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Tibetan Kitchen - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Himalayan/Nepalese Restaurants Vegetarian Himalayan/Nepalese, Vegetarian [Edit]
444 3rd Ave(between 30th St & 31st St)
New York, NY 10016
Neighborhoods: Midtown East, Kips Bay
(212) 679-6286
- Nearest Transit:
-
33 St (4, 6, 6X)
28 St (4, 6, 6X)
23 St (4, 6, 6X)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
33 reviews for Tibetan Kitchen
Review Highlights
"The vegetarian dumplings here are to die for."
(in 12 reviews)
"My favorite part (other than the tsel gya- thuk) is the..."
(in 3 reviews)
"And When the Dalai Lama visits NYC, he eats here."
(in 3 reviews)
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33 reviews in English
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Review from Jess S.
1/15/2012
I am sad to hear this closed :( ... Food was always sooo fresh. Please reopen soon!!
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Review from Samantha L.
Brooklyn, NY
6/4/2010 8 photos
Coming here was part of my whole researching Tibet, and it ended at this restaurant. Trying to find a Tibet restaurant was tough, since not many of them exist....but it should.
The outside decor of this restaurant is amazing. It looks like a monastary, and I LOVE LOVE LOVEEEE how they have a mantra above their door. It's absolutely beautiful. And from what I read, this place has been open 20 years, and is the first Tibetan restaurant in NYC. And When the Dalai Lama visits NYC, he eats here.
When you walk inside, everything is Tibetan cultured. Not so much the chairs, table and the bar, but the wall decor is. Please go here and check it out.
I didn't get much food...I was in a rush, since I had an engagement to go to, but I had the beed dumplings called Sha Momo. It came with sauerkraut, and two dipping spices. It was delicious, and I enjoyed every bite of it. The dumplings aren't small either, so you can get full off of that alone. The food here is very similar to Chinese food, so don't expect anything crazy exotic.
OH OH, Chai tea is delicious. Definitely get this before your meal.
My one complaint, was that the waitress did not seem happy with her job, and disappeared a lot and left us waiting in an empty restaurant. And came back, took our order, sat down, folded towels, and ate some doritos. Come on now!!! -
Review from Pam S.
5/24/2007
The decor freaked me out a little, but my BF said it was fun to have things to look at on the walls. Every single inch of this place is covered in a room-wide mural + hanging paintings.. very interesting.
The food is very much like Chinese but a little different. The beef noodles soup I got was quite yummy.. and when I asked the waitress if they used MSG, she got all scared-like and asked if anything was wrong.. I said, no, it just tastes good and I was wondering if it's natural. She said, yes it is natural. So I said sweet! If I owned a restaurant and people asked if I used MSG (and if I don't use it) I'd take it as a compliment! Cos' we all know MSG makes everything delicious.
The Momo (dumplings) are made with beef.. and are delicious. I'm used to pork filled ones, but beef is really quite good too. The chicken curry was also pretty good. I'll definitely be back.Listed in: Homegirl
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Review from Linda L.
San Francisco, CA
6/29/2007
My first foray in Tibetan food and loved it! Yes it is sort of like Chinese, but much milder, which I really enjoyed. My friend and I shared the veggie dumpling appetizer, a curry dish with daikon, and a tofu dish (I forget with what), and everything was delish.
My big thumbs up: the BEST CHAI I've ever tasted. If you like chai make sure to get it, and they bring it to you piping hot!
We went on a Sat night, around 7 pm, and for a good hour we were the sole party in the restaurant. Maybe it gets more crowded towards closing, but it sure could use more business. And I liked the festive decor. Would def. go back. -
Review from Jen W.
Flushing, NY
11/8/2007 5 photos
I was lucky enough to get to sample a taste of this place. They had strange hours where they were open from 12-3 and then closed, opened gain from 5-11. My friend and i were unlucky and got there at 3. We were sad, and hoped they would let us order take out. They were very friendly and let us in. They told us it would take 15min to make it, and they let us wait inside, and offered us water and such. Very friendly.
The decor was very colorful, and the ceiling was a full mural of a dragon head. Its one of the first Tibetan restuarants in nyc and has been around for 23 years. thats a long track record.
