Third Eye Restaurant

Third Eye has been serving travellers and locals in Thamel since 1989, which makes it one of the longest-running restaurants in the district. It describes itself as a destination for royal Indian and Nepalese cooking, with a continental menu alongside, and it marks more than 35 years in business on its website.

The Indian side of the menu is the main draw. A 2017 profile in ECS Nepal singled out the Hyderabadi kebab, served with Kashmiri naan and mint sauce, and noted that the curries had been made the same way by the same cook for many years, with some staff and suppliers working with the restaurant for close to three decades. That continuity is what keeps regulars coming back. Nepali dishes and continental plates cover anyone in the group who wants something else.

The restaurant is laid out over several spaces, which helps when Thamel is busy. There is a garden area for around 30 guests, dining rooms on the ground and first floors for 60 or more, an air-conditioned sitting area with floor seating for about 50, and a rooftop that seats around 35 and is the most popular spot in the evening. Antique pieces and Nepali materials give the rooms a warm, old-fashioned feel. In all, the restaurant can seat more than 250 people, including two rooms with tiered floor seating and a separate bar room. The website splits the menu into Indian, Continental and Nepalese sections.

Third Eye suits groups and families as much as couples, since the menu is broad and the spaces are flexible, and ECS Nepal noted that Lonely Planet had once ranked it the top Indian restaurant in Kathmandu. Reservations can be made through the website, with slots from late morning to 9pm, and booking the rooftop is a good idea on a fine evening.

The restaurant is on J.P. Road in Thamel, within walking distance of the district's guesthouses. Kathmandu Durbar Square is about 1.4 km to the south, and the Garden of Dreams is at the edge of Thamel, so lunch here fits neatly into a day of sightseeing on foot.