Tibet Cafe

Was here for lunch with some colleagues this week. I’ve been into the momos since trying Loga’s Corner in Parkdale a few weeks back.
These were some pretty solid dumplings. We split orders of beef, chicken, and veggie momos. They were around $ 9 per order, comes with 8 momos, very tasty hot sauce and a side salad of romaine, tomato, cucumber and a balsamic vinaigrette. I appreciated the salad for some freshness.
Momos were steamed and quite big — full of meat (or veg). The flavour was very nice and savoury, hints of ginger and green onion in the chicken. We all singled out the veggie as being a really nice surprise, I would order them again. Meal is very filling so I would say the value is right on.
A couple of colleagues also split the chicken hot and sour soup. They really enjoyed it — I had a taste and would have to agree. There was a nice surprise of some pineapple for some sweetness.
Rest of the menu is pretty strange (ice cream floats, chicken parmigiana etc.), I’d stick with the Tibetan stuff.

I didn’t expect Tibet Café to be so spacious on the inside, nor did I expect it to have a lot of variety in their food menu! From the outside, the café looks very unassuming. The inside however, is very cozy and decorated with traditional Tibetan décor. The staff are very nice. Drinks are decently priced. The Vietnamese iced coffee that I got was pretty good — wish there was more of the drink than there is ice. Overall, I would say that TC is definitely a place to stop by for a little pick me up. It may not look like much on the outside but you’d be surprised by its variety!

Small Kensington market restaurant with a typical Kensington style décor (little effort put into that). Where the place shines however is the food. The food was excellent even for my vegetarian partner.
I ordered the chicken momo (highly recommended) and chicken padthai and loved both of them. The pad thai is a bit more sour than what you would find in other places but I liked it more because of that.
My partner ordered veggie momo and also liked it a lot.
The meal is relatively cheap (less than 10 per item) and very filling. Service was also fast… my pad Thai came within 10 mins.
Décor aside this is a great place to try Tibetan cuisine. I would come back. Note they do not do delivery.

Went there for the first time today. The interior design is really unconventional but good for Kensington Market. We had:
1 x Chicken Momo
1 x Beef Momo
1 x Chicken Parm
1 x Mango Smoothie
1 x Coffee
Service for us was terse but good.
Food was genuinely great! The momo’s had a dipping sauce that was spicy and exotic. The value for the momo’s was great.
The chicken parm was, unusual, in that it’s an Italian dish in a Tibetan restaurant, but it was very tasty too. The penne was well cooked and in an excellent sauce.
I’m not a fan of the mango smoothie, which had no dairy-​just ice. My friend liked it though. It was OKAY, but not the way I usually like them. It did taste fresh.
All the food we got was fresh, the coffee was good.
There are lots of really colourful people in Kensington Market which makes the experience better.
Will be back!

Tibet Café serves a great mango smoothie. No milk, just mango and ice run through the blender to create a smooth and sweet treat for a cheap price. Great customer service, and unique (if not incoherent) interior design. The door is easily missed if patrons are sitting out front for a smoke.

I went in because of their prominent signs for momos. I’ve never even heard of it before (though apparently that’s because I’m not plugged in to the S Asian/​SE Asian cuisine as much as I thought I was). It’s shaped differently from an Chinese dumpling, and the vegetable one has yams and noodles inside of it. Also, instead of soy sauce, you dip it in this Maggi-​like spicy sweet sauce. Overall, it was a pretty interesting, delicious experience.
I also tried their hot and sour Thai soup which was different from what I was expecting. A tomato-​based soup– it has noodles, deliciously fried tofu, and plenty of vegetables. It’s a pretty filling soup that someone with smaller appetite could probably make a meal out of.
There was a patio out back that I sat at because the front patio was full of people smoking.
Overall, the food was reasonably priced and delicious. Sitting in their back patio was also pretty nice, you feel like you’re having laid back lunch in someone’s back yard.

«What the heck is a momo?!»
I wondered as I stumbled in through the door. I had read the reviews here, and knew I needed to find out for myself.
I drank my cheap Coors Light (don’t judge me!) while I waited for the chef to steam the veggie filled dumplings. The fifteen minutes it took to prepare went by fairly quickly as I amused myself watching Kensington’s riffraff screaming at the Hab’s game playing on the big screen TV while drinking pints and milkshakes.
This really has an interesting environment. I usually only come here for the amazing and affordable 100% fruit smoothies (mango avocado please,) but was always scared off by the drunk smoking people who seem to always be there, even first thing in the morning. I’m glad I gave the food a chance because it was pretty delicious!

Dropped into Kensington market about two weeks ago and felt hungry. Needed something quick that I could take with me and enjoy while waking around with roomie and Tibet looked like it would fit the bill!
Walked in, ordered my food and was told it would be a bit so I went back out and wandered around before coming back.
Ordered the chicken burger (actually a sandwich, roasted chicken with veggies on yummy bread) and I think you could choose your side — I got fries. Tasty!
Also ordered a carrot/​orange fresh juice — I wasn’t the biggest fan but I don’t blame them for that, I’m just a picky eater personally.
Decently priced.
Only gripe I would have is that the emphasis is more on the food then on service — one of the servers bumped into me every time she walked past… It was a bit of a narrow space but she could have gotten by without shoulder checking me every time.

