Kathmandu is a small mom & pop restaurant on Solano Ave. If you walk by too quickly, you may miss it as their exterior blends in with the neighborhood. A few Sunday evenings ago, I arrived at 5:30pm, right when the restaurant opened. Daniel, our server/co-owner, provided great service and entree recommendations as this was my first visit. Definitely had to try the momo and I opted for the vegetarian option. The momo can be described as a little dumpling and the way Kathmandu served it, these definitely were NOT from a frozen bag from the grocery store. I also had a bowl of Thukpa soup, which is stew-like with noodles. The flavors were really in the soup base, which was mildy spicy that had a nice little kick. The best part of the meal was the Vegetable Dahl Bhat with lentil soup. Everything tasted as if someone's mom was cooking in the kitchen. No heavy oils or greasiness, no heavy feeling after eating. Everything paired nicely with each other. I believe Daniel's mom was the chef in the kitchen cooking all these delicious eats. Thank you Daniel for the great service and taking the time to share about your family/restaurant history. Looking forward to my next visit. #34/2022 read more

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This review is specifically for the version of the mixed vegetable curry that was sold to go at Kathmandu's stall at one of the annual Solano Stroll events. The curry itself was fine, savory and not spicy. However, there was way too much rice, not enough curry, so it felt like it was mostly just salad greens and rice. I would consider it better value for the money if it'd had a more generous portion of curry itself. read more

Kathmandu Restaurant - Mixed vegetable curry - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Albany, California

Really haven't ordered from here much. but did wanna give it a shotb@@ S..o..o.I ordered the " Goatbl Biryani for Dinner last nite as the " Price Point seemed Attractive " !!!! Not 100% sure if it eas ' Lqmb or Goat ', nit my gut tells me it was Goat Biryani. I usually order Biryani from " House Of Curries " up the Street!!! Did not ' Compare Well to the Latter ' All in All '.... The Meat eas " Quite Tough ", there were No Potatoes, and the Quantity was ' Skinny ' Comparatively. Thete were a few Green Beans in the Dish. Maybe even few pieces of Carrot and the Flavor was Okay. No RAITHA / Yogurt , Mint or Tamarind Sauce on the Side. Thus a ' Disappointment I'd have to say !!!! Was more after the Thaali Meal that zi vaguely recall ordering in the past. Much better Experience tpmy memory !!! Never been in but they're usually polite on the Fone !!! Prplly serbe Pork Dishes. As an Ex - Vegan- Vegetarian hope there isn't any " Cross Contamination " !!@@ read more

Wow. What a wonderful surprise in our own backyard. My wife and I have decided to start trying and supporting our local businesses in these tough times. We have so many different restaurants to choose from here it's fun selecting from all the different ethnic groups and learning about their culture through their food. Tonight we came here. As we walked in we noticed that the walls and even the ceiling were covered with tapestries that were handsome and lovely to look at. There was music wafting through the background. The smell of the curry was different but pleasant coming from the kitchen into the dining area. We selected a table by the window so we could not only look outside and see what was going on but enjoyed the view inside. We soon found out that all that we needed to say was on the inside. Our server's name is Lauren.. She was so charming and helpful and patient while we waded through all the new names of words on a menu that we weren't familiar with in this Nepales / Tibetan cuisine. She happily shared that this was a family restaurant and that her father and brother cook in the kitchen she helps in front. The food IS Authentic and not stylized for American taste. And everything is made there fresh daily. They have been in business in this location for nearly 20 years now. I'm new to the area but my wife remarked that she had been here for a long time and had never thought about coming in and we are so glad we did. The food was so delicious. We tried a couple different appetizers and Andre's as well as a dessert and a couple beverages. We were given suggestions and recommendations recommendations for items on the menu that we were not familiar with by Lauren and she did not disappoint us at all. I started with the beverage Cinnamon Lassi. It is a chilled, cinnamon spice, sweetened yogurt and milk drink. I was mostly curious but as it turned out I liked it a lot.. I'd like to see milk kept at thin the yogurt gave it a bit of darkness darkness and the cinnamon with sugar made it come together. Then I tried a beverage that was called Chhang. I loved it. It was a fermented rice drink that that had hints of vinegar to it. I'm sure part of the fermentation process. For an appetizer we had the Steamed Momo. This is Is a dumpling that is served with a dipping sauce. You get about 8 or 10 of them with an order. And they are Delicious little balls of flavor. If we weren't that hungry we would have missed it. I'm glad we were hungry. For an entre we ordered Kukhura Ledo Shekua. This is a boneless charcoal grilled chicken saute in tomato sauce with green onion's, fresh tomato, green peas, and solantro. We also had Jhasha Shamdeh. This is a Tibetan style chicken of boneless chicken marinated in yogurt and cooked with onion tomatoes potatoes and garlic and funugreek leaves. Trust me the layers of flavor in the sauces and on the meat is so wonderful.. Have fun with it and don't eat too quickly think about what you're eating and enjoy every bite. It was served with rice on the side and we opted for the Brown rice which complimented it very well and I like the fact that they used a long grain Brown rice. For dessert or Guliyo we had the Khir. This is the traditional homemade rice pudding with cinnamon. I was pleasantly surprised to see 2 different kinds of raisins in it and cashews. DELISH. They were pretty busy with take out and inside seating. I'm glad to see that the business is doing OK. It was dad's night off otherwise I would have told him all of this personally how much we liked it. Thank you again Lauren for being so pleasant and patient. read more

