the heart of the city in Clock Tower Square.
Thijha Café
Behind Clock Tower (you have to love that address…)
Thimphu 01234 Bhutan
+975 338147
8:00 am – 10:00 pm (Wednesday – Monday)
Closed Tuesdays
Here, illy coffee is served which is not my favorite, but always a safe bet…the cappuccino was excellent.
There were other places in town that looked promising, but my body cannot tolerate too much coffee at once, so I’ll have more to explore next time.
CONCLUSION
Thimphu is a beautiful, clean capital city and one of the most unique I have ever been to. I’m pleased to report the coffee culture is also excellent and both Ambient and Thijha offer excellent coffee.
Matthew,
Quick question. Did you have any issues with cellular roaming while in Bhutan and did you have any issues with CC being accepted?
No trouble paying with credit card (Mastercard, Visa), but no cell phone service either.
Bhutan is not on the T-Mobile international list and the costs to use mobile service were exorbitant, such that I bought a SIM card upon arrival in PBH. But it did not work!
I ended up simply using wi-fi, which was easily available at hotels, restaurants, and cafes.
My friend had Verizon and it worked fine (not sure what the charges were, though).
Thanks!
Point of reference from Verizon
Welcome to Bhutan. Calls cost $2.99/min, text $0.5 to send and $0.05 to receive and data $2.05/MB. International Travel plans are not available in this country.