Taste of the Himalayas

I wasn’t impressed with this place at all
We had Dahl, Meat momos, Chicken curry, Garlic basil naan
Everything was either bland or just not tasty enough.
Sorry, I’ve had better. If this is any indication of Nepalese food, I’m gonna go with Indian…

3.5 actually. Came here for lunch on a saturday — we were the ONLY people there for a good half of the meal. Food was actually pretty tasty, but not anything to rave home about.
We had dahl, meat momos, chicken curry, garlic basil naan. Dahl was kinda soupy, and garlic basil naan smelled really good, but could probably use a bit more… salt?
Chicken curry was tasty, and the meat momos were good, reminded me of asian potstickers. Not a bad place, but since there are tons of places to eat in SF, i’d try somewhere else before coming back here again. But still, if you want to try Himalayan/​Nepalese food, try this place out.

We decided to try something new and avoid the Sat night crowds a block over on Chestnut in The Marina district, and were rewarded with a Delicious & cozy dining experience on busy Lombard/​US 101 SF.
We had the Tandoori chicken (sizzling like fajitas) and the curry cream chicken with both brown and white rice-​Perfect & delicious! The cheese Naan was also good, great for dipping in the medium hot curry. The service was warm and friendly & fast. (one woman managed a party of 8 celebrating as well as 5 tables of 2 & 4). We look forward to returning the next time we stay up the street at our delightful secret getaway spot…

I’ve been to «Taste of the Himalayas» several times, and the food is incredibly filling. When I first went, I was surprised that rice didn’t come with an entrée, but later I realized that even the entrée by itself was too much for me to finish. Very tasty stuff too :)
A couple of times I’ve happened to be there when they had Nepalese folk music, which was a great backdrop for a dinner.
Also, from time to time the owner will go around from table to table and sing a song with pretty simple words about a home far away and new home here in San Francisco — kind of cute and charming :)
Definitely worth trying for a nice date.

This was just purchased by the owners of Shangri-​La in Rohnert Park. The consisenty is still the same and I hope the décor will match the RP one.
The food is great, non-​greasy, fresh and well prepared. This is definately a gem that I hope people discover.
Not pretentious and will accommodate most needs.
Totally recommend the Momas, Dall and Palak Paneer.

I’d give this place three stars. So, they open at 2pm on Sunday and I came around 3pm for a very late lunch. There was only one other party in the restaurant when I arrived, so I guess this place is great for late lunches. Having heard that it was kinda food smelly, I wore my dirty workout clothes, but it really didn’t smell that much. The hostess was friendly and advised that this was under new ownership and the new owner planned to change the menu shortly.
She advised that the food was less greasy than Indian food, but was similar. We had the veggie momos to start, and they were wrapped like shanghai dumplings but of course had a different sort of filling. I think this was the best dish by far. We had a chicken curry dish which was in tomato sauce and good, but I still saw grease. Same with the potato and mushroom curry dish. They both were decent, but not spectacular. The rice and naan were good however and I did dip it a lot on the sauces. The Himalayan tea is more bitter than Indian chai teas (at least to me) and I added a lot of sugar to it.

I heard about this restaurant from a colleague and the owner runs the organization «Curry Without Worry» that feeds the homeless Nepalese food twice a week in the Tenderloin Area. This had me intrigued and since some of the profits went to such a great cause, I got a bunch of friends together to give it a try. None of us has ever had Nepalese food but it was very similar to Indian cuisine — your typical naans, curries, tandooris, etc.
I would go again to show support to his cause!

I ws very surprised I liked this kind of food. It tasted very much like Indian food. I ordered the chicken curry and it was delicious with the rice and naan. Parking was very difficult on a Friday night since there are so many restaurants/​bars around that area. But well worth it. There was hardly anytables — I think 3 including ours. But this was a pleasant surprise recommended by my blind date.
To sum it all up, the food was the high light of the evening and not the date

I always drive by this place, and I finally dragged my foodie friend out to the Marina with me. We had to park about 5 blocks away and couldn’t get ourselves oriented (thank you Verizon Wireless Navigator) because neither of us frequent the Marina.
Finally, we arrived and were seated next to a couple who was clearly on a date. Since we were sitting about 3 feet away, we could hear every single word of their conversation very clearly, and it was quite awkward; they had just started their meal and were chatting away loudly about their relatives’ health problems (her sister had diabetes and a complicated pregnancy, his brother’s cousin’s teacher’s son’s friend had some sort of other disease). We didn’t realize that they were on a FIRST DATE until we heard, «so what do you do for fun?» «Where do you live?» «Where do you work?» Awkward.
We ordered the lamb momo, which was SO delicious. I ordered some sort of chicken curry, and my friend ordered a chicken tikka masala. To be quite honest, the food tasted like India Clay Oven’s dishes, but it was better priced.
Overall, pretty good. Cute little restaurant, and I’ll definitely be returning next time I have the craving for curry.

