Pokhara is a town of travelers, so you can find pizza, pancakes and burgers on almost every street, but the food worth seeking out is Nepali. The city sits between hill villages, the Tibetan settlements and the Newari merchants of the Old Bazaar, and each contributes dishes, flavors and habits. Here is how to eat well without a guidebook full of restaurant names.
Dal bhat: the daily meal
Dal bhat, rice with lentil soup, a vegetable curry, greens and a pickle, is the meal that fuels Nepal, and many families eat it twice a day. It is served on a metal plate, usually with free refills of rice and lentils, which is why trekkers love it. Eat it with your right hand if you want to follow local custom, or with a spoon without any embarrassment. A simple lunch of dal bhat in a local restaurant is often the best value and the most reliable meal in the city, and the vegetarian version is very common. If you want to understand it properly, a small-group Nepali cooking class with a local family teaches how the lentils are tempered with spices and why the plate is balanced as it is.
Momos: the snack that is a meal
Momos are filled dumplings, steamed or fried, served with a spicy tomato-based dipping sauce, and they are Nepal's favorite snack. You will find vegetable, chicken and buffalo versions, and fried or sauced variations. Look for places that are busy with local customers and where the dumplings are made to order. Momos are also easy to cook yourself, and the evening cooking class focuses on folding technique, so you can reproduce them at home.
Tibetan and Newari flavors
The Tibetan settlements around Pokhara have produced a food tradition of thukpa noodle soup, tsampa and butter tea, and a visit to the settlements is a good chance to try them, along with a look at the carpet workshops and monasteries. In the Old Bazaar you will find the Newari food of the Kathmandu valley and its traders, including snacks and sweets sold from small shops. Treat these as tastings rather than full meals, take small portions and ask what is in each dish if you have dietary restrictions. The Old Bazaar is also the best place to buy spices, tea and small sweets to carry home.
Fish and the lake
Pokhara's lakes support fish farming, and fish dishes appear on lakeside menus. Choose a busy place, ask how the fish is cooked and prefer freshly cooked food over anything that has been sitting out. Begnas Lake, with its cages and tea shops, is a pleasant place to eat a simple lunch after a morning on the water.
Tea, coffee and the Lakeside cafes
Masala chai, milky and sweet with spices, is the everyday drink and costs very little at a roadside stall. Nepal also grows coffee, and Lakeside has a wide selection of cafes where espresso, pastries and a view of the water make an easy morning. Evenings along the promenade bring bars and live music, so expect noise if your hotel is nearby, and ask for a quiet room when you book. Beer and spirits are widely available, and prices vary with the venue.
Eating safely
Stomach upsets are the most common travel complaint in Nepal, and a few habits help a lot. Drink bottled or treated water, avoid ice unless you know the source and choose freshly cooked, hot food. Wash your hands before meals, be careful with salads and unpeeled fruit and carry rehydration salts and basic medicines. If you are trekking, teahouse dal bhat is usually the safest choice because it is cooked fresh and eaten hot, and a vegetarian menu is often wise at altitude, where meat may have traveled a long way.
Money and manners
Prices are in Nepalese rupees, and small restaurants may not take cards, so carry cash. A service charge is sometimes added to the bill in tourist restaurants, and a small tip is appreciated where it is not. Eat with your right hand if you are using your hands, avoid touching shared food with the left, and wait for the host to offer a second helping rather than refusing it outright.
A simple plan
Begin your stay with dal bhat for lunch, add momos in the evening, spend a morning in the Old Bazaar with a snack and a tea, try Tibetan noodle soup after a settlement visit and finish with a lakeside dinner and a fresh coffee the next morning. You will eat well, spend modestly and learn more about the place than any set menu can teach.
