How Lancaster city became a destination for Nepalese cuisine (2024)

Within a two-block city radius in Lancaster, there are three options for Nepalese food — four, if you expand your options to include Indian.

Nowadays, you don’t have to go to the Himalayas to find this fare, or even the nearest big city. Lancaster city’s ever-evolving restaurant scene has long been diverse in cuisine, a reflection of the city’s identity as a cultural melting pot.

But with the opening of Diyo in Ewell Plaza — owned by the folks of Himalayan Curry and Grill on Orange Street — and Norbu on nearby Christian Street, Nepali cuisine has a strong presence in Lancaster city. (And just a short walk south on Queen Street, you’ll find Tikka Shack, a fast-casual chain serving dishes from Nepal’s geographic neighbor, India.)

Apsara Uprety, a counselor and resource coordinator at Millersville University’s College Assistance Migrant Program, is from Nepal and has been in Lancaster since 2011.

She says the Nepali population has grown since she moved here, despite some fluctuations over the years, which has contributed to the increase in available cuisine for all.

Overall, Uprety says it’s a good thing that Lancastrians of all stripes get to experience Nepal through its cuisine.

Himalayan Curry & Grill and Diyo Fusion

Mohan Pradhan opened , 22 E. Orange St., in 2012 after working at the nearby Taj Mahal restaurant, 2080 Bennet Ave., for years. Himalayan has become a beloved part of Lancaster city’s restaurant scene — from its sit-down dinner options (reservations are suggested) to its popular lunch buffet.

Diyo, which opened in December 2023, is a quick-service restaurant serving Nepalese street food like curry bowls, samosas and momos, all made with house-made spice mixes.

“It’s what we used to eat at home,” Pradhan says about his offerings at Diyo. “It’s as simple as that.”

Pradhan’s sister, Prana Chitrakar, also works at Diyo and Himalayan. Chitrakar says a lot of people initially questioned their idea of putting two restaurants so close together.

“The whole community has been so great that we would not have chosen any other place to start off Diyo,” she says.

So far, that decision has been a good one. In addition to adding more opportunity to keep his family working together — his two daughters and son-in-law work at the restaurants — it’s more of a chance for Pradhan to create distinct dishes.

“It started as a necessity to work in the kitchen, but now I think that’s who he is,” Chitrakar says.

Pradhan and Chitrakar say a lot of credit for their success goes to Sarmila Shrestha, who has worked front of house at Himalayan since the beginning. In fact, their employee turnover is almost nil, which is practically unheard of in the restaurant industry.

Moving into the summer months, Diyo anticipates adding outdoor seating in Ewell Plaza and more made-to-order platters to the menu. They’re also considering bottling and selling some of their popular sauces, like garlic sauce and butter sauce.

Norbu

Norbu, at the former site of Characters Pub at 38 N. Christian St., divides its menu into two cuisines: Nepalese and Bhutanese. The restaurant is owned by Tenzin and Sanya Norbu, who also own Yak N Yeti in Carlisle.

The Norbus initially planned to open Norbu in 2020 but were delayed by the pandemic. The restaurant opened officially in May 2021.

Tenzin Norbu invites anyone in Lancaster to “be adventurous, go out and try it.”

Nepali cuisine, he says, has the potential to be milder than Indian food because many dishes center more around herbs than spices, so there’s something for everyone. Norbu’s thali platter is a sampler of sorts, with different types of protein, vegetables and sauce atop a bed of rice. This, Norbu says, is a great starting point for someone new to the scene.

Uprety has a soft spot for Norbu.

“I feel like it’s a very good example of the Bhutanese-Nepali population, especially the refugees,” she says. “A lot of our parents grew up in Bhutan.”

Beyond city limits

Uprety also recommends the chicken thukpa from Namaste, 2101 Columbia Ave., East Hempfield Township. The noodle soup is an outright flavor bomb — and while Namaste employees would describe the dish as similar to Vietnamese pho to make Americans comfortable with trying it, the two dishes are distinct.

Ganesh Gurung of Namaste says, in addition to the chicken thukpa — which also comes in a vegetable version — a good starting point to Nepali cuisine includes dumpling chicken chili gravy, the Taste of Namaste platter (which includes samosa, pokora and momo dumplings) and chicken or vegetable chow mein.

And if you do explore the options on Columbia Avenue, there’s also Everest Grocery, a prime location for groceries from Nepal and other countries.

For those unfamiliar to Nepali spice levels, Uprety warns to ease into it.

“A lot of the restaurants here sell food that cater to the American population, but some of them specifically have a spice level which are for Nepali people, because the spice level in the regular menu is not enough for us at times.”

But one of the reasons these dishes are so popular among various cultures, Gurung says, is because customers can choose the level of spiciness they prefer, not to mention the sheer variety of dishes.

Uprety says she is happy to have plentiful local options for Nepali cuisine.

“It’s a gateway for having our culture out there,” she says.

This story has been corrected to indicate pho is a Vietnamese dish.