Himalayan Kitchen — Restaurant in Smyrna

What a delightful little hidden gem! From the outside, nothing special, but inside the place is bright and freshly painted, with a large mural and pictures adorning the walls. The tables and chairs are basic but there are vases of fresh flowers on each table.

We were greeted and seated immediately while others went to the counter to pick up orders to-go. We were provided menus, but there is also a menu board with some pictures above the takeout counter.

We tried • mango lassi, which was thick, rich, creamy, not too sweet, just perfect. • momo butter curry - we did half chicken/half beef and we asked for it a bit spicy. The sauce was absolutely delicious! Both the beef & chicken dumplings were well stuffed with meat and we enjoyed them equally. The wrappers were not overly thick nor thin, just right, and steamed perfectly, an all around delightful dish. • Combo Plate - 4 steamed chicken dumplings & chicken fried rice. The chicken fried rice was really, really good, and different from most fried rice we’ve had before. First, the chicken. It was almost as if the chicken had been flash fried and then cut and stirred into the rice at the last moment, and there was a LOT of chicken in there! Then, there were nice pieces of zucchini, carrots, and onion that had all been so nicely seared, and had soooooo much flavor. And the rice on its own had great flavor and texture. Someone took care with that rice. The chicken dumplings were the same as the ones which came with the butter curry, but these were just steamed and they came with a wonderfully spicy cold sauce on the side. Also part of the combo was a house salad, which is a spicy marinated salad of cabbage, onion, & carrot, and it too was quite delicious.

Service was quick and friendly. We will definitely be making...

Really good food and friendly service. Not the cheapest option but I have no regrets and will return!

Update: I've been coming pretty regularly for the past 5 months. While you will spend $20 per person, it is the best food in the area. I cried when they closed for a few weeks, 5 stars for sure.

Update 2 (1/2024): Apparently, some food review page made a post about the food here. It's now become insanely packed with people trying to eat momos. It's still the same 2 owners that run it and (if you can get in) the food quality is, as always, amazing. While it sucks that I have trouble even getting a seat at my favorite restaurant, I am happy that they're getting more business and making money. All I ask is that if you're coming here because of some social media hype, be patient and courteous with the owner as they due seem a bit overwhelmed.

Update 3 (08/2024): Hype has died down, but the restaurant is still busier than before. Seems much more sustainable and they've even hired some additional help. Can likely get a seat without too much of a wait now, and the food is...

Their mango lassi is soooooo good! I tried the beef momo thukpa (first time trying Himalayan dish). It was quite misleading coz it was named beef noodle soup but I cannot find the noodle in the soup. Maybe coz of my lack of knowledge on Tibetan food. It was good too, though, and the smell was so incredible. Struggling to drive home coz of the smell. In a good way, I mean. 😁I’ll try the fried rice next time and will keep you updated.

Update: I just tried the spicy shrimp fried rice. OMG! It’s so delicious though it’s not really spicy imo. Maybe next time I’ll ask for extra spicy or so. Regardless, the fried rice reminded me of what I used to have when I was a kid back home. Highly recommended! For sure this place will be my go-to place for fried rice. Next, I am gonna try to noodle dish. Will keep you updated. Btw, I again got the lassi. Cannot skip the mango lassi for sure. I think it will be like the “side dish” with whatever I am getting...