On the journey up to the stunning beauty that is Lake Tsomgo there are a lot of weird Himalayan style restaurants set up for weary travelers, one of them being Lucky 7.
And while the name is a bit more casino like than screaming great food, I found it not just to be a fabulous food stop on the way to the mountain, but also authentically friendly and with great hats.
So, here’s why The Street Food Guy suggests some Lucky 7 action on the way to Lake Tsomgo.
What the Lake Tsomgo?
Lake Tsomgo, or Changu Lake depending on who you ask, is one of those places that kind of makes you stop and go “oh wow, so this is why people travel.” Located about 40 km from Gangtok and sitting at a breezy 12,300 feet (3,750 metres) above sea level, it is one of the most famous high-altitude lakes in India. Tsomgo means “source of the lake” in Bhutia, and the place is both sacred to locals and wildly popular with Indian tourists who rock up in jeeps blasting Bollywood tunes.
You need a special permit to get here, which means it’s kind of remote but also not really. You will still find few people, souvenir stalls and the occasional man trying to convince you to ride a yak for Instagram clout (which it does give). The lake freezes over in winter, becoming a giant ice mirror, and melts into a weirdly perfect turquoise pond come summer. Surrounding that are snowy peaks, prayer flags, a whole lot of wind and that kind of thin, sharp mountain air that makes masala tea taste better.
Tourist activities range from taking selfies, to riding said yaks, to freezing your nuts off while trying to eat momo without your hands going numb. It is cold, it is chaotic, and it is kind of brilliant.The highlight? The cable car I’d say.
Eating at Lake Tsomgo
There are actually tonnes of small eateries just before you get to the lake, with the vast majority and Lucky 7 being just after the HUGE Indian military base. Yep that’s a thing here and it is weird to say the least.
Said restaurants tend to advertise “fast food” which is local parlance pretty much for “street food” of which momo reigns supreme. Again most come just after the army bit, with there being a few tourist trap type eateries at the lake itself.
Lucky 7 was suggested by our local guide and driver, with it indeed being good luck for all involved.
Lucky 7 Lake Tsomgo
There is no point waxing lyrical and saying that this is the best place in the world because it is not. What it is is a classic Himalayan style eatery that you find in Nepal, Tibet, Sikkim, and to a lesser extent Bhutan. This means noodles, masala tea and of course the jewel in the crown that is momo. I will not go into heavy details as I have already written about it, but momo is my new love.
In actuality the menu was quite varied including a decent amount of western dishes, such as French fries, but I would be wary about how good that might be. There are also lots of snacks here, mainly of the chocolate and noodle variety.
Oh and they have hats and scarves! I personally purchased two rather great hats with the price being just over $5, really not bad.
The Food and the ambience of Lucky 7
I personally went (again) for the chili fried chicken momo which was fucking fabulous, although was 50 cents more than in downtown Gangtok (I can live with that). I also had masala coke, masala tea and yak butter milk tea, which was fabulous.
Ambience wise this place does what it says on the tin! There are heated tables, Himalayan people dressed up in their warm clothes, crap on a tiny TV and a laid back attitude you can only get in this part of the world.
Yeah it’s fair to say I really enjoyed Lucky 7 Lake Tsomgo.