4.9 stars · 495 Google reviews · around ₹200–400 for two · closed 3–6 pm · Upper Dharamkot. Ratings checked August 2026.
Most people stop climbing once they hit the main Dharamkot drag. Keep going another ten minutes, past the yoga schools, and the crowds thin, the noise drops away, and you arrive at Young Monk.
It is attached to a hostel, and that shapes everything about the place. The café is open to outside visitors as well as guests, and the balcony is the reason to make the climb — the property advertises a 280-degree view of the Dhauladhar and the Kangra valley, and for once the marketing is not overstating it. People come for the seat as much as the food, and a striking number of reviews come from travellers who checked in for two nights and left after nine.
What to order
The thin-crust pizza is the standout for dinner. For breakfast, go Indian — parathas, poha, pav bhaji — rather than defaulting to the Western menu. The chai gets named in reviews surprisingly often, which sounds like faint praise until you realise how rarely anyone bothers to review chai at all.
In the evening there is butter chicken and malai kofta, both cooked well enough that they do not feel like an afterthought bolted onto a backpacker menu. The kitchen covers Indian, Italian and American food, which is usually a warning sign; here it mostly works, though you should order towards the Indian and pizza ends of the menu rather than the middle.
Live music and comedy
There are regular live music evenings, open-mic stand-up comedy and film nights. None of it is slick — it is a room full of travellers, a guitar and someone brave enough to try five minutes of material — but that is the appeal. If you are travelling alone and want to end up in conversation with strangers, this is the easiest place in Dharamkot to make that happen without trying.
The catch: the 3–6 pm gap
This is the single thing that catches people out. Young Monk shuts between roughly 3 and 6 pm. If you have hiked up from McLeod Ganj at 4 pm expecting lunch, you will arrive at a locked door and be extremely annoyed about the walk you just did. Plan for a late lunch before 3, or an early dinner after 6 — and if you are making a special trip, message ahead, because afternoon hours in Upper Dharamkot move with the season.
Getting there
It is a proper climb. From the Dharamkot main street, keep heading up past the yoga schools; the hostel sits roughly 0.8 km above the village centre. The last stretch is steep steps rather than road, so this is a poor option if you are carrying luggage or have mobility issues — and a genuinely bad one in the rain, when the steps get slick.
Once you are up, though, you are above most of the village noise, and the sunset over the Kangra valley is worth what your calves went through. Give yourself 15 minutes from the main street, more if you stop to breathe.
Honest drawbacks
The afternoon closure is the big one. Beyond that: wifi is decent but not built for video calls, so this is a place to read and talk rather than to work. And if there is live music on, expect volume until around 10 pm — check before you settle in for a quiet dinner.
Know before you go
- Closed 3–6 pm. Plan around it.
- Cash is safest, though UPI usually works.
- Steep steps at the end — not luggage-friendly, not great in rain.
- Go for sunset, stay for whatever is happening on the small stage afterwards.
If it's closed, or full
The 3–6 pm gap is when most people get caught, so it is worth knowing the fallbacks. The Birdhouse Cakery stays open till around 8 pm and is a short walk away in Upper Dharamkot. Da'Wiara runs 8 am to 10 pm daily with no afternoon break at all, which makes it the safest bet if you are arriving at an awkward hour.
For a full meal rather than cake and coffee, Bodhi Greens on the main street is open through the afternoon and does not require the climb back up.
Read the full roundup: the best cafés in Dharamkot. Working remotely from the hills? Start with our Dharamkot workation guide — and if you are weighing up where to base yourself, the village guide compares Upper and Lower Dharamkot.
← All blog postsQuestions, answered
What time does Young Monk Café in Dharamkot close?+
The café shuts between roughly 3 and 6 pm and reopens for dinner, running until around 10 pm. That afternoon gap is the most common complaint from visitors who hike up from McLeod Ganj mid-afternoon and find a locked door. Aim for a late lunch before 3 pm or an early dinner after 6.
Is Young Monk Café good for remote work?+
Not really. The wifi is decent for messaging and browsing but is not reliable enough for video calls, and the café closes for three hours in the middle of the working afternoon. It is a far better place to read, watch the sunset or meet other travellers. For work-friendly cafés, see our Dharamkot workation guide.
How hard is the walk up to Young Monk?+
It sits about 0.8 km above the Dharamkot village centre, roughly 15 minutes uphill past the yoga schools, and the final stretch is steep steps rather than road. It is manageable for most people but a poor choice with luggage, with mobility issues, or in wet weather when the steps get slippery.