Himalayan Flavors
1585 University Ave, Berkeley, CA, 94703
Himalayan Flavors Menu
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Address :
1585 University Ave
Berkeley, CA, 94703 - Phone (510) 704-0174
- Website https://www.himalayanflavors.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:30 am - 3:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
India is the birth place of Chicken Tikka Masala and Curries. Indian foods are prepared with a blend of finely mixed spices quite popular across the region. The spices develop the rich taste in Indian food enough to boggle your mind. The ever-increasing fan base of Indian food around the New York city is steadily increasing because of the large number of Indians who traveled to the land of dreams. The Indians also brought their very own vibrant, colorful, and aromatic authentic dishes for the people in the West. While most of the Indian population is Vegetarian, Indian food is great for people who are looking for vegan or vegetarian food option. If you are a Meat lover, don't get disappointed yet. Indian food also boasts of some popular non-vegetarian dishes too. Few examples are the famous Butter Chicken, Mutton Biryani and Tandoori Chicken are enough to satisfy your taste buds.
Indian food has gained reputation all over the world especially in the United States. You can find many places serving the appetizing Indian food across all major cities in the US. India is a diverse country with different food culture originated from different parts of the country. While the Northern region boasts tandoori dishes and korma offering royal taste, the Western Ghats offers sea foods that is made in naturally sweet tender coconut milk. The South Indian food servers a quality of different dishes made from rice accompanied with spicy chutneys, curries and famous sambhar. Also, the Indian sweets are a delight to relish. If you ever want to have a burst of sugar syrup in mouth, don't forget to try few Bengali Sweets. Be it spicy, tangy, or sweet flavor, you can find everything in the Indian cuisine. Be assured that the melody of spices will surely bring delight to you.
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Jak G.
Where do I begin... The staff are friendly and patient every time I visit. You can tell that the owner's really take pride in the food they serve. I have eaten at every Indian restaurant in Berkeley, and this one is the crown jewel by far! I often start with the samosas, since they are large and crispy and covered in a sweet cinimon coating. While I am waiting for my order I enjoy a thick and creamy mango lassie. Every entrée comes with a free cup of lentil soup, which is rich and textured. I am a curry man so I always get one of their curry dishes, which comes with brown or white rice. My favorites are the Bhindi Takari (Okra), the palak paneer (cheese and spinach) or the vegetable korma. Complimenting my curry is always a side of fresh garlic naan. The prices are exactly what you would expect for a sit down indian restaurant, landing you at around 20-25 dollars per person with drinks, entrées, and starters. Did I mention that they have a ton of vegetarian options?
(5)Justin S.
I just moved here and I've had a lot of Indian food on the east coast, so I've been looking for a new joint in the area. This place is very good. It's not the best Indian food I've ever had, but it's very good and I would definitely go back. The value is also really good. You get a decent sized portion for a good price. Staff and service were extremely nice and helpful when some people in my group weren't familiar with Indian food and had a lot of questions. They were very patient with us.
(4)Lana K.
This place is really great and delicious. I've eaten here at least 5 times and have not been disappointed. Their dumpling combo is a unique and fun appetizer. My favorite is the veggie; boyfriend liked the lamb dumplings. Standard Indian go tos like chicken tikka masala, palak paneer, and lamb curry are all great. Chow mein is so good as well but definitely a bit spicy and very different from the (American) Chinese food version! Decent portions. You also get a yummy lentil soup whether you eat in or take out. It's a bit expensive though so one star off for that.
(4)Stawan K.
The food has distinct taste and is pretty authentic. Momo's of all variety are great and well done. All the dishes have a great Nepali flavor. They make sown great bread and though it may look simple making good Nan's is sometimes an art :) The veg as well as non veg dishes are good. The only negative is the quantity of their main course dishes which is slightly on the smaller side. Service is great !!
(4)Aaron P.
Stopped by on a Yelp 10 for 20 deal. The decor is festive and nice though the mirrors jutting out from the walls in the back feel a bit strangely placed. Ordered shrimp and chicken tandoori. The service was ok, but very slow given we were the only ones in the restaurant. The food came lukewarm but tasted pretty good, nicely cooked and season. Beware the portion size is fairly small so I recommend ordering an extra dish to make up for that. Even with the Yelp deal, our check still ended up being fairly expensive. For the price I think you can do better. Overall nice experience but I'd probably go elsewhere for the same kind of food.
(3)Scot G.
The food is great but holy cow is it slow. We came in to eat once and waited for at least a half an hour before anyone came to take our order then waited another hour before the food came. Just ridiculously long to wait for a restaurant that was not that busy. Also ordered delivery from them and it took over an hour and a half to get delivered. Not a place to go if you are in a rush or very hungry.
(3)Anthony N.
