Cafe Himalaya

“I went with Yelpers suggestions and got the Chili Dofu, didn't regret that at all, since it was delicious!”

“I also recommend #13, Shogok Momo Takpa, which are pan-fried dumplings with potatoes and herbs.”

“This place is BYOB, so hit up the bodega up the street before heading in, or have one of their fruity shakes.”

Cafe Himalaya

Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes

Price range.

$ Price range Under $10

8 reviews

  1. pretty much always a good idea. greeted by tibetan prayer flags and (likely) a line out the door, you are in for a treat upon arrival of your meal. light, healthful, fresh dishes served up fairly quickly. prices are very reasonable… which is highly conducive to excessive ordering and far too many momos. but there will be no regret. you will enjoy. goodbye.

  2. My experience here closely mirrored that of Karina M's (came here at 10 PM on a Friday night, we thought the place might be closing down by then but arrived to find a crowded, lively scene with one table open for our party of two).

    Much has changed since the majority of these reviews were written. For one thing, Cafe Himalaya now accepts credit cards. For another, they now offer a limited beer and wine list. The drinks are cheap ($4), but nothing too exciting. We had a Corona and a Sapporo.

    Maybe it's just because the staff wanted to shut the place down ASAP, but service was lightning-fast and friendly. Our server recommended our favorite dish of the night: an avocado salad with potatoes and chickpeas in a zesty, spicy sauce. It was absolutely delicious. We also split two entrees: The steamed chasha momos and the chasha shamdey. The momos, stuffed with chicken and herbs and served with a mix of veggies marinated in sesame oil, were presented with a side sauce that was too spicy for my palate, so I just had the 'mos on their own. I really enjoyed the flavor and the doughy texture, but perhaps they could've had a tad more flavor. The shamdey (chicken curry marinated in yogurt & spices, served with rice) was a pleasant, Indian-style curry on the milder side. The dishes were not very large, and we left satiated but not uncomfortably full.

    This is a very casual joint, a fact reflected in the prices. Including tip, we paid about $20 per person.

    I'd give the food 3.5 stars and round my rating up to 4 for the price point and uncommon cuisine style.

  3. Tried the Himalayan Khatsu salad-expected it to be warm given the ingredients, wasn't, but still good. Mango Lassi so good! Also friendly service

  4. I've never had Himalayan/Tibetian food before so I can't compare this place with another. But it was pretty good.
    From the outside, this place looks like a hole in the wall. I wasn't sure if I came to the right place. It is cash only so make sure to go to a local bank if need be.
    I ordered a chicken noodle entree from the lunch special. It was a very affordable price with a good amount of food.
    The food came out very fast and the service was prompt.
    Beware- the spicy sauce is really spicy.

  5. I finally had the opportunity to try Tibetan food for the first time. So it was off to Cafe Himalaya in the Lower East Side. The waiter was super friendly and informative. I started off wth the Tibetan fried dumplings which were absolutely delicious. It usually comes with 8 dumplings, but he was courteous enough to sell me a half order. That was very nice. For my main course, I went with the shapta, which is spicy beef with onions and peppers. The beef was a little tough, but the sauce was delicious. Also try their bread it's phenomenal. It's flat round and buttery.  They also have large bowls of soup with noodles  and or dumplings. I'll give that a try next time  all in all Tibetan food is pretty cool.

  6. not byob!! This place has great reviews so me and the beau decided to have dinner here. I understand the reviews are great but this place did not blow me away. I though the food was a little too oily. Maybe I was expecting more but I was just content with my meal. The place is very small and busy. They also don't do byob anymore. Atleast it is affordable.

  7. This is a great reasonable dinner spot on the Les with hearty spicy food. The show stoppers for me were the chicken dumplings and spicy dofu (tofu). The main dishes are literally like $8 per person (on a Saturday night)! The flavors were unique, definitely a cuisine you can't enjoy everywhere!

  8. Awful. Don't get me started on the ambiance and sanitation of the place. Service was not helpful and all three dishes tasted like really really really bad Panda Express. Nothing special or good about the food here and it really wasn't even cheap. Such a waste of time and money.

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East 1st Street 78
New York 10009 NY US
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Tuesday, 12:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Wednesday, 12:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Thursday, 12:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Friday, 12:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Saturday, 12:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Sunday, 12:00 pm - 9:30 pm