We paid for our order, and they staff there were very friendly and asked if we wanted to eat it there in the restaurant, being that they stated that these yummy dumplings had to be eaten once they were made, if you let it sit it'll get cold and it won't be as good. They let us eat the dumplings which were beef, and they had a unique taste, not like any other dumplings we had tried. It was very homestyle like, but the flavor was very different. We watched the staff eat their lunch and quietly left. We thanked them for being so nice, as it was quite cold outside, and letting us eat and try Tibetan food for the first time. A lovely place with a lovely staff. Can't wait to try out the rest of the menu. -
Review from Chetan P.
Manhattan, NY
12/29/2007
The staff and service is very nice and they seem extremely humble. It's hard to give a bad rating because of that. That is, until you try the food.
I'm trying to be as nice as possible. The food was very bland. I got the noodle with vegetables and beef, the sha momo (dumplings), Look sha sham- deh (lamb curry), and a thara (yogurt drink). Not very good.
The noodle dish felt like I was eating noodles with oil.
The lamb curry dish was very bland, the curry almost tasted like gravy. It almost felt like I was eating gruel.
The dumplings were your typicla dumplings but they had a very oily feel to them.
Thara (yogurt drink) is similar to an indian drink called Lassi (luh-see). The major difference here is that it is just yogurt, no additional flavors or fragrances.
I don't know what typical tibetan food tastes like, but I know I won't come back here. I'm not sure I will try tibetan food again. -
Review from Erik F.
Brooklyn, NY
6/24/2008
The bland food will not disturb your meditation.
Tibetan Kitchen serves rather bland food. There I said it. Don't start tossing prayer wheels at me.
There really isn't much else wrong with the place. The folks are extremely friendly and courteous. The place feels family run. If you are a vegetarian you will find many options. There is colorful Tibetan imagery all around you.
I have visited a couple times with a rather large group of mindful diners. They seem to default to Tibetan Kitchen because of the vegetarian options, the late hours and the extroverted holyness.
I think it is a shame to pass up on the spiritual joys of nearby Curry Hill for this place.
3 stars for being upstanding, minus 1 for blandness. -
Review from Madhuri I.
New York, NY
4/26/2009
Disclaimer: I was suffering from a case of blocked nose and sniffles when I visited Tibetan Kitchen, and my taste-buds were kind of dulled by all the excessive pill-popping.
First thoughts - food was healthy, but bland. Since I want my food either too contain spices or some form of fat, I think I would find it difficult to give this place more than Ah-OK. But I really enjoyed my soup (the veggie broth with egg-drop) and the salted barley and butter drink! soothing.
For starters, we ordered the dumplings which were, well, dumplings. I tried nearly five entrees from the vegetarian menu. The fried rice was predictable, the glass noodles were good, tofu curry tasted vaguely indian and had a touch extra salt, the pan-fried lentil cakes were tasty.
The desserts sounded so interesting! but they were all meh. :(
Service definitely deserves 4 stars or more for being friendly and attentive.
Interesting experience but I don't think I'll return. Maybe next time I feel under the weather, I'll order in the soup. -
Review from Celine L.
Manhattan, NY
4/5/2011
I had planned to go there with a friend yesterday night. I was really saddened to see it was closed and replaced with another restaurant called Hummus Kitchen. Do you know if Tibetan kitchen is relocated somewhere else in NYC or do you know if there is another Tibetan restaurant in the City?
Thank you! -
Review from Helen D.
Brooklyn, NY
9/8/2010
Is this a made-up cuisine to draw people in with the notion of it being exotic? Like, 'Hey, Tibetan food. What the hell's that? Let's try it!'
My friend ordered tofu and beef stir-fried with vegetables... which looked and tasted exactly like Chinese stir-fry but with runnier sauce. My boyfriend and I ordered curry-- mine was shrimp, his was lamb-- which was very plainly made. As in, VERY PLAINLY MADE. I could make it ten times better at home and in just minutes. The brown rice was well-made though. It wasn't too dry, hard or sticky.
For dessert, we ordered their specialty pie slice (which tasted something like a cross between apple pie and peach cobbler) and green tea ice cream which was kind of bland.
Atmosphere's peaceful, borderline graveyard. The waitress was awkward and expressionless. The food was quite pricey for the small portion and wa-wa quality. -
Review from Neema B.
Stamford, CT
1/14/2009
3.5
I really want to give this place 4 stars because the staff is so accomodating and attentive, the atmosphere is very serene, and you'll never feel rushed while enjoying conversation here. However, as other yelpers have mentioned, the food is not flavorful and the dishes are hit or miss. I felt that the noodle dishes were oily, but the chicken with peppers (#44) was pretty good.