Slick decor, friendly service, and plenty of parking makes this a convenient stop for some Himalayan. But small portions and kind of expensive price tag (unless you jump on one of their many social media deals) leaves a bit to be desired. We went straight for the goat curry, which when it came out amounted to about 6 small pieces, the rest being a glob of sauce sauce. We also found a long hair, but we couldn't determine if it was from the goat or a cook. The vegetarian dishes were a bit more high in quantity, but the dish was quite bland overall -- salty, yes, but complexity in flavors and spices, not so much. The naan wasn't fully toasted and a bit cold inside. Cue the sad trombone. We loved the super nice wait staff, so we'll probably stop by again, but they really need to up their game or maybe we just got all the wrong dishes. We'll see next time.
(3)Kathy Q.
Food was delicious! I gave an extra star for the portion size and flavor of the chicken dishes (: My mom, sis, and I ordered: 1. Lamb momo: I wouldn't complain about the flavor too much, but I've definitely had better. This one was stuffed on the lighter side 2. Chicken korma (mild): rich, creamy, and flavorful 3. Chicken tikka masala (medium): perfect amount of spice and seasoning. Chicken was a bit on the dry side 4. Coco smoothy: we've never had anything like this so I have nothing to compare it to. It reminds me of coconut yogurt! Interesting for a drink because it's quite thick. I liked it but my sis and mom didn't care too much for it 5. Plain naan: REALLY GOOOOD!!! 6. Complimentary soup: excellent! I will attempt to replicate this muahaha **they'll only allow use of either the check in discount OR the yelp voucher. I think a read a review that said they were given both discounts (maybe we weren't lucky today..)
(4)Anita K.
This place was great! We got the Himalayan biriyani, which has veggies, chicken, lamb and prawns, as well as the lamb tikka masala. Both dishes were great. The naan was piping hot and fresh out of the oven. The decorations are really nice and the service friendly. Best of all there's 10% off with yelp checkin :) Definitely coming back!
(5)Anam H.
An Indian food craving led me and the hubby to Himalayan Flavors on my birthday. And oh my God what a treat it was!!! The ambience: Clean surroundings, funky decor, a well stocked bar(from the looks of it), and a half open kitchen where you can see the chefs do their stuff. The food: Amazing! The complimentary Chana Dal was exactly like my mom makes. 10 stars for that! We started with Chicken Momos, which were Oh-so-good! Then came the main course - Buttered mushroom chicken: Its just the most amazing butter chicken with a mushroom bonus! What else could you want? Chilli chicken: They nailed it!!! This was an authentic Indo-Chinese dish, exactly like you get in India. It's a miracle I didn't cry out of joy and nostalgia. Rice: It was included with the two dishes above. Very very good rice. Lightly sauteed with cumin. Naan: we ordered one of the plain and one of the garlic/cilantro. Light, fluffy, soft, yeasty. Enough said. Extra points for the spicy flavors. You get an option of mild, medium and spicy. We, being true Indians, ordered spicy. And oh it was! I didn't expect it to be so but I guess they're true to their roots! Staff/service: Very very friendly and courteous. Our food came pretty fast. As soon as we were done with our appetizer, the main course arrived. The whole experience was an absolute breeze. There is absolutely no fault I can find with this establishment. It's incredibly amazing. Do try them out And buy the $10 for $20 deal! Its worth it!! Thank you Himalayan Flavors for the amazing food. Will be returning again soon!
(5)Hana K.
I love this place! I have been here at least 5 times and I have taken food to go at least twice. Food is amazing. I love the cherry naan, it surprisingly pairs well with the curries. Great customer service and cute little setting. I love coming here on a date to chat. Highly recommend!
(5)Thomas H.
Had the tandoori chicken, brown rice, garlic naan, mango lassi. Wonderful! The tandoori chicken came out on a metal and wood platter that was extremely hot, keeping the food warm. The chicken was exquisitely spiced and an absolute delight. Wonderful customer service: the people who own and operate the restaurant are Nepalese and are very, very nice. They brought out a soup that looked very plain but was delicious. Very good prices, and they offer various specials.
(5)Ana S.
I visit this restaurant whenever I'm around Berkeley and want to eat at a place I know for a fact would not disappoint me. Very friendly staff. And, to top it off, the food has always been flavorful. Love their momo and chowmein. Absolutely delicious.
(4)Missy X.
It was okay. Very carb-heavy meal but it could be how my coworkers ordered the meal. My favorite are the chicken tikka, garlic naan, and vegetable samosa. I would have love to eat more chicken, but it was just a few pieces in the curry and everyone is super polite about not taking all the pieces.
(3)Ralph C.
Family ran establishments are the best!! Pleasant staff and the open kitchen allows for the opportunity to enjoy the good vibes coming off the chefs as they indulge in thier creativity!! Will definitely be back and it's highly recommended!!!
(5)Melissa T.
