Himalayan Kitchen

Every single item we ordered was exceptional—truly one of those rare meals where nothing misses. As someone of Asian origin who has actually spent time in Nepal, this food felt deeply comforting and authentic. It wasn’t just “good restaurant food”—it genuinely tasted like a home-cooked meal made with care, intention, and high-quality ingredients, the kind of food your mom makes when she wants to nourish you. The chicken biryani was fragrant and layered, with perfectly cooked rice and warm, aromatic spices that didn’t overpower the dish. The butter chicken was rich, velvety, and balanced—creamy without being heavy, with a subtle sweetness and depth that comes from properly cooked spices. The chicken korma was equally impressive: nutty, mildly spiced, and incredibly smooth, with tender chicken that soaked up every bit of flavor. The vegetable momos were fresh and delicate, clearly handmade, and bursting with flavor, while the chicken thukpa was deeply comforting—savory, warming, and soulful, exactly what you want from a Himalayan noodle soup. The Himalayan tea was fragrant and soothing, the perfect finish to the meal. And the bread—absolutely outstanding. The Kashmiri naan was soft and lightly sweet, while the garlic and cheese naan was indulgent, flavorful, and perfectly cooked, with just the right balance of crispness and chew. What really stands out is how clean and intentional everything tastes. The flavors are bold yet balanced, the spices are used thoughtfully, and nothing feels rushed or overly oily. This is food that reminds you of home, culture, and comfort all at once. If you’re looking for authentic Himalayan/Nepali food that prioritizes flavor, freshness, and heart, this place is an absolute must. We will definitely be returning.

Himalayan Kitchen, an unassuming restaurant in Marin County tucked into a dusty shopping mall, punches well above its weight. Many places in the U.S. that market themselves as “Himalayan” (or, more accurately, Nepalese) end up being little more than watered-down Indian restaurants. That is not the case here. If anything, this restaurant could be called the Consulate of Nepal in Northern California—the food feels true to its origin. The menu offers a wide range of distinctly Nepalese flavors and preparations. To a discerning diner, these dishes sit on an interesting culinary continuum connecting the Indian subcontinent to parts of Greater China. If you have not experienced that overlap—those spice profiles, textures, and techniques—this is a meal you owe yourself. The wine list is solid (as one might expect in this part of California), and prices are reasonable. The main drawback is the service. The servers are young and cheerful, but often unprofessional. On more than one visit, we felt rushed to finish our entrées because a server wanted to go home. That would be inappropriate anywhere, but it is especially jarring here given the otherwise welcoming spirit of the place. With some basic hospitality training—and a stronger commitment to letting diners eat at a comfortable pace—Himalayan Kitchen could become a true gem in Northern California. As ordinary consumers, we are not paid or compensated in any way for this review.

Started with warm greetings and complimentary little cups of Dal. Ordered 3 big beautiful meals, got served in under 15 minutes. Momo, chowmein, and biryani, a quintessential Nepali order. All tasted fabulous. Spice levels were offered, a Nepali tongue needs 8+ for mittho spicy levels. Partly because it transported me to 2010s Lhasso restaurant in old baneshwor Kathmandu, I was blown away by the momo platter. Thank you for the pleasant experience, will surely visit again.

Believe the hype. Wonderful food and cheerful attentive service! The spicey really is hot ; ) Momo wrap is really nice, fillings too. Every dish we got for our lunch was spot on and plenty of food for under $20 pp. Run, don’t walk, to HK!

We are so grateful for the huge and generous meal donated to our team of artists. The food was incredible — I especially loved the saag, tikka masala, and garlic naan! Everyone was truly delighted and satisfied, even with the wide range of dietary needs on our team. Himalayan Kitchen went above and beyond by providing an insulated container, which allowed us to pick up before their dinner rush and still enjoy a hot, nourishing meal later in the evening. Deep thanks for such thoughtful generosity and delicious food. 💛

The most delicious food I’ve had recently. The Butter Chicken is melt in your mouth delicious, the absolute best I have ever had. The Lamb Biryani is spiced so beautifully and a fantastic portion size. The Momo platter is yummy and comforting - the sauce is what sets it apart. While I only got takeout, the ambiance was extremely nice and the service was delightful. I will absolutely be coming back for more.

