Buddha Holidays Patan Eat Street Food Tour

The Patan Eat Street tour is a guided food walk through the old city of Patan run by Buddha Holidays, the tour company of the domestic airline Buddha Air. It is designed to show visitors the family-run Newari eateries that locals use every day, many of which are hard to find or would feel intimidating to walk into alone.

The tour starts and ends at Labim Mall in Lalitpur, with a short introduction from the local guide. The first stop is Honacha, the old family eatery near the Krishna Mandir on Patan Durbar Square, where bara, the lentil pancake sometimes called Newari pizza, is cooked in front of guests by a family in its sixth or seventh generation. Next comes Kwachha in Chyasal, another long-running family business, for chhyang (rice beer) and alu, with seasonal dishes such as crab cooked as a stew or takha, a meat jelly made in winter. Nandini Food Court near Durbar Square serves yomari, sapu mhicha and mixed wo, though yomari is often seasonal. At Bulal Newari Khaja Ghar in Pinchhen, near Gwarko, guests taste blood sausage and hyangu-thwo, a red-rice beer, and the final stop, Maharjan Khaja Ghar in Pimbahal, serves haku chhoila, kachila, takha and chhyang before a walk back to the start.

The tour takes four to five hours and includes an English-speaking guide, a bottle of water, the food and drinks at each stop, and the entrance fee for Patan Durbar Square, so you see the square itself along the way. Hotel pick-up can be added for an extra charge. Maharjan Khaja Ghar had opened only a year or so before the tour was written up, so the itinerary mixes new places with old ones.

It suits adventurous eaters, couples and small groups who want to understand Newari food culture. Much of the food is buffalo meat, offal and home-brewed alcohol, so vegetarians and non-drinkers should discuss options when booking, and everyone should come hungry.

Bookings can be made through Buddha Holidays by phone on its Kathmandu booking line or online. The tour pairs well with a morning at the Patan Museum, a short walk from Honacha, if you want to see the art of the same Newar community whose food you have just eaten.