Best Vegan Food KTM.
Welcome to my first ever blog post! I want to share with you my favourite places to eat vegan food in Kathmandu Nepal. Veganism is not yet widespread in Nepal but there is definitely a small growing community of vegans who are opening vegan businesses and sharing their knowledge within Nepali communities. Vegetarianism is ofcourse a widespread concept in Nepal so even without going to vegan specific restaurants or restaurants that cater to vegans it’s pretty easy to find vegan food or atleast veganise most things anywhere you go in Nepal. Today though I want to share some of my favourite restaurants in the city that actively cater to vegans..
Loving Heart
I’ll start with the first ever Vegan restaurant in Nepal and one of my absolute favourite places in the city, which is the “Loving Heart” restaurant.
Loving Heart Restaurant was the first vegan restaurant in the whole of Nepal and it is run by a lovely local Nepali lady. They mainly serve veganised versions of local food such as momo (local dumplings), chowmein (with seitan strips instead of buffalo meat), Saadheko (which is kind of a spicy Nepali salad or pickle),Chhoila (which is a spicy Newari dish traditionally not vegetarian or vegan but here it is made with seitan) and many other options. They also make some Western dishes which I have never actually tried but I have heard that they are not as good as they’re Nepali dishes (naturally) so I would suggest if you go here local options are the way to go. They also specialise in mock meats, making their own homemade seitan alternatives. They make a vegan “fish” as well as the seitan they make which is used as a buffalo meat alternative. I love the seitan chowmein and mushroom chilli. They also have desserts like their vegan brownie and homemade vegan ice cream.
Loving Heart is currently going through a hard time due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns over the last years. Here I will leave a link to their GoFundMe page if you would like to help them stay open. Equally if you're in Nepal it would be a huge help to just go and eat there and see for yourself how delicious the food is and how lovely the owners are. It would be a real shame to see this place disappear from Kathmandu.
Loving Heart can be a little hard to find on your first visit. It’s located on the ground floor of a hotel on Z Street, Thamel.
Loving Heart Vegan Restaurant
Annamaya
I love Annamaya because it’s one of the few places in Kathmandu where you can get really good, healthy, wholesome food. They used to be a fully vegetarian restaurant with lots of vegan options but they recently also started serving meat alongside a wide vegetarian and vegan menu. They are known for their Buddha bowls, salads, fresh juices, smoothies, breakfast and sandwiches. I love their hummus sandwich with veggies and their “green goddess” smoothie. They also sell their own mostly vegan products from the restaurant; things like tahini, nut butters and kombucha.
They are located at the Gyan Mandala complex on the top floor opposite “The Pump” gym: Annamaya
Ananda Tree House
Ananda Treehouse is such a beautiful cafe, and it has such a tranquil, peaceful, energy as soon as you walk inside from the busy streets surrounding Boudhanath Stupa. They are an organic cafe and eco shop that is fully vegetarian with a lot of great vegan options including a vegan dessert! Their dishes are really simple, not using a lot of oil or spices which makes their food really fresh and not too heavy. I love the”sesame noodles” and the “Nepali Lunch Set” as well as their vegan “Nettle Cake” Which I have every time I visit. This dessert isn’t very sweet at all and not in the traditional sense. It’s definitely a healthy dessert but it’s still delicious! They also make amazing organic coffee and matcha (dairy free milk options available).As well as a cafe Ananda Tree HOuse also sells eco friendly products such as reusable sanitary towels, bamboo straws and tooth brushes, as well as art pieces by local artists like ceramic pots and canvas paintings.
It’s pretty easy to find and is located near to Boudha Ananda Tree House
French Bakery
French Bakery is a great place to visit if you want to eat some more Western style dishes. French Bakery is not a fully vegan cafe but they have a completely separate vegan menu as well as a gluten free menu. They serve burgers, pastas, great salads, breakfast, some Nepali options such as momo as well as some amazing vegan desserts and drinks. They serve something called the “Vegan Chocolate Truffle'' which consists of a crumbly, buttery tasting pastry case which is filled with a chocolate ganache. If you ask them to heat it for you, you can cut into the pastry and a rich liquid chocolate centre will run out of the centre and fill your plate. It’s devine! They also have vegan brownies, a biscoff hot chocolate and soon they will also have a vegan cheesecake (the owner is currently developing the recipe) The owner of this cafe lived and worked in Australia for many years so has a great understanding of cafe culture and is really passionate and creative when i comes to vegan food and new vegan products. He is constantly innovating and really excited to share his new creations. He’s just added vegan pizzas (with vegan “cheese”), seitan chicken style strips and vegan steak to his menu.
