Where can you eat the most delicious food in Pokhara? What are nice bars for a drink or a good cup of coffee? We will give you the answer in this article. In total, we spend more than nine days in Pokhara, two days before we hiked the Annapurna Circuit and another week full of relaxing after this breathtaking Himalaya trek. After eating mainly Dal Bhatt for twelve days in a row during the Annapurna Circuit trek, we were looking forward to healthy and varied food again. Our mission: discover the best restaurants in Pokhara. You can read our findings in this Pokhara food guide!
Restaurants Pokhara: Where to eat in Pokhara?
Pokhara is the second biggest city in Nepal. However, it feels like a small city located at Phewa Lake. For tourists, the neighbourhood close to Phewa Lake is the place to be. From here (if the weather allows) you have a great view of the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas. Pokhara is a good place to start your multi-day trek, but also a nice place to come back after a hike for some relaxing! The city is packed with lovely restaurants, bars, spas and coffee shops. The perfect place to relax and have a delicious meal before or after a challenging hike.
What to do and see in Pokhara? Read our free travel guide!
Breakfast or brunch in Pokhara!
Little Windows – Vegetarian and Vegan
Smoothie bowls, juices, tasty breakfast plates and good coffee: Little Windows knows exactly what I like in the morning. Add to that a fresh pink with a white look and plants everywhere. The perfect hipster place with good internet! You can also come here for lunch. The menu is mostly vegetarian with vegan options. Click here for the address of Little Windows.
Perky Beans – the best American pancakes
After our 12-day hike, I thought I could no longer see a pancake again (we had breakfast every morning with apple pancakes), but oh boy, I was wrong. I was very happy to make an exception for the American pancakes from Perky Beans. They have very tasty cinnamon buns too! Click here for the address of Perky Beans.
The Juicery Cafe – Acaibowls and juices
The Juicery Cafe is located at the northern end of the Lakeside (the main street). In a lush garden overlooking the lake, you will find tasty acai bowls, juices and breakfast dishes such as Shakshuka. Click here for the address of The Juicery Cafe.
The best coffee in Pokhara!
White Rabbit Coffee – good coffee and lots of locals!
You can recognize White Rabbit Coffee immediately, the logo is reminiscent of the Walt Disney Logo and is a reference to Alice in Wonderland, the owner is a huge fan of rabbits. Furthermore, you don’t see much of that in the decoration itself, which looks like a standard coffee shop. However, the coffee is definitely worth it and also affordable. What I like is that the customers are mainly Nepalese themselves. You will hardly find other tourists here. Click here for the address of White Rabbit Coffee.
Tip: fancy a pie or just a sandwich with coffee? You will find several German Bakeries in Pokhara where you can buy bread, muffins and cakes.
Himalayan Java Coffee – the Starbucks of Nepal
Good coffee, spacious seats and nice jazz music. Himalaya Java Coffee is a coffee chain that is very similar to Starbucks or Costa. The chain is located throughout Nepal and has a lot of imitators or fake stories pretending to be Himalayan Coffee. Click here for the address of the official branch in Pokhara
High dinning in Pokhara!
After two weeks of simple (but often tasty) meals, we were craving to go for a really fancy dinner. And boy, what the restaurants below really were fancy!
Rosemary Kitchen
This fine restaurant with an open inner garden serves local cuisine and Western dishes. The setting of Rosemary Kitchen reminds me of Bali (in a good way), especially because of the set up of the inner garden. According to Ries, the chicken was absolutely amazing! I don’t eat meat and took vegetarian momo, highly recommended! Click here for the address of Rosemary Kitchen.
Fresh Elements – Tapas in Pokhara
You will find good wine and tasty pasta at Fresh Elements. This hip restaurant with good service would not look out of place in Amsterdam, Madrid or London! They have a whole selection of finger food (tapas), fresh salads and a delicious pasta pesto! Click here for the Fresh Elements address.
Moondance Restaurant – Good meat and beer!
A huge menu and an overwhelming amount of Western choices. Moondance is the place for a lot of (western) food after a multi-day trek. Since the Lonely Planet highly recommends this place, it attracts a lot of people. As a result, you get your food very fast and it feels a bit like the restaurant is in a rush and wants to give your table to another tourist waiting in line. However, my travel company thought it was a great place with a diverse beer menu! Click here for the address of Moondance restaurant.
