The homely Nepali dish is lifted to festive proportions at this slice of tradition near the old royal palace.
Ram Bala
Head Chef
We all need rewards for dealing with adulthood. Maybe it’s too many mimosas over the weekend, or overpriced massages, or a bespoke canoe paddle that will under no circumstances come into contact with a pond. Otherwise, you go to great restaurants where you eat things your doctor wouldn’t endorse. But sometimes it’s nice to have a break from food served in a regular restaurant and indulge in the delights of authentic Nepali food.
Utsav Authentic Nepali Restaurant provides you Nepali set menu meals with a Nepali cultural show each evening from 7 to 8:30 in the summer and 6:30 to 8 in the winter. You can enjoy the cultural show while enjoying your food. The show includes almost all the cultural dances of Nepal.
Situated at the south gate of Narayanhiti Palace Museum on the way to Jai Nepal Cinema hall, Utsav Authentic Nepali Restaurant covers a substantial area and staffs 35 people with enough parking space for 30 to 35 cars. The staff who are dressed in Newari attire are quick with solid recommendations. With decorations highlighting Nepali culture and traditions, this establishment is a perfect example of a traditional Nepali restaurant. The design of the lamps and the classic architecture in the hall give it the Nepali touch. The space here is massive and a prime spot for a spontaneous group dinner.
Immediately after you enter the restaurant you are served with Nepali style fried potatoes, garnished peanuts and dumplings with a cup of the Newari liquor ‘aila’ straight from a ‘Karuwa’ (a Nepali jug) onto a ‘paala’ (a small Nepali cup made of mud). After that a full set of Nepali Thali which includes Steamed Rice, Black Lentils Tempered with Herbs, Seasonal Mixed Vegetables, Sauted Spinach, Chicken or Mutton cooked in Nepalese style, Homemade pickle and Fresh Tomato Pickle is served. This treat ends with the mouth-watering desert Sikarni (sweetened Nepali yoghurt).
One can also enjoy other cuisines besides the Nepali Thali. The food here is generally heavy on non-vegetarian dishes, and light on things that are vegetarian. Everything on the menu is well-executed and tasty, but the Mustang Alu, Chicken Choilla and Chattamari are standouts. Other things, like the Chicken Roll with Garlic Mayonnaise sauce and Badhel Tareko are very good on the non-vegetarian side. On the vegetarian side, the Mushroom Choilla and Spicy Aloo Tareko are a delight to the palate. Head Chef Ram Bala has been working there since the very beginning of the restaurant. “My specialty has always been Nepali food and I have been preparing Nepali delicacies for the last two decades,” he says.
The restaurant has two separate halls which can hold up to 200 people at a time. They also occasionally host birthday parties and engagements. This eatery hosts foreigners to Nepali locals. Usually Nepali restaurants are seen occupied and most crowded during the weekends but this restaurant is packed almost every evening.
UTSAV Authentic Nepali Restaurant does traditional, kind of upscale Nepali food and the ambience feels nice without being too fancy. Great food, great ambience, great staff at a reasonable price! What else can you ask for?
