Best Restaurants and Cafes in New Tehri: Where to Eat

Quick experiment. Google “restaurants in New Tehri” and see how many of the lists agree with each other. Spoiler: none of them.

One mixes restaurants from Delhi, Assam and West Bengal into its Tehri Garhwal list. Another puts a restaurant near the top of its New Tehri ranking that’s actually about 20 km northwest, out on the Uttarkashi road. A third lists 13 places, and 11 of them have zero reviews.

So here’s a list that actually makes sense. It’s grouped by where you’ll be standing, with opening hours, what people keep ordering, and one honest catch for every place. The ratings, hours and phone numbers come from Google Maps, and prices come from Zomato wherever it publishes them.

Haven’t booked a stay yet? Read where to stay in Tehri Garhwal first. The area you pick decides most of your food options.

Where Should You Eat in New Tehri?

Short version. For a proper sit-down meal, go to the Baurari and Open Market cluster in town, where JJ Food, Shubham and Roof Top are a few minutes apart. For chai with a view, use the ridge cafes, mainly Farzi Chai and Reedo. At the lake, Murugan Cafe and Lake View at Panch Koti are the only standalone options.

Here’s everything in one table.

One tip: call before you go. Hill-town kitchens change their hours with the season, and a few of these places never update anything online.

Why the Restaurant Lists for New Tehri Don’t Agree

Three things are going wrong at once. Once you know them, the mess makes sense.

The big one is JJ Food. There are two of them. One is on Old Tehri Road. The other, JJ Food Vatika, is at Open Market in Baurari, near the Indane gas office. Different roads, different phone numbers, nearly the same name.

Review sites treat them as one business, or split the reviews unevenly, and the scores go everywhere.

Check that Tripadvisor column. A 3.0 built on two reviews, sitting next to 876 Google ratings that say 4.6. Neither number is exactly lying, but one of them is useless.

Problem two is sample size. Tripadvisor’s New Tehri page has 13 restaurants and 11 of them carry zero reviews. The two that do have three reviews between them. That isn’t a ranking, it’s an empty shelf.

Problem three: a lot of these lists are built by machines scraping other articles. That’s how Delhi, Assam and West Bengal restaurants end up filed under Tehri Garhwal.

For this list we cross-checked Google Maps against four directories, kept only places we could find on a map near New Tehri, and noted the distance wherever a place isn’t actually in town.

Best Restaurants in New Tehri Town

Town’s restaurants sit in a tight cluster around Baurari, Open Market and Old Tehri Road, so you can walk between most of them. Nobody’s serving fine dining here, and if a list tells you otherwise, be suspicious. What you get is decent North Indian, Chinese that depends heavily on the kitchen, and a few places with great views thrown in free.

JJ Food, Old Tehri Road. Google gives it 4.6 from 876 ratings, the most reviews of any town restaurant. Open 9:00 am to 10:30 pm, phone +91 70608 89396.

People keep naming the biryani, dal makhani and egg curry, and a few mention a valley view from the seats. One diner reported about ₹630 for four dishes, and Zomato puts cost for two near ₹500. The catch? One reviewer found a dish too salty and says nobody picked up when they called to complain.

JJ Food Vatika, Open Market, Plot 1, near the Indane gas office in Baurari. Google shows 4.8 from 164 ratings. Open 8:30 am to 10:00 pm, phone +91 87916 47161.

This is the one for breakfast, chai and puri sabji, and reviewers staying nearby like its delivery. Worth repeating because people mix this up: it’s a different business from the JJ Food above. Check the road name before you set off.

Shubham Family Restaurant, F&G unit, 1st Open Market, Baurari. Google 4.3 from 391 ratings. Open 9:00 am to 10:30 pm, phone +91 81714 98734.

Going by reviews, this is the family pick. People rate the butter chicken with a bread basket, mention the rumali roti, and several like the open-air seating that faces the valley and the dam. Two catches: reviewers disagree on the Chinese side of the menu, and one calls the place pricey for the town.

Roof Top The Indian Restaurant, Hotel Shree Padam, Sector 8A, Baurari. Google 4.1 from 99 ratings. Open 8:30 am to 10:30 pm, phone +91 99976 40031.

A top-floor dining room with plenty of glass, plus garden chairs on the corridor outside for mild days. Zomato shows about ₹1,000 for two, the highest figure among the town places it prices. And the catch is real. Slow, uneven service is the most repeated complaint, with dishes sometimes landing twenty minutes apart. Give it extra time, or skip it if you’re hungry and short on patience.

Sangam Family Restaurant, B.puram Road, Dungidhar. Google 4.2 from 164 ratings. Open 8:00 am to 10:00 pm, phone +91 97607 87119.

Come for the thali, which one reviewer calls plentiful and good value. One of them says breakfast for four came to about ₹400. Reviews are properly split though, including a hygiene complaint, so judge this one on the day. And don’t mix it up with Sangam Restaurant at New Agrakhal, a different place on the Rishikesh road in an area known for bhutwa.