The FREE cup of lentil soup with our dinner was a wonderful surprise. I haven't had authentic lentil soup before but I found this one to be quite strong in lentil flavor, with spices and a nice thick texture. Next up were the samosas, perfect for sharing between two. Unfortunately, after the samosa and lentil soup, my man and I were already getting full. The chicken tandoori came still sizzling on a hot plate. The white meat was tender and still juicy and the vegetables underneath were very lightly seasoned, complementing the chicken well. The garlic naan and coconut naan were slightly under baked. The next day, we popped our leftovers in the oven and the extra crisping made them divine. The coconut naan was sweet, a great dessert. Don't forget to check in for 10% off your total bill. They also have a $10 for $20 deal, which you can combine with the 10%. What a deal!
(4)Kathy V.
BUY...... THE..... VOUCHER!!!!!!!! Worth all $10. Of course our tab turned out to $60 but it was worth every penny. Staff here is AMAZING, and their Himalayan Salad, Chicken Tikki Massala, Rosemary Garlic Naan, Yogurt Dip, and Cucumber dish were all finger licking good! Oh, almost forgot about the FREE lentil soup. YUM!!
(4)J B.
This place was the best!! We came 15mins before they were closing and they still provided the best service of course we got our food to go but the food was soooo good we woke up saying we should go again today for lunch lol!! Five stars for food & service!!
(5)Jana C.
2.4 not too good...oily, greasy as heck, and slow ( we being only ones in there for about 20 mins) Underwhelming food. I have some authority to speak, as my guy grew up in Bombay ( bom bahia: good bay) & is a finicky foodie! Breads were not good for us. Not risky, not special. Buckwheat pancake: 1 of them $3.50! Prices here are steep for quality and quantity. Our malai kofta was made with beets primarily. Really??$13 for 3 small balls!!! Will not come back.
(2)gary w.
My wife and I just finished a fantastic meal at Himalayan Flavors. All the dishes were great, but the korma and the naan really stood out. Included in the meal was a lentil soup and rice pudding dessert which were both very good (especially considering they're free!) Customer service was extremely good. We never had to wait long for anything but certainly didn't feel like anyone was hovering either. When I asked the waiter if there was a market nearby I could buy limes from on my way home, he disappeared into the kitchen and came back with four in a to go box for me. We will definitely be returning
(5)Gaurav M.
The lamb Samdeh is basically the same as north indian lamb curry but too salty and the lamb is very tough. Not recommended The bhutanese datshi has goat cheese which is very interesting on the first bite but the vegetables tasted like they were thawed from a frozen packet. Veg momo was good but the food was slow.
(2)david c.
Wonderful flavors! Excellent find.
(5)John H.
Can't say that I'm really familar with Himalayan food vs. Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese etc., but of the Tibetan/Himalayan-themed restaurants I've tried, Himalayan Flavors is our new favorite. Luci N. & I stopped in on a hungry weekend, lured by the $20 food/drink for $10 Yelp deal. It was to be a fortuitous frugality. The restaurant, easily found on University Ave., has its own parking lot (note to self: $50 parking ticket avoided!). We were pleasantly surprised at the decor, accented by rich colors, fabric lamps and high ceilings. The rich wood panelling, expensive light fixtures and open kitchen suggested that Himalayan Flavors may have formerly been a bar and grill? The current concept worked just fine for us, as we watched the chef remove sizzling skewers of tandoori chicken and naan. I would recommend they find a way to refinish the floor and possibly replace the worn carpeting in the dining room, but being a small business in a very competitive restaurant market, it's understandable. Vegetarians and vegans will appreciate the variety of choices, and the indication on the menu of which items are vegan. Our attentive server quickly got us a table. We started with an appetizer, the $3.50 vegetable pakoras. Surprisingly, this ample serving covered the plate! Cabbage, spinach, onion and chickpea flour. Crisp and delicious. Served with mint sauce. Devoured immediately. Lentil soup, and choice of brown or basmati rice are included with main dishes. The brothy soup, included with our entree, was delicious. We noted the lack of cream/thickeners in this lighter style, and decided to try making this one at home sometime. We decided on the #31 Lamb Samdeh, which we were told was a traditional Himalayan stew. The steaming bowl was filled with a deep reddish-brown sauce (think: double napkin STAT!) made with onions, tomato, pepper, anise, cumin, coriander, turmeric and soy sauce, and sprinkled w cilantro. We ordered 3-chile hot and it was! Almost too salty, but the dish was good enough to carry it off. To cool things down, we ordered a Coco Pine smoothie. Vegans can opt for almond milk; we went with the yogurt version, which was both creamy and tangy. Wish we had room for more of these pleasurable Himalayan Flavors! We'll be back soon for sure. The down & dirty: Food - 4-5 - Delicious, intense. 3-chile means hot! Service - 4 - Everything we needed quickly. Value - 4 - Easily a 5 with the Yelp deal! Setting - 3 - If the floors were re-done it would easily be a 4. Date worthy - 4 - Good location, walking distance to Shattuck, the UC and dozens of interesting places to hang out!
