- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Cafe Tibet
Rating Details »
- Nearest Transit:
-
Cortelyou Rd (Q)
Newkirk Ave (Q, B)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- None
13 reviews for Cafe Tibet
Grabbed takeout from Cafe Tibet last night to take to a bar. The place has a very friendly vibe, thanks to the sweet owners. They quoted me a 15 minute wait and let me sit with a hot ginger honey tea while I waited - it turned out to be less than 15 minutes, a pleasant surprise.
I ordered the hot and spicy soup, potato and chana vegetable sides, and an order of sha-baklap (beef patties). The soup was just the right thing on a cool evening - relatively spicy and full of minced chicken and veggies, accompanied by swirls of egg. The potatoes and chickpeas were perfectly spiced (and quite spicy). The sha-baklap were wonderful though quite messy to eat, dripping beef juice after each bite. And the tea was perfect - fresh slivers of ginger floating with a lemon slice, balanced with a good slug of honey.
A friend who tasted some of the dishes said they had written off Tibetan food as subpar until trying this stuff.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
A find tucked next to the Cortelyou Q stop. (So I needed Yelp to find it, but it's found now.) In warm weather, there are a few tables outside, overlooking the train tracks, and even at those tables, it's a serene little place. Also, cheap and good.
I had no experience with Tibetan food, but the menu includes descriptions, and you can always order by the number if you're afraid of attempting a pronunciation. There are plenty of meat and vegetarian options, spicy or not. Most menu options include rice or bread or some sort of salad/slaw, and few entrees exceed $10. There are appetizers and desserts on the menu as well. It's BYOB, and (as mentioned below) the deli next door has a great beer selection. I've tried several dishes, and haven't found something yet I didn't like.
Four stars instead of five for having to get up and ask for something (check, extra glass, napkin, etc.) each time I've been there because my table was a little neglected. But since the atmosphere is so calm and laid-back, I haven't really minded.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
I am beginning to doubt Robert Sietsema's sagacity more intensely. I'll need to revisit the restaurant at some point and possibly amend this review, but as of now, Cafe Tibet is little more than a pleasant spot. The highly touted momos were a bit congealed on the outside. The vegetarian dumplings were eminently unsatisfactory, though the chicken and beef versions were more to my liking. The beef momo is brothy and redolent of garlic and ginger (though still too dry and doughy on the outside).
I was encouraged by a mug of butter tea, which really was delicious. An acquired taste, perhaps, but a good one. I kind of suspect I'd be more satisfied with the soups. The guys who run the place have definitely mastered some principles of cooking and flavor, so I'd not be surprised if the tsam-thuk soup is delicious. For an ostensible "specialty," however, the momos are a disappointment.
Admittedly, I had never eaten Tibetan food before coming here, but my life is just a little bit richer now that I have. The momos are great -- try the combination platter with chicken, beef, and vegetables. I've also had a spicy beef-thingy with white rice which is great. The portions are just right -- they don't give you more than you can eat in one meal, but you won't go hungry. And the waitstaff are very friendly and will patiently answer your many questions about this cuisine.
I think if you were not looking for this place, then you would probably walk-on by. It is wedged in between the train station and a very narrow entrance way. They have two tables outside, but I think hearing the train pass by every minute would disrupt my meal so I ate inside instead. They have about 4 tables inside with eclectic relics from Tibet. I could really sense the Tibetan culture with the decor and the monk chanting music.
The waitress was helpful. My bf and I started off with the beef momos and they were delicious. The momos have a thicker skin than regular dumplings, but they were filled with savory goodness nonetheless. They are oozing with delicious juicyness inside, but the skin helps to deflect the heat from the meat-filling. I had the vegetable thienthuk broth soup. The noodles were a bit different than what I was used to, and they were not consistent like long-strand noodles should be. I would have preferred the broth to have a lot more punch in flavor, but it was quite mild. The waitress gave us sauce to modify the level of heat intensity. My bf had some sort of chicken dish which reminded me of eating Indian food. It was like a sample of a small dishes with a salad, potatoes, chicken, and etc. He told me the potatoes were cold, but the chicken was very soft. I would definitely come back for more.
By the way, it's cash only no credit.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
Let me tell you about thenthuk -- It's become my new comfort food. I can't seem to go two weeks without having it, especially in colder soup weather. It's a traditional Tibetan soup made with 1-inch square doughy noodles that remind me of southern-chicken-and-dumplings dumplings (the rolled kind, not the spoon-dropped kind). They put a little cottage cheese in the broth which, combined with the doughyness of the noodles, makes the broth slightly creamy. Fresh vegetables, and then they add chicken or beef if you like. I ask for some of the chili sauce to add to spice it up a little.
Service can be a little slow, but it's worth the wait. Delivery is fast and efficient. It's BYO, and you can hop into the adjoining bodega and pick from a diverse beer collection (by the bottle or six-pack).
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (1)
On this very rainy evening, we had to push past subway riders using the attached grocery store's awning for cover. At the back of the grocery is a small, unmarked door, and once past two more curtains, we discovered what had been hiding from us all along. I likened the small pleasure to a mini search for Shangri-La, and any paradise that I was looking for would obviously have delicious food.
Looking over the menu does not tell you much unless you are familiar with Tibetan food, as most of the interesting items only have their Tibetan name. We were not shy to ask, and the very friendly waitress told us everything we needed to know, and probably too much as we ended up with much more food than we needed.