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There are a lot of Nepalese restaurants to choose from in Albany and Berkeley, but eating at Kathmandu Restaurant really does feel like stepping into another country with its decor and cozy digs. On the night my friend and I came for dinner, the menu was somewhat limited since the owner's son was away, but it didn't limit our meal. We ordered momos and a unique vegetable dish called Kaju Aloo Kwa Gasha with asparagus, potatoes, cashews and green peas. I had a banana lassi and my friend had a mango lassi. The highlights of the dinner were the vegetarian dish and lassis--along with talking to the pleasant owner-chef and watching a big TV high up on the wall showing live coverage of a festival in Nepal. I'm looking forward to returning and trying the full menu. Wish I had gotten some photos of the said lassis and vegetable dish, but they disappeared pretty quickly for good reason. read more

Kathmandu Restaurant - Momos - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Albany, California

Great food and ambiance. Food is cooked fresh so it may take longer than the average restaurant. Service was great. Waiters were attentive. Recommend getting some fresh naan and the kukhura poleko. read more

Food and service were awesome! Loved the rice beer and spicy sauces! Also happen to have a wheat allergy and they were very accommodating! Looking forward to bringing more friends in soon. read more

Maybe I just like Aangan or Everest Kitchen more, but the food was just average for me. It was a cold winter in the Easy Bay and I was craving momo's like crazy, so I thought to try this place since it was added on doordash. I do like that I can order half order, so I was able to try both flavors. I usually like chicken momo's more but the lamb ones were better here. I also like that the rice that comes with an entree isn't huge, cause it is usually too much for me. However, the entree thought flavorful was also lacking. I got the chickpea curry and it was decent but not amazing. The weird star of everything, the spicy momo dipping sauce. I put that on everything that night. It was salty, spicy, savory, and amazing on everything. If they sold that in bigger sizes and marketed that... For the price, yes it is good. Maybe next time I will choose a meat entree to see how that does... read more

My girlfriend and I were sat down at a table the other night. Because we were walking in from the side, we didn't see the overhead sign and quickly realized we were at the wrong restaurant. Once she came back from the restroom, her and I had a conversation about how we'd love to come try this place another time, but we had plans at the place next door. Oh well. As we were leaving and attempting to explain we were at the wrong spot, the server stopped us mid-sentence to lecture us on how rude it is to come to a place and act like we were going to eat, just to use the restroom. Absolutely unreal how rude the interaction was. We tried to explain the situation but he kept interrupting me and digging his heels into the fact that it was rude of us to use the restroom and leave. I understand the frustration around people who do that, but we were genuinely confused and felt bad for even leaving in the first place. Because of the unprofessionalism, we will not be coming back to try the food. read more

We enjoyed our dinner in this small but cozy spot. I particularly liked the Momo and prawn tandoori while my girlfriend really enjoyed her curry dish. The food tasted delicious and was so obviously prepared with the utmost of care. Will be going back to sample other items on the menu read more

