Nepal: Kathmandu City Guide - Food, Coffee and Night Life

In this post: I cover the basics of finding food and decent coffee in Kathmandu.

The Places Pesto Mushroom Snack Salad - don't miss it.

Food

Once you’ve dumped your stuff back home (and if it’s still a reasonable time of day) then you’ll probably want to wander around and grab some food. If you’re hungry and vegetarian, head to OR2K. It’s an Israeli-themed restaurant hidden on a second floor building at the very corner of Mandala Street, and is patronised almost entirely by foreigners – a good way to cushion your cultural fall on your first day. Mandala Street is home to the very up-market Sagarmartha Bazaar. Look for the Chick’n’Falafel stand at the corner of the street – OR2K is up the stairs just behind this vendor. If you need meat, you’re going to have a slightly harder time at tourist restaurants. The aforementioned Chick’n’Falafel shop seems fine, although the recent bird flu epidemic in Kathmandu may have frozen their supply lines a bit. More on meat later.

 OR2K Iced Tea - the best there is.

OR2K has great food and massive portion sizes. If you’re a health freak, try the OR2K health salad. If you’re hungry, take on the massive OR2K combo platter. The tofu and coconut curry is also excellent. Finally, don’t forget to try their iced tea. It really is the best in the city. You can grab lunch for under 300 NRs and drinks for 100-200 NRs – although don’t forget that most establishments will add 10-15% service charge and 13% VAT on top of listed food prices. Be sure to leave a 20-odd Rupee tip when you eat there. The staff are lovely and very hardworking. I’ve noticed that they have to put up with a large number of stroppy and impatient tourists on a daily basis and do so without losing their rag – having worked in the service industry, I have endless admiration for them.

 The OR2K Health Salad

Another place to check out is only around the corner from OR2K and is aptly named ‘Places’. Owned by a team of Danish and Nepalese guys (Mike, Pradip and Sanjay), this place does gourmet food at really good prices (by tourist standards). Once again, it is vegetarian only and vegan friendly, so if you need meat, keep walking. I should add that the vegan breakfast pancakes at this place were my raison d’etre – but if the power is out and they’re running on a generator, their coffee machine will not work and it’s Nescafe or nothing (this is important for those who are keen on the bean). While I mention coffee, I’m reminded that in Nepal, you can buy single cigarettes from most bars and restaurants (they keep a pack behind the bar) and are about 10 Rupees each.

 

Sky view of Mandala Street

A note to vegans: You will find no shortage of completely vegan food here. What you will have trouble with is finding good quality plant-based protein. As a vegan fitness freak, I eat a lot of legumes, nuts and pulses to get enough protein back in the UK, as well as green juices for Iron and B vitamins – they are not easily available here in such quantities. If you’re going to be in Nepal for a while, regardless of how active you are daily, I strongly recommend bringing enough vegan protein powder to last your stay. Go for the raw and organic kind (hemp protein) that isn’t processed and mostly made of chemicals. Aim to eat fresh and diverse every day, with plenty of veg and fats (hummus and nuts) – you’ll need your strength. If you have problems with Iron intake or anaemia, try and find a tonic called ‘RBTone’ – ask for it at a pharmacist and take it daily. It’ll help your red blood cells stay perky. To nut and seed allergy sufferers, I advise extreme caution. It is unlikely you will find a nut-free restaurant in Kathmandu. Those who are lactose intolerant should be careful, but will most likely not run into any problems.

OR2K's Veggie Mushroom Burger - ask for salad instead of fries if you're watching your calories, and ask them not to put the 'weird egg mayo sauce' inside. Unless you like condiments with the consistency of jizz.

While I was in Kathmandu, I met an awesome chef who works under the business name of ‘VeganUp’ – he’s had extensive experience of being vegan in India and Nepal, and has a twitter account. Drop him a line if you’re vegan and struggling for food ideas in Nepal – he’ll be happy to offer advice: check him out.

There are a host of other eateries in the Thamel area. Remember – as a tourist, you will not be accustomed to ingesting the municipal water in Kathmandu. Be sure to eat at places that wash their produce in iodized water and use ice that is packaged and made from processed water. Unless, of course, you’re backed up from airplane food and have a day to spare in which you can be close to your toilet. If this is the case, grab a three course lunch or dinner at the Namao Buddha restaurant. It’s a locals place, although it is often frequented with the kinds of people who like to take selfies for Instagram of how ‘down with the locals’ they are because they’ve found a backstreet restro to hang out at. Also, hippies. Don’t let this deter you. The first few times you eat there might mess with your insides, but it’ll also help you build up an immunity to some of the bacteria found in local foods that aren’t prepared with iodized water. The food is awesome – and there is meat in abundance for those who wither and die without it. I’d recommend the Veggie Curry and Motor Paneer Curry with Cheese Naan, Aloo Stick and Nepali Green Salad. The menu is huge and diverse, so go nuts. I miss it even as I write.

When questionable food has destroyed your digestive tract, don’t forget to stay hydrated – electrolyte powder is essential. Avoid immodium and similar remedies – they’re not the solution to this kind of problem. Be aware that you’re as likely to get food poisoning here from a carrot as you are from a carcass – meat and vegetables are always prepared in the same environment with the same utensils, with no cleaning in between. Skin the chicken, chop the radish. Repeat. No rinse.

There are endless high end street food places in Thamel – be sure to check out BuddhaWraps, downstairs from the Buddha Bar. Excellent falafels, meat and vegetarian options available. Crazy Burger, adjacent to Hotel Northfield, also does good veggie bugers.

