There are many restaurants in Lhasa, Shigatse, and Zetang. Most are decorated and furnished in traditional Tibetan style, adorned with paintings and murals symbolizing happiness and good luck. Menus generally offer sausage, barley wine, butter oil tea, beef and mutton (eaten with the hands), yak tongue, steamed buns, zanba (made from highland barley), pastries, sweet tea, butter tea, dried beef, and xiapuqing (minced mutton and beef).

The most representative traditional Tibetan food includes roast mutton and beef, buttered tea, and liquor made of highland barley. Many tourists in Tibet start out wanting a taste of the local cuisine, but most choose the more popular Sichuan dishes. Western-style food is available in hotels catering to foreign tourists, such as the Yak Cafe in Lhasa Hotel.