Read below for the full review. Follow me for more honest and detailed reviews. Click or Tap my profile picture and then click or tap follow. Restaurant: Himalayan Kitchen 227 3rd St San Rafael CA 94901 Main Question: Is the food worth the price? Answer: Definitely Wait Time: None today Food: Good size on food. We enjoyed the food. If you ordering the lamb, order it one to two steps below where you would like it. We ordered hours medium and it came out well done. It was still delicious come up but that's the reason for the four stars. We ordered the Large daal soup. I loved this soup. My guest, who does not like lentils, liked the soup. I ordered the steamed veggies and brown rice and mixed them together and it was excellent. We had the steamed Momo Platter and while I like that, my guest thought it was okay. I had steamed broccoli on the side. It was very clean tasting as well. Atmosphere: I liked the atmosphere. It is a smaller place but they take the time to make it look very nice. Cleanliness: The plates were cleaned. The silverware was clean. The glasses were clean. The bathroom was the cleanest bathroom I've ever seen in a restaurant. This was even near closing and these bathrooms were spotless. This is going to move him up to a 5 star. Service: The service was great. There was a combination of three people that helped us. It was quite an experience and different from the typical one server takes care of the customer a typical restaurants. Price: This meal was $66.77 before tip. Recommended: Yes, this was a great experience.

Yummmm! Thank you for having delicious vegan food! The flavors are fantastic, and we’ve loved everything we have tried, from momos to Misuali (sp.) to the noodles. The vegetables are cooked perfectly! This is a San Rafael secret, hiding in the corner of the Montecito mall.

Came for dinner on a Wednesday night and it was almost a full house! As we ate, more people came and all tables were filled except one. What a popular place. I can see why because their food is delicious. Fiancé and I got their momo platter (4 each of the veggie, pork and chicken momo), chicken kabob, and chicken thukpa (noodle soup). We have never had thukpa before and it was pretty good and warming. Perfect on a chilly night. Momos were juicy, and beautifully wrapped. The chicken kabob came out sizzling and was quite juicy. Their portion size is great. We even had some leftovers for next day. Service was fast and friendly. Was impressed there were just two people waiting tables/taking orders for a full house. Food came out quick and there were even a couple takeout orders while we were there so they definitely managed the flow quite well. Would definitely come back if I'm in the area again.

Unlike most good Indian restaurants, when you walk in here you're not going to come out smelling like spices. That might not be a great thing though because the food just didn't have enough flavor for me. To be fair, maybe it's a difference between Indian and Himalayan food, I'm not really sure. I think it might work for people who would enjoy Indian cuisine if the flavors were more subtle. Service was friendly and everything was prepped well, it just wasn't for me. I wish I would have noticed the dumplings on the menu before ordering or that the staff would have pointed them out, because I would have liked to try them and I'm not sure if or when I'll be back.

What a wonderful place. I went and tried a few different dishes and everything was really good. As someone that has been to india multiple times the traditional Indian dishes were really good. Outside of traditional Indian dishes I tried the Pork and Veggie Momo's. Both were outstanding ! The other thing I liked about Himalayan Kitchen was the family atmosphere of the place, it felt family owned as the food preparation, service, and ambiance didn't strike me as a place that was a chain. Seemed like everyone was there to make the customer as happy as possible I would recommend eating here to anyone that is looking for good south asian ethnic food !

We came for Christmas lunch and were pleasantly greeted and sat. They have a wonderful lunch menu! We ordered vegetable samosas to start, and the were delicious. I had the chicken tikka masala with basmati rice, side salad, and daal soup. My son had the butter chicken with garlic naan, side salad, and daal soup. My sister had the fried rice and chicken chow mein. Everything was delicious, and tasted fresh. Very happy we found them for our celebration!