For momo lovers, be sure to get the lamb momos -- they come with sauces which compliment the lamb well. One mild and one more spicy red sauce. Good stuff. Lots of sauces on the table to try. The stand-out amazing dish was "Haku Chewela" -- the menu describes this in the "chicken" section as a "very special smoked chicken prepared with hot spices, green onions, yellow onions, fresh tomatoes, and cilantro; served at room temperature." Haku Chewela is very special, very memorable. We will come back for sure. The banana and strawberry lassis were tasty, service super nice, and decor very charming. Kathmandu won our hearts -- and our stomaches! read more

Kathmandu Restaurant - Haku Chewela - the very special smoked chicken dish that we LOVED - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Albany, California

This place is a gem. So happy to have such a wonderful restaurant in the community. They are really accommodating with takeout during these unprecedented times, cooking everything from scratch with beautiful smells and flavors. Now I need to check out their market as well. read more

Ordered via DoorDash for pick up. Friday 8/28, 6pm ish... Starting with cust svc... sister's order ready first. She goes in and gets her order thought she'd wait, but they were still cooking mine, so she came out to the car. When my order was ready, the server actually came out and brought me my order!! He was so frikken SWEET!!!!!! Items ordered: Chicken with tomato sauce and peas- absolutely delicious, savory sauce with tomato and a few peas and sautéed onion. Very aromatic, coriander, turmeric, pepper.. delicious. Chana Masala- garbanzo beans in tomato based stew sauce, coriander, pepper, cilantro... hint of cinnamon! Wonderful, not greasy. Perfect. Piro Kukhura- spicy chicken in tomato based sauce.. chicken, green pepper, tomato, onion.. the spice level was a 7/10.. perfect blend of warm spices. Everything cooked down really well so flavors blended perfectly. Samosa- potato filling, again- perfect spice, warm, filling, great with the super hot sauce. Naan- crispy and buttery on the outside, thicker and more hearty than others. Great milky flavor. Naan perfection. One huge piece cut in half as a side to the entree! Very generous portion!!! They also give hot sauce and tamarind sauce on the side... Will. Be. Back. This place is amazing!! read more

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I've never had Nepalese/Tibetan food before and I think Kathmandu is a great introduction. My wife and I dined with our friend who was doing keto/low carb & has an aversion to spicy food. Our server was so accommodating and considerate to her needs, all with great humor and aplomb. He was serving the whole restaurant by himself with a smile on his face. We ordered the veggie momos, mung bean pancake, and a variety of curries. I got the roti bread on the side and it was so thick and lush with butter. Everything was made to order so it took a little longer than anticipated but with the wait. I would definitely eat here again! read more

Kathmandu Restaurant - Beautiful decor! - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Albany, California

Our new favorite Nepalese restaurant! Food was awesome, warm ambiance, service top notch- owners felt like family. Highly recommend!

Great restaurant, great food, great service! Definitely recommend. Thukpa, momos, potato bamboo curry, veg curry , cauliflower Manchurian, Veg Hakka noodles... every dish is just awesome. read more

This place is such a staple to the Albany community. We get food here regularly for our special occasions. Daniel and his family do a wonderful job!! read more

We've lived in Albany for the last 7 years and Kathmandu is like a second home. Anytime friends are visiting out of town or even from across the bridge we always introduce them to this hidden gem. This place is family owned and operated and their food just screams that it's made with love. 100% recommend. read more

Smallest momos i ever seen with watered down sauce. Im not sure if the cook was different today but food was terrible

I've tried all Nepalese restaurants in the East Bay and Kathmandu is by far the best. They are family owned and were extremely friendly and welcoming throughout the entire meal. Where to start with the food. Every dish was exploding with flavors. Started off with Momos that melted in your mouth (Highly recommend)! I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. We left with full bellies and we will definitely be back soon! 10/10 would recommend read more

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A good friend took me here... but not here... because we were trying to go for a Laotian Fusion meal. Funnily enough, he opened the door for me, we walked in, were seated, had menus, when he looked around and said "This isn't the right place". Somebody forgot his pills. So we asked for recommendations... ordered... and it was really good, actually. A bit pricey, but that's standard for the neighborhood. Mine was a bit salty as well, though I like salty food so it wasn't problematic. read more

This hidden gem has been around since 1995, even though after 4 years in Berkeley I came across it for the first time a few days ago. The food here was wonderful, and the chai is really authentic. I came in here because I was craving some momos - the chicken momos here are delicious. We also got the thukpa (tibetan noodle soup) and a curry. The curry was pretty good, it was a chicken based curry but I am forgetting the name of it now. Will definitely be back, and will be recommending this restaurant to others. The service was great, our server was knowledgeable and the food came out really fast. The interiors are cozy and there is street parking available outside. read more

