I was well overdue for my fix of Indian/Nepalese food. We're talking maybe 4-5 months here. Yeah, I know. So I came to Kathmandu during the buffet hour. The interior is elegantly decorated with dark red varnished tables and chairs. You'll probably notice how the wood and stone stand out here. It adds to the level of authenticity. There are also booths to be seated at towards the entrance of the restaurant. Diving into the food, I started myself out with saag (Spinach), chickpeas, and some naan. The saag was good, but I felt it lacked some of the spiciness that I'm used to. That can be remedied by eating it with some chili peppers over at the salad bar. Chickpeas were good, but I think forgettable. Totally favored saag over it. The Naan is exactly what you'd expect from it. Although, I do wish they offered different types of naan like garlic naan. But hey it is a buffet, so no one is really complaining. Next up were the curry chicken and chai tea. The curry chicken was good and tasted as though it had been slow cooked for hours, but the cuts of chicken will often have bones. You may have to be nit-picky when scooping it. Chai-tea will set you back about 2 dollars, but comes with free refills. And hey, guess what? It's pretty good; I take mine with two sugars. Watch out it comes out piping hot. No joke. I almost burned my tongue. Refills are a strange matter though it seemed with every successive refill, the chai tea got thinner and less flavorful? Am I crazy, or was the server conspiring against me ? It is whatever. Two cups is fine for anyone. I Oh, and on the way out. Try yourself a small spoon of the seeds. Explosion of strange in your mouth. It's not bad! Just don't go taking a huge spoonful. Overall, Kathmandu Kitchen offers a pretty elegant dining experience and a very affordable lunch buffet priced at 8-9 dollars. Variety is not really a strong point, but what dishes that offered are pretty excellent. Dinner may be a completely different experience, but is also very good from what I've heard. 4.0/5.0 read more

I love Indian food, and when I was in Davis, I craved it all the time. So I searched up all the Indian places and Kathmandu was one of them. I definitely enjoyed my experience. The service was friendly always checking up on us and smiling. They made sure nothing was wrong. It wasn't really crowded when I went and I enjoyed the wall decor. The food wasn't similar to what I have had elsewhere, but it had its own uniqueness. It was good for Davis. I wouldn't mind going again, because it is delicious. read more

Went here with my friend. Just asked the waitress to pick something for me that was vegetarian & surprise me. It was probably the best Indian dish I've ever had... ever. It was a spinach dish... can't remember now- I think it was the Mughlia Saag. But I'm sure any of their spinach dishes would be just as good. Yum Yum Yum! read more

The food here is delicious! There is a great vegetarian menu as well! Definitely my favorite Indian food in Davis. The service is outstanding, the food is made fresh, and the prices are great. I ordered the Vegetable korma, it was very tasty. My boyfriend recommends the "chicken chilli". Our favorite appetizer is the Nepali Samosas. Prepare to leave satisfied! read more

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Let me start off by saying I do not know much about Indian food. Some of my best friends are Indian but I didn't develop a taste for Indian food until now. I will say that I love spicy foods and would elope with them in the pop-up wedding chapel at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas if I could, so my review may be a little biased. Went with my roommates for our first dinner as roommates. I was happy to find that they sold Groupon vouchers. A lot of the Yelp reviews I read said things can get pricey and I'm ballin' on a budget fosho'. I got the chicken tikka masala thali style. The chicken tikka masala was great, the perfect amount of heat and flavor in my opinion. The naan was good but there wasn't enough of it especially since you have to pay extra for it. Everything else on the plate was meh to me. I think next time I'll stick with the chicken tikka masala a la carte and add a side of naan. I believe they deliver so that is a plus. I've often sat in my apartment contemplating whether or not I should have spicy chunks of chicken goodness delivered to my door (or mouth rather). But then I think about the prices and the delivery charge and decide it is not worth it. That's when $3.95 Trader Joe's frozen chicken tikka masala comes in handy. Overall, I had a positive experience. A more true rating would be 3.5 stars. Waitress could have been a little more attentive but we weren't in a rush so it was fine. Would not go back for dinner again unless I had a Groupon. I look forward to trying out their lunch buffet someday. Hopefully the lunch stuff is of the same quality as dinner so I can try a wider variety of dishes. read more

Went into the restaurant and ordered the chicken tikka masala with garlic naan. Food came out quickly, and was tasty. Our waiter was very nice, not to mention tall, dark and handsome :) forgot what his name was. read more

