Lumuma — Restaurant in Pokhara

I was very excited to come here since it's the only cafe that advertises itself as purely vegan in Pokhara (according to Happy Cow), but was dissaapointed with some things...

But first, the pros: The service was impeccable. The staff were very accommodating, friendly, and knowledgable of the menu (this last one will be very important later) The ambience was fantastic! We went there at night and the views of the lake at night were gorgeous. The setting was quite romantic.

Now the cons: I was disappointed by what we ordered, especially for the prices. We ordered the Nachos and the Mexican Wrap. It was quite flavorless and we found ourselves reaching for the salt and pepper shakers a little too many times, and asking for more salsas. The guacamole was not guacamole at all, but more just like squashed avocado. And finally, I was very disappointed by the lack of allergy information on the menu. Many of the vegan cheeses and sauces were, according to staff, made with cashew, but the menu did not mention it except for a few items. As someone with allergies, this could have been very dangerous to me if we had not double checked.

We urge management to be VERY clear with what allergens are in the food!

Overall, I DID enjoy my time there and may edit my review IF we should ever return and have our minds changed about the food. But for now... An average score of 3...

I had the tempeh steak wrap and chocolate fudge. The food wasn't exactly what I expected from the name/description, but both were great. I had read negative comments about the service before I came, but didn't experience it that way - service was not the most attentive, but all I had to do to get their attention was stand up to see where they were, which I think is fine.

The tempeh wasn't in steak form, but was perfectly tasty in a fried crumbly form. The wrap bread was also very good. The "vegetables" in the description turned out to be fried potatoes. The chocolate fudge had no chocolatey solids like I expected, and instead was three scoops of ice cream (some of the best I've had) with (a slightly coconutty?) chocolate sauce, nuts and raisins. The place is being redecorated, but wasn't noisy and you can still see the lake.

Edit: This was originally a 5-star review, but I went there a few more times, and unfortunately it was very hit and miss. I don't recommend the sushi (pretty sure that wasn't Japanese rice, it didn't taste like that and the roll kept falling apart). There was construction (use of angle grinder) going on, really noisy and sometimes smelly, and one time I ordered a dessert with ice cream and the waiter told me as he brought it that the fridge had malfunctioned (it was half melted). No discount offered. For the prices I find that very...

We dined at Lumuma 4 times in our five day trip to Pokhara, it was so good we just kept coming back! Tonnes of seating available on different levels with the lake view (tables with chairs or comfy benches and floor seating with cushions). This seems to be the only FULLY vegan restaurant in town. Because we had some favorite drinks and meals we ordered them more than once and they were consistent in their deliciousness. Service was good, staff were friendly and accommodating.

Favorite dish was the Pink pasta (creamy pink tomato sauce with vegan parm noodles cooked perfectly and the sauce was so flavorful) for dinner, and the big brekky for breakfast (beans, spinach, hash brown, scrambled tofu, tomato and buckwheat bread). Favorite drinks: hot chocolate, the iced caramel, mocha frappe and lemongrass ginger kombucha.

We also had pad Thai which was nice, the lasagna had good flavor (very saucy), tasty ice creams, the waffles wonder (a pretty big size for dessert), the sundae (also really good).

Favorite dessert: chocolate mousse cake (insane smooth creamy texture). Snickers (salty and sweet to perfection). Everything is made in house, using a lot of organic produce. Definitely a must...