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My first time trying Tibetan food! I will say the food is probably 3.5 stars. My friend and I ordered a vegetable dish and lamb dish. These were pretty decent, and came with brown rice which was flavorful. Service was good and food came promptly. I took off 2 stars because the portion sizes were extremely small, and I felt that the portions were not reasonable for the price. The lamb dish came with about 5-6 small pieces of lamb, and the vegetable dish was super small. I was not expecting American sized portions, but I also wasn't expecting to be hungry after dinner. We were also charged $5 per plate of rice, and I would say there was about half a cup of rice on each plate. It was a tad ridiculous the portion sizes, and I wasn't happy about it. read more

The smell of spices and deliciousness will hit you when you reach a block of the restaurant and your tummy will beg for food. We had the chicken momos as an appetizer and the variety of dipping sauces were so delicious. Momos are like fat hearty xiao lung baos. For dinner we got 2 dishes - a chicken and a salmon. (chicken #4 and salmon #3). Both dishes, while very tasty, seemed identical ... with just a different type of meat. The chicken actually took up the sauce better than the salmon. Basmati rice and roti's were the carbs. So yummy and such friendly service. Cozy ... though it could easily get cramped on a busy evening. They water was straight from the tap (which generally doesn't bother me) and tasted terrible (metalic and hard) ... I wish they'd filter it. read more

My vegan friend and her husband love this place, and I really really wanted to like it, too., but I couldn't muster up the love. We paid a return visit with them a few years later hoping to find some gems on the menu. My boyfriend and I avoided the chicken entrees which we had tried before and ordered several appetizers. They tasted the same! Both had very similar spicing and similar ingredients. Some other friends had ordered the entrees (and barely touched them) which we didn't like on a previous visit and I discovered that the taste was again, very similar to my appetizers. I would be OK with this if I liked the spicing and flavors, but I really didn't. Granted, I haven't had a lot of Nepalese or Tibetan food, so perhaps my palate isn't as sophisticated to appreciate or differentiate between dishes. However, I did enjoy a past visit to Cafe Tibet more (and it was significantly cheaper), though it didn't blow me away either. The one bright spot in our meal were our vegetarian momos (sort of like dumplings or potstickers to the uninitated) which we thought were just OK and are sort of overrated in general. My friends that love the place simply ordered a couple plates of momos and the lentil soup, and I think if I end up here in the future (hopefully not though) I will take this route. However, we did call ahead of time for a table for 6 (it's a very small place and decorated very nicely by the way). They took our reservation (for 15 minutes later) and assured us a table would be ready. We arrived to find that no table was ready and they seated us at a long table where we only had chairs at the ends and along one side because another table's occupied chairs were almost butting up to our table. It was a very uncomfortable seating arrangement to say the least. read more

I have been to the Kathmandu Restaurant over a dozen times in the last 20 years. While the food has always been passable for Nepali cooking, the service has always remained the poorest I have ever received in a Nepali restaurant. Having spent a large chunk of my life in Nepal and around Nepali folk, I have formed the opinion that the food offered is also not a very good representation of the cuisine of Nepal. I was first in Nepal 1987 and stayed several years at a time on non-tourist visas after that working and studying at Tribhuvan University, in Kathmandu. I completed an Nepal Development Service (NDS) Village Profile on one occasion. Later, I married a Nepali woman (Newar) and have a Nepali-American son. So, I am not unknowing about Nepal, its history, language, culture, and cuisines. The reason that it is not representative of Nepal is in a large degree due to its inability to do more than prepare variants of Indian-style cuisine, or 'ripoff' other Nepali cuisines, but without the knowledge necessary to make more than mediocre imitations. This may be due to its owners/operators, who appear to be from the ruling class and not that of the average populace. Newars are the original inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and were only 'recently' (thanks in large part to the British several hundred years ago) invaded, subjugated and oppressed by the current Shah dynasty (from India originally). Newar food should be more prevalent to be called the Kathmanu Restaurant, IMHO. Momos are a Newar tradition and it is nice to see them on the menu. But, the momos served are a far cry from the traditional momos you can find throughout Kathmandu in Newar-run restaurants, and of course people's homes. Nor are the other ethnic minorities well represented. No major Sherpa, Tamag, or Gurung cuisine is available. So, even as far as Nepal's cuisines go, the styles represented are mainly those the ruling class likes (e.g. momos) and the rest is just plain rip-off from Indian-style. For a real Nepali meal here in the Bay Area there is only one place I have found, run by a man that opened and runs an orphanage on the side (Shrawan Nepali), that meets my standards. It is called 'A Taste of the Himalayas' and is located on Lombard Street in San Francisco. I would not go anywhere else at this point. Oh, the main thing that turned me off entirely is that they refuse to speak Nepali with most customers with a 'light' complexion. I love Nepal and spent years learning its language. But, since I am in America I cannot use it as often as I would like. While most Nepali restaurants are flattered and honored that someone is trying to speak Nepali (or their own language, like Newar [Nepal Bhasa]), these folks acted even more arrogant than before speaking. And, on one occasion, I had to leave due to the overbearing waiter and waitress (I think they might have been the owners) with their attitudes, comments and inexcusable lack of tact in being a service business. A total turn off. Look elsewhere for good Nepali food. read more

