Aba town and the settlements across the prefecture offer a mix of Tibetan, Qiang, Sichuan Han, and Muslim Hui food. The altitude and isolation mean ingredients are limited — expect hearty, filling food rather than refined cuisine.
Tibetan staples are yak butter tea (po cha), tsampa (roasted barley flour mixed with butter tea), yak meat in various forms, and thick thukpa noodle soup. In monastery towns, local restaurants serve this food plainly and authentically. The yak hotpot available in Aba town is one of the better meals on offer — rich, fatty, and warming in the cold evenings.
Sichuan Chinese food is also widely available, with mapo tofu and dishes built on the local chilli-and-numbing-pepper combination. In tourist areas like Jiuzhaigou and Langmusi, restaurants cater broadly to Han tourists and travellers.