We wanted to use a Groupon here originally, but we ended up just knocking ourselves out at the buffet instead! I didn't even know there was a lunch buffet until we got there and the employees told us to check that out instead (since Groupons can't be used on the buffet, and that it was also out first time). The employees were very nice and helpful. They were super attentive as well with our whole Groupon situation. It was our first time trying this type of food and due to a great experience, it's a 5/5 from me. I got a cup of chai, which was hot and did a good job at clearing my palette when it got too heavy. I particularly liked the butter chicken and the stir fry green beans. I wish we got the naan earlier; you have to order it but it's part of the buffet meal. (If I had known about it, I wouldn't have had so much rice!) I thought the tandoori chicken was a bit dry, and I liked the goat curry too but it may be too strong for some people. I also love samosas but didn't want to get too full off of those; there's plenty of chutneys to choose from. We're definitely going to come back to try the dumplings sometime; we're so happy we found this spot on one of the less busy ends of State St. Can't wait! read more

Himalayan Kitchen is one of my go-to restaurants in Santa Barbara. Some of the other reviews mention how the food doesn't seem fresh or the environment of the restaurant isn't great, but I completely disagree. I have yet to have any instance where the food did not feel freshly prepared to me and the scent of the restaurant is the scent of the kitchen! What do you expect when you're putting in all these amazing spices into your dishes? My favorites are the tofu saag, chicken korma, veggie samosas, and the garlic naan. I would love to hear other suggestions on things I need to try! The staff has always been really friendly and accommodating when I've dined in, but they are also super flexible with their catering. I've ordered large catering orders from them twice this year and both times they were knowledgable about how much needed to be ordered to feed our group. Further, they were really accommodating to how I wanted the food to be presented (certain number of trays, naan and samosas cut in half, etc.). Additionally, they didn't require more than a two-day notice, so if you're looking for a restaurant to cater your event with limited time HK is your place! read more

Delicious food, super friendly service! Definitely a place to check out when you're in SB. Easy location right in the mix of everything. Make sure to add this to your list of places to try! read more

Good food in Santa Barbara downtown. They don't have indoor dinning, only serving outdoor. The vegetarian entree (sabji) we ordered were sweet, not the authentic Punjabi taste that you'd expect. The dal Maharani was delicious which we ended up ordering twice. The tea pot was also good. They are a bit under staffed so the service is slow. read more

Himalayan Kitchen sits on lower State Street, unassuming in its exterior and interior design, with nothing esthetically to draw the customer in amidst the sea of restaurants in downtown Santa Barbara. Don't let that fool you! This Himalayan/Nepalese restaurant is fantastic! A true gem hiding in plain sight. A few of the favorite dishes are the: Mixed Grill Platter A protein lover's feast" is right! Tender chunks of chicken breast, lamp, chicken drumsticks and thighs, and shrimp grilled in a tandoori oven and served on a bed of sautéed cabbage. The meats are tender, juice and incredibly flavorful. Perfectly complimented with a squeeze of lemon. Tse Phing Delicious pan-fried mung bean noodles sauteed with mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, celery and onion. The flavor is phenomenal! For me, these noodles can stand up against just about any meat & noodle dish on their own. They're that flavorful. It's a Tibetan dish that is slightly reminiscent of the Filipino dish, pancit. Hariyo Phulkopi Fresh broccoli sautéed with butter and spices. It's not over cooked so it retains some crunch while maintaining fork tender to the touch. This is a great match with the Mixed Grill Platter to incorporate plant nutrients and fiber. Chicken Tikka Masala & Garlic Naan Most of you readers will be familiar with these dishes. They are both fantastic. I highly recommend! I prefer using garlic naan in place of silver ware and eating with my hands, enjoying chicken tikka masala with every bite of naan! This means ordering several extra servings! There is no such thing as too much naan! The menu is vast at Himalayan Kitchen so recommend ordering a couple of your favorites and also venturing out a trying new dishes too. I've ordered many other items here that were all good, those mentioned in this review just happen to be my go-tos. I look forward to trying it all eventually! Two things must not go without mentioning and that is the customer service and the prices! The customer service is top notch! The staff are friendly, accommodating and very generous. I would have to say they're on my top 5 list of best customer service in SB. The prices are also ridiculously low for the amount and quality of food you get. Unlike most small restaurant businesses in this town, the owners of Himalayan Kitchen do not seem interested in bleeding their guests dry of their disposable income simply because it is Santa Barbara and they can. They have priced their menu at family friendly, accessible to all rates and I truly respect that in a business. I can't speak to their buffet lunch because I haven't tried it as of the date of writing this review but I can highly recommend ordering a meal off of their menu. They also deliver through Yelp's Eat24 (highly recommended, no delivery fee) and SBMenus (not recommended, $4.99 delivery fee and terrible customer service). They also participate in SBAxxess for those of you interested in getting two for one. read more