Went on a Thursday night around 8:30pm to an empty restaurant =(Since we were the only patrons, we were able to sit wherever we wanted — we chose to sit in the sit-​on-​the-​floor-​and-​eat section. Thought it’d be fun, but it wasn’t very comfortable.
Ryry and I were brought to this restaurant by another couple who have been raving about their food. We ordered several dishes (saag paneer — spinach and cottage cheese, shahi kukhura– butter chicken, salmon tandoori, garlic naan and 2 nepalese desserts). The butter chicken was the best dish, creamy, tasty, savory — everything else was average. The salmon tandoori lacked the flavors of tandoori spices. The desserts were small.
Our biggest gripe? The price! $ 14.50 for a small portion of the butter chicken, $ 17.50 for the bland salmon tandoori.
Having recently returned from a tour of the Far East, which included Nepal and India, the food was, for the most part, surprisingly authentic. However, due to the unjustifiably high prices, we would not come back again.
(check out my food pics!)

For a place that was picked randomly, it was kick ass yummy! It was just like my favorite Tibetan place in Pasadena, Tibet Nepal House (see my review of that too). The portions were generous and the naan was so good. Hot fresh garlicky goodness!
Service was great. I was surprised that it was so empty for a weekend lunch. Then I looked it up here and found hundreds of reviews! Guess I went on a slow period. Even though I’m just a water drop review in a ocean of them, it’s totally worth going. Especially if you have never tried Tibetan or Himalayan food!

Before eating here, I have never eaten Himalayan food. I was not let down at all. Come here with an open mind and you won’t be disappointed.
This place is where you can really taste and savor your food. The wait for the food after you order can be somewhat long for impatient people, which I did not mind at all. It only gives you more time to think about how your gonna rate this place on Unilocal ;)
All in all, I did enjoy dining here. I would love to visit this place again when I’m in SF.
The food, décor, and the friendly service were all just a taste of the Himalayas.

The cheap prices and phenomenal palak paneer still impress me this time round. So does the willingness to accept, 5 minutes before the restaurant was supposed to close, hungry and semi-​drunk ladies after a night out at the Marina.
The pathetic attempt by the obviously drunk proprietor (or a party related to proprietor) to offer up alcoholic beverages, get our numbers and whore out his number does not impress me. Not the least bit.
‘What kind of dodgy place did we stumble into?’ My Australian friend whispered as we walked out of the restaurant.
SLEAZEBALL ALERT!

Planning a birthday dinner with a group of 15 isn’t easy but this place made it so simple! Our reservation was at 7pm but we ended getting there earlier (6ish) and our table was already waiting for us! Our party ended up expanding to about 21 people but still, they accommodated. Hands down, this was the best service I’ve gotten at any restaurant. The entire restaurant is manned by two servers and there was not a single moment where we were left unattended. Our server, Raj, always refilled our waters, never forgot any request we made no matter how big or small, and served us with constant smiles. He has the most amazing attitude and even shook all of our hands as we exited.
As for food, I DEFINITELY recommend:
–Bheda Ko Momo (lamb dumplings — $ 8.50): Very strong lamb flavor, slightly gamey, still good.
–Kukhura Ko Momo (chicken dumplings — $ 8.50): There’s a reason why Unilocalers rave about the momos. They are the perfect appetizer. Comes with 6 – 7 pieces and dipping sauce (get the spicy one!).
–Kukhura Ra Saag (chicken in spinach sauce — $$ 13.50)
–Kukhura Ra Alu (chicken in curry sauce — $ 13.50)
–Bheda Ko Tarkari (lamb in onion & tomato gravy — $ 14.50)
–Kukhura Poleko (chicken on sizzling platter — $ 15.50): Our entire party was surprised to find that all the pieces were white meat AND incredibly juicy, tender, and flavorful.
–Garlic naan (constantly hot and piping — $ 2.50)
I’m indifferent about:
–Macha Poleko (salmon on sizzling platter — $ 17.50)
–Sakhari Poleko (veggies on sizzling platter — $ 14.50)
–Brown Rice ($ 2.50)
–Steamed Basmati Rice ($ 2): I guess if you really want rice, I would choose this over the brown. It has peas in it!
–Roti
Let me forewarn you that the portions are small. This restaurant is meant for more intimate gatherings (2 – 4 people) so if you come with lots of people, be willing to shell out more cash for more food or eat slower so that the food will expand. The only time I had Nepalese food was in China when I met some Nepalese folk who cooked me a home meal. Although I remember that tasting different, the food here was still delicious! The restaurant is not that big but because they totally accommdate with reservations, then you can have a big party here! I actually like that the place is not big so that there’s not much noise… but from us.

