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.
Norbulingka Terrace Restaurant
A seventh-floor rooftop restaurant at Hotel Tibet International with views over Boudhanath Stupa and a menu of Tibetan, continental, Asian and North Indian dishes.
At a glance
- Type
- Tibetan and multi-cuisine rooftop
- Area
- Boudha, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Price
- $$$ · Upscale
Good to know
- Stupa views
- Rooftop
- Open kitchen
Why we recommend it
Norbulingka Terrace sits on the seventh-floor rooftop of Hotel Tibet International in Boudha, and its main attraction is the view straight down onto Boudhanath Stupa. The hotel opened in 2012, and the restaurant first operated on its first floor before the management moved it to the roof so that diners could look over the stupa and the surrounding city. It reopened in its current form under the Norbulingka name in 2019, and the menu was fully redesigned in late 2021.
The kitchen is organised into four cuisines, each overseen by its own head chef: Tibetan, continental, Chinese and Thai, and North Indian. The Tibetan section is the one to explore here. Gyakok, a communal Tibetan hotpot, is especially popular in winter, and the menu also covers thukpa, thenthuk, shabril and phingsha. Nepali favourites include khasi ko bhutuwa kebab, jhaneko duck chhoila and kali dal makhani, while the continental mains feature chicken involtini stuffed with spinach, mushroom and cheese and a paneer steak with pesto. For dessert there are honey noodles with ice cream.
The decor follows the hotel's Tibetan theme, and staff wear traditional Tibetan dress. Mains such as the stuffed chicken and the paneer steak are among the most ordered dishes, according to the management. An open kitchen lets diners watch the cooks, and the management told the Kathmandu Post that it follows its own food safety procedures based on international HACCP principles. The same floor is shared with the hotel's 7th Heaven Bar, so a drink before or after dinner is easy, while the ground floor has Akama Cafe and the Shambala Tea Garden, so the hotel offers several ways to spend an evening.
The restaurant suits couples and families who want a comfortable meal with a view of the stupa, and it is a good place to try a Tibetan hotpot in a group. Prices are higher than in the small Tibetan eateries around the square, which the management acknowledges, but the view and service are part of what you pay for.
Hotel Tibet International is in Boudha, a short walk from the stupa, so dinner here makes a natural end to an afternoon walking the kora.
Norbulingka Terrace Restaurant FAQs
Where is Norbulingka Terrace?
On the seventh-floor rooftop of Hotel Tibet International in Boudha, Kathmandu.
Can you see Boudhanath Stupa?
Yes. The terrace looks down over the stupa.
What cuisines are served?
Tibetan, continental, Chinese and Thai, and North Indian, each with its own head chef.
What Tibetan dishes are on the menu?
Gyakok hotpot, thukpa, thenthuk, shabril and phingsha.
Is there a bar nearby?
Yes. The hotel's 7th Heaven Bar is on the same floor.
Is it expensive?
It is pricier than the small Tibetan eateries around Boudha, reflecting the view and service.
When did it open on the rooftop?
In 2019, after moving up from the first floor.
Do staff wear traditional dress?
Yes. Staff wear Tibetan dress, in keeping with the hotel's theme.