Visitors often ask which Nepali food they should try first. In Kathmandu, two names come up again and again: Thakali and Newari. They share some ingredients but come from very different places and feel quite different on the plate.
Where each cuisine comes from
Thakali food comes from the Thakali people of the Thak Khola area in Mustang, along the Kali Gandaki river. For centuries they ran inns and trading posts on the salt route between Tibet and the lowlands, feeding travellers who needed a filling, reliable meal. You can read that story in the Thakali people and the salt trade.
Newari food belongs to the Newar community, the original people of the Kathmandu Valley. It grew up around festivals, temples and the old trading towns of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, and it has a huge range of dishes for feasts and rituals.
How a meal is built
A Thakali meal is a set: rice or dhido, dal, vegetables, greens, gundruk, achar and a curry, all on one plate and refilled. It is a complete everyday meal.
A Newari meal is often a spread of many small dishes, called a samay baji or a bhoj, built around chiura (beaten rice). You might get spiced meat, beans, potatoes, pickles and a fried lentil patty, all eaten together.
Ingredients and flavours
- Thakali: jimbu, ghee, buckwheat, timur pepper, gundruk, dried meat and black lentils. Flavours are warm, savoury and balanced rather than very hot.
- Newari: buffalo meat, beaten rice, soybeans, mustard oil, fenugreek, fresh ginger and lots of chilli. Flavours are often bold, smoky and spicy.
Dishes to look for
Thakali: the Thakali set, buckwheat dhido, chyangra sukuti, kanchamba and Mustang aloo.
Newari: choila (spiced grilled meat), bara (lentil patties), chatamari (a thin rice flour crepe), kwati (nine-bean soup, made around Janai Purnima), yomari (sweet rice dumplings at Yomari Punhi) and juju dhau, the famous yoghurt of Bhaktapur.
Some dishes cross over. Choila, for example, is Newari, but you will find it on many Nepali menus in Kathmandu, including ours as part of the twakka tukka small plates.
Which should you try first?
If you want an easy, complete introduction to Nepali home cooking, start with a Thakali set. It is gentle on newcomers, it suits vegetarians, and the refills mean nobody goes hungry. If you like strong, spicy flavours and small plates to share, a Newari feast in Patan, Bhaktapur or Kirtipur is unforgettable.
The best answer is both. Spend a morning in Patan or Bhaktapur eating bara and juju dhau, and come back to Thamel for a Thakali dinner. Our menu and how to eat guide will help you order, and you can reserve a table for the evening.