7 Cheese Pizza, Baurari. Google 4.2 from 710 ratings, second-highest in town. Open 11:00 am to 10:00 pm, phone +91 70555 11182.

Pizza, pasta and shakes. If the kids have hit their thali limit, this fixes your evening. Catch: one reviewer found items like brownies and lava cake unavailable.

And if those are full, there’s Fun & Food Restaurant on College Road in Baurari, rated 3.8 from 269 ratings and open 8:30 am to 10:00 pm. Reviewers like the open-air seating and wish the menu were bigger. No phone number on Google.

Best Cafes in New Tehri for Chai and a View

Honestly, New Tehri’s cafes beat its restaurants. The town is stretched along a ridge between roughly 1,550 and 1,950 metres, and somebody worked out you can sell tea with that view attached.

Farzi Chai is the best-rated place in town, and three separate directories agree on it, which almost never happens here. Google has it at 4.9 from 447 ratings, and Justdial and Restaurant Guru land within a tenth of that. It’s on Old Tehri Road beside the covered market entrance, tucked behind the furniture shops. Open 10:00 am to 9:00 pm, phone +91 96343 53486.

Chai in kulhads, a rose-leaf tea one reviewer singles out, plus sandwiches and pasta. There are indoor seats for cold days and a balcony facing the mountains for the rest. The catch is just finding it. It’s easy to walk past, so ask at the furniture shops.

Reedo Cafe is at Chhamund, on the road between upper and lower New Tehri. Google 4.7 from 130 ratings. Open 10:00 am to 9:00 pm, phone +91 93199 21306.

Pizza, pav bhaji, cold coffee, and a lemon tea one reviewer calls worth trying. The terrace is the reason to come, with a wide view of the lake, the hills and the forest. Indoors is tiny, a handful of seats, so this is a fair-weather stop. Birds visit too. Per reviewers, the owner puts food out for the local bulbuls most evenings, which tells you how relaxed the place is.

Auli Chai Cafe is up near the SSP office and collectorate, on the ridge above Hanuman Chowk. Open 10:00 am to 9:00 pm, but Google lists Sundays as opening only at 3:30 pm, while another site shows a 10:00 am start, so call first on a Sunday. Phone +91 78950 30186.

It has a long tea list, plus maggi, burgers and sandwiches, with open views over the town and the lake, per reviewers. This is where the rating mess shows up live: Google says 4.2 from 337 ratings while Restaurant Guru says 4.8. Going by reviews, the view is reliable and the food isn’t. Go for tea and maggi, not dinner.

Where to Eat Near Tehri Lake and the Dam

At the lake you’ll mostly eat where you sleep. Koti Colony and Sahrai properties run their own kitchens, and standalone restaurants at the water’s edge are thin on the ground. But there are three, and two of them, Murugan and Ekanth, didn’t show up on any list we checked.

Murugan Cafe is at Koti in Panch Koti, right beside the water at the activity point. Google lists it as a vegetarian restaurant. Rating 3.8 from 119 ratings. Open 8:30 am to 9:30 pm.

It’s a good call on a water sports day, because you can sit lakeside and watch the jet skis while you eat, and there’s an “I love Tehri” board outside that half the visitors photograph. One reviewer rates the pizza, paneer tikka and chilli potato. Another found the South Indian dishes weak, and service gets called slow. No phone number on Google, so ask at the boat club.

Lake View Restaurant & Hotel, Tehri Dam Road, Lamgoan, Panch Koti. Phone +91 93898 35039.

It has open, semi-open and indoor seating, plus parking, which matters more than you’d think on that road. Some reviewers mention local and organic items on the menu. Take the rating with a pinch of salt: Google shows 4.5 from 239 ratings, Restaurant Guru shows 3.2 from a similar number. Google also lists it as open 24 hours, so confirm by phone before you bet a late dinner on it.

Ekanth Lakeview Restaurant, Godi Sirain, over on the Sahrai and Dobra side. Google 4.5 from 32 ratings, roughly 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, though the listed hours contradict themselves. Phone +91 96276 23203. Reviewers order the stuffed parathas and tea, and the main-course list is short, so think of it as a stop, not a dinner. There’s a hilltop behind it with a view over the lake, and parking.

Add hotel kitchens to that and a lake day usually needs one outside meal at most. Guests at Le ROI’s Koti Colony property mention a breakfast buffet with live counters, and the floating huts at Sahrai serve a-la-carte on site. Plan your meals around the boat club timings rather than the other way round.

Can You Get Garhwali Food in New Tehri?

Rarely, and almost never in a restaurant. Town menus are North Indian, Chinese and fast food. The thali you’ll be offered in New Tehri is usually a standard north Indian one, not a Garhwali plate. If mandua roti with a seasonal saag is what you came for, a restaurant is the wrong place to look.

Why? Garhwali food is household cooking. Gahat and bhatt soak overnight, the saag sits on a low flame, and the greens change every few weeks with the season. None of that fits a menu card and a thirty-minute ticket time.

What works instead is simple. Message your homestay a day before you arrive and name a dish or two. Most will cook it. That one message makes the whole difference.