We went to Kathmandu Restaurant during Solano Stroll. It's Nepalese & Tibetan cuisine. They are not normally open for lunch on Sun, but they opened for Solano Stroll. They had a special menu for Solano Stroll. There was only 1 other table eating inside, so it was nice eating inside - tables & chairs & not having to eat standing up. We got: Veggie Momos - 5pcs for $5. I thought they were a bit doughy & something in there was crunchy probably nuts. Just ok, sauce was ok too, not spicy. Combo of chicken & veggies $5 with rice. Rice were thought was not tender enough, chicken & veggies average. We paid Cash. One unisex bathroom - had to ask for toilet paper, toilet didn't flush. Hrs: Weekdays 5-9:30p Fri & Sat 5-10p Sun 5-9pm read more

It amazes me how ethnically diverse the types of cuisine is offered along Solano Avenue. There truly is a little bit of everything for everyone. With so many options, I honestly did not know what I wanted. Part of me wanted wings from Bowl'd, the other part of me wanted Zachary's but my Yelp instinct told me to try something new. After much consideration, I decided to try a whole new cuisine, Himalayan. Surprisingly, there are several restaurants in the area that serve up Himalayan food. My gut told me to give Kathmandu a try. I showed up last night around 7:00pm and to my amazement it was completely empty. Part of me felt sad that no one was there and had me questioning my choice but I sat down with conviction. After browsing the menu, I did not know what to order. I asked the lady, who I assumed was the owner, what were her recommendations. She asked me a few questions and finally suggested the #6 from the lamb section. 6.Khashi Ko Chhwela: A very special smoked lamb marinated in hot and spicy with pieces of onion; served room temperature. $14.95. Each dish is served with a choice of basmati rice,or brown rice, a roti and dall, special tomato achar yogurt sauce and pickles. The lamb itself was tender, quite flavorful and generous. The complexity of the spices and seasonings on the lamb served with the fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley) and aromatics (onions, ginger, green onion) worked well in harmony. Fair warning, the dish can stain your clothes so eat cautiously. Number two, when heating up leftovers heat it up just to room temperature, if its too hot the aromatics become too aggressive and leave a harsh burn in your mouth. Last but not least, the overabundance of raw onions and herbs can leave your mouth overwhelmed and not kissable but in small doses it pairs great with the lamb. They also use this unique spice, black in color, slight bitter notes with a crunchy bite. It imparted an interesting flavor and texture to the dish. At first, I found it off putting but it slowly did grow on me. I also ordered a half order of Momo: steam dumplings filled with choice of chicken or lamb or vegetables half(5pcs) $5.95 full (9 pcs) $9.95. I opted for chicken since this is their most popular. It reminded me a lot of a potstickers but with a thinner wrapping. The meat was juicy and flavorful, well worth ordering again. The décor is lovely and adds a quaint charm to the overall atmosphere. I can tell that the owner takes pride in what she serves and consider myself luck enough to be served a meal from her kitchen. Overall Thoughts Kathmandu is a genuine mom and pop shop serving authentic, flavorful home made fare at a reasonable price read more

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Chicken Momo was amazing. Waitress was super nice and friendly. The chicken #7 dish and the vegetarian dish with bamboo shoots were also excellent read more