(4)Luci N.
This place was a jewel of a find! I can't wait to come back and try their different dishes. I stopped in for lunch and it was one of the best meal I've had! Food/price: I ordered the Vegetable pakora- fritters with onions chickpeas, and cabbage served with mint sauce for $3.50. Lamb samdeh- lamb stew in a tomato based sauce with flavorful spices $13.95. Coconut pineapple shake with almond milk- yummy! Complimentary Lentil soup was more brothy and not as thick as usual- I liked it! Everything was delicious. Portion size was large enough to share with another person. The prices are very reasonable. Service: Great service, good location on University Ave. and there's a parking lot for customers. Ambience: Nice, bright colored decor representing the Himalayan culture. There's a banquet room in back which is good for groups. They have and open kitchen and you can see your food being prepared. I am definitely coming back here!
(5)Brooke S.
NOTE: This review is likely not a good reflection of this restaurant, as I've only tried one item here! I spent the day in Berkeley and promised the family that I'd return with some vegetarian momos, which I've had once from a restaurant that closed down- I've been craving them ever since! I chose this place because it was close to where I parked and seemed to have some great reviews. So, I ordered the vegetarian momos to go. If there's one thing I can say about this joint, it's that the customer service is PRIME. We were sat at the bar while we waited for our order and offered water, the ladies were just some of the warmest people ever. I really appreciated the atmosphere! The momos were decent, but not as good as the ones I had previously in the south bay. My only other complaint was that they were slopily put together- out of the 8, only 2 were properly sealed and the fillings were kind of falling all over the place. That being said, I'll probably stop by another day and try some more of their offerings!
(3)Esref T.
Great food, great service. Every dish is flavor you'd want to experience. Will definitely be back for more.
(5)Omid S.
Delicious food. Helpful staff. Lentil soup and Nepalese tea are recommended. Yelp wouldn't post short reviews so here we go: lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala.
(5)Asmita J.
Decided to come here after experiencing horrible wait time and service at a nearby restaurant *coughGathercough*....and wow, what a breath of fresh air - attentive service, excellent food, and decent prices. I think we made the right decision. My friend and I tried lamb takari dish and CTM as well as garlic naan and phapar ko babar (nepali style-spiced pancake). We were also served lentil soup before our dishes came out. We enjoyed everything and left satisfied and full. My friend lives right around the corner, so I am sure we will be back!
(4)EmSquem S.
We came for lunch and brought our newish babykins. From the first "namaste" as we entered, the two women at the front were exceedingly kind, seating us at a large booth away from the drafty door, and encouraging us to make ourselves comfortable. The food was excellent-my vegetable korma and my husband's lamb were well spiced and different enough to be interesting. The highlight though was the fried buckwheat bread-crisp, flavorful, just a tad bit sweet. Good chiya (chai) and this mama was one happy camper. We'll def be back the next time we're in the EB.
(4)Jimmy T.
6 of us ate here this past weekend. The service was exceptionally attentive and every single dish was delicious. We ordered the malai kofta, paneer tikka masala, garlic naan and plain naan. The naans were some of the best we've ever eaten (and we've eaten LOTS of naan in our lives). Each one was perfectly cooked and buttered up. I don't often give 5-star ratings, but Himalayan Flavors has earned every bit of this rating! Hats off to the staff and chefs for providing us with a great dining experience!
(5)Wendy L.
Oh...I wanted this to be good. I REALLY did. I've been craving "Himalayan flavors" in the literal sense since I came back from trekking in India 6 months ago. When I saw this place on Yelp near a training I was attending, I thought "momos and thukpa and ginger, oh my!". I walked in and was further encouraged by the open kitchen and the obviously Tibetan cooks hand-shaping the steamed dumplings. The disappointment started with the service which, was only a slight improvement over the service in India (and if you've been, you know what that means). The waitress was obviously annoyed at my "to go" order then I asked if I could have a smaller serving of the thukpa, and she told me that because she didn't know how to ring it up on the computer, it couldn't be done. No apology - just blaming the POS. Then she refused to take my Yelp coupon even though there was no wording on the site or the coupon about "eat in only". It was only 10% - come on. We were talking about less than $1 and she was really grilling me. In case it doesn't come across automatically, she was also just plain unfriendly. Then my momo's arrived, and they were just okay, not the "life altering food" that momos were every time I had them in Sikkim. The filling flavor was rich, lots of mustard oil and garlic, but the wrappers were thin an oily and the dipping sauce was strongly reminiscent of a Northern Indian curry rather than the milder sauces I got in Sikkim. I missed the sharp, clean flavor of ginger, too. I make better, and I really don't consider myself a momo making expert. So, overall it was nice to have the chance to get some treats with a Himalayan flair, but next time I'll try one of the other of Berkeley's offerings.
