The Himalayan Restaurant — Restaurant in Beyoğlu

I'm glad I read reviews for this one — price-performance is great!

Good food, a cosy ambience and excellent service (the best I've had in Turkey, to be honest), extremely friendly.

I ordered vegetable biryani and mango lassi — I was dying to try their momos but sadly they don't offer half portions. The biryani portion is HUGE, by the way... tomorrow's lunch is guaranteed! It has a distinctive flavour, different from Indian biryani, I had a few pieces of a herb I have no idea about that tastes like nothing I have had before and that was such an interesting surprise. It's not often that you get to taste completely new flavours as an adult! Definitely a delicious twist. It is also full of whole spices so be careful when munching if you don't want to bite straight into clove or cinnamon pieces 🤭

Both the cook and the waiter were kind and attentive, and I received complimentary chips (very strangely coloured but tasty) and a most interesting soup: clear broth with floating pieces of cilantro. I tasted it tentatively and couldn't make my mind up about it, since it was tasty but disconcertingly... transparent! Turns out it's a Himalayan soup with a garlic, ginger, black salt and asparagus root (!!!) broth, topped with cilantro. Now I'm obsessed with finding some sort of recipe so I can reproduce it at home.

The mango lassi is lovely as well, and I'm only sorry I began feeling unwell halfway through my meal and didn't get a chance to order dessert. They also brought mandarin pieces and some mint lemon tea at the end, as well as wrapped candy and fennel to finish. They packed my order very well (no chance for leaks with the layers of wrapping plastic!) and I was happy to pay for the service charge plus a little extra.

I do recommend it, and hope I can be back before the end of my trip ♥️

Edit: I went back and got the momo platter to share with my mom; the chili sauce ones especially (not spicy!)...

I came to this Nepalese restaurant twice during time in Istanbul, both visits around 9-10PM. Both times, the food was excellent and we received amazing service. Very deserving of the rating they have on Google.

Food: Indo-Chinese flavors done very well, bringing the best of South Asian spices together with some Chinese-inspired dishes such as chow mein. If you're a fan of Chinese take out and/or Indian food, this place will hit the spot for you. Portion sizes are generous, especially for the biryani. You can easily feed four people with 2 mains (Thali, rice), 1 side (Curry, salad).

Experience/Service: Some of the friendliest staff and warmest hospitality you will find in Istanbul. Their patience and enthusiasm is the gold standard in this city. My first time I came here was right after a very bad dinner (somewhere nearby) and the experience at Himalayan Restaurant saved my evening. Just very pleasant.

Moments of Delight: My partner was not feeling well (seasick) and the staff brought her an herbal tea with lemon and ginger. A really thoughtful gesture that we did not forget. The house special clear soup. Made with asparagus root, black salt, lemon, garlic, etc. Simple looking, but a perfect appetizer bursting with flavor. The takeaway packaging is very thorough, done with attention and care. Every dish, sauce, and side is individually wrapped with cling wrap and sealed.

Somehow, the leftovers were even better reheated the next morning.

Pics below are from our second visit. Overall, my experience here has made me want to spend time in Nepal. Kudos to the team here, you guys are wonderful ambassadors for...

A Nightmare Dining Experience:

If I could give zero stars, I would. Our experience at this restaurant was nothing short of a disaster. Despite their claims of “freshly prepared food,” the reality was far from it. The service was painfully slow — it took over 50 minutes to receive our mains — and the food quality was absolutely appalling. The dal makhani was below average, bland, and lacked the creamy richness it’s known for. To make matters worse, the portion of rice that accompanied it was massive and unbalanced. There was no guidance or courtesy offered to help us order appropriately. The only mildly acceptable dish was the aloo parantha, but even that turned out to be a problem. My mother-in-law, who had the parantha, and my less-than-one-year-old child (for whom we had a custom parantha prepared) both ended up with stomach aches. So much for “freshly prepared”! The final blow was the mutton biryani and chicken curry we ordered for myself and my husband. After waiting for nearly an hour, the biryani arrived with undercooked mutton — an absolute disgrace, especially in the heart of Istanbul where food standards are usually exceptional. As for the chicken curry, it lacked any authentic flavor and seemed to rely on a cheap overdose of red pepper to pass off as "spicy." Istanbul has always been a haven for incredible food, but this restaurant is an absolute outlier in the worst way possible. The slow service, false reviews, poor food quality, and lack of basic courtesy made this the single worst dining experience I’ve ever had. Avoid this place...