So glad to find Himalayan Kitchen in San Rafael! My husband and I are big fans of Himalayan or Nepalese foods, and we thought everything here was flavorful and well made. We ordered two lunch specials, Baingan Bartha and Aloo Cauli. We also got the veggie momos. The presentation was great and the portions were good. The decor is charming, and the service was fast and friendly. One thing that could be improved is the salad that comes with the lunch special, it was just mixed greens and a few strips of cucumber. There wasn't any vegan dressing option, so we had it with olive oil and vinegar. We plan to come again and try more menu items.

Himalayan Kitchen absolutely saved our group. We had people arguing for Indian food, others demanding Chinese, and one person who "just wanted noodles but not those noodles." Chaos. Pure chaos. Then someone suggested Himalayan Kitchen... and suddenly the room went silent, like a mediator had walked in holding a plate of momos and a peace treaty. The food hit the spot for every single person at the table which should automatically qualify this restaurant for a Nobel Peace Prize. Honestly, the United Nations could learn a thing or two here. One bite of that curry and even the pickiest eater nodded in agreement. The fried rice? Diplomacy in carb form. Truly the handshake that ended our food war.

I feel very comfortable when I walk into this place. I like that they have some distance between the tables and it's not too terribly noisy. The staff is friendly and attentive. After ordering, each diner is given a cup of daal soup. The flavor is so good. We ordered the Kukhura Pharsi (Chicken & Pumpkin). The description says "butternut squash", but it seems to be pumpkin. We also ordered the Lamb Saag and Garlic Cheese Naan. Everything was hot (temp) and nicely spiced. We ordered very mild and it was just that. If you like naan, try the garlic cheese naan. It's my favorite flavor of naan. I will be back.

Came here for a work dinner and we all really enjoyed it. We shared a momo platter for appetizers. My coworkers enjoyed it a lot but I have had better elsewhere. The sauce that came with it was really good though! I had a lamb tikka masala and I asked for it to be very spicy and It was very spicy! I actually really liked it but if I have to order this again, I might just go with spicy than normal, not very spicy. I also got a cheese garlic naan on the side and I loved it! One downside is that this place doesn't have desserts (at least it wasn't offered). Service was great. Our server kept checking on us the whole time.

Very happy with my experience here. There were many vegan options which were clearly labeled on the menu. This place is a bit hidden, tucked in the corner of the plaza. Very clean interior. We were immediately given a carafe of water upon seating. The food was amazing. We tried the aloo cauliflower lunch special and the veggie momos. The momos were my favorite. Perfectly spiced, even without any additional sauces. I really enjoyed the cauli as well. I don't get Himalayan food very often but this place makes me want to drive all the way from Berkeley!

Excellent high quality food with great vegan options. The space was clean and quiet while being a large space inside so it was a great place to have a meeting with someone.

This place is AMAZING. We had the momo platter (steamed of 3 varieties - paneer, veggie, chicken) and steamed broccoli with garlic. I asked about the garlic thinking I would get the name of the first good peeled and cut garlic brand I had encountered - they cut garlic daily from scratch!! No wonder it was so flavorful. So was everything flavorful and made from scratch. The chai was good as was the gajjar (carrot) halwa - very homemade, not too sweet, could have used a bit more cardamom.

The staff is wonderful and the food is incredible--this place truly deserves more recognition. Their momos and saag paneer are my favorites. Highly recommend checking it out!

Great food, good service, nice venue. I highly recommend. Had the butter chicken lunch special and Himalayan tea.

Good food, clean restaurant, good service Garlic Naan is a must! Lunch specials are good and filling, no complaints

We have wanted to try this amazing place since first walking past over a year ago when the line was long and the aromas enticing. It did not disappoint. We placed a to go order and it was ready on time and perfectly prepared. We were so hungry that we ordered enough for ourselves and half of the neighborhood. the naan light and delicious. The mixed grill was perfectly prepared. I loved the chicken and my husband devoured the lamb. The fried rice was interesting and very abundant. The little appetizer that we ordered were delicious. We shared the rice and appetizers with my next-door neighbor who really enjoyed those. I picked everything up early around 430 and the place was already popular with beautiful flowers and and friendly service, very calming.