(2)Alvaro D.
Place is ok. Ordered a lamb curry dish. Flavor ok, but the amount of meat was...all sauce.
(3)Lanie S.
Decided to have dinner here one night Cuz I wanted something indian...however Himalayan is way more expensive than indian food even though tastes very similar. Only ate here because of a deal on restaurant.com . We ordered (1) lamb momos (yummy!) (2) chicken korma (overpriced) small portion...can't share (3) shrimp and spinach (skip this one lacks flavor) (4) buckwheat pancakes (ok but not great) (5) naan (yummy) (6) basmati rice (very very dry- too dry) (7) complimentary lentil soup (yummy- for the price of there food glad something was complimentary) each entree of meat or seafood comes with a rice which is good. However disappointed with the portion... Nice looking restaurant though... Clean... And a nice open kitchen. Probably won't visit again!
(3)Devshree G.
Very good indian food!
(4)Ashley H.
Delicious! I love their food. If you get delivery - WATCH OUT! On two different occasions, the delivery guy claimed only to have $2 change.
(4)Cougar U.
pass by this place is a hundred times. today went in with a friend from out of town and was yummy yummy yummy
(4)Vici S.
Well... How to begin. This little place was busy when my party and I stepped in on Christmas day. We had a reservation (thank goodness!). Friendly staff and delicious samosas earned them their two stars. The main course came extremely late. Flavors were good. Lamb were cooked well (tender) but the goat was a little tough. Soup was supposed to come before the meal but came after. We had to remind the service staff a few times about different parts of the meal, i.e. more rice, where's our naan bread, where's our beverage that we've ordered. I would give them one more star but I won't do it. I know it's Christmas but there is too great of disparity of wait time to eating time (wait time was 1.5 hrs to 10 minutes of actual consumption time). The amount of food were quite little...almost appetizer size. Next stop: cheeseburger! Nom nom nom
(2)Christopher L.
We came here for the first nice meal of 2014 tonight, and once again, it did not fail to disappoint. I had the Coconut Chicken special, my wife and some kind of veggie ball thing, and we had some momos as our appetizer. The service was great, as always, and it was a yummy and the portions big enough that we both have enough for lunch tomorrow.
(5)Srikanth K.
Must visit for a different spin on Indian-Nepalese cuisine. Complimentary lentil soup and courteous service. Good variety for vegetarians. Try the monthly specials.
(5)Kunal C.
The service was great and the food was great! But just one flaw for my vist the veg. dumplings weren't the best. The mango Lassi was way to sour to even finish. Kind of pricey you can get better and like $15 cheaper from mehak and it's not that far from this place. But the service was great and friendly!
(3)Jake T.
Really great food. I ate all vegetarian and my friend had a meat dish. They have some interesting fare options like dumplings that you would not normally see on an indian menu. Flavors were excellent and presentation was above average. Service was pretty good. Each of us had a beer, main dish and split an app and the whole bill was barely $50 all in. I would definently go back.
(4)Fe R.
the food and ambiance were good, service was lacking but ok. there were some dishes that were basically chinese dishes like stir fried noodles. i ordered a lamb entree that was basically indian food. it was delicious but a bit too salty for me. i like how they give you complimenary lentil soup for dinner. there are a bunch of indian/himalayan restaurants in the area, esp on university. i would come back but probably not without a deal b/c it was kind of pricey.
(4)Toni M.
Rinky and I had lunch here today. This space used to be home to Pomegranate but it feels much more open and comfortable in this incarnation. I remember feeling cramped and crowded in Pomegranate. The space is larger than it seems and is nicely laid out, w/ a separate banquet room and a slightly elevated dining area toward the back in addition to the dining area in the front. There is beautiful artwork on the walls and it's for sale. There are also attractive woven wall hangings w/ words of wisdom from the Dalai Lama. In all, it's a peaceful and beautiful place. They had lunch specials for less than $10. They change every day and are not on the menu on their website. I ordered a chicken curry w/ pieces of eggplant. It came w/ a choice of brown or white rice and the chef's choice of vegetables, a melange of green beans, cauliflower, sweet red peppers, onions and potato. Also a bowl of dal to start. Rinky forgot what she ordered, but liked it. We both opted for brown rice. We also shared papadums, which were delicious and paratha, which looked as if it had been poured from a funnel in concentric overlapping circles and came w/ a small container of raita. Rinky had a mango lassi and I had a salty lassi. Our water glasses were kept filled. My dish was delicious, the chicken moist and tender and the eggplant melty and wonderful. I had been torn between that, the lamb korma and the tandoori chicken and I'm glad I chose it. I requested the spice level be mild/medium and it was. Service was quietly attentive. I would be curious about their momos. You can order chicken, lamb or vegetable momos or an assortment, 8 to an order. The people at another table ordered some and they looked good. Guess I'll have to come back and check them out.