The service was decent, but the food was sub-​par.

Cheap beer, delicious momos, friendly staff.
not really busy at night or day which is great, and in the summer time there’s a nice although small outdoor area in the back.
the place isn’t that nice an environment, it’s not the comfiest seating, but it’s lovely and delicious and cheap and nice.
so, you should go.

Best Pad Thai I’ve had this year. The end.
Go get it!

Quality vegetarian grub! My vegan friend recommended the place. I’m a kensington dweller and enjoyed the cozy restaurant. Pretty cheap too. Thanks for the guilt free yum

Tashi delek!
I really do love this place. Its a little encapsulation of Toronto’s eccentricities. Located in the non-​hipster section of Kensington and populated mostly by «colourful» locals, this place is a great hangout for pitchers and snacks. Ignore the «Veal Parmiona» on the menu and order the Momos (fried or boiled). They are quite a nice snack. Also the owner and his wife are always there and very nice (bonus points for the picture of him in his monk’s robes with the Dalai Lama) Give it a try and support a small business!

This is one of those hidden gems that you seldom find. I went here with a colleague for a late lunch and boy was I surprised, with food ranging from Tibet, Nepal, Thailand and Malaysia the menu was simply amazing. I’ll admit the décor is a little rustic and the prices are above average compared to the serving size, but the food was fresh and clean so what’s not to love.
Recommendations:
Chicken Momo w/​Chili Sauce
Fruit Smoothies

I have been here a few times and it’s safe to say that they have great smoothies and horrible service. The general atmosphere seems very sketchy and thrown together. The mint green walls and plastic override booth tables makes me thing I am in a run-​down hospital.
I haven’t really dissected the menu but the garlic toast I had was pretty lacklustre. I would probably just stick to the smoothies next time.

I was clueless as to what Tibet’s food was like until I accidentally ended up at this place.
The ambiance of this place could use some improvement, there is a little patio in the front although the people sitting there seemed sketchy to us so we decided to go inside and we sat in the front of the restaurant.
They have a bar and on the other side of the bar there is more seating. There is a second patio in the back, there appeared to be no one using it when we arrived.
The food here seemed really fresh and those vegetarian Momo’s were really amazing, I have never had momo’s before so I don’t know what else to compare it to but I have had dumplings at Chinese restaurants and this was fairly similar, but it tasted amazing.
Service was fairly friendly, it seemed like it was a family run business. There are many options for vegetarians and vegans, i would go back here again.

I’ve been to Tibet Café a number of times, and my friends and I are always excited to go back. There are two great patios — I especially enjoy the back one. The patios get tons of light, and the front one is perfect for people watching in Kensington.
The food is delicious, with many options for vegetarians, vegans and the gluten-​free. The portions are large and the prices are low. I especially enjoy the veggie and tofu stirfry on rice — super tasty and with tons of veggies.
The service isn’t always that great, and sometimes if you’re on a patio you will have to go in to remind them that you’re there. The inside is a bit dirty, with smudges on the walls and stains on the seats.
But for the price, the awesome food, the great location and the many menu options… I’ll keep going back for sure!

I feel kind of bad giving this review because I ordered pad Thai at a Tibetan restaurant. What was I thinking?
However, there is a great patio to watch the comings and goings on Kensington.

I met a friend here for drinks one afternoon. After a few, it was time to eat. My friend recommended the pad thai. Admittedly, I was a bit reluctant to eat pad thai because it’s so overdone at restaurants these days.
However, when it came, it was piping hot, nicely spiced — not too much like many restaurants and the tofu was hot and crispy also. It was delicious! I dare say that it was the best pad thai that I’ve ever had!
I returned a few days later to try the veggie momos. They were freshly made, hot and awesome. The dipping sauce — was great also — some chili-​type sauce with some ginger added in there for extra zest.
The nice people that run this place, the unpretentious nature and great location make this a place that I will come back to on my next trip through Toronto and the Kensington Market!

Tibet Café is such a sweet, cozy little place. I wish it was a few blocks closer to my office so that I could spend more of my lunch hours there.
The menu has everything: Tibetan favourites are alongside fruit smoothies, all day breakfast, burgers, pasta, stirfrys, pad thai, soups and salads… This is exactly the type of menu those Restaurant Make-​Over people would slash to pieces. Take off the pasta and the chicken Parmesan, focus on the Tibetan specialties and the other Asian dishes!
I go here for the momos, beef or veggie, which are served on a platter with a side salad for $ 8. Such a tasty, hearty, cheap meal! I confess, however, that I’ve never met a momo I didn’t like, neither in Toronto or in their Himalayan heartland. The fruit smoothies are good, too. The soups are also recommended — big portions!
Everything here is homemade and very fresh. However, because everything is homemade, it takes a not insignificant amount of time for the food to be served. This isn’t the spot for a speedy meal. The staff at Tibet Café are very kindly and attentive despite the slowness. And maybe the 70s green colour scheme, the hand-​painted and tiled décor plus the Dalai Lama portraits will make you smile.