I got the Chicken Korma & the Cheese Naan and am currently in HEAVEN! Unfortunately I ate it too fast to post any photos but I definitely will next time! read more

Always delicious Great casual vibe Love this spot read more

This place makes great food! The dal soup and naan were favorites. Chicken and lamb vindaloo were very spicy (a good thing) with a nice valence of flavors. Portions are good, prices are fair. Food is ready quickly, which is good since it's take out only during Covid. Service is adequate, not overly friendly. read more

Best food and ambiance for Indian food. The service is always above and beyond. We have been enjoying this place since they first opened and every time we love it. read more

Good food, in generous proportions!! I would definitely like to come here with more people just so I could try more dishes! We had the lamb biryani, shrimp saag, lamb momo and plain naan! I will definitely come back. read more

Really flavorful and interesting food. I got the vegetable curry. It was delicious and had a great depth of flavor. It was a bit oily, but not over-the-top. My friend ordered the ming bean noodle dish. It was really good as well, the flavor was a bit more tamed. It had a nice garlicky taste and the vegetables in it were delicious, especially the mushrooms which were perfectly sautéed. The pickled vegetables condiment was really nice and reminded me of the super salty pickled lime skin you get with some types of Indian cuisine. Great place - very vegan and vegetarian friendly. read more

Were in Santa Barbara for the weekend and wanted to grab a quick bite before hitting the road to head back home. While wandering in the downtown area, walked past this restaurant and momo sounded like a good snack option. Our group ordered three appetizers to share - the vegetable momo, cheese pakora and the bhaktapurae chhoila. The momo and the chutney it came with were quite good but the other two dishes were alright, nothing special about them. The food also took a while to arrive. The choilla had some sort of burnt seed in it which oozed out bitter flavors and sort of overpowered the dish. read more

Horrible quality food! I'm not sure why there are such great reviews or maybe the cook has changed. The Momos were soggy and shredded and stinky. in the pic above. The Nepalese noodles were actually spaghetti in tomato ketchup - the fried rice was just boiled rice - omg could never imagine they can have such bad quality food! Would never go there again! read more

Himalayan Kitchen - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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The service was good. I've tried most of the naan breads and they're quite thick and big, I wish they were a bit flakey and airy. The curries and chicken tikka masala were great, I wish they gave me a bigger serving. read more

Good food, great flavors and awesome location. The menu selection is vast and some of the items on the menu tastes literally the same for some reason lol. But other than that I definitely recommend thos restaurant read more

the foood is superb. sooo delicious! their tikka masala is the best. thank you mr assish for taking care of us. we were just visiting the area and looking for a place to eat lunch and my cousin smelled the aroma of the food here and it didnt fail us!!! food is super gooooood! compliments to the chef! one of the best food place ever read more

