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.
Fire and Ice Pizzeria
A Neapolitan-run pizzeria that has opened every day since January 1995, known for its pizzas, homemade lasagne and Italian breakfast in Thamel.
At a glance
- Type
- Neapolitan-style pizzeria
- Area
- Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Price
- $$ · Mid-range
- Official site
- fireandicepizzeria.com
Good to know
- Open daily
- Breakfast
- Online ordering
Why we recommend it
Fire and Ice Pizzeria opened in Thamel on 10 January 1995 and has served pizza every day since. Its founder, Annamaria Forgione, grew up in Naples, learned to cook from an aunt in Milan and moved to Kathmandu in 1988. In 1993 she began selling her tomato sauce in reused jars at the vegetable market at the Summit Hotel, and demand grew until she opened the restaurant with eight pizzas and one stone oven. The name pairs fire, for passion and warmth, with ice, for freshness and mountain air, and the crossed lines in the logo are based on khukuri knives. The Sunday Times called it legendary in 2003, and in 2024 it appeared in a New York Times list of readers' favourite pizzerias.
Pizza is the reason to come. Mozzarella is made in Nepal through a long-standing partnership and pulled daily, olive oil, Parma ham and mascarpone come from Italy, and some pizzas use yak cheese. The menu keeps to Italian classics such as the Margherita, with tomato and mozzarella, while the Rompipalle stands out as the only pizza made with local spice: a spicy meat sauce with coriander and chillies. Beyond pizza, the Lasagna Tradizionale is made with fresh homemade pasta, a slow-cooked meat sauce, bechamel and Parmesan. Fresh pasta is rolled by hand every day, and soft ice cream is made with local milk. In the morning the restaurant serves an Italian-style breakfast, with freshly baked croissants, bread, butter and jam, and cappuccino made with Illy espresso.
The original restaurant is in the Sanchaya Kosh Bhawan building on Tridevi Sadak in Thamel and opens daily from 10am. A second branch opened in 2023 at the International Club in Sanepa, Lalitpur, which starts serving breakfast at 8am and is a useful option for visitors staying in Patan. Orders can also be placed online through the restaurant's website.
Fire and Ice suits almost everyone: families with children who want something familiar, groups after a trek, and couples looking for a relaxed dinner. It is a casual place rather than a formal one, and the menu is short enough that ordering is quick.
Thamel's sights, including the Garden of Dreams at the entrance to the district, are within walking distance, which makes the restaurant a convenient lunch stop between sights as well as an easy dinner for anyone staying nearby.
Fire and Ice Pizzeria FAQs
When did Fire and Ice open?
On 10 January 1995, and it says it has been open every day since.
Who founded it?
Annamaria Forgione, who came to Kathmandu from Naples in 1988.
What are the opening hours?
The Thamel restaurant opens daily from 10am.
What should I order?
A classic Margherita, the spicy Rompipalle made with local spice, or the homemade Lasagna Tradizionale.
Does it serve breakfast?
Yes. It offers an Italian breakfast with croissants, bread and Illy cappuccino; the Sanepa branch opens at 8am for breakfast.
Is there another branch?
Yes. A second restaurant opened in 2023 at the International Club in Sanepa, Lalitpur.
Can I order online?
Yes, through the restaurant's website.
Where is the Thamel branch?
In Sanchaya Kosh Bhawan on Tridevi Sadak, Thamel.