5 Best Restaurants in Nepal

Many decades ago, Kathmandu carved itself a reputation among those on the Asian overland trail for having the best European food on the Subcontinent. And it's a tradition this French run and influenced restaurant is proud to maintain. If you're after coq au vin or quiche, this is the place to seek them out. Other dishes such as the vegetable curry are a nod to more local tastes, whilst others—try the apple momos—represent a half-way meeting of cultures.

Located in Dwarika's Hotel, the goal here is to feed you the very finest traditional royal Nepalese Newari cuisine that was enjoyed for centuries by maharajahs and kings. The sumptuous restaurant provides the perfect regal backdrop to enhance your banqueting experience. The lightest meals here start at 6 courses, but if you are insanely hungry you can always go for the 22-course option (seriously). The vegetables come straight from the hotel's own organic farm, so you know they will be fresh. This is a fascinating culinary journey that might take you from stuffed eggplant to spiced wild boar, via Nepalese chicken curry.

This oddly named establishment, tucked away down a small side alley in central Thamel, is a popular Israeli-run vegetarian restaurant that serves an eclectic range of European and Middle Eastern dishes. Attracting the younger backpacking crowd, it is usually abuzz. There are no tables and chairs as such—remove your shoes and take a pew on one of the cushions on the floor. The falafels are a perennial favorite. A small stand at the front also sells takeaway snacks.

This large restaurant sprawls over several floors of a 100-year-old house, boasting intricately carved wooden window frames and doors, and brick walls and brick-tiled ceilings. It offers a chance to sample traditional Nepalese cuisine at reasonable prices. As well as serving up a tasty version of Nepal's hearty national dish, Dal Bhat Tarkari (rice, lentils and vegetables—the staple daily fuel of a thousand sherpas), it also offers more elaborate creations such as spiced wild boar. The classical dancing some nights is either an atmospheric enhancement or a tacky touristy intrusion, depending on your personal viewpoint.

The influx of refugees who flooded into Nepal following the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959 means that Tibetan cuisine is almost as common as Nepalese in some parts of Kathmandu. And you really should not leave the city without trying momos: Tibetan dumplings, served steamed or fried with a variety of fillings. Locals and foreign visitors alike swear by this small family-run place in the heart of Thamel, saying it serves the best momos in town. It is popular enough you will need to arrive early to ensire a table (reservations are not possible). The fried chili momos are much-praised here, along with the chicken version. For much of the evening the kitchen is a continuous momo production line—and it needs to be to cope with demand. Some Western dishes are also offered, but they pale in comparison to the main attraction.