Caffe Concerto – Real Italian food
Our last evening with friends Elien and Yannick, we celebrated with a dinner at Caffe Concerto. This is a real Italian restaurant where you can eat good pasta, pizza and antipasto. The house wine is delicious and the service very friendly. The bill is also a bit higher (€ 25 for two people, the main course and wine), but hey, you have to celebrate your success: conquering the highest mountain pass in the world! Click here for the address of Caffe Concerto.
Healthy, vegetarian or vegan in Pokhara!
Pokhara is the place to eat tasty and healthy food. You can get acquainted with Ayurvedic cuisine, eat fresh salads and there are countless vegetarian and vegan restaurants available.
Pho 99 – Vietnamese food
You can find good Vietnamese food at Pho 99. I love their fresh spring rolls with hoisin sauce. The portion of Pho is huge and the service very nice. Click here for the address of Pho 99.
Jiva Cafe and Spa – Massages and healthy food
Jiva Cafe and Spa is a bit difficult to find. You can take a massage here (go spoil yourself, the messages are really good!) and, you can treat yourself on tasty food as well. Jave Cafe is located in a beautiful garden where you can spend hours sleeping (like Ries) and reading (like Charlotte) on sunbeds. Recommended by Ries, is the pumpkin soup. According to him, they possess the fine art of making delicious pumpkin soup! Click here for the address of Jiva Cafe and Spa.
OR2K – Israeli food
OR2K is an Israeli restaurant which is also located in Kathmandu. It sits just behind Himalayan Java Coffee. Their falafel is so tasty! The taste reminds me directly at our lovely time in Tel Aviv, where we ate so much hummus and falafel. The lemonade is also recommended! Click here for the OR2K address
Next to these options, Little Windows is also a good place to eat vegetarian or vegan.
The best pizza in Pokhara!
Movie Garden – pizzas and movies
The best pizza in Pokhara (and maybe of the whole of Nepal, where a good pizza is scarce to find), we ate at Movie Garden. A fun concept: a film is played in the garden every evening at 7 p.m. Also, pizzas and good cocktails are served. Admission is 350 NPR, Pizzas start from 390 NPR. Click here for the Movie Garden address.
The tastiest Nepali food restaurants in Pokhara
Mo2’s delights – delicious momo!
You eat the best momo at Mo2’s delights! Here you will find all kinds of different preparation methods for momo. My favourites: Tibetan momo (that looks more like a bun) and the Jhol momo, momo in a kind of curry soup. Mo2’s delights are pretty cheap by the way: for € 2.50 per person, you are already full! Click here for the address of Mo2’s delights.
French restaurants in Pokhara
Deja Vu – French cheeses and croque-monsieur
A lot of French tourists come to Pokhara and that has its influence. There are several French restaurants, but my absolute favourite is Deja Vu. In a casual atmosphere, you can have lunch here with French baguettes, croque-monsieur, quiche and a French cheese plate. All this while overlooking the lake from your French chair. Click here for the address of Deja Vu.
French Crêperie Pokhara – crêpes and events
This bright green restaurant is striking: there are always people there and when you walk, you smell the freshly baked crepes which are hard to resist. The crepes are also delicious! In addition, they have a very extensive menu with much more than just crepes and there are daily events such as an open stage, jewellery workshop and much more. Click here for the address of French Creperie Pokhara.
Best places to sleep in Pokhara!
Looking for a nice place to sleep in Pokhara? Below you will find three accommodations in different price ranges.
Pokhara Backpackers Hostel €
This cosy hostel has basic double rooms. The location is perfectly located in the centre. You will soon feel at home here thanks to the friendly staff. From 14 euros per night including breakfast (two people).
Hotel Middle Path & Spa €€
This hotel is located near the center of Pokhara. The rooms are clean and there is a swimming pool. The breakfast is very tasty! Just like the coffee! You can sleep here for as little as 31 euros per night (2 people).
Hotel Pokhara Batika €€€
Need more comfort? This fantastic hotel has large rooms and is very clean. Shops and restaurants are just steps away. You sleep here from 99 euros a night, including breakfast (two people).
Read here about the best hotels in Nepal.
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