I tried to stick to Lonely Planet suggestions as much as I could. And then we tried some more ourself. I hope some of these can help prospective tourist find the right kind of place.
Paro
Sonam Trophel
Very popular, serves the best Chicken Paa. It’s reasonably priced, and you can be sure about the authenticity of the local food. It’s neat and clean, and right on the main town road.
Nima Restaurant
A small, understated restaurant right next to Sonam Trophel. It’s easy to miss so you need to look out. Like most restaurants in Bhutan, this one is pretty much an extension of the owner’s home. You get warm, homely food. We had the best chicken curry here.
The owner, Nima, is friendly and chatty. We spoke a lot about Bollywood gossip, and the husband had a deep conversation about IPL.
Punakha
Phuenzshi Diner (Bhutanese nightmare. AVOID)
Lonely planet had listed only this place for Punakha and had mentioned it as the best one in town. But the experience we had was quite the opposite. It scarred my previous experience of the incredible Bhutanese hospitality. I could totally swear off Lonely Planet forever due to this horrendous experience.
The place was ridiculously overpriced. The food was mediocre. They had a very small buffet serving only rice, bland noodles, fiddlehead fern, a chicken curry, and stale watermelon for dessert. The waitresses were insufferably rude and arrogant. They didn’t so much as bring water to the table. One of them bumped into my seat and offered no apology. While cleaning the table next to us, she chose to pile up the dirty dishes on our table. They didn’t know anything about hospitality and service, and levied a service charge of rs. 100 for no service at all.
They seem to be moderately better-behaved with white tourists though. The waitress offered high-pitched hellos to a table of white tourists and completely ignored the others thought they charged the same.
This is the only place in Bhutan where I didn’t leave any tips. If you don’t want to spoil your experience of the perfect Bhutanese humbleness and hospitality, don’t go here.
Lonely Planet, please take a not. It was probably a good place when the book was printed, but the fame clearly went to their heads and made them into just another dishonest, money-making restaurant.
Thimphu
Folk Heritage Museum Restaurant
Excellent place to try most of the popular and authentic Bhutanese dishes. They only have set meals. They are very reasonably priced for an extensive fare. We had ordered two meals, but changed our mind at the last moment and made it one instead. What a wise decision, because we couldn’t finish even one among the two of us.
Musk Restaurant
Right at the Clock-tower Square, this is a great place to hang out with the locals. You see quite a few regulars sitting there for hours. One of the few places where I saw people smoke. The restaurants here are quite informal. I casually asked if they had fried nakey (fiddlehead ferns). They didn’t have it on the menu, but they checked in the kitchen and said that they could make it for us.
Zombala 2
This used to be Plum’s café, which was listed by Lonely Planet as very popular with the locals. It’s right above the junction of Chorten Lam.But since we couldn’t spot it anywhere, we asked around, and were told that Plums café was now Zombala 2. We just got lucky, because Zombala was also listed as the place serving the momos in Thimphu.
The momos were only okay, but the Barthu was quite nice. What we liked the best was that this place was buzzing with locals. The service was excellent, and since it was a dry day, we were served beer in tea cups. We found it very funny.
This place also has one of the best Sujas I tasted.
Baan Thai
I know, it’s silly to eat Thai food in Bhutan. But Baan Thai is owned by a Thai woman. I love thai food, but wanted to check if what I had been eating was authentic enough. Plus, my travel bible, Lonely planet had mentioned that they served the best Tom Kha.
Mistake! We didn’t really like the soup. It was too strong: too sweet, too sour, and too intense. I can’t totally discredit this place till I try something else though. It’s otherwise a very spacious and well laid out restaurant with good service.
Ambient Café
Bhutan’s version of CCD. It’s a cool and cozy little café, very popular among the expatriats. If you are missing good cappuccino, this is your place for a great one. Their breakfast portions are hearty. The sandwich I ordered totally reinvented the concept of side salad. It came with a huge salad, plated beautifully.
Art Café
Very centrally located, this is a cute little café withthe most beautiful décor. The coffee is served in humongous mugs and is more than enough for about three people. Unfortunately, it’s not great. This place is frequented by the chic artsy Bhutanese and you see regulars puffing away in the outdoor seating area.
Swiss Bakery
Looks very inviting because of the décor. It’s like those old Iranian cafes and looks a little like a huge wood-fired oven. The cakes are really ordinary though. Bhutan isn’t quite the place to try non-Bhutanese food.
Trongsa
Yangkhil
We stayed in Yangkhil Resort and also had dinner there since it was too late and dark to try any other place. Yangkhil resort is a wonderful resort. Their restaurant is just as good as their rooms. Thes service is quick and excellent. The food is delicious and very reasonably priced. Their Bhutanese menu has more options than several other places. We loved the Nakey Datshi here.
Bhutanesque 