(4)Rinky N.
I've been curious about Himalayan Flavors since they've taken over the spot formerly occupied by Pomegranate. I had lunch here with the lovely Toni M who was also eager to try out this new place. I agree with Toni that the inside ambiance seems brighter and less claustraphobic than Pomegranate. We both eyed the room in back which would be perfect for an UYE or other dinner with a group. We started off with the lentil soup, which had a tasty but delicate flavor. Next we had the papadums which were perfectly crispy. Toni had the Chicken curry with eggplant, brown rice and veggie combo. I had some sort of veggie curry with brown rice and veggies. Both of us enjoyed our meals--tasty and satisfying. Both of us also kept eying the momos the table next to us had ordered. The momos were plump and plentiful. The two diners gobbled them up. I definitely want to try them on my next visit. There are plenty of choices for the Vegans and Omnivores.
(4)LC M.
Wife and I enjoyed meals. We are vegetarians. Great selection. Well prepared, tasty. Great service by young lady called Pravita. Yelp deal awesome with $20 voucher. No problem redeeming it. Great value. Enough non vegetarian dishes. Lovely ambiance. Bonus, FREE parking!!!. Will definitely go back.
(5)Amanda C.
Same owners of Taste of the himalayans....no difference in food quality or service. both restaurants are terrible because owners are more concerned with making an extra buck versus taking care of their customers. Stingy Stingy Stingy.
(2)Harsha G.
If there was a hall of fame for Mango Lassi, Himalayan Flavors would be on the top beating all worthy honorees in Berkeley including the likes of Viks, Chaat Cafe and House of curries. The other dish I absolutely love is their bread - Phapar ka Babar made of buckwheat which is absolutely the most tasty healthy bread I have had. I also like their Bhindi tarkari and Himalayan yogi tarkari. You must however, refrain comparing these dishes to North Indian spicy dishes, as though the cuisine is very similar, there is a difference between the Nepalese flavors and the North Indian method of cooking. Food here is definitely more milder. The ambiance is welcoming and the food tastes homemade always. Service is slow, but I can live with it.
(5)Danny C.
Bought the groupon deal a while and back and decided to come here on a rainy evening for dinner to give it a try. And boy were we pleasantly surprised. What we ordered: Mixed Momos (veggie, chicken, lamb) Chicken Tikka Masala extra extra spicy Garlic Naan It was the first time I had momos and they kind of reminded me of chinese xiao long baos lol. The gf is half tibetan and she said it reminded her of her grandma's cooking back home. The chicken tikka masala was spot on: creamy, salty, and spicy. It went well with the garlic naan which was also filled with flavor. The only thing we didn't really like was the complementary lentil soup. Indian/Nepalese/Himalayan restaurants are more plentiful than coffee shops in the city, but Himalayan Flavors stands out. Even without the groupon deal we would come back. Free parking is a bonus.
(4)Joy S.
I live half the year in a little town the Indian Himalayas about 100 km from the Tibetan border. I've also lived in Nepal. There has been a surge of Himalayan region restaurants in the Bay Area, but I think that Himalayan Flavors is, hands down, the best! I come here when I'm homesick and want comfort food. Granted, up in Himachal Pradesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, when you order a meat dish, the meat is used sparingly and is mostly bits old mutton or goat or a stringy chicken. So the lean mutton and juicy chunks of meat aren't quite like mama makes, but honestly that's kind of a plus! It's nice to eat familiar dishes made with quality ingredients that most cooks back home only dream of! I don't miss nearly breaking my teeth on bone fragments tucked into my monos! So what's good? MOMOS!!! These ubiquitous Himalayan stuffed dumplings are truly delicious and quite authentic. MMMMMmmmmmmm. I just wish that the katsa sauce served with them were hotter. Their version is too tame for me! The Samosas are also amazingly good. They are also huge. One order is a meal or breakfast tomorrow too. Their naan and roti are all very delicious. A suggestion to try the potato stuffed parathas. They are the best I've had anywhere outside of North India. Tukpa is a traditional noodle soup. The noodles here are thinner than the homemade ones the Tibetans back home use in their soup, but it's still a good, hearty bowl of soup and full of flavor. I love both the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Butter Mushroom Chicken. I could live on either one and never get tired of the rich, complex flavors. My friend had the special vegetarian Kofta last week and it too was excellent. I havent tried any of the seafood dishes. It just is too weird to think about salmon or prawns in dishes from landlocked areas, but I'm sure they've adapted well. Just be aware that Tandoori Prawns is so very much not an authentic regional dish! Theyre probably yummy though - everything else is!
