Budget
Cola and Kabab
Two versions of a meat pita bread sandwich, meat grilled Turkish style on a vertical rotisserie, meat with tomato and lettuce and some sauce
Stupa Cafe
Vegetarian dishes vary daily, coffee, tea and traditional Mongolian drinks, fresh cakes. There is a large white stupa in the front yard.
Throughout Ulaanbaatar are many small ÐÑанз and Ð¦Ð°Ð¹Ð½Ñ ÐазаÑ's. Try one of these for cheap Mongolian food. Buuz usually costs from 350 to 400 Togrog. Most universities have a good cafeteria for cheap eats starting from 1800 MNT 1.2 USD ~ 2500 MNT 1.5 USD. Mongolian National University and Mongolian University of Science and Technology both near the North East block from the Parliament Building have good cafeterias. All university cafeterias have nutritionists so at least you know you are getting all the basic nutrients when you eat there.
Gerel Ayalguu Vegetarian
Vegetarian, salads & soups
Ba Shu 888
A Chinese-Mongolian restaurant. Good sized portions and inexpensive eating.
PYCCKOE bUCTRO UZbYWKA
Small Russian restaurant, various dishes, Piroshki small pies with meat or vegetarian filling.
Midrange
American Ger'll
American-style, thick crust pizza. The large pizza will feed 5-6 people for about US$20. They also have an extensive foreign menu, including good coffee drinks. You should get there early, because this place is a favorite among Mongolians and expats alike.
City Cafe
Great food and location, wonderful staff. Malaysian/Chinese food.
California Restaurant
Extensive foreign and Mongolian menu. Beautifully decorated. It's a bit small, but in the summer there is additional outside seating. Reservations are advised.
Millie's Espresso
Good selection of American style cafe food with some vegetarian, coffee, Free WiFi. At lunch you will find this place full of Expats enjoying the steak sandwiches and burgers. Also does breakfast.
bd's Mongolian BBQ
The first US franchise restaurant and it offers a lively interactive and celebratory atmosphere. The food is cooked to a very high standard and works as an interactive buffet: diners select ingredients from an open buffet and give it to the grillers who cook it up on a Historical Mongolian Style grill and add a dash of one of the many, tasty chefâs own sauces. All ingredients are sourced locally and the menu reflects the franchiseâs BDâs Mongolian Barbeque moniker. Its unlimited âCreate Your Own Stir-fryâ, features fresh vegetables, meats, sauces and spices. One bowl is approximately $7.50 and all-you-can-eat is approximately $13.50. Check your bill before you pay because guests are charged for all-you-can-eat unless specified otherwise.
Nayra Cafe
Good pizza and sandwiches, good coffee, Free WiFi.
Budweiser Bar
Fish and chips, steak, English breakfast.
Ko-hyang-shik-dang
Korean food.
Chinggis Club
Co-located with the Chinggis Brewery, German style cooking and beer. Their own locally brewed light and dark beer on tap.
Hishig Mongol 2
A Mongolian restaurant, no foreign language menu or staff, if you want to experience modern Mongolia cuisine this is the place. Roasted Sheep head, roasted ribs, buuz, dried meat soup.
Top end
Los Bandidos
Mexican-Indian fusion food sounds terrible until you taste the spicy chicken masala or crispy tacquitos. They are at a new location not far from Sukhbaatar Square. The prices are higher now, but the atmosphere has improved and most mains are still in the $7-10 range.
Nomads
Excellent variety and quality for both locals and tourists. Good, clean toilets, an added bonus.
Nobody travels to Mongolia for the food, but Ulaanbaatar has a good range of Western, Asian and Mongolian options. No other city this side of Beijing has close to a comparable selection. Even better, meals here are quite reasonable. You can get perfectly reasonable pizza for $3, even a night out at a fancy French cafe shouldn't pass $20. Consider splurging on a couple good meals here, especially if headed out for a long trek into the country. Be aware that fresh vegetables, especially in winter, are hard to come by and expensive.
Korean solongos khoolnee gazar and Chinese restaurants dominate the city. As Asian restaurants in America tend to tailor their menu to the American palate, so in Ulaanbaatar do the East Asian restaurants tailor their menu to the Central Asian palate.