The most popular food in Kathmandu has to be Momo, a dumpling which has its roots in the Tibetan mountains. Try them fried or steamed stuffed with buffalo, chicken, or veggies with a Tuborg or San Miguel beer. In a local place expect to pay 50 NPR for ten buff momos, 90-120 NPR in a tourist place. However, the prices vary according to what it is stuffed with. For example, Chicken momos cost more than a regular buffalo momos. Also a good place to sample Newari and Tibetan dishes.
A Nepali set meal will usually include rice, dhal, vegetable/meat curry, a vegetable dish, chutney and curd. Expect to pay around 140-280 NPR at a tourist place, much less at local places. Chiya similar to the Indian chai, a milky spiced tea, is ubiquitous and good for a break to calm one's nerves.
Just Pass
great Indian food at affordable prices, situated near the Chikusa Cafe on the Jyatha street. friendly staff and a tummy full of Indian food including naans!and cheap tea for 125 Nrs.!
Thamel
Roadhouse Cafe
Excellent wood fired pizza, similar to better than? fire and ice. fantastic decor. good coffee and hot chocolate. draught everest beer, when available. a very relaxing, upscale place for when you need to escape from kathmandu for an evening. wifi available. branches a bit up from hot breads in thamel, another near bhat bhateni supermarket, and one in patan.
Himalayan Java
Wonderful pizza and some of the best if not the only paninis available in nepal. see below for detailed coverage. located across the street from fire & ice on the second story of the building nearest the palace wall.
Electric Pagoda
Is a very eclectic bar on satghumti road. specializes in mexican cuisine and also offers local and continental dishes between 100-300 npr. easy going atmosphere with well rounded music and very friendly staff. tuborg/everest beer 240 npr.
Everest Steak House
Traditional pre-or post-trekking feast: massive steaks cooked just right, about 300 npr will stuff you. just off chhetrapati, the pagoda-cum-roundabout.
Alchemy
A new opend italian restauran. on the upper pricing in thamel, but same as price is for the food. excellent italian dishes and nothing else. pizzas from 300 npr and pastas from 280. you get wine in 1/4 or 1/2 litre so suitable for dining alone or in two. the restaurant is guided by kapil, which has long italy experience. it's about 100 m before chetrapati chowk.
Krua Thai
Probably the best Thai food in Kathmandu
Sandwich Point
Is a small sandwich bar with a wide range of fillings including beacons, ham, chicken and sausage. to get to sandwich point, turn left on the second intersection of thamel arriving from himalayan java. it is on the left just a few metres down the road.
New Orleans
A good variety of well-made food, including pasta, nepali and salads. pleasant newari courtyard setting almost opposite kathmandu guest house. 200-400 npr.
Northfield Cafe
Basic pub grub and nepali attempt at mexican, often with live traditional music. popular with english teachers and expats. a few doors up from kathmandu guest house. 100-300 npr.
Cafe Kaldi
"Cafe Kaldi" has a small menu with drinks, salads & snacks as well as free WiFi for customers please refrain from downloading anything as the connection is limited. Located behind OR2K - across the street from Pumpernickel Bakery & K-Too Steakhouse.
Aqua Java Zing
"Aqua Java Zing" The newest restaurant to hit the Thamel dining scene. With a chain of restaurants and cafes Internationally, it is a welcome for Nepal. They serve amazing international gourmet cuisine with a full range of Risottos, Pastas, Thai curry to a Five spice exotic vegetables. They also probably do the best stone oven baked Pizzas in town. The dessert range and quality is unparalleled and so is the coffee that they are famous for internationally. They also serve Hookahs/Shishas with over 100 flavours. For a truly gourmet experience and superb prices they are your best bet 200-350NPR. They are located just next to Helena's and opposite Galleria Cafe.
Hot Breads
Past helena's, opposite the right-turn junction towards fire & ice, hot breads sells fresh pastries pan au chocolats, cinnamon bakes from about 30 npr each, which you can eat on the roof along with a selection of drinks. the place to go for breakfast at least once.
La Dolce Vita
"La Dolce Vita" probably the first Italian restaurant and the best you can find in Kathmandu serves great pastas, desserts and speciality coffees all at very reasonable prices.
Or2K
Great middle eastern food. try the falafel and the homemade mint juice. opposite the pumpernickel bakery. however very variying degree of service.
Tashi Delek
Tibetan restaurant with extensive menu and good mexican/ italian dishes. open late. across the street from the postcard shop, near hotbreads corner. 100-300 npr.
Third Eye
Indian food in a nice building and outdoor garden. 250-500 npr.
Rum Doodle
Excellent food at modest prices, including live music on most nights. carry on straight past helena's, around the "chicane" where the road bends then straightens out again and turn the next right it should be signposted, though the sign's fairly small. everest summiters can eat here for free!
Thamel House Restaurant
From the outside looks like a regular restaurant, but in the inside it has a beautiful garden, very cozy and calm. Good service.
