Top 7 Things to Eat in Nepal (And Why They Belong on Your What to Do in Nepal List)
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Top 7 Things to Eat in Nepal (And Why They Belong on Your What to Do in Nepal List)
When people ask me what to do in Nepal, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t trekking. It’s eating.
Yes, the Himalayas are spectacular. Yes, the temples are ancient and profound. And yes, that one monk in Boudhanath might genuinely know the meaning of life. But before you hike your knees off or go full enlightenment mode, let’s get one thing straight — eating in Nepal is an experience all on its own.
Nepali food isn’t flashy. It doesn’t need a twelve-course tasting menu or foam on top. What it does have is heart. It’s the kind of food that tells you stories. Of grandmothers who crush spices by hand. Of festivals that smell like frying oil and incense. Of tiny street stalls that serve more comfort in one momo than your therapist ever could.
So if you’re wondering what to do in Nepal, start here — with a plate, a spoon, and a rumbling belly. Here are the seven foods you absolutely need to try while you’re in this chaotic, beautiful, flavour-packed country — and why they’re so much more than just lunch.
1. Dal Bhat – The National Identity on a Plate
Let’s get this out of the way early — if you’re in Nepal for more than 24 hours, you’re going to eat dal bhat. Probably twice. Possibly three times. And by the end of the week, you might start to dream in rice and lentils.
Dal bhat isn’t just a dish — it’s a lifestyle. A full set meal built around steamed rice (bhat) and lentil soup (dal), usually joined by a supporting cast of vegetable curry, leafy greens, spicy pickles (achar), maybe a crispy papad, and sometimes meat if you’re lucky.
You don’t order dal bhat. You just accept that it’s coming. And when it arrives, it’s not delicate. It’s generous. It’s served hot, it’s refilled often, and it fuels an entire nation.
The locals will tell you with a grin: Dal Bhat Power, 24 Hour. And they mean it.
Where to try it: Literally everywhere — roadside dhabas, trekking lodges, family homes, thakali kitchens. The best dal bhat isn’t found in 5-star hotels. It’s usually on a metal plate, served by someone who insists you eat just a little more. And then a little more after that.
Why it belongs on your what-to-do list: Because eating dal bhat isn’t just about the taste. It’s about sitting down, being looked after, and joining a rhythm that pulses through every valley, every trail, and every town in Nepal. If you want to feel local — start here.
2. Momos – Nepal’s Street Food Superstar
If dal bhat is the national fuel, then momos are the national obsession. You don’t just eat momos in Nepal. You crave them. You debate about the best ones. You daydream about that perfect bite when you’re stuck on a bus, halfway up a mountain, wondering why you agreed to this itinerary.
For the uninitiated, momos are steamed dumplings — usually stuffed with minced meat, vegetables, or cheese — served with a dipping sauce that ranges from politely spicy to absolutely unhinged. They’re like little flavour grenades wrapped in dough.
But here’s the thing: momos aren’t just food. They’re a ritual. A gathering. A group activity. You rarely eat momos alone — they come in rounds of 10 or 12, served hot and fast, shared between friends or strangers who will become friends in approximately four bites.
There are steamed momos, fried momos, kothey (pan-fried then steamed), open momos, and the glorious, slightly messy jhol momos — drowned in spicy, tangy, sesame-and-tomato-based soup. If you haven’t burned your mouth at least once, are you even trying?
Where to try them: Everywhere. From tiny hole-in-the-wall joints in Kathmandu to high-altitude momo miracles in Namche Bazaar. Street stalls, trekking lodges, city cafés — they all serve momos. The trick is to ask the locals where they go. And follow the steam.
Why it belongs on your what-to-do list: Because sitting elbow-to-elbow with strangers, dipping dumplings into red-hot sauce, and discovering your tolerance for Nepali chili is a rite of passage. Momos don’t just fill your stomach — they anchor you to a place, a moment, and maybe a new group of friends.