French Bakery is located close to Thamel French Bakery
Vera Pizza
Vera Pizza is not a vegan restaurant but I wanted to include it here as it’s one of the only places in Kathmandu to get really authentic Italian style pizza. They have one vegan option on the menu which is the “Artolana”. It has olives, artichoke, mushrooms, chilli, (genuinely ALL my favourite pizza toppings!) and topped off with a drizzle of olive oil. The pizza is perfectly thin but puffed up and fluffy with some charred spots around the edges. The tomato sauce base is sweet and tangy with a hint of basil and oregano. Definitely visit this place if you’re craving pizza in Kathmandu.
It’s located in Thamel just opposite OR2K restaurant: Vera pizza
Utpala Cafe
Utpala Cafe is a beautiful garden space owned by buddhist monks making it a “Monastery” cafe. It is linked to a couple of the monasteries and buddhist institutes in the surrounding area of Boudha. They are a fully vegetarian restaurant with more and more vegan options popping up. They have a fully vegan buffet every Sunday and often host “Himalayan Vegan Festival” Events as well as a weekly farmers market. They also make the most amazing vegan cakes! (if you haven’t noticed already - I love desserts!) I love the vegan coconut cake which is creamy and delicious and their rich chocolate cake.
Utpala Cafe is located just a short walk from Boudha Stupa: Utpala Café
Sanchyan Ramen Restaurant
Sanchayan Ramen is an absolute hidden gem! I was introduced to it by a friend and it quickly became one of my favourite places to eat out. They specialise in Ramen and this is honestly some of the best ramen I have EVER had. The owner lived and worked in kitchens in Japan for over a decade so this is as authentic as it gets. There is one vegan option for Ramen if you order the soy based ramen with no egg. The soup is thick with a slightly fermented rich umami flavour. The noodles are perfectly bouncy and never over cooked and the ramen is topped with fried tofu, nori sheets and spring onion. They have a couple ov other vegan options such as the agadashi tofu, gomae (spinach salad in a sesame dressing) and miso soup.
Sanchyan Ramen is located in old Patan: Sanchyan Ramen Restaurant
C-Ya Vegan
C-ya vegan is the only other fully vegan restaurant on my list after “Loving Heart”. C-ya vegan almost feels as if you are walking into someone's house rather than into a restaurant. It is run by a vegan couple who opened their doors in 2019. They are famous for their seitan biryani, which I must say is absolutely delicious. (if you like realistic meat alternatives this is definitely for you! I found it almost too similar to the real thing but I will still eat it every now and then especially if I am dining with non vegans, as most non vegans I’ve shared it with absolutely love it) the rest of their menu is really similar to loving heart, serving mostly veganism versions of local favourites. One thing I will say about C-Ya vegan is, it has been a little inconsistent in my opinion. Sometimes the food is really great and other times it's just ok. I put this down to the fact that they have no hired chefs and do the cooking themselves. They also sell their homemade seitan products and homemade vegan Ice-creams form their restaurant as well as home delivery.
C-Ya Veganis located in Sanepa opposite “Pilgrims Book House”: C-YA Vegan Restaurant
Simon Noodles House
Simon Noodle House is one of the places I eat most often, mainly because it’s a great place for vegans and non vegans to eat together. They have many vegan options offered on their pan asian menu; such as pad thai, baos, momo. As Well as vegan milk tea, and vegan cakes. This restaurant is unique in that you feel like you are walking into someone's home to eat. It doesn’t feel like a restaurant at all but like going to eat with family or friends. The staff are really friendly and chatty and very accommodating and knowledgeable when it comes to vegan options. They also offer lots of fresh juices and cocktails.
Aniyor Veg & Vegan Restaurant
Aniyor was the first restaurant I really loved when I first came to Nepal back in 2018. Aniyor is a fully vegetarian Indian restaurant (not uncommon in Nepal) but what makes this place really special is the fact that you are able to veganise virtually EVERYTHING on the menu. They serve a wide range of curries, naan and rice as well as specialties such as tandoori momo and vegan lassi. You can also specify if you want the dishes more or less spicy to suit your preferences. The lady who works here is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to vegan food and she is also really creative and innovative when it comes to veganiSe traditional dishes like; gajar ka halwa (carrot pudding usually made with milk and ghee) and her various ice cream flavours such as cashew and cinnamon. This restaurant is a little more expensive than the average indian restaurant in Kathmandu but for me personally it’s definitely worth it to get such a wide array of vegan options and a server who really understands a plant based lifestyle
Thanks so much for visiting, hope to see you again soon on my journey!
