Taste of the Himalayas
Category: Himalayan/Nepalese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow2420 Lombard St
(between Divisadero St & Scott St)
San Francisco, CA 94123 (415) 674-9898
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 4:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat 4:30 p.m.-1:00 a.m. - Parking: Street
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
161 Reviews for Taste of the Himalayas
One of Taste of the Himalayas' Favorite Reviews
Hands down one of the best restaurants I've ever been to in my entire life. I have not been impressed like this by a restaurant for a long long time.
Decor: lovely, alot of beautiful fabrics and Buddha designed fixtures, clean, pretty, comfortable
Ambiance: inviting, relaxing with great music selection that matches the restaurant, cozy
Service: friendly yet very professional, the staff treats you as if you are a family member
Food: stunningly amazing. We had lentil soup (10/10), chicken spinach curry(10/10), sizzling meat and fish plate(9/10), chicken dumplings(8/10), Basmati rice(10/10), garlic and basil naan(9/10), score of 56/60 or 93pts!
We got to talk to the manager and the owner, and apparently they cook for the homeless people every week. How noble. They look and smile like angels.
Thank you Taste of the Himalayas for giving us such a magical beautiful dinner. We will never forget this night.
Went to this place actually in 2006. As I remember the food is so good. I think, the food is very close to Indian food. The people are very friendly. We went in to eat so late near their closing time, but they still served us some food and even gave us free beer and played music for us! It was great service and the food is worth the try and more!
yummmieeeeeeee!!!
can't say i ever had nepalese eats before. i had the sizzling platter with chicken, shrimp and salmon with the onions and bell peppers. can, i say it was hecka good? when it first made its appearance on the table, it didn't look too filling but in reality, i was a stuff cow by the end of the evening.
I visited this restaurant the evening after San Francisco's protest of the Beijing Olympics, in no small part due to the Chinese Government's outstanding human rights violations against the Tibetan People. I found this restaurant via a previous listing as "Lhasa House", Lhasa being the religious and secular capital of Tibet.
I do agree with many people that the owner / operator is very congenial, the food is fantastic, the place is very clean and welcoming, and I felt at peace as soon as I walked in the door. The gentleman hosting us invited my partner and I to share a Hookah at a table with other guests.
I would describe the food, as naturally if you examine the political geography of the Himalayas, with Nepal, Tibet, and India, there is a lot of curry, fantastic tandoori, and unmatchable brews like "Old Monk".
I higly recommend this as a visit!
Namaste!
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Great service, the waitress was really sweet and attentive and the food was amazing. I had a fish entree with the most amazing sauce that I crave even now, months later. Definitely worth a try.
awesome food, friendly service and nice decor.
(sorry, not feeling so creative right now).
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I don't know the first thing about Nepalese food, but I'd heard so many good things about Taste of the Himalayas, that I suggested that my two best girlfriends and I eat here this evening. We looked around and tried to figure out where to sit - and we ended up sitting on the low tables on the raised platform (which looks like a stage, and probably is on some nights). Here's a tip - don't wear tight, low cut jeans when you're planning on sitting on the floor for dinner unless you're planning to give everyone a lingerie peep show. And wash your feet, cause you will probably have to remove your shoes, and no amount of incense can cover that kind of funk.
The chicken momos are fantastic. They remind me a lot of Xiao Long Bao (Shanghainese soup dumplings), but with a really tasty dipping sauce. We also ordered the Tandoori combo, the mustard greens, and the Chicken Tikka. I had no idea how similar Nepalese food and Indian food are...the Nepalese food seemed lighter and less greasy.
The experience itself is something else. The decor, the incense (which, strangely, did NOT get in the way of me being able to taste my food), the impromptu drumming and singing, and the abundantly friendly staff were absolutely delightful. On our way out, one man (I presume him to be the owner), followed us out to shake our hands and thank us again for coming, and said he'd hoped we be back soon.
A little pricier than I expected, but honestly, after reading that he donates 10% of his profits to an orphanage in Kathmandu, and also provides a place for the organization "Curry Without Worry" to cook meals for charity, the extra cost doesn't seem so bad. I will most definitely be back.
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Such a warm environment. Family owned and ran business, with serenades and drumming at your table. Very polite wait staff. Good filling selections. The momos were pipping hot. Entrees also come with lentil soup. That hit the spot on the cold night that we were here. The eggplant was oozy and great mixed with the rice. We had two chicken dishes and both were spiced well. Tandoori was sizzling hot. Generous portions equated the generosity of the people providing the meal. Oh, LARGE beers here.
