Food · Rongli
A plate of momos in Rongli bazaar
Rongli's small eateries feed Silk Route drivers and travellers all season: momos, thukpa, chowmein and rice thalis. It is the last proper meal stop before the climb, so eat well and pack snacks.
Most Silk Route cars spend an hour or two in Rongli, and the smart way to use it is at a table. The bazaar's eateries are small, family-run places with a few benches, a steaming pot at the door and a menu that rarely changes: steamed or fried momos, thukpa, chowmein, and rice with dal, a vegetable and chicken or egg curry. Prices are low, about ₹80–150 a plate, and the food is cooked for drivers who need a solid meal before a long climb.
Eat your main meal here. Above Rongli, shops are fewer and simpler, and you may not see another proper kitchen until your homestay serves dinner. Buy water, biscuits, dry fruit and chocolate for the road, and a flask if you want tea at the high viewpoints. If you are vegetarian, rice, dal and vegetable thalis are easy to find; ask for momos with vegetable or paneer filling.
Keep it simple and fresh: choose places that are busy with local customers, drink bottled or boiled water, and go easy on rich food before you go high. Rongli is also a good place to buy small essentials you forgot, from batteries and power banks to woollen socks. Carry cash, though many shops now take UPI when the network allows.
Cost: ₹100–250 pp
Questions people ask
Good to know
Is there good food in Rongli?
Rongli has simple, honest food: momos, thukpa, chowmein and rice thalis in small family-run eateries, at about ₹80–150 a plate. Nothing fancy, but filling and fresh at busy places. It is the last proper meal stop before the climb, so eat your main meal here.
Is UPI accepted in Rongli?
Many shops and eateries in Rongli take UPI when the mobile network is working. Signal can drop, so carry enough cash for meals, snacks and the rest of the Silk Route. Above Rongli, cash is essential at homestays and stalls.
What should we buy in Rongli before going to Zuluk?
Buy drinking water, biscuits, dry fruit and chocolate for the road, plus spare photocopies of your ID. Woollen socks, gloves and caps are often on sale too. Carry any medicines you need from Gangtok, as the choice in Rongli is limited.
Also in Rongli