So far this is probably one of the better restaurants that I have been to in davis. But that is definitely not saying too much. I came in for the lunch buffet and left full and pretty satisfied. Not sure if its totally worth the 12-15 bucks i paid but hey its pretty decent 3 Stars =P read more

Not really a fan of the lunch buffet, but that just may be because I'm not a fan of buffets in general. The food is really good. The dinner is a nice experience if a bit overpriced. They have bellydancers, which I assume is entertaining for some people but I found to be awkward and distracting. read more

Vegetable korma and mali kofta..... wowzers- TRY THEM. So good I can't even put into words lol. Lunch buffet is always super fresh and has plenty of options. Service could definitely improve but I usually don't care because I'm too into my food or order take out. Best Indian food in Davis read more

Price was higher than advertised, possibly due to not including tax, so the $10.95 buffet claims are lies. I think there could be better labeling of the cold bar--it is hard to distinguish between ranch sauce and raita. The restaurant also could have been remodeled to have less of a bar feel. However, the food was decent, if a little too spicy and not flavorful enough. I do wish they had more vegetable offerings. read more

I'm a bit picky about my Indian food, having grown up with many Indian friends who's mothers cooked for me frequently. While the food here wasn't terrible, I was stuck by it being tremendously bland. Not too little spiciness, which I would have understood given that I am white, but sauces which didn't have enough flavor to them. I have had a range of meat and vegetarian dishes and all of them were remarkably bland. Given that the prices were a tad high, this really rubbed me the wrong way. read more

Eating at Kathmandu Kitchen 3 years ago was my first experience with Indian food. At the time, I thought it was the best Indian buffet ever. Man, was I totally wrong!! I've been to this place about 3 times now since then and I must say it has been disappointing every time! The only reason I kept going back was the convenient location in downtown. But my most recent visit last week will seriously be the last time I'll be going back. The service has always been very slow and unwelcoming. Would it kill the servers to smile once in a while? Or fix the wobbling tables? Or organize the clean utensils quietly? I don't want to hear the constant clatter of utensils being thrown around while I'm eating! All dishes seriously lack flavor because the sauces are watered down. The naan is never fresh and too doughy. Their dinner plates are only slightly better. Why won't they use more spices?! I love supporting local businesses but not when the food tastes this horrible. There are many other Indian restaurants near the area (definitely not in Davis) that will blow you away. I'd recommend trying the place in Dixon, which is only a short drive away from Davis. read more

My first experience at Kathmandu Kitchen in the summer of 2010 was not the greatest. The food was fine, the ambiance was lacking and the service was mediocre. Since then, November/December 2011, we dined at multiple points and were seated right in front of the fireplace and were attended to well but without smothering us. We were in no rush one of the times we were there and told the waitress so and she let us spend 3 hours slowly making our way through dinner in front of the fireplace. Food is good, not the absolute best Indian/Nepali food I've ever had, but definitely a solid choice. I'd recommend going here, though I cannot recommend the buffet as I have yet to go -- definitely something I plan to do in the future! read more

I am a bit torn on writing this review. I love their food, everything I have ever tried has been delicious but I have also experienced pretty poor service while there too. I once went and they sat us next to an open door on a very cold evening. Mind you, almost the entire restaurant was empty at the time but they somehow felt the need to sit us there. I asked if we could move and/or if they would shut the door but they told me no and that I shouldn't worry the door would be closed soon. It was, 30 minutes later. Super uncool. One bad experience, right? No, I have had the wait staff be rude, inattentive, and down right mean to me. I will have to think long and hard about whether I want to come back. Perhaps take-out is the solution? Note: Depending on who is working they may or may not accept your Groupon. I have had it both ways. read more

I just couldnt find anything above average about their tikka masala or butter chicken. I've just had better and I'm a spoiled fremont man I guess. Decent. read more

I love this place, everything we ordered was great..and the drinks were perfect! I had a mojito, and my boyfriend had a spicy margarita. The service was ok, and it was a bit pricey. Overall, a good experience. read more

Kathmandu Kitchen - Overall, a good experience. - Indian Near Me - Davis, California

Food is ok. However the delivery system is pretty bad. They always messed up with the orders

