The Talon (or rather, opinions editor Jolie Lu and copy editor Krystal Zhu) was craving something warm and comforting when we found ourselves at Kathmandu Cuisine. The restaurant sits just off Main Street in Downtown Los Altos, and opened this year on Valentine’s Day.

Inside the outwardly unassuming brick and plaster building lies a cozy paradise. The restaurant is decorated with colorful hand-painted tiles, warm wooden accents and a vibrant turquoise color scheme — every table bathed in natural sunlight and surrounded by windowsill planters filled with flowers and vegetables. The homey interior instantly put us at ease, setting the stage for a truly wonderful experience.

Kathmandu Cuisine is the only Nepali restaurant in Los Altos, and has spent the past few months serving Nepali comfort food with Himalayan flavors and Indo-Chinese influences. Given the restaurant’s unique presence in the area, we decided to sample a wide variety of dishes from the menu.

Mango Lassi

The mango lassi was thick and rich. The fresh mango flavor was prominent — complementing the slight sweetness and tartness from the yogurt — with subtle spices such as cardamom lingering in the background. Despite the mango lassi’s creamy texture, it never felt overly heavy and was a refreshing start to the meal.

For $7, we thought it was totally worth it.

Kathmandu Chiya (Chai Hot Milk Tea)

The chiya was served piping hot — very, very hot — and required a good amount of time to cool. It went down smooth and was creamy without feeling heavy, while still allowing the flavors of the ground cardamom and other warming spices to stand out.

To note, this tea was not sweet at all. For those with a sweeter palate, a selection of sugar packets are provided with the drink.

Again, we thought it was worth the $5.

Ajwain Garlic Soup (Vegetarian)

The garlic soup delivered exactly what its name promised. Deeply savory and packed with garlic flavor, the soup was warming and not too filling. The soup was well seasoned with carom seed, which added depth by releasing an herbaceous earthy, nutty flavor with every bite. Small bits of succulent garlic throughout the broth also gave the soup some texture while it still maintained a light consistency.

Despite the soup being comforting and savory, the portion size made it not fully worth the $15 we paid for it.

Note: Watch your breath after eating this soup. The garlic is strong. 

Mixed Platter Non-Vegetarian Momo

(2 Chicken+2 Pork+2 Buffalo)

The mixed momo platter allowed us to compare chicken, pork and buffalo dumplings side by side.

Buffalo Momo

The buffalo momo had the strongest flavor of the three. The meat was slightly rougher in texture, but it was cooked well and did not have any gamey taste. Mild onion bits were incorporated into the filling, and each bite contained a small burst of savory broth.

Chicken Momo

The chicken momo had the lightest flavor. Although its flavor was subtle, the filling was especially juicy and slightly soupier than the buffalo momo.

Pork Momo

The pork momo was the most distinguishable for both its orange color and sharper seasoning. The wrapper was chewier — but still moderately thick, similar to that of the buffalo and chicken momo — while the filling had a slight tang that set it apart from the other dumplings.

House Tomato Sesame & Chilli Garlic sauce

All three varieties included a dipping sauce, which added tanginess and a touch of spice without overpowering the flavor of the dumplings themselves. Bonus points for how artistically the sauce was served!

Were the mixed momo worth the $18 we paid? Personally, for $3 a dumpling, the price was quite steep for the relatively standard experience the dumplings offered. However, if you’ve never had buffalo before, it’s worth a try. 

Pork Curry and Garlic Naan

Our favorite dish of the night was easily the pork curry paired with the garlic naan. The pork curry showcased Kathmandu Cuisine’s careful use of spices; the pork belly was cooked to perfection, remaining tender and juicy at each layer of fat and lean meat. Each piece of pork was deeply infused with savory garlic flavor, and its rich aftertaste was reminiscent of Chinese wu hua rou (braised pork belly).

Tomatoes and onions blended into the curry and added freshness to balance the dish’s richness. The spices had a strong presence in every bite; however, they never overwhelmed the natural flavors of the pork. Occasional bites of cilantro released bursts of herbal flavor (for Krystal) that kept the curry tasting fresh throughout the meal.

Note: The curry was so delectable that even though Jolie has the cilantro soap gene, the pork curry was still one of the best curries she has ever eaten.

The garlic naan was equally impressive: thin and soft without being too doughy and carrying a generous amount of garlic flavor. A light layer of butter on its surface added richness, but similar to the curry, the naan was well-balanced and never crossed into “greasy” territory.

Dipped into the curry, the naan soaked up the sauce; the first bite was a plethora of complementary flavors from the garlic, the exceptionally cooked pork and the spices. There are genuinely not enough words in the English language to describe how we fully ascended during these few minutes.

Anyways, these two dishes were well worth the $27 ($20 for pork curry, $7 for naan), and are our top recommendation for first-time visitors.

Chicken Hakka Noodles

Coming immediately after the life-changing combination of the pork curry and garlic naan, the noodles might have been doomed from the start.

Compared to the rest of the meal, the noodles were noticeably milder in flavor. The dish resembled a thinner version of Chinese chow mein, complete with bell peppers and other stir-fried vegetables. The vegetables were cooked well and retained a slight crunch that added texture variation to the dish.

Unfortunately, the chicken was less memorable. There were only a small number of pieces mixed into the noodles, and the meat felt dry and underseasoned — especially compared to the pork curry we had just devoured. The noodles themselves were pleasantly springy, but we found ourselves taking a few minutes to reset our palates from previous dishes before fully appreciating them.

That said, the chicken Hakka Noodles — a prime example of an Indo-Chinese dish — serve a different purpose than many of Kathmandu Cuisine’s more boldly seasoned foods. Rather than relying on strong spices, they offer a lighter and more familiar flavor profile that lets the ingredients’ natural characteristics shine. The Hakka Noodles may appeal more to diners looking for something closer to traditional chow mein.

Was it worth the $20? Given the generous portion size, maybe yes for some people, but for us, probably not. The noodles weren’t bad by any means; it’s just that compared to the other dishes we tried, the Hakka Noodles simply didn’t leave the same lasting impression.

Final Verdict

Overall, Kathmandu Cuisine definitely succeeds at its goal: to serve traditional, comforting Nepali & Indo-Chinese food packed with flavor. While some dishes stood out more than others, nearly everything we tried was seasoned thoughtfully and prepared carefully. The restaurant’s cozy atmosphere and homey decor only added to the experience.

Out of everything we ordered, the pork curry and garlic naan were the undisputed stars of the night. In fact, if you’re overwhelmed by the menu’s many items and don’t know what to get, just ask the waiter. We did, and his recommendation led us straight to our favorite dish. The man does not lie.

Maybe you’re already a fan of Nepali cuisine, or maybe you’ve never tried it before. Either way, we strongly recommend Kathmandu Cuisine, as it offers flavors difficult to find anywhere else in Los Altos. We’ll definitely be back — and yes, we’ll be ordering the pork curry again.