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I went here with my mother who was visiting from out of town and my husband based on the rave reviews on Yelp. Normally I wouldn't try something new on a guest, esp my mom, but since it was so well rated we thought we would try it. It was hands-down the worst dining experience I've had in San Francisco since moving here 3 years ago. The service was terrible, we waited over 45 minutes for our food when the restaurant wasn't even 1/2 full, were told the "food was on the way" 30 minutes before it actually arrived on our plate. The food was mediocre, the place stuffy and overpowering with incense, and the waitstaff completely disorganized and confused. Expecting something different and unusual with Nepalese cuisine, which we'd never tried before, we were pretty disappointed with what we thought was spiced-down indian cuisine. Will never eat here again.
Until last night, I had only been here when it was Lhasa Moon, where the proprietress was also a singer. That place has great food and she was very nice.
So now it is not so much Tibetan as Nepali. A lot of times that seems too similar to North Indian to me, and since this place is a little more expensive than many of those places, maybe not worth going out of the way for just that.
The momos are excellent though, especially the dipping sauce. The staff are very friendly, and one regailed each table with a song. I don't know if this happens all the time, but a special guest, who I think was called "Tenzing Sherpa" and had climbed everest a few times, was there and joined in for a song as well. I took a picture on my phone and i'll upload it when I figure out how.
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I am giving it four stars solely for the momos. My friend ordered the KUKHURA KO TARKARI which wasn't exceptional in taste, but good nevertheless.
The decor of this place is interesting. The owner is a very nice guy and he sings a song while you're eating your meal. I found that very interesting and a fun way to get to know the people behind the awesome momos I have to say though. I live in Boston where barely any place serves up chicken momos, so I had limited comparison. But I still loved them...
Great food. The setting is very layed back and relaxed. And the servers are very friendly.
This place transports you. You will feel as though you are nestled in a cozy cafe 14,000 ft above the world in the Himalayas, surrounded by welcoming friends. The food is delicious, particularly since their new chef joined the family recently. Try the momos, with a dipping sauce made with traditional Nepalese spices. The saag paneer is also fantastic. You may be treated to traditional drumming and chanting, and, on occasion, traditional Nepalese dancing. The owner donates 10% of profits to support an orphanage (in which he lived as a child) in Kathmandu. He has a beautiful story and spirit, and it is a joy to have the privilege of dining with his company. As they say there: welcome home.
Taste of the Himalayas is like coming home to beautiful San Francisco. I'm getting chills as I write this review, thinking back over the entire meal. There were moments where I almost wanted to cry, it was such a religious experience.
The staff was very friendly and was able to accommodate a party of 15 for a couple of my friends celebrating their birthday. We worked things out with the owner so that he would bring us some of their best appetizers and entrees.
I tried two different imported beers, Flying Dog and Karma. Of the two, I'd recommend Flying Dog.
We started our meal with samosas and momos. Eat your momos with a spoon because they are filled with a little bit of juicy broth that should be savored with the dumpling. The lentil soup had a taste and texture similar to split-pea soup.
For our main course, we ordered a couple tandori mixed grills and a few different kinds of curry. The kukhura chiyau tarkari (chicken and mushroom curry) was among the best and I don't even like mushrooms!
The owner of Taste of the Himalayas is so kind-hearted. He truly wants everyone to feel warm and welcome in his establishment and prepares his food with love and pride. At a few points during our meal, he picked up a drum and began to sing a beautiful song. Were I not a heterosexual man, I would have gotten up and kissed him on the lips.
To top it all off, at the end of our meal, the owner came out with some complimentary beers and started drinking with us to celebrate the evening. Including tip AND our group of friends covering for the birthday boy and girl (seriously, how do you date someone with the same birthday as you?) we paid $25 a head for a huge meal with a couple beers each.
If you read this review and you are thinking of going to eat here, let me know, I'll meet you there.
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Just ate here, and it was absolutely worth the walk in the rain today.
No one else was there due to the storm, but the waitstaff didn't overwhelm us with attention as other ppl have complained.
The food is delicious.
Samosas - tasty!
Momos - perfectly seasoned ground chicken and herbs inside a soup filled dumpling .. very flavorful without being salty, but very VERY little soup (unlike xiao lung baos) .. if anything, I wish they would put more soup in the dumplings.
Saag Paneer - recommended by the owner, extremely flavorful and creamy, best saag paneer I've ever had.
Chicken with onion and tomato sauce - yummy with chunks of onions and tomato, not creamy as I expected.