My mom and I went there for lunch. We sat outside under the awning. A very sweet young woman waited on us. We got the dumplings. I ordered 4 pork and 4 veggie. They came with a peanut sauce. Delicious. I loved the veggie. We split the lunch special. Basmati rice with a lamb Tikka Masala,a side salad and a veggie yellow dhal soup. Such a treasure. I don't normally order veggie items, but the dhal soup was a delicate surprise. Delicious. The lamb Tikka was lovely. Everything tasted fresh and made with high quality ingredients. We had a Thai iced tea and a chai tea - both perfect. This is a wonderful addition to Montecitto shopping center and a great place for lunch. Really tasty.

Had a lovely and serene meal outdoors here. It's not fancy or decorated--your view is from an inlet of the mall--but it was quiet and private and there was a pleasant breeze. The server was lovely and made us feel welcome, not at all rushed. We enjoyed the food. Aside from the mo-mo (steamed dumplings), you would recognize most of the dishes as Indian. I'd go again.

Really liked this place. We started with some daal soup, had the lamb Tikka masala with basmati rice, some garlic cilantro naan, and pork momos. The garlic naan was super fresh tasting, the daal soup was very nice, the lamb Tikka masala had just a touch of yogurt, which allowed all the other spices to shine through, and the momos were really good - first time having pork ones. Lots of parking and restaurant is nicer than you would expect at a strip mall location.

This place is great. The staff is super friendly and the food is excellent. If you haven't, try the garlic cheese naan to dip in your leftover curry sauce. And montecito plaza parking makes it easy...

Himalayan Kitchen is so good! The food, service and portions are so great. And the spot doesn't look like it from the outside but the inside is cute and it has a great atmosphere to it.

This restaurant absolutely deserves its high ratings. I got the Momo platter, lamb biryani, and butter chicken, which comes with rice/naan (huge plus to not have to spend extra $$). The portion sizes are perfect and it was an excellent takeout experience. Even though I was only in the restaurant for a few minutes, it was extremely pleasant inside and the service was very enjoyable and efficient. I will be back!

What a blessing it is to be able to get such exotic food in our little Mountain town. I loved everything I ate. The restaurant smells divine. The music was quite loud, but when we asked them to turn it down, they cheerfully did so immediately. The service was prompt and we were well taken care of. I will definitely be going back here to eat and I will be taking my out-of-town guests here.

The food is excellent. The prices are reasonable. The service is friendly and relaxed. Highly recommended.

I really like their food. It's a more mild version of Indian food. The servers are very attentive. The place is clean. There's a lot of parking. The portions are small though and it is expensive so expect to splurge when you come here. My favorite is the Curry dish and Naan bread. My wife enjoyed the momo appetizer.

We've come here a few times recently and absolutely love it! Dined in and for takeout. I've had a few lunch specials, they have great local beer on tap for a great price and the servers are always helpful with suggestions. Take out is also amazing, fresh and packaged very well. Love supporting this local business and so happy they are nearby.

We have eaten here multiple times over the past few years and each time the quality of the food and service has been excellent.

I work at Marin Medical Health Psych unit, we had a potluck for one of our doctors to celebrate her milestone and I must say EVERYTHING was SO good! We had some veg dishes and meat dishes, everyone enjoyed the food and was asking where I ordered from. I will definitely be ordering again and I'm sure they will too. Highly recommend What are you waiting on? Order that food lol

We got the tandoori chicken (whole), lamb tikka masala, Kashmiri naan, and rice. The food was delicious and came out sizzling hot. The Kashmiri naan was crispy and a little sweet on the inside, perfect with the tikka masala! The service was friendly and team was welcoming. Soothing dining experience. We will be back!

What a cute place! They were so kind to allow us to come in and order when they were closing in 10 minutes. I asked about vegan options and she pointed to several options and pointed me to the vegan bread. They were so fast in serving our food. We both enjoyed the flavors that burst forth. I wish I could fix these types of dishes. They make me do a happy food dance.

