Café Momo — Restaurant in Manchester

Short Version: Tasty spicing, but the chicken in both our dishes was overcooked and dried out. Not anything at all like the Cafe Momo of years ago. Not recommended.

Long Version: We used to regularly visit Cafe Momo years ago. Loved the food. Always fresh. Always healthy. Crispy veg. Juicy chicken. Simple, coherent, menu.

The other night, we returned to Momo’s for the first time in years. The menu has changed. The food has changed. And one of it for the better.

The Indian dishes on the menu are confusing. I asked the waiter about the Hyderabadi biryani (a dish with which I am familiar) and he said it was nothing like Hyderabadi biryani. Curious, right? Yeah…

Rama’s Chicken was still on the menu, but the chicken was super dry and overcooked. The veg were… not plentiful and over cooked. The sauce was tasty. But… overall a sub-par dish.

The same for the other chicken dish we had. A few limp green beans, some onion, some overcooked peppers. Again, dry chicken (pieces in this dish). And, again, tasty sauce. This dish we ordered at a spice level of “7” on the 1-10 scale (with 10 being the most spicy). And it wasn’t spicy.

We had the gundruk soup to start. Spicy, but lacking content. Very few soy nuts.

So… sad. We were sooo disappointed. Not at all like the Cafe Momo years back. I hear the old owner opened a new place in Portsmouth some years back. Guess we need to go there.

Sadly… not...

We came there for lunch after reading good reviews. First, this is not a very child/family place. We had a well behaved small infant with us. We couldn't fit a strolled between the tables. I asked for a high chair, they had one with a broken and unusable buckle. We took it anyway and decided to use it regardless of the broken strap. We kindly asked to be guided on the menu and the server, who barely spoke English, was instantly impatient and rushed us with something like" do you want this meal, or that meal, or this here" without even explaining what each was. Exactly like "just pick something and leave me alone" attitude. Rude. I chose something and specifically and kindly warned about shell fish allergy. The waiter did not acknowledge what I had just told him as if he didn't understand what I was talking about. He kept saying "more spicy", "less spicy". I slowly and clearly repeated myself. He mumbled something and went to the kitchen. My wife and I were already frustrated at this point. We decided to leave at that point and not take a chance. I can't comment on the food, but the service was bad. Unwelcoming, impatient waiter who does not try to understand what you are saying to him, does not understand well English, poor attitude. We've been to many placed, but this stood out as pretty bad right the moment we...

What is this amazing Nepalese/Indian food restaurant doing buried way up in Manchester, NH?!? I went here tonight for dinner with my mom and sister (both of whom generally have more... mild taste buds than myself) and the food was absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS! The variety of Momo options BLEW my mind - we ordered 3 different kinds and each was SO different, and SO perfect!! I have travelled a bit in Sikkim, India - a state which borders both Nepal and Tibet, and these momo were the best I've eaten since I was there. Seriously. (If you don't know what Momo are - think basically, delicious juicy dumplings). BUT. Let's not forget to mention the Hyderabadi Biryani!!! Holy WOW it was fantastic. Again, some of the best I've had in ages and ages. The service was sweet, the inside was clean, and there were clearly labeled vegan and vegetarian options on the menu. I am not someone who bothers to write many reviews - but I had to write this one, right away, because the experience was that excellent. I highly recommend this restaurant, and though I live 45 minutes away, you can believe I will be making the trip back soon...