It's a little more pricey than I thought it would be ($8.50 for dumplings, $11.50 for the entrees which were brought out in ~12oz steel bowls). It ended up being $55 for two including tea.
Definitely recommend this place though, esp for vegetarians. We are totally coming back here!
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Like others, I found the service to be painfully slow. There were about 3 other tables of diners the night I went with some friends, and it took about 45 minutes for just the salads to come out. The salads came on the side of the dinner plates, and when they came out we were expecting the food to be out immediately, since the salad took up one little area of the plate and the plate looked sadly expectant. We waited another 10 minutes before the actual food came out. The food was quite delicious, which is why I'm being generous with the stars, but we were sooo hungry by the time it came out that I can't adequately judge. Cozy decor and friendly staff, but geez was it slow!
I'm posting a long-delayed review from a visit in October, 07. We were staying in the motel row along Lombard street and walked down for dinner. I don't think I have been to many more friendly places than this. By the time we left we had met the owner, his father and all of the servers.
The quality and diversity of the Nepales cuisine has been discussed in other reviews. I'm so sorry I missed the momos. But the food we had was so good for the quality of the seasonings. I also want to make a special mention of the rice. They make it in a rice cooker, which I didn't think would make a lot of difference but they add heavy cream in the cooking. Have you ever thought of reviewing a restaurant's rice? I'm reviewing a restaurant's rice. With the cream it was especially rich but still perfectly steamed.
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I ate here for the first time last night. It is the first restaurant we have been to in the Marina area that we will be going to again. The environment was warm, a little dark, and somewhat quiet, but it was a Monday night so there weren't many other people there.
The vegetable momos were hot and tasted great. We also tried the vegetable curry and one of the lamb/spinach curries. Everything we had tasted great; we had requested mild, and it was spicy enough for us. The service was average.
I HAD to write a review for this restaurant! My boyfriend and I just got back from a great dinner at Taste of Himalayas. The owner was so nice to us and made us feel very welcome. He gave us Dal soup on the house. Very good. The wine I had was good and affordable, not to mention that the glass poured was twice the size as a normal pour. Gotta love that!
We ordered samosas which were very good. I eat these a lot so I think I have a good idea of what's good. We also had the lamb momos (dumplings) which was a new experience for me and very good. The best thing we had was chicken tandoori. The flavor was so wonderful! We also had roti (flat bread) that was excellent.
The owner sang and played a drum. It was so entertaining. When we left, the owner hugged us goodbye. The thing I loved about him was he had such a happy, kind face.
Oh yeah, it was pretty affordable. The bill was just under $40 with everything I mentioned and my boyfriend had a beer.
Went in late night for a quick bite so I didn't get to hear the live music they play. The service was okay.. the guy seemed like he didn't understand what I was asking him, but it was fairly straight foward...
I enjoyed the food and thought it was unique and would go again for dinner. I had just gotten the lamb dumplings and the somosas and the chicken appetizer(which was the best of the three). The somosas were decent but nothing special. Good value for the money and a unique environment.
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2 1/2 Stars
My biggest pet peeve?
Being neglected by a restaurant's wait staff when there's hardly any other customers in sight.
Went here w/ my co-worker on our lunch break and had the hardest time making it out of there within an hour. We waited an eternity for our food and had to literally get up and ask for our bill. I didn't know it was possible to get such slow service when there's a whole family there to wait on you & no other customers around...
Other than the crummy service, the food for the most part, was delicious. The chicken curry had just the right amount of spices & flavor and the Momos tasted great with their curry-like sauce. Their Garlic Naan was nice & soft, but a little too buttery and the yogurt cucumber dip that accompanied it, was super watery.
One oddball thing that happened- our server asked us if we wanted more naan immediately after she served it. Seeing as how we hadn't had the chance to eat any yet, we decided to decline her generous offer. However, she came back w/ more Naan on the house. Err, thanks? We were so confused, but ended up taking it back to the studio for our co-worker.
Though decorated w/ lots of pictures & bright colors, the place was a little on the drab side, but I think it was mainly due to the fact that it was a reeeally slow lunch hour and the poor Lombard St. lighting.
Their Curry & Momos were so good that those alone entice me to give Taste of the Himalayas another chance.
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OMG, so good! I must have had 7 full glasses of water during my meal. Spicy is the only way to go.
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I have never had lentil soup like this, it was the best thing i have experienced in a very long time.
all the food was wonderful. The Naan is also especially tasty.
Since i live around the corner we decided to get it to go, but the decor is cute and it is definitely worth eating in the restaurant.
