Best Restaurants in Kathmandu

Kathmandu is a food lovers paradise. With all the restaurants and cafes around, one is never bound to remain hungry for too long.



Here, we have listed some of the best places in Kathmandu where you can treat your palate.

BK’S Place, Thamel

This place has a well-deserved reputation for good old-fashioned chips (French fries), with a variety of sauces, as well as good momos. It’s a tiny place, but comfortable and cozy.

Helena’s, Thamel

Helena’s is deservedly popular for its set breakfasts, one of the highest rooftops in Thamel, cosy interior and super-friendly service, with a wide range of coffee, good cakes, tandoori dishes and steaks. It’s warm and cosy in winter. If you are heading off trekking, consider breakfast on the 8th floor a form of high-altitude training.

Or2k, Thamel

This popular Israeli-run vegetarian restaurant is the current favourite for fresh and light Middle Eastern dishes. The menu spreads to crêpes, soups, zucchini pie, coconut tofu and ziva (pastry fingers filled with cheese). The mood is bright and buzzy. All seating is on cushions on the floor; you have to take your shoes off so make sure you’re wearing your clean pair of socks. A small stand at street level serves takeaway felafel wraps.

Yak Cafe, Thamel

This is another modest and reliable Tibetan-run place at the other end of Thamel. The booths give it a ‘Tibetan diner’ vibe and the clientele is a mix of trekkers with their Sherpa guides and local Tibetans who come to shoot the breeze over a cigarette and a tube of tongba (hot millet beer). The menu includes Tibetan dishes, with good kothey (fried momos), and South Indian food, all at unbeatable prices. It feels just like a trekking lodge, down to that familiar electronic sound of a chicken being strangled every time a dish is ready.

Old Tashi Delek Restaurant, Thamel

This place, a long-time favourite, feels like a trekking lodge that’s been transplanted from Everest into a Thamel time warp. Prices are decent, the Tibetan momos (especially the richosse momo soup) are authentic, and the spinach mushroom enchilada is surprisingly good for Tibetan-Mexican food . It’s down a corridor, slap bang in the centre of the Thamel action.

Third Eye Restaurant, Lazimpat

This is a long-running favourite that retains something of the old Kathmandu atmosphere. There’s a sit-down section at the front, and a more informal section with low tables and cushions at the back and a rooftop terrace. Indian food is the speciality and the tandoori dishes are especially good.

Himalayan Java, Tridevi Marg

This modern and buzzing coffeehouse serves good espresso and fine paninis and cakes, in addition to decent breakfasts. There’s a sunny balcony, lots of sofas and big-screen TV for the football, but from certain angles it feels a bit like a hotel foyer. It’s popular with hip middle-class Nepalis and there’s wi-fi.

New Orleans Cafe, Thamel

Hidden down an alley , New Orleans boasts a relaxed and intimate candlelit vibe and a great selection of music, often live. It’s a popular spot for a drink but the menu also ranges far and wide, from Thai curries and good burgers to Creole jambalaya and oven-roasted vegies, plus good breakfasts.

La Dolce Vita, Thamel

Life is indeed sweet at Thamel’s best Italian bistro, offering up delights such as parmesan gnocchi; excellent antipasti; goat’s cheese, spinach and walnut ravioli; sinfully rich chocolate torte and wines by the glass. Choose between the rustic red-and-white tablecloths and terracotta tiles of the main restaurant, a rooftop garden, the yummy-smelling espresso bar (real Lavazza coffee) or sunny lounge space; either way the atmosphere and food are excellent.