3. Sel Roti – The Sweet Ring of Festivals
If Nepal had a national doughnut, sel roti would be it — except it’s not really a doughnut. And please don’t call it one in front of someone’s Nepali grandmother unless you’re ready for a very long lecture and possibly a second helping.
Sel roti is a deep-fried ring made of rice flour, sugar, and milk — crisp on the outside, soft and slightly chewy in the middle. It’s sweet, a little nutty, and often eaten during festivals like Tihar and Dashain. If you smell warm oil and sweetness drifting through a quiet alleyway in November, you’ve found it.
But sel roti isn’t just about the taste. It’s about the moment. The memory. The aunties lining up with bowls of batter, chatting, laughing, and shaping each ring with years of practiced flicks. The way it pairs with milk tea in the morning or gets wrapped in paper for an afternoon snack. It’s nostalgia, celebration, and comfort — fried into a golden halo.
You don’t usually find sel roti in restaurants. It shows up when the time is right — in homes, at markets, outside temples. It’s the kind of food that waits for a reason to exist, and then appears with a purpose.
Where to try it: During festival season in any town or village — or if you’re lucky, from a street vendor in the morning, often near bus stations or temples. In places like Bhaktapur or smaller towns, you might even get one fresh from a roadside wok, still steaming.
Why it belongs on your what-to-do list: Because tasting sel roti isn’t just eating — it’s time-travel through tradition. It’s a way to slow down, sip some chai, and realise that in Nepal, even the simplest things — like a fried ring of rice batter — carry generations of meaning.
4. Newari Cuisine – A Whole Culture on the Table
If you only eat one more thing in Nepal after dal bhat and momos (though why stop at three?), let it be something from the Newar kitchen. This isn’t just food — it’s an entire culture condensed into a plate. Or six. Maybe seven. It depends how generous your host is feeling.
The Newar people are the original inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley, and their cuisine is bold, spicy, fermented, and beautifully complex. It’s not a single dish, but a collection of bites that come together like a food-based symphony. Think smoky grilled buffalo meat (choila), fluffy lentil patties (bara), spicy potato salad, crispy beaten rice, pickles that wake you up from a nap you haven’t taken yet, and the beloved yomari — a steamed dumpling filled with sweet molasses and sesame paste that basically tastes like a warm hug in carbohydrate form.
Newari food is social food. Festive food. The kind you eat while wearing something nice, or with friends you haven’t seen in a while. You don’t rush it — you savour, sip, chat, refill, and maybe forget your afternoon plans entirely.
Where to try it: Bhaktapur and Patan are goldmines for Newari cuisine. Look for local “bhatti” (eateries) or go all in and join a Newari feast if you get the invite. Also, food tours in Kathmandu often include a Newar tasting stop — worth every bite.
Why it belongs on your what-to-do list: Because Newari food isn’t just something you eat — it’s something you remember. It’s culture on a plate. And if you really want to understand the rhythm of the Kathmandu Valley, this is how you do it — one flavour-packed mouthful at a time.
5. Thukpa – The Soulful Himalayan Soup
If you’re cold, tired, slightly altitude-stunned and starting to question your life choices in a tea house somewhere at 3,000 metres — what you need is thukpa.
This hearty noodle soup comes from the Tibetan side of the culinary family and has made itself a staple across highland Nepal. Usually built on a warm, subtly spiced broth, it’s packed with noodles, vegetables, and either egg or meat — and it arrives in a bowl that looks like a hot tub for your soul.
Thukpa is humble, warming, and made to restore whatever piece of you the mountains have borrowed for the day. It’s comforting without being boring, and the perfect pause between those high-altitude “what-am-I-doing-up-here” moments.
Where to try it: Along trekking routes — especially in Mustang, Solukhumbu, or Manang — thukpa is often one of the main hot meals available in tea houses. In Kathmandu, look for Tibetan-run restaurants or roadside stalls in areas like Boudhanath.
Why it belongs on your what-to-do list: Because sitting cross-legged in a mountain lodge with steam rising from your bowl, snow tapping at the window, and your lungs finally catching up with you — that’s a whole Nepal moment right there. And it tastes like thukpa.
