A Nepali restaurantin Harrisburg, PA.

People search for “Nepali food” and often end up somewhere serving an Indian menu with a momo bolted on. The two cuisines are neighbours and they share a spice cabinet, but they are not the same thing.

Nepali cooking leans on mustard oil rather than ghee, uses far less cream, and reaches for timur— Sichuan pepper’s Himalayan cousin, which numbs slightly rather than only burning. The everyday plate is dal bhat: rice, lentil soup, a vegetable, a curry and a pickle, all at once, all on one tray. That is our Nepali thali set, and it is the most honest thing on the menu.

The Himalayan and Tibetan influence shows up in the dumplings and the noodle soups — momo and thukpa both travelled south over the mountains and became Nepali on the way.

Start with momo. Steamed if you want the plain version, but the one to get is jhol momo — the dumplings come sitting in a warm sesame-tomato broth that you drink from the bowl when the momos are gone. Nobody who orders it once orders something else next time.

After that: Nepali-style goat curry (khasi ko masu) if you want the real thing — bone-in, slow-cooked, no cream. Or chicken sekuwa, which is skewered and grilled the way it is sold on the street in Kathmandu.

We also cook a full Indian menu — see our Indian dishes — but the page you are on is the Nepali side of the kitchen.

We are at 3867 Derry St Ste A, Harrisburg, PA, on Derry Street in east Harrisburg — Swatara Township, a few minutes from Colonial Park. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 AM to 9 PM, closed Mondays. Free parking at the plaza, and walk-ins are always welcome.

You can order on this site for pickup or delivery, call (717) 558-3610, or reserve a table. Ordering here means the restaurant is paid directly — no third-party app taking a cut.