I have to agree with everything Shannon L. mentioned in her review. We came here with a reservation of 15, but 20 people ended coming and they were more than willing (and happy) to accommodate even though the restaurant itself is pretty small. I think we took up ¹⁄₃ of the restaurant. They also have a cute little area for those who want to sit on the floor so if you’re interested in that you should ask them.
The service is the best I’ve ever had at any restaurant, despite the fact that we were in such a large group and there were only two servers the entire night manning the restaurant. We only had one main guy serving us, his name is Raj (be nice to him when you go!) — he was always smiling and friendly even though we made numerous requests about refills, extra orders, etc. He did not miss a beat for the entire 3 hours we were there, wow! He even gave us complimentary soda, rice, and garlic naan on top of our original orders, talk about customer service!
The food here was delicious as well. I’ve never had Himalayan/​Nepalese food in my life so I was very curious about this place. It’s somewhat reminiscent of Indian food with a few minor variations in spices. We ordered a bunch of curries, sizzling hot plates, rice, and naan. Try the momos, they look like those Chinese dumplings (xiao long bao for those who are Chinese) but with lamb, chicken, or veggies inside it — SO good! I was also surprised that the chicken and fish dishes we ordered weren’t dry because restaurants tend to overcook these types of dishes, especially when its for a large party. The curries could’ve been spicier, but we opted for medium instead of spicy since some people can’t handle spicy. I also liked how they have the option of brown rice and whole wheat naan (roti) at this restaurant.
The portions are small for the prices, but the food is good. Definitely try to do family style here so you can taste a little bit of everything. The reason we came here was for a friends’ birthday celebration and we were like «uh oh we don’t have a cake» and the dessert menu did not have anything resembling cakes… but Raj was spot on and came out with a mini cupcake with a candle in it — where he pulled that out from, I have no clue! I was just very grateful for his attentiveness throughout the night, and doing it so warmly with a constant smile on his face.

I now know what the Himalayas taste like. They taste like Momos.
Momos are delicious, delicate pillows of dough filled with savory spicy things like chicken, lamb or vegetables., and served with a tangy mild sauce.
Also tasty were our entrees of Chicken Tika Masala (excellent sauce), Saag with Tofu (very mild), and a vegetable dish with eggplant and potatoes, recommended by our server. All primed for scooping up in the most tender Naan ever.
But it’s the Momos that I will return for. In fact, I am changing the acronym of MILF to stand for Momos I’d Like To…

Since moving to San Francisco I have been to this place about 10 times in the past year and half. The food has been consistently good. Being a native of Nepal the place reminds me of home. The staff are really nice and helpful. The owner has sung a few songs when I have been there. It’s good for groups too. Been there with two over 10 people groups from my company. Everyone loved the place and enjoyed the food.
I would suggest trying the Tandoori Chicken with Naan. Absolutely heaven. Never missed it even once. Good selection of vegetarian dishes too.

I am giving it four stars solely for the momos. My friend ordered the KUKHURA KO TARKARI which wasn’t exceptional in taste, but good nevertheless.
The décor of this place is interesting. The owner is a very nice guy and he sings a song while you’re eating your meal. I found that very interesting and a fun way to get to know the people behind the awesome momos I have to say though. I live in Boston where barely any place serves up chicken momos, so I had limited comparison. But I still loved them…

Until last night, I had only been here when it was Lhasa Moon, where the proprietress was also a singer. That place has great food and she was very nice.
So now it is not so much Tibetan as Nepali. A lot of times that seems too similar to North Indian to me, and since this place is a little more expensive than many of those places, maybe not worth going out of the way for just that.
The momos are excellent though, especially the dipping sauce. The staff are very friendly, and one regailed each table with a song. I don’t know if this happens all the time, but a special guest, who I think was called «Tenzing Sherpa» and had climbed everest a few times, was there and joined in for a song as well. I took a picture on my phone and i’ll upload it when I figure out how.

I’m sure I would not have noticed this place driving by on Lombard unless I was looking forward. Seems a bit out of place for the area but we did also notice there was a proliferation of Thai places nearby. Walking in we were struck by a heatwave. This place is a bit on the warm side. Interesting modern art photos mixed with more traditional art along the walls. There’s a place setting for one right next to the door which is designed to be a desk where someone could be doing their taxes.
Trying to optimize for variety, we decided to go with three appetizers and an a larger entrée. We went for the Shekuwa, Samosas, Lamb Momo and the Tandoori Mixed Grill. The soup that we started with was amazing. Tasty samosas. The Momo kind of reminded me of potstickers and they too were tasty. It came with some sort of tomato based hot sauce that I could have sat around eating by itself. The tandoori mixed grill was all pretty solid except for the chicken which was good but not outstanding.
The service is pretty friendly but for a Saturday night they were definitely overwhelmed. It was hard to get refills on our drinks and we realized the Shekuwa never arrived. I think for the weekend if they got another person working the room this wouldn’t be so overwhelming but overall we had a good experience. Oh yeah, you will smell like the food for hours after wards which may or may not be a bad thing…