(5)David O.
I'm giving this place three stars (not two) because I'm somehow convinced it's perfectly fine. It's just not my cup of tea. My cup is a flavorful, wondrous and enlightening experience -- especially when trying a new ethnic food. If you love this place -- or as far as I can tell, Himalayan food in general -- you obviously prefer less tasty and adventurous food. I also suspect you've never had Indian food, but if you have, you probably love The House of Curries. In which case this place is perfect for you. The dining experience was great and the atmosphere was great -- but not once did I want to come back. Himalayan food, based on my own evidence, is inherently blandish. The ambiance and food presentation have great promise, but it's simply not tasty. I can't imagine it's a restaurant problem, as the three Himalayan places I've been to in the East bay have the exact same M.O.
(3)Julie C.
Our first visit was to celebrate our little foodie's 4th birthday. Ok, so we were taking advantage of a Living Social deal that was about to expire. Winner, winner, birthday dinner! We had momos( our little one called them potstickers and declared these the best dumplings ever), coconut chicken, jasha morro, and naan. All of it was delicious, including that rich lentil soup. Service was quick and attentive. How many waiters are sincerely willing to make conversation with a preschooler?
(4)Venkatesh N.
Utsav, Pls don't get defensive on our reviews. This really puts your image as a restaurant manager in a bad shape. As messaged to you previously, Please work on getting caught up with correspondence etiquette; CAPS means yelling. You seem to be proactive in defending to those who have critiqued your food and lax at people who give you five stars. I think if you take these critics by putting your ego aside, you will do better. USE QUOTES "Like this". or **Like this ** IF you keep being defensive, No one will read your explanation too. GOOD BYE!!!
(1)S B.
This is closest to the best indian restaurant nearby Berkeley downtown.
(5)Sebastian C.
Came here with a Groupon and a friend. My chicken curry was excellent; sometimes I go to Indian/Nepalese restaurants and the chicken has a strange aftertaste, but this was flavorful and extremely tender. Also had the rosemary naan, which was also fantastic. My friend got a mushroom chicken which he liked a lot. Service was prompt and friendly, even though we arrived shortly before closing. The only thing that was subpar was that the Nepali chai was too creamy and not hot enough. Overall, I would definitely recommend; they certainly won a repeat customer.
(5)Kathleen W.
This used to be Pomegranate. Other than the menu, it hasn't changed much on the inside. I was famished when I got here - so by my standards everything was delicious. But by those less hungry than me, they also enjoyed all the food and the flavors. The clear winner was the butter mushroom chicken, though the tikka masala and chicken korma were also quite tasty. The naan is wonderful - try the rosemary naan!
(5)E. B.
Bad service, food was not worth it. Watch out for them to try to add to your bill things that they forget to bring.
(1)Katie B.
Best Indian restaurant in Berkeley, and I've tried most of them! There is something really special about Himalayan Flavors. Their dishes are traditional, yet unique. The quality is high, yet it feels down to earth. The manager and staff are very friendly, and if you're lucky, you'll enjoy live music while you dine. I recommend going on Thursday nights when an Indian Beatles cover band plays. It's epic. I am vegan, so I usually order one of the many vegan dishes. They are always good, but the highlight for me is the variety of specialty naans. Coconut and rosemary are my favorite flavors. My carnivorous boyfriend can't get enough of the butter mushroom chicken. Last week I had his birthday party here. They set up a fixed price menu for us ($20/person) and helped come up with a menu. It made planning the party super easy for me, and our guests all had a great time. They have a back room for large parties like ours, complete with a sound system. Like I said, best Indian in Berkeley. Give it a try! They also do delivery/take-out, but I'd recommend eating there the first time for the experience.
(5)Jenny H.
This is one of the best restaurants in the Bay! Himalayan food is like a mix of Thai and Indian food, but way more spicy. My favorite item is the coconut naan. Cooked to perfection and just the right amount of sweetness. Try it!
(5)Jin N.
Good food but it's a bit overpriced.
(3)A K.
Pros: Superb service Friendly atmosphere Great food Free dal (lentil soup) Cons: Not much - would have liked to see more Nepalese/ Bhutanese food than Indian flavors
(4)Alexandria S.
Small place. I missed it the first time I drove by. The food was very good, but not the best. If I lived in the area, I would be back. Garlic nan was delish, but the garlic wouldn't leave my breath. Chicken tikka masala was solid. We ordered some sag dish that wasn't what I was used to. It was a healthy version.
(4)Vickey M.
I went with a family member, unsure of the results. Great news. This place was great; great food, service, and environment. I was truly amazed on the price with the amount of food we received. We ordered their Tandoori Chicken, Garlic Naan, and Himalayan Rice. The chicken was not dried out, but was not served with its traditional sauce, instead with sautéed vegetables that complemented the flavors of the chicken. Everything was fresh when ordered. Even the Naan was fresh out of the oven. The service was great! The staff was polite and planning between the dishes was well placed and timed. The environment was relaxing and welcoming, and clean. I would come back to this restaurant very soon.