For my party of four, one appetizer and 3 entrees was more than enough to satisfy our appetites. It gets a little messy sharing, but it's doable. We paid a little over $20/person for our bill, so definitely on the inexpensive side.
Whatever the food lacked in flavor was made up for in the masala chai; it tasted phenomenal and was very soothing--a great finishing touch. We also decided to have one big adventure for the night and ordered a butter/salt chai....that I do not recommend. Sippin' on liquified butter was not as glam as we thought! -
Review from Roxie A.
New York, NY
11/9/2007
Tibetan Kitchen makes me want to take up meditating. It's decorated in dark reds, and ornate Eastern Asian art and everyone speaks in hushed voices and is calm, serene......and kinda bland- just like their food. Nothing is bad, but nothing is memorable, and everything tastes a whole lot better with a healthy dose of soy sauce. All the dishes we tried suffered from blandness, even the dishes marked 'spicy.'
The one real winner was the momo appetizer- dumplings that take the best aspects of Indian Samosas and Chinese potstickers and mush them together in one tasty little package.
The service is attentive and so nice and helpful with the menu, and the entire time I was there, the resturant was only moderately crowded. -
Review from Sam D.
West New York, NJ
7/7/2008
My girlfriend and I were walking down 3rd Ave trying to find a place to have dinner. We saw the Tibetan Kitchen and decided to try the place. Her mother is vegetarian and figured it would be a nice place to taste test.
As a few people mentioned. The food wasn't too memorable. As Erik F. mentioned, we found it to be bland. The dumplings were good and with the added pepper sauce made it tasty.
I got the lamb curry and my girlfriend got the beef noodles. Once again we had to add some pepper sauce for additional flavor. We didn't have dessert because nothing really stood out.
We went there on a Friday night and the place was filled. There were a couple of large groups there that took up a lot of the staff's time. We felt a little ignored at times. Waiting awhile for our order to be taken. At one point a woman from another table went to the bar to refill her glass with water.
The staff was friendly but didn't have too much time because of the large groups. The food wasn't all that special. If you're vegetarian, this might be the place for you. -
Review from Michelle H.
New York, NY
7/24/2008
Rating: 3.5 star
First time having tibetan food. The best way to describe Tibetan food is it's a cross b/w Indian and Chinese. At least that's what I think. Our table had the chicken dumplings (fried). You have the option of fried or steamed. These were good, but I've had better dumplings. The lamb dish (#55) everyone seemed to really enjoy. The beef w/potatoes was well liked as well. The veggie noodle dish was good, but nothing spectacular.
Service was great. Prices are very reasonable. Good place to try if you've never had tibetan food, but it's not some place I'd highly recommend. -
Review from gail q.
7/25/2008
Dear tsel gya- thuk,
I am in love with you. I don't know if I should address you as "Mr. Butter Soup with Pasta and Some Vegetables and Whatever that Awesome Cheese Stuff is," or as "Mr. Love." Let's run away together.
Love,
Gail
All my vegetarian friends seem to want to propose marriage to this place, and all my meatatarian friends seem to think it's just really buttered, unspicy Chinese food. I think that means you should get one of the vegetarian things. Also, people who aren't familiar with Tibetan food might be kind of weirded out by things like buttered tea or the (awesome) hard cheese/sugar/pasta dessert. I happen to think butter-soaked food is awesome even in tea form, but I'm not a vegan - I think they even butter the water and the doorknobs here, so this might be the 9th circle of vegan hell.
My favorite part (other than the tsel gya- thuk) is the service. The employees are nice and everything is fast and reasonable. I'd like to add a gold star for novelty for the fact that on at least 2 occasions there was some kitchen dude "INCONSPICUOUSLY" peeking at me and my friend from behind the curtain to the dining room, which added a solid half hour of free entertainment to the meal. Kitchen dude can be as weird as he wants as long as he keeps buttering my soup. -
Review from Michael W.
New York, NY
5/15/2010
My friend is in Nepal right now about to hike across the border to Tibet. So when she was in NYC a week or two ago, we decided to get her palate acquainted with the flavors of Tibet.
Now, I'm not sure what Tibetan cuisine is like, other than that they can't really grow very many vegetables and eat a lot of Yak. And Momo's, so we ordered anything that said "Tibetan traditional" or something similar on the menu (disclaimer: it seemed as if the menu veered at times towards generic "Chinese" food).
