Eating in Nepal

Nepal is a country that lies between two big countries in area and populations India and China. With its influence from both Indian and Tibetan dishes, Nepali cuisine is rich in flavours and aromas. Expect extensive use of rice, lentils, chickpeas, and corn, which makes it a culinary heaven for gluten-free dieters.

Nepal – and specifically Kathmandu – is renowned as the budget eating capital of Asia. Sadly, its reputation is based not on Nepali but pseudo-Western food: pizza, chips (fries), “sizzling” steaks and apple pie are the staples of tourist restaurants. Outside the popular areas, the chief complaint from travellers is about the lack of variety, though with a little willingness to experiment, a range of dishes can be found.
• Restaurants Nepal’s restaurants range from inexpensive dives to international quality, the latter only in Kathmandu.
• Cafes and Street Food For casual meals on the go, cafes and street stalls provide a cheap omelette breakfast, or lunch of momos, or simply a cup of tea.
• Hotels Most of Nepal’s accommodation options provide meals varying from simple daal bhaat to international cuisine.

The above mentioned places are the where one can eat the food.
Nepal most common food is Daal – bhaat. It is the plate of rice and legumes and soup. It is the most common food. The recommendations ca be to try the traditional foods . Since Nepal is very rich in traditions, we can get the foods according to different cultures. For eg: You can get a “Newari Thaali” if you enter a Newari restaurant , and if you enter a “Thakali restaurant” you get Thakali set of plate. The Newars, an indigenous group in Nepal, are known for their impressive 200-dishes cuisine. Chatamari, a flat crepe made with rice flour and topped with vegetables, yak cheese, eggs, and ground meat, is the Newari signature dish. So is baji, a dish made with beaten rice that looks like rolled oats served with vegetables and spicy sauce — the Newari version of dal bhat. Choyila is another dish, made with fried buffalo meat mixed with greens. If you’re not a fan of offal, be warned: Newari cuisine is known for using all the parts of an animal, including tongue, spine, bone marrow, and lungs.

At local restaurants, known as bhojanalayas, the custom is to eat with your right hand. Also look out for the vegetarian restaurants known as misthan bhandar, which serve Indian sweets and dosas (fried lentil-flour pancakes).

Nepali towns have a range of snack foods, from muffins in bakeries to grilled corn cobs on the street. A couple of samsa (samosas – potato curry, fried in a lentil-dough parcel) or papad make a great snack. Newari beer snacks are legendary – try a plate of sekuwa (spiced, barbecued meat) or ‘masala peanuts’ (with chilli and spices) when you have a beer.

Outside the tourist areas food is very inexpensive, and a simple meal and drink may well set you back less than Rs1500. In places like Kathmandu and Pokhara, however, costs can quickly add up: you might pay around Rs250–500 for a main meal at a tourist-oriented restaurant, and even more at a posher place.

Note that few restaurants include government taxes (13 percent) and service charges (10 percent) in their menu prices.