6. Dhido – The Food of the Hills
This one’s for the purists. For the “I want to eat what the locals eat” traveller. For the farang who’s not afraid of a little dense, slightly gummy, fiercely traditional texture. Meet dhido.
Dhido is a thick, hearty paste made from buckwheat or millet flour — stirred continuously into hot water until it forms a grey-brown, almost mashed-potato-like consistency. It’s served in a mound, often next to gundruk (fermented leafy greens), spicy achar, and protein-rich side dishes.
There’s no cutlery involved. You roll it with your fingers, dip it into sauce, and eat like someone who knows the backroads of Nepal better than Google Maps.
In the hills, dhido is not a trend. It’s tradition. It’s respected as real Nepali food, full of fiber, grounded in agriculture, and still very much part of daily life for many rural families.
Where to try it: Local inns, village homestays, or restaurants that serve traditional Nepali fare (some places have a “Dal Bhat or Dhido” option — go brave). Also available in eco-lodges or agro-tourism spots where they grow their own millet.
Why it belongs on your what-to-do list: Because trying dhido is a tactile, grounded experience. It connects you to the land, the past, and the real, rural rhythm of Nepal — one bite at a time. You might not crave it at midnight, but you’ll never forget the texture of that first bite.
7. Lassi – Liquid Bliss from the Terai
After all that spice, steam, and seasoning — let’s end on something cool. Lassi is Nepal’s ultimate refresh button. A thick, chilled yogurt drink that’s sweet (or sometimes salty), and made for hot afternoons, long walks, and slow conversations.
While you’ll find lassi all over South Asia, Nepal gives it its own spin. Some versions are blended with cardamom, fruit, or even pistachio. Others come plain, served in terra cotta cups that seem to chill the drink even further — or maybe that’s just your imagination melting along with the heat.
Nothing pairs better with a day of temple hopping in Lumbini or a dusty afternoon stroll in Chitwan than a big cold glass of lassi. It’s not just thirst-quenching — it’s soul-calming.
Where to try it: The Terai region is lassi’s spiritual home — towns like Janakpur and Lumbini serve some of the best. But you’ll find it in Kathmandu too, often near temples or inside heritage snack shops. Ask for the clay cup version — it just hits different.
Why it belongs on your what-to-do list: Because sometimes the best thing to do in Nepal… is nothing. Just sit, sip, and let the lassi do its work.
So… What to Do in Nepal? Start with a Plate.
You came looking for what to do in Nepal, and maybe you expected trekking routes, stupa selfies, or spiritual retreats. All of that’s valid — and amazing — but if you’ve made it this far, you already know the secret:
The real Nepal? It’s on your plate.
Food in Nepal isn’t just something to try between “real” activities — it is the activity. It’s how you connect. It’s how you slow down. It’s how you experience a culture that’s as layered and complex as its best chutneys.
Whether you’re sipping sweet lassi in the lowlands, fumbling your first dhido pinch in the hills, or trying to survive the spice level of a jhol momo in Kathmandu, you’re not just eating. You’re participating. You’re present. You’re doing Nepal in the most grounded, delicious way possible.
Bonus Tips for Eating Like a Local:
- Wash your hands before every meal. Most locals eat with their right hand — and trust me, it’s more fun that way.
- Ask about spice levels. “Mild” in Nepal may still melt your soul.
- Don’t rush it. Nepali meals are meant to be shared, lingered over, and savoured.
- Join a food tour or cooking class. Great way to learn, eat, and meet like-minded wanderers.
Craving More?
- Craving action? Follow Cole Rainer across Asia in the Shadow Drift thriller series – davidhibbins.com
- Love photography? Explore the world through my lens – reflectionsphotography.com
- Ready to experience Nepal for yourself? Join a handcrafted, culture-rich tour with Resurgence Travel – travelresurgence.com
And next time someone asks you what to do in Nepal, smile knowingly and say: “Start with the food.”