I fell in love with the Chicken Tikka Masala and have it every single time I go here. The mango lassi is also a great compliment to any spicy dish you eat. The most recent time I went here with a friend and we ordered naan, chicken tikka masala, lamb korma (I think?) and a mango lassi. The waiter who served us was really nice and gave us a mango lassi on the house, as well as cracked a few jokes with us. The chicken dish is so creamy and delicious with the naan, and even though I was ravenously hungry and the food was really good, I ended up with half of it in a leftover box for lunch the next day! :D We walked away full and satisfied. I will say though, that upon walking in on a rainy night, the floor was SO SLIPPERY that I thought I was going to fall flat on my face or on my bum before I got to our table (so be careful!) read more

Awesome food! Usually a masala guy, so I ordered that. It was amazing! Other people I was with got lentil daal and it was probably the best thing I've ever tried. Naan was amazing: got the geoupon so basically got 50% off, even without that I would still reccomend this place! All 4 of us loved it! read more

Whose idea was it to put a beverage in this container for a to go order??? I can't open it without spilling. The food was so hot that it started to melt the to go containers. Management- please invest in better containers. I can't even eat the food i just paid for. read more

Kathmandu Kitchen - I'll just open this up and spill over myself while i try to slurp my drink in the car. - Indian Near Me - Davis, California

This was my favorite Indian place in Davis. I would go probably once a week for their lunch buffet. Sadly, they have decided to discontinue the lunch buffet. Now going to lunch here is going to set you back about $15 per person. The buffet was already a little overpriced so now it is no longer worth it. I won't be going again. read more

The raita tasted of rotten dairy. We ordered 50 dollars worth of food and received small containers for it. The food was extremely bland and tasted old. We called the restaurant and they were extremely rude and started making racist comments. I've never had such a rude and disgusting experience in my life! read more

I've eaten at Kathmandu, either at the restaurant or the Davis Farmers Market stall, about a dozen times during the past 13 months. Each time I found the food delectable, except for one instance of, shall I say, maldigestion. Today (4/5/17) at the Farmers Market I picked up dinner for a price of $16. I gave $26, expecting change of $10. After walking away, I realized that the 3 workers gave me the food order but not the $10 change. I returned to the stall, about 5 minutes later, and asked for my change. The workers said I had given them $16 not $26. "Next time," one worker said, helpfully, "ask for the change before walking away." For this former customer, there will be no next time. read more

Great food! We had the samosas, the chicken tikka masala, the lamb vindaloo and the garlic naan. The chicken tikka masala was our favorite, really yummy. And the lamb in the vindaloo was super tender. We went for dinner on a Friday night and the place was pretty crowded, but we only had to wait a few minutes for a table (there were only 2 of us). Our waitress was really friendly and the food came quickly, which was great because we were hungry and had a movie to get to. My only complaint is that it felt kind of hectic and loud in the restaurant, so it was a little hard to have a nice conversation with my husband on our date night. Other than that, great place and great food! We will definitely go back again! read more

FYI, am catching up on reviews I have been meaning to post for the past few weeks. As a guide.. 5-stars...French Laundry, Michael Minna, Vik Chaat House, Nobu, Ruth's Criss Steakhouse etc... 4-stars...Burgers and Brew, Mikuni, Kathmandu is getting better....my friend loved the Lamb Biryiani and I loved my thali...the paidapu with rice reminded of when I was in India! A long complaint of this place has been the service. It has gotten better, Kudos. The small bar area is quite nice...and the interior of the whole place is the best Indian decor in Davis. Go patron this place to experience the "NEW" Kathmandu!! read more

Entering this place you're greeted with a chill darkish environment. A kind of lighting that just relaxes you after a long day. The service was great with the staff being knowledgable about the food on the menu. Food arrived promptly and tasted good. Really no complaints except for the chai tea. It wasn't bad though, just not for my taste buds. Maybe it's an acquired taste...but the important thing is there's good food here. read more

Decent buffet considering the lack of all you can eat indian rests in Davis. I prefer kath over preethis simply because of the chicken Makani curry. The all you can eat offer is everyday which is cool and you get a discount for being a student. Over all an authentic indian joint read more

I have never received service that is as rude and disrespectful as I did today at Kathmandu. My boyfriend and I regularly support this business, even though every time we go they do not seem to understand how to prepare food without dairy and have to remake our order. When we called in to let them know they gave us dairy, the man on the phone (the Caucasian one) became defensive, angry, and talked back in the rudest way possible. He lied to us, told us we could not speak to anyone else on the phone and said "if you're vegan why are you supporting a restaurant that serves dairy" (for someone who should want customers, what an ignorant thing to say). The rest of the employees have always been kind and generous to us, but we will not return to the Davis location due to this incident. No human should speak to another in the way that this employee spoke to us today. read more

