Having lived in the Bay Area for fourteen years, it’s not often that a restaurant jumps to the top of my list of favorite spots. But that is what has happened with a place on Solano Avenue in Albany called Kathmandu Restaurant.
Deepak and Lila Singh opened Kathmandu Restaurant in the early 1990s as a place to serve foods local to Patan, a city just south of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, where they had lived before immigrating to the Bay Area.
Whitney and I found out about it about a year and a half ago and each time we go we leave feeling delighted and incredibly nourished.
If it’s your first time and you’re not sure what to get, I would recommend the following (largish – yum!!) order:
Appetizer:
Momo dumplings, vegetarian or your preference of meat.
The Moo Ken soup, a soul-warming, incredibly flavorful lentil soup.
The Chatamari, a mix of spiced chicken and potatoes encased in crispy rice four bread.
Main:
Chow Ra Keraw Ko Tarkari, a hearty combination of sauteéd vegetables and green beans, and/or the Vegetable Pulao, a mix of vegetables, rice, and spices.
The Palachha Tofu Curry, a luscious spinach and tofu dish. Comes with your choice of jasmine or brown rice.
Dessert
Khir, a delicately sweet rice pudding.
Drinks:
One of their Lassi drinks (they serve banana, strawberry, and cinnamon lassis).
Nepalese beer, made in-house!
When you order you will get an assortment of medium hot sauces and hot-hot sauces, as well as tamarind and yogurt. To share the recommendation we received from one of the founders’ sons, Daniel, feel free to use all of these liberally on the meal, mixing a dash of one here and a dollop of another there to add a new zing to the already fantastic mixture of flavors dancing on your palette.
Once we are able to safely return to indoor dining, you will want to go in-person to enjoy the experience. With its cozy interior, filled with tapestries, paintings, wood carvings, photographs, lanterns, and gentle music, Kathmandu restaurant is perfect for both an intimate meal as well as a celebratory gathering with a handful of friends. Images of the Singh children appear on the menu, evoking the sense that we have been welcomed into their home and are looking at a family photo album.
When Lila and Deepak Singh first opened Kathmandu Restaurant, theirs was one of the first, if not the very first, restaurant serving food from Nepal in the Bay Area. Fast forward to today and Nepalese cuisine can be found both in restaurants from the South to the North Bay as well as in the food truck scene and at festivals. Read more about their story in this SF Chronicle article.
I cannot recommend Kathmandu Restaurant enough. I always look forward to ordering out from them, and enjoy catching up with Daniel, who now heads up the restaurant.
I know that I have only scratched the surface of their menu, so please feel free to let me know if I have missed something that we have to try. Enjoy!
Call them at 510-526-3222 or find them on Door Dash.
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