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Very bad experience for people looking for authentic Nepalese or Indian food. We arrived at 2:15 and they were about to close their buffet so we preferred ala-carte. But seems they created our food around the stuff left in the buffet. Thuppa had pieces for Tandoori chicken ( generally thuppa contains minced chicken). Noodles were too thick for thuppa. Overall bad experience with Thuppa. Tea was good and worth a try. Other good items were average. I would like the owner to have more quality control around food that is served so that people can appreciate Himalayan food. read more

Himalayan Kitchen - Thuppa we just had.. - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

An off-beat curiosity on Lower State serving Himalayan and Indian! Among what we tried, the Daal-Bhaat Maasu (vegetarian combo) was the star, with a delicious giant pita, fluffy rice, two nice curries, and other accompaniments. My Sherpa stew was almost overwhelmingly hearty and strong in its sour-savory components, but I still cleaned it all up. The Thukpa I sampled seemed a more delicate soup with good-enough noodles. Based on what we sampled, I can imagine their Indian curries are quite good. The owner was a bit curt and service was slow on a weekday lunchtime, but it's understandable as we visited days after the devastating Mendocino mudslides. read more

Great Tikka Masala and Lassis! Always prompt with delivery. Everything I've had there is delicious. Highly recommend

I originally came here because their Yelp page says they have a lunch buffet, but apparently that is no more. Based on the pictures, I ordered the Nepali Thpical Dhindo Thali, which turned out to be an assortment of dishes on a tray: lamb curry, Saag Paneer, porridge, a tiny bit of relish, and naan, plus rice pudding dessert, which cost $21. I figured this would let me get a good feel for the kind of spices they use. The dishes were all well prepared, tasty but not amazing, and spiced on the mild side as is common in Himalaya, which I prefer, because I can add spice, but it's hard to take it out. I had to ask for chutney, and they would only really bring me one rather than an assortment, so I chose mango, for a $2 surcharge. I suppose these chutneys have become quite expensive to stock. The mango chutney was excellent. The portions were well sized. However compared to the menu picture, I think some items were missing, in particular sautéed onions and I believe some vegetable pakora. I wanted to take a picture for Yelp, but the wait person was hovering around the table so I was kind of self-conscious about that. This was OK for a quick lunch. I would've preferred the buffet, but I am happy for my first visit to try a thali, which I think of as a kind of mini buffet. I would've given it more stars except their ads are not accurate (about the lunch buffet) and the menu picture did not match what was served. I may come again, if I happen to be working on S. State St. again. This is certainly one of the healthier lunch options downtown, compared to brew pubs :-) read more

We ate here over 15 years ago and loved it. We came back and had another fabulous meal here with our kiddos. The food is perfectly seasoned and the spice levels were great. The mild korma was perfect for the kids and the thali ordered spicy was delightfully spiced for the adults. The service was quick and friendly. read more

Christmas Day, most places were closed but we checked yelp and found this gem! Great food and service! Super clean restrooms too (an important element for me..)..Highly recommend:) read more

In 2016 I gave the Himalayan Kitchen five stars, described it as our family's standard restaurant (meaning almost the only one we went to, since we rarely eat out). and wrote that it was the only place I knew that had yak meat. Since then, the food has become less distinctive and the quality has dropped. The food is still edible though. read more

Great food. Good variety of Indian style Himalayan food on the buffet. It would be nicer if they had a kids price for the menu. Kids pay the same as adults. read more

I thought Himalayan Kitchen was good. I really liked the outdoor dining. We had a goat meat dish and the butter chicken which was super tasty! Even better when they were together on my rice. read more

Highly recommend. Happy to have found Himalayan Kitchen. The staff were great. The food is greatI! The korma was my favorite. This place really made my birthday special. read more

Himalayan Kitchen - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Really good menu of Tibetan Nepalese food. We had chicken tikka masala and goat curry and vegetarian momos. Service can be faster as they were only two server. read more

Himalayan Kitchen - Vegetarian Mo-Mo - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Excellent food. Nice atmosphere. Wish it was a bit spicier. Friendly staff. All in all, pretty good. read more