Food is delish! I have ordered entrees at dinner and today had the lunch buffet. Selection was superb, each item I put on my plate was great! Service is so so. read more

My husband and I decided on Kathmandu Kitchen for his birthday dinner tonight after a friend recommended it to us a few months back. We tend to eat dinner on the early side, so there was no wait to be seated, and service was really quick and friendly. It was a pleasant surprise walking inside because from the outside it definitely seemed like a hole-in-the-wall. There was a fireplace with a crackling fire in the back, and the entire interior was really clean and nice (other than the fact that they were experiencing some plumbing issues, where there was some sort of water leak in the kitchen that trickled out into the restaurant for a bit). Due to my inexperience with Indian food, I went ahead and ordered the Chicken Tikki Masala because of the great reviews on Yelp, and was not let down by my fellow Yelpers, it was delish! My husband ordered the lamb vindaloo with medium heat, and it was a tad too spicy for me (a slow heat, though I'm pretty sensitive when it comes to spicy). We also got an additional order of the garlic basil naan, which was aaaaamazing. Some of the best naan we've had, very fresh. The waitress was so sweet, and even gave us half off my husband's entree and a free dessert because it was his birthday, which she notices after carding for the beer. The warm rice pudding was PERFECT - not too sweet, warm and creamy. Overall, the best place we've eaten in Davis so far! read more

I love Kathmandu, my only regret is that I didn't try their food out earlier since I am moving from Davis soon. The outside doesn't look too promising, but inside is a different story. I really enjoy the lighting and the seating (a little thrown by the club vibe we got from the music videos playing at the bar, maybe because of happy hour?). The food was a little on the pricey side for me (but let's face it, Davis isn't cheap), but soooo delicious! The server was awesome. She walked me through the whole menu and let me know what I could and couldn't eat since I am gluten intolerant. I didn't get her name, but her ears are very pierced and I have to say she's by far one of my favorite servers of all time! I am definitely planning on stopping by one last time before the big move! read more

Kathmandu was a great Indian place to get dinner! The staff was really nice and attentive. I ordered the vegetarian sampler and the garlic cilantro naan which was delicious. My boyfriend also got a smoothie and we spent about $30 on dinner. My only complaint is that their chai tea wasn't chai tea...it tasted like regular tea with a bunch of milk mixed in it. Gross! read more

Delicious food, excellent service and a wonderful, relaxing environment! When I went there, they had an indian belly dancer dancing around! Was super fun! :) The drink specials were kinda grose, but the waiter happily replaced my drink for a beer (they have Sierra Nevada on tap!) Best Indian in town! :) read more

Still a great place! It's my go-to for Indian food. Service is always great, whether I'm dining in or having take out. The best part about getting take out from here is that your food is still hot when you get home. The naan is delicious and I highly recommend the coconut prawn curry read more

Five items were ordered for delivery including chicken curry, a potatoes and cauliflower dish, samosas, naan. it has been about 5 years since we dined in the restaurant and the food was quite good. We were very disappointed with the food we received today. The food had very little taste of Indian food--very plain with a tiny hint of Indian flavor. We cannot recommend this restaurant. read more

This really ticked me off. Their paneer tikka masala was half paneer and half tofu. Enough said.

Good food good mood. The chicken makhani, chicken korma, saag paneer, vegetable samosa and naan are all so good here. With these I always have a yum yum fat time. read more

Vegans, rejoice! Not only do they have a vegan thali ON THE MENU (when this happens, I assume the proprietors actually know what "vegan" means and I won't have to explain that no, milk isn't vegan, etc.--you know the drill), but the lovely waitperson told me that many of the non-vegan dishes can be made vegan. I had navratan korma, which I love but haven't been able to eat since going vegan years ago. It's not normally vegan there, but she said they could modify their recipe and use only coconut milk, and she even said they could make a thali out of it by substituting puri for naan and chutney for raita. It was delicious! So I suggest if there are non-vegan things that look appealing to you, ask if they can veganize them. I'll definitely be back! read more

Below average food. Above average prices. Mandatory service charge of 18%. Not going back.

Called on the phone to inquire about food and the worst service EVER! I was passed around to other people within the establishment and got nowhere. Never again!. read more