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Food is still great with some dishes I can't find elsewhere in the Bay Area or LA. The owner remembered my special requests (more dall to go with the brown rice, no added salt) for the veg Dall Bhat, my favorite dish here. read more

Kathmandu Restaurant - Vegetable Dall Bhat - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Albany, California

Kathmandu is a family restaurant located on Solano Street in Albany, which serves the best Nepalese food I have ever tasted. The staff is very friendly, the atmosphere is relaxed and the food is tasty. Whenever I need to relax and enjoy a family style meal without a fuss, I bring some friends and go there. read more

I haven't written a review for awhile, but I have to give this place a shout after an phenomenal dinner experience. The food and service were fantastic. I ordered the Salmon curry and garlic naan, which were both outstanding. My girlfriend ordered a vegetarian dish, which we shared and was not only amazing in its own right, but paired perfectly with my salmon curry (the waiter had advised us that the two dishes would compliment each other). When we mentioned it was our first time there, the waiter brought out some lamb dumplings on the house. He also recommended an IPA I had never heard of, which was tasty, crisp and super refreshing. We chatted with the owner for awhile. I believe his name was Danny? He was extremely friendly and personable. I will definitely be back to this place for another tasty, healthy meal. read more

We decided to try this little place after living in the neighborhood for 18 years, and now I'm so sad that I've been missing out on it all this time! We had a really wonderful meal. I had the Moo Ken (traditional lentil soup) and the Kathmandu special beans. Both dishes were wonderfully flavorful and satisfying. The meal was very inexpensive, and the server was absolutely lovely. Highly recommend! read more

I'm not even sure where to start with my love for Kathmandu... The restaurant is owned and run by an incredibly friendly and kind family from Nepal. We have gotten to know the owners and their children that help run the restaurant and I always feel as though I'm a guest in their home rather than eating out at a restaurant. As other reviews have mentioned, the environment is very cozy, small, and filled with character. Yes, there may be a typo or two on the menu and yes, it may be a bit warm, but that's because it's real life. The food is outstanding. We've never tried the meat dishes, but the Palachha tofu curry and the Kathmandu Specialty (19 bean curry) are out of this world. Every time, the dishes are a tiny bit unique, demonstrating the from-scratch glory that is their authentic Nepalese food. The flavors are so simple and yet so wonderful. Again, I feel like I'm a guest for dinner rather than ordering a meal that tastes the exact same every single time. Their house-made rice beer is so delicious - I'd never had it before they recommended it and it's a super unique and awesome flavor. Definitely recommended. So, if you're looking for authentic Nepalese food made fresh by a super sweet family, you will love Kathmandu. If you're looking for a sterile, Americanized and corporat-ized restaurant, you should take your perfection-seeking self somewhere else. I can't wait to eat my leftover curry tomorrow! Also, shout out to their imports store where they sell awesome things made by their friends and family in Nepal. You can find them there during the day and making delicious meals at their restaurant at night. read more

The Dahl and Momos here are so delicious. This place has a cozy feel to it, like you've been invited into a Nepalese home. The owner and his staff are attentive and conversational. I had a special batch of their thown, Nepali rice wine, and it was delicious! Definitely worth the trip. You must try this place! read more

I have been here several times and meant to post a review much earlier. I'm so sorry I don't remember the owner's name. My first dealing with him was at his import store on Telegraph in Berkeley where he helped me understand what good incense was and what bad incense was and why it gave me a headache ;) He was friendly and gracious with his information when I was only buying a small little package. Kathmandu is his lovely small family restaurant in Albany on Solano Ave. It is heaven to eat there. I'm not kidding. I am typically very picky about service and food and expect a lot from my money. The food was delicious and the owner and his family who work the restaurant are delightful. Give this small, under-stated, reasonably priced restaurant a try and ask the owner or his kids about their latest trip to Nepal. You will not be disappointed. read more

