Kathmandu Bistro — Restaurant in Rapid City

I have no idea how this place received so many good reviews. The entire reason I went here is because of the reviews. Boy was I misled. I stopped in for a to-go order. The service was slow, but they had some customers dining so that's expected. Once the young lady came to help me, she kept looking around while I was asking her questions and couldn't seem to focus on helping me take my order, even though I knew what I wanted and was ready. I ordered a very basic, and common item (chicken curry) since I was getting it to go, I didn't want any surprises. Although the food is highly overpriced, I figured with the good ratings, I would be pleased regardless of the cost.

I also ordered some Mango Kulfi for a dessert. Pretty safe options. After being told it would be 45 minutes, I went for a walk and came back 30 minutes later to find the food was already ready. Awesome!

My hotel was only 3 minutes away, but the chicken tasted like it was cooked a week ago. It was so chewy that I couldn't finish it. The curry had a decent flavor, but was very bland. I had never had such bland Indian food. I don't know if they have the curry sitting in a big vat that they keep around for days or something, but I have had gas station curry that was 10x the quality and half the price.

Well, I thought, at least I have my dessert. Ummm nope. They packed a $3 Mango Kulfi that normally I imagine is much larger if you dine in, into a basically a ketchup container. I was so surprised I almost called to complain. But then I remember the young girl and how dismissive she was of me and decided not to bother.

I guess because of the high amount of tourists in the area, they don't have to worry about quality since their customers won't be staying in the area, and I'm guessing the locals haven't had better so they think it's good? Not sure, but try anywhere else for Indian food...

I found this Nepalese restaurant during a road trip passing through Rapid City! It's a spacious restaurant filled with posters and facts about Kathmandu and Nepal. The restaurant was a bit too dim. I think they were going for a dim, warm ambiance, but I felt like it didn't work out. We came in for dinner and while there was no line and not that many people, the wait for the food was very long. I think it was because one of the dishes we ordered, the Tandoori Lamb Rack, was made-to-order.

Kathmandu Momo Dumpling w/ Nepalese Chutney (4/5): I have had a lot of Chinese dumplings & Japanese gyozas & Korean mandus in my life, but it was my first having a Nepalese momo. I feel like this momo dish in particular was not too different from your typical Chinese dumpling if we're just talking about the dumpling itself. However, the momos also came with this sour/spicy powder sprinkled on top with a wonderful cuthney dipping sauce, which is the differentiating point from your typical Chinese dumpling. I've never had momos before this, so I'm unsure if this is how it's typically served, and don't have a reference point. It was perfectly fried and paired deliciously with the chutney. I'm just taking away 1 point since the actual dumpling was not very stand-out in flavor. It's still very yummy though.

Tandoori (Clay Oven-Roasted) Lamb Rack in Spiced Yogurt w/ Rice & Roti (5/5): If anything, this clay-oven roasted lamb rack was most definitely worth the wait. I love lamb, and I felt like this lamb rack was roasted to perfection. There was no weird lamb odor, and it was seasoned perfectly. There was a spicy heat that tasted so delicious with the lamb and yogurt base. The sauce also doubled as a delicious dip for the roti as well. My dad and I absolutely devoured this dish the moment...

Please Don't Go to this place unless you want your patience to be tested.

If I was allowed to give a negative star I would happily give to such a place who doesn't care about customers. Worst place ever. We were a family of 3, went there on a Sunday evening. It was an hour well before the closing time. The person at the front desk was standing holding a paper and discussing with another person. Being courteous we had to stand there allowing them to finish their conversation. We stood there for more than 5 min unattended. The man at the counter dint even care or make an attempt to talk to us or at least he would have asked for an excuse for making us wait. He dint care about that. Nobody likes to stand like that unattended and stared by other customers eating there. There were only 2 tables filled rest all was empty. We were seriously irritated and walked away from the place and even then he dint come asking the reason why we were leaving. No body is coming to your place for free food. Such a shame...