Our friends had arrived before we did and had ordered drinks. They saw us walking by and one came out to get us. After we sat, we had to wait quite a long time before a server came by. When he did, it was obvious that he was hoping to get our dinner order. I ordered drinks for myself and my wife and a platter of Momos for the table. When he brought our drinks, we ordered dinner. We each ordered one dish, each dish served with a choice of rice or naan. I asked the server if, for four hungry people, we had enough food. His reply was that we could always order more later. Our meals also included a free bowl of Daal Soup. Our server gave us fresh plates for our dinner after we inhaled the Momos. The portion sizes, while they looked small were more than sufficient with the included rice and naan and we didn't need to supplement our meal. While what we ordered was good, my wife and I felt that the best part of our meal were the Daal Soup and Naan. I thoroughly enjoyed my Saag Paneer (mild). My wife was disappointed that she could not taste the Butternut Squash in her Kukhura Pharsi (medium heat). Our friends ordered Chicken Korma (make me sweat level of spicy) and Tandoori Chicken (mild). They both said that they enjoyed their meals. We would definitely like to try some other flavors here. Photos to come.

One of the best food! Cheese naan ,butter chicken and lamb tikka masala. The taste that you will crave for over and over. Service was wonderful! The staffs are nice and friendly! The place is clean feels and smell like home. Highly recommended!

We had been going to Masala Kitchen in the same location for several years and just discovered that this is now Himalayan Kitchen. I don't know if this is a renaming of the same restaurant, or under totally new ownership (I think the latter). Anway, our first time here last Friday night. We arrived at around 7:30 pm and found it about half full, with plenty of tables that are spaced far enough apart to make us feel comfortable. Service was prompt and friendly, and we definitely felt welcomed from the moment we arrived. We ordered tea to drink and were given small metal teapots of hot water and a choice of tea packets. I did miss having authentic Nepalese tea as one of the options, but the Jasmine tea I chose was good. We ordered the 8-piece chicken momo as an appetizer, but since it takes 20 minutes to prepare, we ended up having it later in our dinner. It looks like a potsticker or dumpling, and came with a very nice dipping sauce. We were also served a complimentary small bowl of lentil soup. Excellent! I went totally off my normal pattern and ordered the lamb and pumpkin pharsi. The flavors were delicious, the pumpkin chunks perfectly cooked, but I was disappointed at the toughness of the lamb. It was too tough to cut with a fork, and took some effort to cut with a knife. Tasted great, but I was expecting the lamb to be tender after cooking in a stew (maybe I'm wrong about how it should be). A small bowl of raita accompanied it, and I had a choice of a side of rice or naan. I chose the naan, and it was very good. My wife ordered the vegetable biryani. It came in a beautifully modled mound, steaming hot. Flavors were excellent, and all the vegetables were perfectly cooked. There was a minor issue with the level of hotness. We asked for mild biryani and medium spicy pharsi. The server warned me that it would be very hot... so I was preparing myself for a lot of spice. But in reality, both dishes had about the same level of spiciness, somewhere between mild and medium on my own spicy scale. So a bit too spicy for my wife, and not quite spicy enough for me. Inspite of these minor issues, we will definitely return. Maybe next time I'll pass on the lamb, and try some of the other dishes I'd usually order.

Parking was super easy and location was easy to find. We were seated quickly and I love the culture in the restaurant. The layout was clean and the service was quick and friendly. They had options of curry and dumplings and I opted for the dumplings. The sauce was similar to curry and it was really good. It was my first time having Nepalese food and I will definitely return to try more items

My mind is blown. Himalayan Kitchen has officially moved to my number one favorite restaurant in Marin! Their food is so good! I overheard my husband telling our neighbors about the awesomeness that is the Himalayan Kitchen. The flavors in every dish are out of this world good! I finally found a restaurant that fills my spicy needs! You can customize each dish based on how spicy or mild you want your food. The butter chicken, saag paneer, cheese naan, momo platter and chicken friend rice are just a few of the dishes that rocked our world. Himalayan Kitchen will definitely be on our regular restaurant rotation!

Kind and gentle service. Food felt fresh. Will definitely return when we are in the area.

Warm, delicious spices in the curry. Authentic dishes and fantastic and quick service.