The tasty Thukpa, a traditional noodle soup came out as inviting as I could imagine, dressed with it's lovely orange broth, as well as red and green peppers, peapods, spinach, and carrots. The dish was good, but maybe looked too good for what was actually possible, and did not have quite the explosion of taste I was expecting. The other main course was Shogo Ngopa, described as spicy fried potato and spinach. This is an accurate enough description, but the delight of the dish was the accompanying Tibetan bread, which I used for dipping in the sauces and broths of everything we ordered.
And of course, no Tibetan meal is complete without Momos, a type of dumpling, and another staple of Tibetan cuisine. We saw a group of five men sit down together and order what must have been 2 plates of 8 momos per person. It seemed like every table in the tiny place had at least one order.
We were thoroughly plumped from eating way too much, but could not resist the Dreysil, a sweet rice dessert with white and black raisins interspersed. Near the end of our meal, a monk strolled into the restaurant, sat down and ordered, and somehow gave the place the final nod of approval it did not really need in the first place.
We smiled in acknowledgment and already had our minds on the next visit as we left.
People thought this was:
- Cool (2)
Oh Tsam-thuk soup. You have been my lover on many a cold and wintery nights. Sadly, summer is coming. Perhaps this was a seasonal fling, and you will no longer be desired on humid New York nights. Instead of dreading the future though, let's remember the past. So many mutual smiles at the first whiff. Loving splatters and flirtatious aftertastes. Same place next year?
OH yeah and the kind folks that work at Cafe Tibet are pleasant and play a mean game of pool at nextdoor Solo.
Ok, this was the first time that I have ever had Tibetan, so I have little to compare it to, but the food at Cafe Tibet was great, kind of a mix between Chinese and Indian. The restaurant is right next to the Cortelyou Road subway station. The inside is a very small dining room, that seats maybe 20 people. Tried the Combo Momo plate (chicken, beef, and vegetable dumplings), the sha-baklap (like a big meatball wrapped and fried in dough), the sweet and spicy soup, and the spicy chickpeas.
Everything tasted very fresh and the prices are fairly low (only 1 thing over $10). And if you like spicy, ask for the extra hot sauce which lived up to its name.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
I've long heard tell of the momo's hidden behind the asian bodega, by the cortelou subway stop. they'd since acquired this grand epicurean romanticism in my mind: the undiscovered fort hamilton nepalese treat. something to remind me of my time there 15 years ago. a food that would bring back all the hidden memories of my childhood, to ease the pains of my youth. it was all incredibly built up.
and, instead, it was just a dumpling. a mixed combo plate of dumplings, to be precise. (and not even nepalese! whoops!)
they were decent -- the spicy chicken was easily my favorite. (the vegetable dumplings were like a poor dimsum offering; the beef dumplings felt inappropriate for a non-beef eating nation.) the dough was thicker than I would have liked, but they were also freshly made to order, and steaming hot. (on the topic of hot, the mild sauce is hot enough. the "super hot" sauce is just silly.)
the hot honey ginger tea was fantastic. looked like a pre-war cocktail. tasted like warmth and love.
Only ordered delivery from here...
The momo's (dumplings) were good..tried the combo one so I got to try them all. The least favorite of mine were the chicken momo. The Sha momo (minced beef) were great. Another stand out is the Sha Baklap (tibetan beef patties) which are fried dumplings filled with meat...they have this great juice locked inside of them that likes to make a mess when you eat it...try not to let it drip too much, that stuff is delicious. It is hot though, and somewhat uncomfortable if it drips onto your hand.
Their fried rice is nothing special...probably a less bland than what you'd get at a random Chinese take out. Hot sauce helped it out a bit. The cafe tibet thali with lamb was good...a solid meal in one order, but careful when getting it delivered - one time the container with the lentil soup in it broke and soup was all over everything. Delivery is also kind of slow. But where else can you find Tibetan food?
i've been in here a few times, it's a very cute spot and the people who work there are, in my experience, very friendly. i don't really know much about tibetan food, and couldn't tell what most of it was, but it all looked pretty good. last time i was there i ordered beef dumplings, which are AMAZING, and while i waited i asked for a taste of some spicy potato dish. he gave me a whole plate of it for free, and it was delicious. great addition to the neighborhood. they also have a full sushi menu, which is rather on the expensive side. i haven't tried the sushi yet but i hear it's pretty decent.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
Any time I have to layer up to go out and brave the cold it reminds me of my trek in Nepal on the Annapurna Circuit. So I figured I'd head on over to this little narrow cafe (5 tables only) tucked behind a deli and jutting out over the western tracks of the Q stop on Cortelyou Road and check out the place's hearty menu. I knew I'd find the requisite momos, and was equally happy to see Tibetan tea (in all its butter and salt glory) on the Top Cafe Tibet menu, along with a number of soups. No garlic soup or dahl, though, which surprised me a bit as they were staples on the Tibetan side of the trail. The food takes a while to make it from the kitchen, but only because each item is made to order and arrives sizzling hot. For a first visit, had the spicy beef momo with hard-boiled egg appetizer and a bowl of the chicken, oats, tofu, spinach, garlic and onion soup. Both were terrific, as was the sweet chai tea. To add a perfect kick, ask for the Extra Spice hot sauce. Am looking forward to a return visit to further explore the menu, which includes several vegetarian dishes. On one table was a large thermos that reminded me of the "hot lemon" (boiled water with sliced lemons) my trekking partner and I used to order with every meal to warm up. Will inquire about it the next time I visit on a blistery winter day.
