Restaurant
Krishnarpan at The Dwarika’s
The Dwarika's Nepali fine-dining room, serving a seasonal multi-course tasting menu that travels across the country's regions with produce from the hotel's own farms.
Newa Lahana
A community-run Newari restaurant in Kirtipur where local women in traditional dress serve more than 50 Newari dishes on terraces looking towards Chandragiri.
At a glance
- Type
- Newari community restaurant
- Area
- Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Price
- $ · Budget
Good to know
- Hill views
- Open-air terraces
- Traditional dress service
Why we recommend it
Newa Lahana is a community-run Newari restaurant in the town of Kirtipur in the Kathmandu Valley. It occupies a multi-storey open-air building near the Bagh Bhairab temple, and its upper floors look out over Machhegaun and the Chandragiri hills. For visitors it offers a chance to eat Newari food cooked and served by local families in their own town, well away from the tourist areas of the city.
The food is prepared by families from the Thambahal area of Kirtipur, and orders are taken and served by women from the community wearing the traditional haku patasi. Nepali Times counted more than 50 Newari specialities on the menu and described the building as a bhatti, the traditional Newari eating house, spread over several open-air floors. Among them are sapu mhicha, a leaf tripe bag stuffed with bone marrow, me (buffalo tongue), wo and bara (lentil pancakes), chhoila, alu, sukuti and dishes such as pangra and tisyo. Onlinekhabar recommends the chhoila, including the smoked black haku chhoila, either on its own or as part of a samay baji or Newa khaja set, as well as yomari and chatamari. Thwo, a home-brewed rice beer, is the drink to try.
When Nepali Times reviewed it in 2014, most dishes cost no more than a couple of hundred rupees, and even the rice beer was sold by the cup. Diners can watch the cooks at work, and the space between the tables makes it more relaxed than the cramped bhattis of the old city. The restaurant had been running for more than ten years when Onlinekhabar profiled it in 2021, and its prices were modest, so it suits budget travellers, families and groups who want to share many small plates.
The menu leans heavily on buffalo meat and offal, which will appeal to adventurous eaters; vegetarians should stick to bara, wo, alu and the beaten rice. Spice levels can be high. Allow time to see the Bagh Bhairab temple on the way in.
To find Newa Lahana, walk past the Bagh Bhairab temple to a gate with a signboard; locals will point the way if you cannot see it. The Chandragiri hills on the horizon are where the cable car climbs to its hilltop station.
Newa Lahana FAQs
Where is Newa Lahana?
In Kirtipur, past the Bagh Bhairab temple, through a gate marked with a signboard.
Who runs it?
It is community-run; food is prepared by local families and served by women in traditional haku patasi.
What should I order?
Chhoila, including smoked haku chhoila, sapu mhicha, bara, yomari and a Newa khaja set.
Is it good value?
Yes. Prices are modest and it suits sharing many small plates.
Are there views?
Yes. The top floor looks over Machhegaun and towards the Chandragiri hills.
Can vegetarians eat here?
There are some options, such as bara, wo, alu and beaten rice, but the menu is mainly meat.
What drinks are served?
Thwo, a home-brewed rice beer, is the traditional choice.
How long has it been open?
It had been operating for more than ten years when profiled in 2021.