What type of restaurants are there in Kathmandu?


Kathmandu has a large selection of restaurants serving everything from traditional Nepali cuisines, Tibetan, Chinese to Indian and international dishes.

Dal Bhat at a restaurant in Nepal
Dal Bhat is Nepal's national dish and is available everywhere in meat and veg varieties.
Best of all, there's a restaurant to suit every budget in Kathmandu.

Popular international cuisine like Italian pastas and pizzas along with standard Chinese fare are readily available. So too are beef steaks, fried chicken, and kebabs. Vegetarians will also be pleased that Kathmandu has a plentiful supply of vegetable-only meals, including vegan.

There are, however, some caveats to be aware of. Many restaurants in Kathmandu have put their own style or flair to well-known international meals. Meaning not every pizza will be the same, and the standards will often differ greatly. As for that pesto - well, it may have no basil in it.

On this page, I'll show you where and how to get a great meal in Kathmandu along with reviews and further pages on this site with specific types of restaurants.

If you already know what you want, then here are some dedicated pages with restaurant reviews:

Where to find restaurants in Kathmandu?


There are four options for finding good quality restaurants in Kathmandu.

The first area is the tourist hub of Thamel which offers the largest selection of budget, mid-range, and high-end restaurants in the entire country.

The second area is Paknajol, next to Thamel (north-west), and easily walkable. This area sides more with budget restaurants and a few up-and-coming places. It's not brimming with places to eat, but it can offer some gems. Egg with fried rice in Kathmandu

The third area is around Naxal/Lazimpat in east Kathmandu. This is largely a high-end area catering to expats, NGO workers, and diplomats. Restaurants here can be pricey. The service is usually good along with nice surroundings. You'll need transport to get there and back.

The final option is in south Kathmandu along Jhochhen or Freak street. It's mainly budget, but there is also a booming little cafe scene here if you want to get away from the crowds.

Due to the pandemic, many restaurants in Kathmandu are barely hanging on. A lot of menus have changed to local items. Do take this into consideration when visiting.


 


Taxes & Service Charges in Restaurants in Kathmandu


There is/was a 10% service charge and a 13% VAT charge on all meals and drinks served at restaurants in Kathmandu. In 2019, the tax was removed, then reinstated, and then removed again. The end result is that some places are charging the tax and others are not. There's usually a mention of the charges at the bottom of the menu.

The service and VAT charges are usually added up and added to the bill, which is then presented to you. Many budget restaurants do not implement this but do ask just in case you get a surprise on your bill.


Should you leave a tip at a restaurant in Kathmandu?


If there is a 10% service charge on your bill, then no you do not leave a tip!

This may seem very strange if you are from a country that leaves tips. But, in Nepal this is the way it's done. The service charge is the tip. There have been many legal cases to ensure staff get their service charge money at the end of the evening or week.

If on the other hand you do not see a service charge then the choice is yours. Tipping is not a Nepali custom. So it is not expected. Though tourism has made many expecting it.


Restaurants in Thamel Kathmandu


With a population of Hindu, Buddhist, and Newari, finding vegetarian and vegan meals in Kathmandu is not a problem.

Some of the better options for vegetarian restaurants include:Nepali salad in Kathmandu

  • Places: Vegetarian and proud with delicious meals that won't have you missing meat at all.
  • Forest and Plate: From cheese balls to vegetarian platters of toasted tomatoes, aubergine, and mint lemonade, this is a great choice.
  • OR2K: One of the longest-running restaurants in Kathmandu with oodles of hummus and veggie options.
  • Green Organic Cafe and Farmers Bar: Serving up great salads, pastas, and even vegan meals.

For full reviews of the above and more, check out my pages on the best vegetarian restaurants in Kathmandu.



Vegan restaurants in Kathmandu


Do be careful in Kathmandu if you are a vegan. The term is not always fully understood. Explaining it will likely get you a waiter nodding their head thinking of a vegetarian option. A secret method to getting around all this that you might have come across before is to mention you have egg, cheese and butter allergies.Vegetable - vegan momo soup in Kathmandu

Speaking with the restaurant manager may also help. It's probably best to stick with dedicated vegetarian restaurants when seeking out vegan meals. Likewise sticking to mid-to high-end restaurants may get you better results.

Some of the better options for Vegan restaurants include:

  • Places: The menu is extensive here. Do ask the waiter about egg and milk products before ordering.
  • OR2K: The staff here are not the best. Use you own discretion when ordering.
  • Forest and Plate: this may well be the best place for vegans to get a wide variety of dishes.
  • Green Organic Cafe and Farmers Bar: One of the few places where they know what a vegan wants.

Again, the term vegan is not always understood in Nepal or is misinterpreted. Staff also change a lot so use due diligence.


Meat lovers restaurants in Kathmandu


Meat has become a popular mainstay in many Nepali diets over the past few years. Popular meats include Buff (buffalo), Chicken, Mutton and pork. Despite being a mainly Hindu nation Kathmandu has a choice selection of restaurants serving beef steaks.