The people are so ridiculously nice even if the food sucked i might go back.
This will be a regular spot for me.
Very tasty food! Admittedly, when I first walked in here it was after a few martini's and I thought I was going to a totally different restaurant - however it was worth the stumble in. Good food - you can get your food as spicy as you like, but if you are like me & like light spices, they can do that also. Great prices too!
I had a great dining experience here. The food was great! I loved the samosas, lentil soup, the chicken curry, the spinach with deep fried cheese curry, and the naan. The chicken tandoori was okay. I had to dip the chicken with the spinach curry to make it good.
The service was excellent. We had a free lentil soup and the tandoori was on the house because we ordered lamb, not chicken. Very nice owner!
Highly recommended.
We had a delicious dinner here last night. We enjoyed the chicken momos, the chicken saag, the Kukhura Tikka, garlic naan, and the complimentary lentil soup and basmati rice, as well as the Karma beer. We had way too much food and next time would drop the chicken saag - but we'd still need two of the lentil soups, which were delicious. The Momos were amazing, I can't wait to also try the veggie momos and lamb momos. Loved the tomato dipping sauce. They're just like soup dumplings or Xiao Long Bao, although with a little less brothiness. The garlic naan smelled just like garlic bread, so flavorful, and was the perfect crispiness on the outside. The saag was okay, not as creamy as at Indian restaurants, but good spiciness and flavor. The Tikka was absolutely fabulous, and I can't wait to get it again. They had a big group in so service was slow but everyone was very sweet. We can't wait to go back again and bring friends here, a real find thanks to Yelp!
Some of the friendliest and most gracious people I have ever met. I love the food, and the service is always just great. I look forward to eating here once a month at least.
Amazing! Their dumplings are to die for! Great atmosphere, attentive wait staff, and even some singing and drumming by the owner.
I can't believe I have walked by this place almost every day for a year and a half but never ate here. I really liked it. The service was simple and attentive. I liked that they support charity, it's not all about making money to them! The food was yummy, yummy, yummy! The naan rocked my world! Just plain naan and I loved it!! Everything was flavorful and fantastic! My favorite was the saag paneer (sp?) so freaking good! I will totally stop by more often.
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For all the great reviews they have, they still won't tell you why you really need to go there.
It is a church of the full belly and the big heart.
Me and my girl wandered in drawn by Yelp, and ended up completing our meal with a round of really cool traditional Nepalese music (you can even dance to it... the beat is kinda like reggaeton), and a long discussion of love, metaphysics, the the nature of the spirit.
This is more than great food. It is what a restaurant is supposed to be. It's an experience you cannot replicate at home, but wish you could.
I DO NOT recommend the lunch buffet! Sure it's only $7.50, but the items were all really bland and there were not a lot of choices. The tandoori chicken, however, was pretty good and there was quite a lot of meat on the bones (just like me). I'll still come back for dinner cuz I loved the palak paneer they have at the restaurant in Sonoma, but I won't be back for lunch!
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It's not about the food here, though I admit our meal was fantastic. It's about the total experience. This place was an absolute breath of fresh air. Our waiter never turned his back on us (literally) when leaving the table. He even sang and played music to everyone's table. He talked about the orphanage in Nepal that I believe they started (or at least contribute to). My sister was leaving for a vacation to Nepal that next day and asked his advice on what to do...the response was unexpected but so very right on: "Just be there". In our fast-paced world, it's nice to truly be taken care of, enjoy a wonderful meal, and it was very reasonably priced to boot!
Kudos to you Taste of the Himalayas -- I shall return soon!
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I had a taste of Taste of the Himalayas when I stopped in for lunch last week. I had just come from a yoga class and was famished, and even though they were about to close their lunch buffet, they let me in. I am not a "buffet person" by nature (I don't like to see food sitting around or share utensils with the world), but everything was very fresh, and even at the last minute they were still cooking and bringing dishes out.
Everything that I tried was delicious, full of herbs and flavor, and not too oily or heavy. There was a daal dish, tender and moist tandoori chicken, veggies, rice, etc. Very, very filling, though, especially with the huge bread basket that they brought me (the bread is fantastic and I am embarrassed to say how many pieces I ate! But I did do many downward dogs beforehand, so.....)
I was not rushed and able to finish my meal peacefully, even though they were clearly in the process of closing for the afternoon.
Gosh, I really ate a lot, now that I think of it. For $7.95, not only did I have a taste of the Himalayas, I think I ATE the Himalayas!
My only regret is that I have yet to try the Momo's, so stay tuned for an update soon....