Two honest exceptions. Sangam’s thali in Dungidhar is the closest thing in town that reviewers rate. And there’s a proper Pahadi thali about 20 km away as the crow flies, which is the next section.

One warning. Some directory pages pair specific Garhwali dishes with specific New Tehri restaurants, like this place does kafuli and that one does phaanu. We couldn’t confirm a single one of those pairings, so don’t plan a meal around them.

Worth the Detour: A Garhwali Thali on the Uttarkashi Road

Rajneelam Restaurant & Homestay is on the Bhal-Marad road at Sinjal, near Maraad village just before Moriyana top. Google 4.6 from 193 ratings. Open 6:30 am to 10:00 pm, phone +91 97583 90766. Reviewers rave about the special Pahadi thali and the bhaddu, the traditional pot it’s cooked in, and a few say they stop here on the Dehradun to Uttarkashi run.

Now the catch, and it’s a big one. By map coordinates this is roughly 20 km northwest of New Tehri town as the crow flies, and hill roads make the drive longer than that sounds. Check the drive time before you commit. It suits you if you’re already heading towards Uttarkashi or Gangotri. As a quick New Tehri dinner, it doesn’t.

Worth knowing because at least one big review site lists it among New Tehri’s top restaurants. That’s how travellers end up driving out of their way for a thali they thought was in town.

Practical Tips for Eating in New Tehri

Eat earlier than you would at home. Nearly every place on this list closes between 9:00 pm and 10:30 pm, so order by 9:30 pm or you’ll be wandering around hungry.

A few other things that save trouble:

• Carry cash. UPI gets patchy once you leave town.
• Breakfast is the thin slot. Stick to the 8:00 to 8:30 am openers: JJ Food Vatika, Sangam, Roof Top and Fun & Food.
• Call ahead for bigger groups. Several town restaurants are small.
• Keep a second option in mind. One reviewer reports that a gas supply problem stopped other restaurants on the Chamba road serving thalis.
• Staying in a budget hotel in New Tehri? Eat in town for dinner and go down to the lake in the morning. It’s not worth the drive for a meal.

FAQs

Which is the best restaurant in New Tehri?
Depends what you’re after. JJ Food on Old Tehri Road has the most reviews, at 4.6 from 876 ratings. Shubham is the better family pick. Roof Top gives you the view dinner at the highest price. For kids, go to 7 Cheese Pizza in Baurari.

Why do different websites give New Tehri restaurants different ratings?
Two reasons. There are two separate businesses called JJ Food on different roads, and review sites mix them up. And some directories hold only a handful of New Tehri reviews, so a single review can swing the whole score. Google has the biggest counts here.

Are there vegetarian restaurants in New Tehri?
Yes. Google lists Murugan Cafe at the lake as a vegetarian restaurant, and Restaurant Guru tags Auli Chai Cafe as having vegetarian options. Food Junction on Old Road in Baurari is called vegetarian-friendly and cheap by reviewers. Most town restaurants serve both veg and non-veg.

Where can I eat near Tehri Dam and the boating point?
Murugan Cafe at Koti sits right at the activity point, and Lake View Restaurant at Panch Koti is a few minutes away with parking. On the Sahrai side, Ekanth Lakeview does parathas and tea. Otherwise, your hotel kitchen has you covered.

Is Garhwali food available in New Tehri restaurants?
Almost never. Restaurant menus are North Indian, Chinese and fast food. Garhwali cooking is home food, so ask a homestay a day ahead instead. Rajneelam, about 20 km away as the crow flies on the Uttarkashi road, is the nearest reliable Pahadi thali.

What time do restaurants close in New Tehri?
Most close between 9:00 pm and 10:30 pm. The cafes shut a bit earlier, around 9:00 pm, and Lake View Restaurant lists 24-hour opening, though that’s worth confirming by phone. Aim to order by 9:30 pm at the latest so you’re not left hunting for dinner.

Are there cafes with a lake view in New Tehri?
Yes. Reedo Cafe’s terrace at Chhamund has the widest view, taking in the lake, hills and forest. Auli Chai Cafe sits high on the ridge with town and lake views. At the water itself, Murugan Cafe at Koti puts you right beside Tehri Lake, which covers 52 sq km.

Pick Your Area First, Then Worry About the Menu

Choosing among the restaurants in New Tehri starts with your zone, not the menu. Stay in town and you’ve got six restaurants and three cafes close together. Stay at the lake and you get one or two standalone spots plus your hotel kitchen, which is fine for two nights and a bit dull for four.

Then order by 9:30 pm, carry cash, and send that homestay message a day early if you want the Garhwali food. Not sure how these meals fit around the lake and the drives? The 3-day Tehri itinerary lays it out.

Read Also

• Where to Stay in Tehri Garhwal: Koti Colony, New Tehri, Chamba, Kanatal or Dobra?
• Garhwali Food in Tehri Garhwal: What to Eat Where It’s Grown
• New Tehri: Exploring Uttarakhand’s Planned Hill Town
• Tehri Lake: A Complete Water Sports and Adventure Guide