If you’re in Kathmandu for a long haul, it’ll be a wise idea to buy fruit on the daily. There are fruit and veg markets, and mobile vendors. If you’re clearly foreign, they will jack up the prices to no limit. Don’t pay more than 150 NRs per kilo. If you’ve been wise and made Nepali friends, ask them to come with you occasionally to avoid getting hustled. You’ll find bananas by the million, as well as apples when in season, oranges (they have green skin, but don’t be fooled) pomegranates and papayas, as well as pineapples and other seasonal fare. Most vegetables need some level of sanitary prep. If you have access to a kitchen, then go veg crazy to stay healthy in the long run. Don’t rely on packaged supermarket food, as they’re devoid of any real nutrients (except the almonds and cashews and dried fruit).

 

Kathmandu challenge: Find conjoined bananas

There are also one or two late night sandwich bars in Thamel – ideal for when you're drunk-hungry and need to cram carbs into your face. The best one (often busy – you have to be assertive to get noticed) is in central Thamel by the large and chaotic three way intersection.

For those of you who cannot function without good coffee (my hand is raised), you’ll do fine in Thamel. There are two branches of Himalayan Java – the Nepali equivalent of Starbucks. Java will often be filled with local Nepali rich kids, crabby tourists from the PRC and audible Americans complaining about everything. Atmosphere aside, the coffee is good. The staff aren’t bad looking, either. Failing this, any tourist-oriented restaurant with a coffee machine will fill your need. Java opens at 7am; you can only smoke inside. Places, OR2K and most other purveyors of good coffee open at around 9am.

 

The Mandala Street Himalayan Java. If you like to pose with a Macbook Pro and espresso, here you go.

If you step out to visit places like Swoyambhu, be sure to check out ‘Nirvana Café’ at the top of the monkey temple. I’ll leave the rest to you, but you’ll realise soon that it’s a special place. Patan Durbar Square also has endless rooftop restaurants, for food with a view. If you end up in Nagarkot, make sure to check out the Mountain View Hotel – it’s affordable, and their Amdo Balep (Tibetan flatbread) with honey will light a fire in your soul.

Kathmandu is also big on international cuisine (or the Nepali interpretation of it). There are a number of restaurants serving Cantonese, Korean and Japanese cuisine as well as countless others from around the world. For good Japanese food, I visited Furusato. I recommend the Agedashi Tofu, Yasai Tempura and Yasai Salad. They also do a good Okonomiyaki - this coming from an Osaka Okonomiyaki snob.

 Furusato is hidden in a street corner - here's their info.

Furusato's Yasai Tempura

One thing does need to be mentioned: You will not find ‘western style’ service in most Nepalese food establishments. This is just how it is – food takes a long time to get to you, and the orders are sometimes bizarrely wrong. There’s no problem with politely asking if the order is on it’s way, but don’t hassle waiters about things being a bit slow or disorganised – they have no control over what’s happening in the kitchen. If you’re hypoglycaemic or are prone to getting ‘hangry’, don’t wait until you’re starving to find a place to eat; you’ll be waiting at least another half an hour for your food. There are always street and fast food bars that can sort you out in minutes.

I don't feel the need to get too in-depth on drinking and night life in Kathmandu - part of the fun is figuring it out for yourself. Live music is often limited to cover bands, and it can get a bit repetitive, but it still makes for a good night out. Check out Purple Haze on a Friday or Saturday night, and Reggae Bar (not exclusively a reggae venue, thankfully) on a Friday night, when Nepalese rock legends Cobweb have a weekly show. Tom and Jerry's is a British style pub full of Nepali guys trying to hit on foreign girls, grimy British ex-pats and people who generally can't handle their drink. If someone suggests visiting, decline (especially if you're female). As most places close at midnight, unless you're heading to a house party you'll be home (or banging on your hostel's locked door) by 1am. If you're feeling brave/desperate, a club named Fire Bar (directly below Reggae Bar) is open until 2am. It's full of sleazy desperate men (Nepali and foreign) and the beers cost a ridiculous 500 NRs. Again, avoid. One thousand times if you're female. I've been taken to both of the aforementioned scummy places as part of a group of volunteers who didn't know better. We left both places within 5 minutes. I mention them here so you know what to avoid. If you want to chill at a bar that feels like a whimsical treehouse, filled with candle light, check out Phath Kath, opposite Japan street. Great drinks and an awesome atmosphere, owned by a nice guy from Manang. Word to the wise, people from Manang are really not ones to mess with. If you're the kind who becomes belligerent when you drink... in general, Kathmandu actually isn't the place for it. For 2-4-1 cocktails, a long couple of happy hours and a blind eye turned to what's rolled up inside your 'cigarette', head to the front balcony of Pub Maya, opposite the tourist supermarket. Be aware that the waiters are usually too baked to remember their own names, let alone whatever it is you've ordered. Please also remember that hash and weed are illegal substances in Nepal. I've seen countless grotty Spanish hippies blaze up in restaurants - don't assume you're in some stoner's shangri-la. I only offer this advice because I have a realistic view of what it is many people want to do in Kathmandu - I don't condone it if you're a volunteer or working with children or vulnerable people during your stay. The same goes for getting smashed when you have work the next day - you owe it to the people you're working with to be on top form as a matter of professionalism and self respect. Plus, working with hyperactive teenagers when you're hanging is simply no fun.

On the topic of LGBT nightlife - homosexuality is a non-topic in Nepal, and I haven't heard of any clubs in Thamel that cater to gay nightlife. That being said, nobody needs to be concerned about their sexual orientation in places like Kathmandu, as tourists are generally accepted at face value. You may end up hearing some interesting things about the Blue Diamond Society, however.

I hope this post has been informative - it helps to start out with a few pointers, but the fun part is finding things out for yourself. Try to avoid food poisoning, though.