Decent Food and Service Reached there just a little after 2:30 PM , buffet was just closed. We ordered several curries (each with a different spice level), naans and parathas. They all were decent and reasonably priced. Service was also good, we forgot to take our sunglasses, they came couple of blocks to find us and return them. read more

We ordered a ton of food! It was all very flavorful in traditional Nepalese spices. Decent sized portions and great service. We had no wait and were seated right away. The dining room was airy, open and clean. Plenty of tables to choose from. The regional culinary aromas carry on, out the door to the street, luring in passersbys. I enjoyed people watching as I sipped my Masala Chai and patiently waited for my for Himalayan fare. read more

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I'm not sure if this is under new management but the menu is different from the last time we came a year ago. We just had a delicious meal for a great price!!! So many vegetarian options too, including many vegan dishes. We definitely won't leave it so long next time. Fantastic! read more

Had their lunch buffet and a glass of wine. It's ok but not sure I'm comIng back. I checked out menu and seems confusing to see chow meets and fried rice with Himalayan cuisine. The buffet was all Indian. The chicken was dry without flAvor. read more

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Great buffet ,owners from Nepal Every day from 11:30-2:30 Wonderful vegetables great sauces and fresh fish Great service very generous kind people. The tandoori chicken is so perfectly spiced They constantly as fresh items how can they does this for 10$ plus today we got free champagne. The 4 items for sauces are all good enough to bottle. Exotic clean decor read more

Himalayan Kitchen - Perfect vegetables and sauces great tandoori and paneer Wow 10$ brunch plus Fred champagne today - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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We had the goat curry and lamb curry for lunch. The goat was excellent and the lamb was very good. Good size portions and both came with basmati rice. Service was also excellent. Highly recommended! read more

Excellent, freshly made and delicious.Thiis is a " must try" restaurant in Santa Barbara.Come back soon!

This place has really upped its game in the past six months or so! Grateful for all of the delicious vegetarian options.

Himalayan Kitchen...the new place to enjoy savory and delicious Nepalese food to your hearts content? I think so! Located on State Street in Santa Barbara, this new spot sports delicious Nepalese food. It was an honor to be welcomed by the Nepalese speaking waiters and servers. I myself ordered chicken Mo-Mo, chicken soup and the Sunday brunch. The buffet style Sunday brunch included to die for fresh cut watermelon, bok choy that had a savory crunch and Kiln cooked chicken made for a tasty and spicy treat. Next up was the delicious chicken Mo-Mo, a mix between wantons and dumplings, this savory little pocket of warm chicken comes in yak and lamb, simply a culinary delight. Himalayan Kitchen you really are the new kid on the block, but your dedication and mastery of food makes a great impression. I hope to dine with you again soon. Ciao! read more

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Although this is not our first visit to Santa Barbara, it was our first time here. As soon as we walked in the door we were greeted warmly and seated right away. Our waiter was prompt, attentive and offered us suggestions. Our food came out hot, tasty and oh sooooo full of flavor. This is going to be one of our regular hangouts from now on. read more

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I stopped in Santa Barbara on a road trip from Phoenix to Portland. I had needed rest and food. As I walked the street filled with restaurant choices this place hit me. The lighting/ambiance and the small dinner crowd caught my attention. It felt comfortable as I entered and they realized I was a party of one and seated me promptly. I had not had Nepalese nor Tibetan food and I was eager to try several items. I got a Masala Chai tea, Mo-mo lamb appetizer and the Kathmandu Sekuwa and garlic naan. In all it was a well served dining experience. The food was slightly more bald than most Indian food I have had but I was not expecting it to be the same. The restaurant was clean and well managed and the food came at a time it was intended with out rushing. I would eat here again and recommend it to friends and fellow travelers. read more

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Pros: Reasonable prices, amazing lunch buffet, friendly staff. Good ambience and plenty of seating for its popularity. Cons: slightly slower service and pickup orders were never actually ready when I arrived after being told they were ready. read more