It's true what they say that the food often tastes better accompanied by the people it's shared with. I had the pleasure of dining with a certain gentleman of the handsome type at Kathmandu in Albany. For those of you San Francisco inbreeds, like me, who rarely venture across that big gray bridge people often mistaken for the Golden Gate, Albany is not in New York. It's a tiny city only 15 minutes away from downtown SF. And within this tiny city, you'll find a tiny family-owned Nepalese/Tibetan restaurant called Kathmandu. At Kathmandu, they serve up delicious dishes reminiscent of foods from other cultures. Here's what I had and what it reminded me of: Chicken Momo (like a xiao lung bao or dumpling) - moist and delicious, though I expected a mouthful of hot broth to explode and burn in my mouth. Salmon Curry (like a Thai seafood curry dish) - having never had salmon and curry together before, this dish satisfied the palette. Chicken Curry (like a typical curry dish you find at Indian restaurants) - the chicken was a tad dry, but the sauce had a good kick to it. I give the food at Kathmandu 3.5 stars; however, make sure you go with a handsome gentleman to make it a 5 star experience. read more

We drove pass this place many times and finally decided to give it a try. Why? It was almost 7:30pm, we were very hungry and Cafe Raj was too crowded. As we walked towards the restaurant, we could literally breathe in the smell of aromatic spices from the kitchen. Yeh, we thought we made the right choice. Luckily, it wasn't too busy and we got seated right away. I've only tried Tibetan food once at this restaurant in Berkeley but hubby never. After a short 5-minute discussion, we settled with: Appetizer #7 - Chatamari (soft rice flour bread stuffed with lightly spice chicken, potatoes and nine varieties of beans served with tomato achar) The texture of the rice flour bread was similar to the steam rice noodle ("ju cheong fun") at most dim sum places except this was thicker and nothing special without any stuffing/sauce. Nonetheless, it was appetizing when we ate them together. Too bad the garbanzo beans in the tomato achar were undercooked. Otherwise, it would be a pleasing side dish. Of course, hubby devoured the last bite of chatamari prior to the real deal. We picked one lamb entree - Luksha Shamdeh (Tibetan style lamb curry marinated in yogurt and spices cooked with potatoes and herbs) The dish was savory but not the best lamb curry I've ever had. Without the sauce, I think I could taste the gaminess. The waiter brought us the pickle onions and mint yogurt sauce as condiments. The pickle onions were too sour to my taste bud whereas the yogurt sauce was lack of flavor as if something was missing. The chicken entree - Kukhura Poleko (chicken marinated in spices for hours and charcoal-grilled) was da bomb. The grilled chicken pieces were tender crisp and well seasoned. All dinner entrees are served with saffron rice and roti (hand rolled bread) and dishes can be ordered a la carte for $3 less. To sum it all, the restaurant has a friendly and warm atmosphere nicely decorated with Himalayan pictures and scrolls. If you have a chance to try cinnamon, banana or strawberry lassi, do let me know how it tastes. It is definitely not a good place for a group of more than 4 people. The good news is they cater for private parties and free delivery with a minimum order. I was surprised to read the highly rated reviews but would probably come back to try the momo (steam dumplings) since most Yelpers raved about it so much. read more

If you know me at all, you know I average (AVERAGE!) a 70-hour week--what with my full time job in California, my part time job in Utah and my volunteer (read: "collecting good karma") gig. And, then, you might also know that many of my social engagements seem somehow to be connected to work lately as well. Tonight, for example... instead of going out to dinner with my (much-missed) friends, I took my employees out. The experience was so fantastic and pleasant, I almost forgot that I was at a thinly-veiled work thing masquerading as a social outing. On our table: lamb curry, chicken momos, a dish with 19 different varieties of beans and salmon with tomato achar. Every bite was fantastic! The curries were the proper blend of spicy, savory and bitter, the basmati rice was fluffy and filling, and the naan was warm and house-made! Delicious! The proprietor is also the host and server.... and somehow involved in the goings-on in the kitchen. He is wonderfully attentive and nice, with a great sense of humor. At some point, he found out that a few of us at the table like really spicy food and brought out a dish on the house. *SO* spicy and yummy! And since my favorite flavor is "free," I was, of course, completely won over. A great meal at a great price--totally worth a visit to snooty, entitled, white, Berkeley-hippified Solano Ave. read more

We LOVE Kathmandu Restaurant. I can taste the pride this lovely family has by how fresh and flavorful everything is. ( and so what that I'm ending my sentence with a preposition ) One of the sons was showing us the cute picture of himself when he was only 4, along with his 2 sibs. The family is enterprising. They also have a deli and a place on Telegraph, geared to the University crowd. Their chia is my favorite. It tastes like creamy rice pudding. The naan is light and scrumptious, all the dishes we had were superb, and the service was incredible. read more