Anyway the food was overall very tasty. The Momo's were the best I've had in a while... skin was thick just the way I like it and the filling was flavorful. Overall a nice experience, although the waitresses could communicate so as to not ask us the same question 5 times.
3 stars for tasty food
Revisit? ya maybe
p.s. the butter tea? only for the adventurous -
Review from Mark M.
West Covina, CA
8/5/2008
I'm kind of torn about this restaurant. I wanted to like it. It looks really nice inside and the staff are so sweet, it's really hard for me to say anything bad about them.
So I'm not going to say anything bad, but just know I wasn't all that choked up about their food. Neither was the rest of our group. If their cooking is a good representation of what Tibetan food is, then they definitely deserve a better rating, in which case it may just be that I'm not a fan of Tibetan food.
I did propose trying the other Tibetan restaurant in town and, based on this one experience, the others declined. I wasn't too enthusiastic about going solo.
Give it a try. I'm only saying that because the people in there really are a nice lot. -
Review from Roxy C.
Los Angeles, CA
10/8/2009
This place has been here forever, and it's clear why.
The Dalai Lama's food is cooked here. No joke. I was there with my mother and as we savored our homemade dumplings while staring at an image of his holiness, mother commented: "I bet they know him." I was appalled. That was like saying all asians know each other. And so she asked the manager as I slunk down under the table. "Actually," he replied, "when the Dalai Lama comes to New York, his chef uses our kitchen." Mom was right.
Everything I have ordered there was rich in subtle, complex flavors. Unusual, fresh and made with the loving care of whoever's grandmother is in the kitchen. Between the ambiance, the food, the service, and the prices, this gets five stars.To the people who call this "bland" all I can say is...sorry....sorry....you must be lacking a refined set of taste buds, or be confusing this with Thai food. -
Review from Namrata A.
New York, NY
10/11/2008
This is my first time trying Tibetan food and I do agree with most reviews below, it is like Indian and Chinese food, but with bland taste and lots of soy and chili sauce.
It is hard not to like this place because the prices are reasonable, the service is prompt and courteous, and the inside looks real authentic. However, the food I am not a fan of, and I will not be returning because I guess I just did not like the food. We ordered the noodles and tofu curry, and honestly... I love taking leftovers home, but this is one leftover that I decided not to take home. That's a biggie in my book. -
Review from Julia H.
North Andover, MA
2/8/2008
The vegetarian dumplings here are to die for. Just delicious. I am still dreaming about them.
I was in love with the atmosphere...it was cozy and bright and smelled delicious. We even got a glimpse of a very old Tibetan woman emerging from the kitchen, which got the romantic me thinking about her preparing traditional dishes back there.
The food was steamy and satisfying, but was quite bland. I ordered the tofu curry, which I would not recommend. But service was great, prices were perfect, and once I had an ice cream for dessert, I was a happy girl. -
Review from Maryling Y.
Los Altos, CA
7/19/2006
When I lived in Manhattan, I practically lived at this restaurant. This place had the best Tsel Momo (vegetarian dumplings) I've ever tasted in this lifetime. The ambience is very intimate, as in, the restaurant is extremely small, so be prepared to rub shoulders with strangers and please wear deodorant if you don't want to offend anyone. Just thinking about this place makes me want to move back to New York. Sigh.
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Review from Norman S.
New York, NY
11/2/2010
this is the macrobiotic version of tibetan food. just a good clean homecooked taste. the vegetarian noodle soups are great. too bad they dont slice the noodle chunks into your soup in front of your eyes like they do in tibet.
after so many years they still cant come up with a take out menu or even a business card? -
Review from lito q.
Columbus, GA
12/28/2006
tibetan kitchen seems to have been in murray hill since the dalai lama left tibet! luckily it's gone through a renovation in recent years which makes it all the more desirable. it's like a little peaceful oasis in mid-midtown.
i must admit i don't know much about tibetan cuisine, so my experience is solely comparable to what i know. to me it tastes like it's chinese food with butter - how could that be bad?! LOL
i haven't tried too many things as i keep ordering my favorite: the tofu noodle soup with radish greens! yum!! -
Review from Jezzie X.
New York, NY
10/5/2010
I was half delirious from jetlag when I came here for dinner on a relatively balmy fall Friday night. It was really weird because we came in to a completely full restaurant at about 8:30PM and then in about an hour the entire place emptied out. Literally. Except us, of course. We thought the restaurant was closing but that wasn't the case. Anyway, I got the dumplings which were only okay - very doughy and chewy but cannot hold a candle to my favorite Chinese dumplings. I guess I prefer thin skin dumplings with a nub of tasty fillings. Next time I'll try the traditional lamb dishes especially since winter is coming up. Small place but love the décor!!
