A vital part of any trip to Nepal is to try the local cuisine, and this charming city has a wide range of restaurants and coffee houses that cater to all tastes and budgets. However, the Nepalese cuisine isn’t the only one on offer in the city, with some of the best chefs delivering food from across that Asian continent and beyond. Dal Bhat is a simple spicy lentil soup that is the staple of many Nepalese diets, and some of Kathmandu’s best restaurants will offer an interesting twist on this very traditional dish.
Nepali Chulo
This is probably one of the most popular Nepalese restaurants for visitors, and the traditional surroundings and carvings around the building make the dining experience as interesting as it is tasty. The building itself is very large and has been well restored, with the surroundings feeling very grand and dramatic. The range of Nepalese cuisine to be enjoyed includes the very traditional rice based dishes and there are also meat dishes available, and these can be washed down with a local beer or a traditional rice wine.
The food is fine at the restaurant, but it is the surroundings and the entertainment that make it a real experience, with Nepalese music and dancers to entertain the guests.
Bhojan Griha
Another of the best Nepalese restaurants to be enjoyed in Kathmandu is Bhojan Griha, which again offers a great combination of Nepalese cuisine and culture, with the food being accompanied by local entertainment and dancing. The experience of dining is enjoyed from the traditional low tables and cushions, and although the menu doesn’t offer a huge variety the quality of the food is very good indeed. Whether you go for the vegetarian curries or the meat options, the flavor of the traditional dishes are very good, and they are served in a beautiful setting too.
Kilroy’s
One of the most popular restaurants in Kathmandu, Kilroy’s bears the name of the founder and offers a wonderful combination of Nepalese and western dishes on the menu with something that will suit every taste. This is the perfect restaurant for a celebration or for an end of trek treat, and with a good cocktail menu to go with the mouth watering food, Kilroy’s is a great place to eat.
One of the highlights to be enjoyed is the Grand Thali which offers a taste of a number of dishes on the menu including the Prawn Lababdor and the Mutter Paneer. The dessert menu is also great, with a sampler dish offering a small portion of five of the desserts available there.
Fire And Ice
For those who are looking for something completely different after a few weeks of Nepalese cuisine, the Fire and Ice Pizzeria is one of the most popular restaurants among visitors. The Italian cuisine on offer in Fire and Ice is very tasty, with the full range of pizza toppings available. The restaurant also brews traditional coffee for those who are looking for the real deal.
Dwarika’s Hotel
This hotel has three restaurants on site, with Krishnarpan offering a tasty traditional Nepalese feast which can last up to 22 courses! Mako’s Japanese restaurants is certainly one which makes very good use of the fresh produce grown on the hotel’s own farm. The décor is also distinctly Japanese, making Mako’s stand out from the rest of the hotel which is authentically Nepali.
Hyatt Regency & Everest Hotel Restaurants
One of the major concerns that many western visitors will have when coming to visit Asia is to avoid food poisoning, and many of the hotel restaurants will be acutely aware of the needs of visitors in this respect. The top hotels such as the Hyatt Regency and the Everest Hotel will boast a number of different restaurants, although much of the cuisine will be European and international in flavor.