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The food here is very good! Excellent momos and samosas, and the puri was quite tasty. Lots of vegetarian choices, too.
Only 4 stars though because the service was a little strange. The waiter didn't speak much English and there was only 1 cook that day, so he was trying to explain what items on the menu they could make and what they couldn't, but we had no idea what he was saying. He was super nice, though, and gave us free puri.
Also, the bathrooms are really icky. I don't understand why because the place was closed for "remodeling" for a whole week. The place doesn't look remodeled. Maybe redecorated, but definitely not remodeled.
Taste of the Himalayas = unconditional love. It is warm and inviting, and you instantly feel welcome. The menu begins with a letter from the owners explaining the various charitable causes to which some of your money will be going, and also mentioning their use of environmentally friendly take-out packaging. I appreciate communication like that from the places I eat, and environmentally friendly take-out packaging earns a start on its own in my book! As for the food, if you like mild chai, I suggest you try the Himalayan Spiced Tea, and, if you like Saag, I highly recommend the Saag Paneer at a medium spiciness. It is the best I've ever had. And then there's the waitstaff, who are the embodiment of kindness. The older gentleman, who I can only assume was the owner, was committed to making our experience a memorable one, including singing a song above unconditional love, and rushing to shake our hands as we left after our delicious meal. If I recall correctly, he was inviting us to come again, and you can bet that I will do just that. In fact, I found the experience to be so wonderful that I intend to bring anyone visiting me in San Francisco (and locals who haven't been) out to the Marina for a Taste of the Himalayas.
Wow. OK.
So Taste of the Himalayas is getting some hardcore love here on Yelp. That's totally cool. The reason I came here was based on the overwhelmingly positive Yelp reviews.
I can't join that chorus, man. Taste of the Himalayas is not bad food. It's just not extraordinary. It's not entirely memorable.
Plus it's in the Marina and homey don't play there. I can't dig the neighborhood.
Another thing, OK yeah. We were, like, the only people there for dinner, but that doesn't mean that I need constant attention from the waitstaff. Way too much for my taste.
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I had a good dinner last night with a fellow Yelper and a new foodie interested in Nepalese food.
So We all ordered Veg. food. YES!, I can also be a veg when there is a need to be one.
The restaurant is well decorated, prayer flags and artifacts make you feel you have stepped into Nepal (I am guessing as I have not been to Nepal).
The owner is very friendly and is good with hospitality. He serenades you with his Hindi/Nelapi Songs which I can understand a bit.
The food:
We ordered Pakoras
Veg Momos
Chana Dish
Aloo Bhanti (Egg plant dish)
Naan
Except for the Oily Pakoras that were really Oily, the food was good.
The Veg Momos were the highlight and I am glad that I had the veg option, I got to break bread with a friend who is veg. The Chana was good and Eggplant dish was also good.
Needless to say, I chowed down a lot of food and then took the leftovers home, I am just Cheeep and can use all the leftovers I have.
No Dessert for us.
The other two on the table seemed to like the food.
Recommend: Yes, it is certainly not Indian
Will I go back: Yes, I will.
Romantic: Yes, it is. Try getting the table on the floor.
Why 3 STARS:
Pakoras were too oily!
They forgot Raita and charged us for it.
Food was good.
Note: to Owner, I liked the incense touch, you do have to note that some people might not like the strong smell. Thanks for your hospitality. I will be back with few more people.
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"Come on people now, smile on your brothers, everybody get together and try to love one another right now..."
Forget the war in Iraq and all of the world's other mind numbing problems and concerns, at least for the hour or two you spend here at Taste of the Himalayas. Not only does TOTH serve the most delicious and authentic Napalese food in San Francisco, but they also serve it with soul and a heart-felt warmth I have never experienced before while dining.
TOTH is good for your health and great for the soul! Come here once and I promise you will come again... and again!
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TOTH is a little slice of paradise on a street that offers few other legitimate food options. The rice was fluffy, the assorted tandoori was spot on, the price was reasonable, the crowd was fun and unassuming. Add a beer to the mix, or a mango lassi, and you end up with 5 stars. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow!
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I do support the owner.
I admire the man very much.
He brings his food to a shelter for homeless people.
What a man.
I had an awesome dinner last night with my good friends.
Great dishes and conversation.
Waitresses and waiters are very nice, smile all the time and are hard working people.
Great flavor, bit spicy, not too oily.
To be honest with you, I didn't know anything about Himalayan food
but I didn't need to.
Simply, they have Good Food.
I'll go back.
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