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Review from Nana A.
Brooklyn, NY
7/15/2007
I had never tried any other Tibetan food before I ate here, but it was a great experience. The waitresses were very attentive, the setting was traditional and contemporary at once. Everyone there seemed to be having a good time. I ventured out of my comfort zone, when I ordered the food, and I was pleasantly surprised. Overall, it made trying a different cuisine really worth it. Some of the foods are very spicy, but very yummy.
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Review from Ross M.
Brooklyn, NY
10/26/2009
Last night was the first time I'd visited this unassuming little den since 2000. I remembered the food being subtle and comforting. After a revisit I can see that not much has changed except the decor. It's style is simple and natural. None of the food was overly spiced or sauced, even the dipping sauces for the momo were delicate and didn't overwhelm the inherent taste of the vegetables. The yogurt drink called a Thara was unexpectedly light and refreshing, unlike many a lassi I've had around town. After devouring only a few of the momo our main dishes were brought out. The Then-Thuk was a triumph. It consisted of some perfectly tempered noodles, broccoli, daikon, and spinach. The broth was not salty or spicy but had a powerful vegetable essence which enhanced the flavors of the solid ingredients. Even the Phom Tsel which had a hearty or smoky flavor was not crude to the buds and the noodles had an extraordinary gummy texture the likes of which I haven't encountered yet. The staff are unobtrusive and attentive. The manager stopped by and charmed us for a few moments explaining some of the nuances of Tibetan cuisine.
This place is wonderful but don't expect the degree of richness, salt, and oils that you would at most other Thai/Chinese/Vietnamese cafes. -
Review from Rhonda W.
3/8/2010
Beautiful ambiance (although a little dark), friendly and happy staff. Food was okay, basically tasted like Chinese food, was hoping for a little more flavor. Their Chai was yummy (maybe a hair on the sweet side), but doubled as a dessert AND a nice warm drink.
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Review from Amma S.
Bergen, NJ
2/26/2011
Loved this place. Ate veggie dishes but my friends who got meat also loved it. The spices are original and so so tasty. I don't know much about Tibetan food specifically, but this place was great
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Review from Adam R.
New York, NY
10/13/2009
Place has been around for 30 years. Good mellow food. Healthy, quality produce and super friendly folks. Possibly a new regular haunt.
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Review from Mi H.
New York, NY
7/11/2010
I love this restaurant -- great food, beautiful decor, and friendly staff. A charming oasis in Murray Hill, a neighborhood that could always use a little more charm :-)
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Review from Jerome Espinosa B.
Staten Island, NY
8/5/2008
been here one lunchtime with 2 other friends; i had something like a vegetable dish that's actually very typical for someone like me who's from the philippines. it tasted better because of the chili-like red paste. i like their attention to details in making the interiors look like someplace in tibet (have yet to be there, but i've seen some movies, books showing tibet). service was attentive and good (the one who attended to us tried to explain certain nuances of the order, i.e. if a dish is actually "noodle" based, or not, etc.).
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Review from Karen R.
3/30/2009
Ducked in here last night as the rain storm was starting. This is more of a 3.5 than a 3, and it's definitely not quite a 4. Neither my boyfriend or I are a fan of Chinese food, and this was much lighter than that. We started with the cabbage, carrot, rice vinegar and seasame oil salad that was really good. I can imagine eating that in the summer when its hot and you just want to cool down. Really yummy. Then we split the chicken curry, which was really good, but just curry sauce and chicken, no added veggies or potatoes or anything. This dish was flavorful and a very nice, light curry. It came with rice. We also had the chicken, spinach and noodles, which were a bit greasy and not so much flavor. Adding the chili sauce helped, but you kind of just wanted a bit more taste otherwise. This came with Tibetan bread, which is like Indian naan. Like others have said, the staff was very attentive, very kind and good. They did not rush us at all, and the decor is great. I felt like it was a very adequate introduction to what Tibetan food is, and I'm just not sure if I'm more of a fan of Thai and Indian spices and flavors which aren't as prevalent in Tibetan food.
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Review from Steve M.
New Hyde Park, NY
12/29/2005
A fantasic spot for a quick, refreshing lunch. Service was quaint and cuisine was authentically fresh. All in all, a pleasurable dining experience.