Fire & Ice
A popular western haunt, and for good reason. serves traditional italian-style stone-baked pizzas, which are delicious. certainly pricier than most, however - a cheese & tomato pizza will cost around 250 npr, whereas a hawaiian will cost 350 nrp [300-700 nrp pricing in 2012]. chocolate ice cream with added chocolate on top is definitely to be recommended, and will cost about 145 npr [deserts average 300 nrp in 2012]. supposedly the best pizza in nepal but you pay a lot for it. everyone knows where it is: on the left side of the main road into thamel from the palace museum, next to a temple under himalayan bank.
Green Ice
Amazingly good indian cuisine, thamel chowk upstairs with the green windows overlooking "kukuri crossroads".
BK's
French fry heaven in thamel. opposite funky buddha bar.
Café Mitra
Serves excellent european meals. it is expensive for kathmandu, but the standard of the food more than makes up for this. 250/13 thamel marg.
There are dozens of tourist restaurants clustered in the Thamel district serving everything from Middle Eastern to Mexican food. Indian and Nepali dishes are always the best tasting-- and best priced. Don't hesitate to state your preference for spiciness. Travellers who venture into smaller places are often rewarded with better prices and friendlier staff. Inspect your bill and count your change at the places frequented by short trip tourists.
KC
Across street from "helena's restaurant", & 1/2 block toward king's palace from ktm guest house. safe salads, vegetarian & brown rice dishes, sizzling steaks, and 'pumpkin pie' - not a dessert, but an entre', made with pumpkins & almonds. outdoor balcony overlooking the street, and indoor dining on 2 or 3 levels.
Helena's Rooftop Restaurant
Tel: 4266979 excellent food, great service, and modest prices. apparently it's the tallest rooftop restaurant in kathmandu, and the views from there of the city especially at night are fantastic. serves western and regional cuisine - chicken tikka masala will set you back around 350 npr. from chhetrapati, pass the everest steak house on your right, and turn the next left. helena's is about 2 minutes walk up this road on your right. claims to have the best breakfasts in kathmandu.
Just Juice and Shakes
Popular with israelis and long-timers. great coffees [decent coffee] and, yes, juices and shakes. two eggs on toast: 20rs. [80 rs in 2012]. 10m down the alley across the street from the music shop, near pilgrim's bookstore curve.
Galaria
Is a very smart upmarket coffee shop, above a bookshop. serves fantastic 'illy' not local? coffee, and some great desserts - brownies to die for. less exciting but good sandwiches.
Ciao Ciao
This newer place is in bhagawan bahal road, just behind the hotel malla. the italian owner francesco offers wood-fire pizza's and some very good italian delicaties.
Outside thamel
Angan
on the corner behind the king's statue roundabout a great place to have sanitary ice cream 35 npr, indian traditional sweets, or try out a delicious freshly prepared masala dhosa curry in a crisp savory crãªpe, 65-75 npr or other north and south indian food alongside kathmandu's bourgeoisie. sweets in the front, fast food restaurant in the back. the bhel poori is spicy! this is the heart of the nepalis' upmarket shopping district, where new road and dharma path meet. walk west from here on the pedestrian street to freak st., the outdoor craft market, the old 'red palace', and the many temples of durbar square.
Freak street
Has a few good eats, too, such as the ganesh restaurant halfway along the street next to a small shrine. try the cakes at the tiny, bright blue "snowman" cakeshop. sit and check out the walls while you eat. sensational.
Chez Caroline
The place to be seen in kathmandu, set in babar mahal revisited, just off the main thapathali junction, near the old parliament building. excellent french food and salads. 700-900 for a main. ask a taxi driver to find it.
Bakery Cafe
There are several outlets of this chain restaurant all around kathmandu and patan. a great place to have momos, beer and sizzlers steak with butter sauce and noodles. it is essentially considered "the mcdonald's of nepal" due to its popularity. although it isn't fast food, you can find great food here that is prepared within 15 minutes momos are best.
Bawarchi
Superb indian and chinese food, specializing in kathi rolls fried flat bread wrap with spicy meat, paneer or veg filling. great for lunchtime snacks or evening meals. their three locations can be found opposite the ambassador hotel on lazimpat; on the maharajgunj, near the unhcr and american embassy; and in the barryo fiesta foodcourt next to mike's breakfast. one of the few expatriate-friendly restaurants with delivery.
Roadhouse Cafe
Maintains locations outside of thamel in bhat bhatteni one block north of the bhat bateni supermarket and pulchowk.
Mike's Breakfast
Is a brisk 15 minute walk from thamel taxi stand, but confusing with one-way streets. take a rickshaw or taxi the first time, & mark it on one of the free hotel ktm maps. the best pancakes in nepal, and now other meals, too. mostly outdoor tables under bamboo shelters, + available indoor screened dining.
Yes, there is a whole world waiting outside Thamel!
New Natraj Tandoori
Cheap, plentiful and delicious indian food. not to be confused with the natraj tandoori a few doors down. opposite the shangri-la hotel on lazimpat.
Pizza Express
While not quite on par with roadhouse cafe or fire and ice, pizza express makes a tasty product from their locations in lazimpat 216-1212 and in basantbur plaza 423-2777. they are unique in that they are the only mainstream pizza shop with delivery in kathmandu. the fast-food style decor and focus on delivery and take-out are reflected both in their prices and quick service.