Michelle L.
Yelp
I'm not vegan but I felt extra mindful today of my eats and was compelled to "find myself" (pun intended) at Himalaya for lunch in North Natomas.
Tucked away behind Subway, Cilantros, and Wendy's off Northgate Boulevard is Himalaya Vegan Organic Restaurant, a small and simple vegan eatery with a rotating organic main menu and scratchmade pies. Where L&L Hawaiian used to be, find BBQ here no more.
Mantra music playing in the background with imagery of the Himalayan mountain range onscreen sets the vibe. Open since May 2022, the 24-seater restaurant just had its 2-year "birthday." Order at the counter, and start with the soup. Water and tea are self-serve. Super friendly owners, great heartfelt service. Their backstory is fascinating (former Tibetan Buddhist monk, chef in Europe then the East Bay Area at Shangri-La Vegan before moving to Sacramento).
Although you can order a la carte items, the combination plate in either the "moderate/medium" or "full/large" portion size meal is most common, and get six separate vegetarian dishes. These always include a green salad, a grain, beans, vegetables, sauteed greens, and a bowl of soup (which seemed like more than just a cup to me).
Their food is plant-based, macrobiotic, organic, sugar-free, gluten-free, uses very little [olive] oil, and can even be made SOS-free (SOS = salt, oil, sugar) with advance request. The menu changes twice daily, once at lunch and again at dinnertime. Lunch menus are posted on their website around 9:00 AM, and dinner menus should be posted around 3:30-4:00 PM if you want a heads up.
Other than complimentary water and hot tea, there is also kombucha (Lev's 16oz bottles) and fresh juice for purchase.
Vegan pie by the slice is available for dessert! Flavors: coconut, chocolate, key lime, Himalaya.
On my 5/8/24 visit, the lunch menu was:
Soup - French lentil with vegetables
Whole Grain - long grain brown rice
Bean - great Northern (large white) beans (onion, ginger)
Leafy Greens - sauteed collard greens, kale (onion, shiitake mushroom sauce)
Salad - salad mix with red beet, lemon, agave-based dressing
Vegetable - baked butternut squash, kabocha squash, and yam (ginger)
Since it was my first visit, I only went for the "moderate" portion. This was filling, fresh, and tasty. Chili oil, sesame seeds, and other seasonings are provided at each table should you need them. The soup, salad, and beans were solid, but my highlights/favorites were that mushroom sauce on the tender greens and all of the baked squash! Kabocha was more earthy, yams sweet, and butternut the subtlest. Yum.
Cleaned off my main plate (now that I know what the "moderate" looks like in real life), and could not leave without trying the dessert! I asked what he suggested, and decided on the Himalaya vegan pie which had all of the flavors in one slice! Sweetened with agave, the key lime, strawberry, chocolate, and coconut went well together, each bite smooth and refreshing. The pie shell is made of almond-pecan paste and shredded coconut.
Can't remember if I heard about this place from local foodies' social media, the Sacramento magazine, or the Bee article, but I'm glad I stopped in! Simple and clean when you want to eat the rainbow in peace. Open 7 days a week, 11:00 AM-8:00 PM. Two single-stall bathrooms, clean. Parking lot in the back.
Om mani padme hum