Off all the meats buff or buffalo is one of the more popular red meats in Kathmandu. Buff steaks are best avoided though as they are tough. The best buff choices are momos, shabaley and buff chilly.

Some of the better options for Meat Lover restaurants include:

  • Mountain Steak House: The original Everest Steak House now runs this famous steak house which includes half kilo steaks along with 200 gram steaks.
  • Yangling Restaurant: this Tibetan style restaurant has some of the best buff momo and buff chili in Nepal.
  • Black Olives: offer nice steak with potato options along with chicken and pork dishes.
  • Rosemary Restaurant: offer pricey but good chicken fillet dishes, pork and steak meals.

Restaurant Cleanliness in Kathmandu


If you want a good meal in Kathmandu, taste is not the only thing to keep in mind. Hygiene in Nepal is not the best. In recent years, it's certainly improved. The advent of 24-hour electricity returning in 2016 helped a lot. However, disinfectant usage, cleaning with hot water, and using filtered water on dishes and when cleaning food is not always adhered to.

When choosing any restaurant in Kathmandu, do take a look around first. Take note of the waiters and staff and if they are well-presented. Clean tables, cutlery, and tablecloths are another indication of a restaurant that's adhering to cleanliness.

While outdoor seating may seem nice, do ensure that it's not near a busy road, running water source, or building site. Food contamination in Kathmandu can often come from dust or water landing on tables from the streets outside. Do read about avoiding street food below for more.


Be wary about online restaurant reviews in Kathmandu


Over the past couple of years, there have been a bevy of fake and paid restaurant reviews appearing on TripAdvisor, Google Maps, and other online review channels. These reviews are the product of restaurants buying positive reviews from online content farms to boost their rankings. Food bloggers have also been witnessed getting free or heavily discounted meals in exchange for positive online reviews.

As is standard practice these days, take "overwhelmingly" positive reviews with a grain of proverbial salt. If reviews are important to you, then scan through a few pages and pay attention to the middle ratings rather than the top or lowest ones (some rival restaurants also write negative reviews on their competitors, and bloggers whose free meals pleas are rejected tend to bite back with negative reviews).

As with anything on The Longest Way Home, everything here has been 100% paid for with no restaurant being made aware that they were being reviewed. This is content you can trust!


Eating Street Food in Kathmandu


 

Don't do it. Kathmandu's street food carts are not safe at all, especially the meats. They are not refrigerated and usually recooked several times over.

The deep-fried breads and samosas offer a 50/50 chance of a bad stomach afterwards. Ignore the YouTube videos and blogger posts where they try the street food; they are mainly paid for promotions sponsored by tour agents.

Most Nepalis living in Kathmandu don't eat the street food, aside from the deep-fried roti, breakfast donuts, or fried sweets in large markets. Even then, the oils are rarely changed. Local stomachs are also used to it, but even then, the odd bout of bad stomach is surprisingly common. Street food in Nepal is not the same as the rest of Asia. The best option for street food is to do as most locals do and eat at a local restaurant or café. In this case, do read about cheap restaurants in Kathmandu.


Restaurant opening hours in Kathmandu


Bacon and egg breakfast in Kathmandu
Bacon and egg breakfast in Kathmandu ... one of the best treats you can have in the morning

During the off-season, restaurants tend to close up by 9 pm. During peak season, they like to close up then too, but on average, they'll take an order at 10 pm. By 11 pm, the staff can generally be found to be nodding off. Late-night eating is not popular in Kathmandu!

It's hard to get a breakfast before 7 am too. If you have an early start, pre-order a cold breakfast the night before at your hotel or pick something up at one of the many bakeries the night before.

The good news is that many restaurants will serve breakfast all day long!

During the pandemic, many restaurants closed or changed their opening hours. Today, things have settled. However, due to loans and tourism numbers remaining low, one should expect restaurants to close permanently or for new ones to open more frequently over the coming few years.


Want to find more places to eat in Kathmandu?


They are all listed in my guidebook to Nepal! Sample page of Panauti from Nepal guidebook

All the very best places to eat

From budget to mid-range all the way to fine dining. Discover the real insider places to have breakfast, lunch or dinner in Kathmandu and all over Nepal!

Here's a sample of what's included:

  • Every restaurant & hotel has been reviewed independently
  • All budgets are taken into account
  • Discover places the other guidebooks don't know about
  • Eat locally or eat internationally
  • Find places to eat from Kathmandu to Pokhara all the way to Bardia and the mountains.

Meanwhile, online, here are some more choices to help you fill up!


Map of restaurants in Kathmandu


Full directions and reviews of restaurants with better maps are available in my guidebook below. Yellow indicates breakfast restaurants, green are lunch restaurants, red are dinner restaurants and blue are budget restaurants.


Download my guidebook to Nepal


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Designed to help travelers get the most out their trip to Nepal with premium detailed guides, insider information, impartial hotel and restaurant reviews, complete trekking routes and much more ...

Available in print or digital editions - the best guidebooks for visiting Nepal.


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