Great food at great prices. It's all about the food here. Try it out. Don't knock the strip mall location, just try the food. Really good vegetarian options!

I have only 2 pluses for this place. The amount of food with the lunch special and the accompanying soup. We felt the rest of the food was bland with the samosas being particularly unenjoyable to eat. We had 2 completely different dishes and the sauces were basically the same tomatoey sauce with no hint of Tikka Masala in mine. Oh and a note for your to-go orders : Don't put the papadum in the container with the rest of the food - the condensation just makes it a wet, limp inedible waste.

We've eaten at Himalayan Kitchen twice and have had two events catered by them. The food is delicious, fresh, and we love Nepali food as it's lighter and has more of a 'homemade' flavor than heavier Indian food. The atmosphere at the restaurant is warm and the service top notch. The owner Wangchhe is so personable and kind. We can't wait to be back!

This is one of our favorite restaurants in Marin. The food is consistently delicious and reasonably priced. We have tried about every dish on the menu, and everything tastes freshly made. Our parents--who like many South Indian parents are tough critics of South Asian food--really enjoyed this place as well. The restaurant has a lot of vegetarian and vegan options too, which makes it a great place to take a group of people with mixed dietary preferences. We also have catered some small parties (30-40 people) from the restaurant. The food tastes just as good, and the team is flexible in terms of figuring out a menu that make sense for your party and budget. Like most good restaurants, it can get busy during peak lunch/dinner hours, but we have found going a little early can help avoid the rush.

Very good authentic food and the chef owner is a really nice guy that could help you pick out and choose what you want to eat. I go for any kind of spicy curry myself.

The food was delicious. The staff was courteous and friendly. The food came fast. A very large menu.

Dropped in for a late lunch. The Butter Chicken lunch special was a nice size and tasty. I will say that my wife's order of Lamb Curry was even better. Prices are not unreasonable. The wide angle picture of the restaurant is representative. Service was good as we arrived after 1pm. Will come back for dinner sometime soon.

You gotta love a spot sort of hidden in a strip mall, I always know it's gonna be good. The wait staff were so nice. There is a decent lunch special combo that my friend and I got, yummy, nourishing and well-balanced. Dressing of the salad was yum and the stewed potatoes curry was flavorful. The dumplings were a little forgettable though. Definitely will be back when in the area again!

I found our new favorite San Rafael restaurant thanks to all the five-star reviews on Yelp. I'm not a huge Indian cuisine fan (blasphemy I know!) so, without the lure of the 100% perfect rating, I probably would have passed this over with the assumption that I wouldn't love Nepalese food either. But Himalayan Kitchen is the best restaurant food I've had in a long time. We got the Nepalese chicken chow mein, which was very much a fusion dish, with distinct south Asian flavors. My younger daughter declared it her new favorite noodles. The momo were also different than more typical East Asian dumplings--heftier and spicier. They were delicious. The biggest surprise to me was the tandoori chicken. I generally feel lukewarm about this dish, but I couldn't get enough of Himalayan Kitchen's. I even saved the last tablespoon of sauce to add to my own cooking the next night, it was so full of flavor. The Montecito location is super convenient. Easy parking and centrally located. We got takeout, but the restaurant space is nice. I was looking through the Instagram page and not only saw some Yelp friends, but also some of our best local friends. So the word is already out--Himalayan Kitchen is San Rafael's new best restaurant!

I had the chicken biryani and it was the best I've ever had! Absolutely delicious! I can't wait to go back. It smells amazing when you walk through the door.

I have had several 5 star experiences at this restaurant but my last lunch experience was quite disappointing. I got Chilli Paneer Rice plate and there was a ton of onions and very little Paneer in it and most disappointing was the rice which felt like it was more than a day old and barely warmed out of the refrigerator. I was happy with the other lunch options I have had here so this was a surprise. Anyway generally this restaurant is excellent so I feel bad writing this as it was not terrible but it was definitely disappointing

Great food nice restaurant lovely naan Had the lamb sag was delicious very fresh . Great service

Food is excellent. Very well spiced and generous portions. Be careful of the heat. Their medium is a bit more hot than medium. service and ambience are very good.