(4)Jessica P.
We had a Groupon to try out one night, so off to the Himalayas it was! I had been craving something warm and spicy, yet full of veggies after the holiday season of gluttony. We started with the veggie momo's, which were gone before we could ask for mo'. I would love to try their samosas. I ordered the "Cauli matar Ko Tarkari" which was basically cauliflower and a few big chunks of potato in a yummy onion and tomato sauce, with just the right amount of kick. I asked for medium spice, and it was still pretty mild to me, but you never know on the first try at a new restaurant. I had a side of rice and a great lentil soup that comes with your entree. We came in there around an hour before closing, but service was great. It was a quiet night, but we didn't feel rushed. The food really didn't knock me out, but I hadn't tried many things. I'd be willing to go back to explore the menu. I would have ordered a side sauce, but the extra price did throw me off and deter me from doing so. I have to agree though, the naan is really good. I had the garlic, and it was just a hint of flavor, not dragon breath for weeks.
(4)Sarah K.
Delicious! Recently we were attempting to go grab some Indian in Berkeley but got super frustrated because we couldn't find parking anywhere (and it was a Tues night..) Busted out the Yelp map and found Himalayan Flavors. They had street parking and a parking lot (sweet!) THe restaurant is pretty big and they have an additional seating in the back. We sat in the back since they had a few comfier booths and I think we might have suffered a bit from the "out of sight, out of mind" issue, but they were very kind when they figured out that they forgot us. We tried the Lamb Shamdeh (yum), the Chicken Tandoori(Yum) and the Phapar Ko Baba (fav thing i tried!) Everything was fresh and delicious and cooked to order. We'll def be back! Mmm: Delicious food, big restaurant, lots of parking, they deliver! Yuck: Not the cheapest, if it's slow try to sit in the front room.
(5)Ketan C.
Refreshing mustang beer, chicken, naan & mango kulfi = perfect spicy, tasty dinner.
(5)Jina S.
Himalayan Flavors catered our wedding dinner at Alumni House on the UC Berkeley campus last year and this is a long overdue review. As a vegan couple, an Indian woman marrying a Dutch man, most of whose families and American friends were not vegan and had widely varying tastes, we had to find something that would work for all. Add an onion allergy for my mom-in-law and aunts on my side that avoided root vegetables and you have quite a challenge for any caterer. They made badami naan, 2 vegetables dishes, dal, rice, and pakoras for appetizers that we enjoyed an almost everyone else seemed to enjoy too. Well, one aunt complained it wasn't spicy enough and decided to order pizza later and the father in law found it so spicy that all he could eat for brunch the next day was bread. But that's family and weddings and you can't please everyone. I also arranged lunch for my extended family (Indian) to the restaurant in their pretty banquet room with a different menu of thupka (noodle soup), naan-rolls and drinks. The only disappointment was the drinks at lunch, which didn't quite measure up to the quality they used to serve at the juice bar. For Himalayan Flavors part i have to give them 4 stars for working with me on a challenging menu, and finally delivering good food at a reasonable price, despite not having done a catering job like this before. For their restaurant menu, I hope they expand their creativity and offer more vegan cusisine using Nepali preparation and spices, and local ingredients. Kabocha squash paratha? Collard green saag? Pomegranate fruit salad? Portions of the veggies should be a bit more generous and keep the service, as it is now, polite and helpful. Thank you!!
(4)Moua L.
After a Sunday in Tilden Park riding the steam train with my family, we took a drive down the scenic view into Berkeley where we decided to go for Mediterranean lunch. Apparently, we thought we were arriving to the restaurant that used to be "Pomegranate", but came to be "Himalayan Flavors". If you haven't been here for a while, Pomegranate doesn't exist anymore. Just from standing outside, you can smell greatness. Knowing us, we were too hungry to attempt to find something elsewhere that we stayed. With a group of 6 adults and 1 child, we were able to feed everyone with 3 curry dishes, 1 chow mien dish (which was 10x better than Chinese chow mien) 2 rice dishes and 3 plates of nan. They also gave us a spinach/tofu curry on the house! We had some Chai tea and even made a fresh pot when we ordered refills. To top it off we ordered a mango ice cream and two rice puddings. By that time, we were all stuffed and didn't know why we decided to get dessert. The mango ice cream was okay, but not the best I've had. If you come as a group, they automatically add the gratuity in the bill. So hopefully, you don't mind that. They really have great food and service here, so you wont be disappointed.
(4)Bill H.
I tried Himalayan Flavors yesterday -- tasty stuff! They're not afraid to heap spicy flavors on top of the large portion sizes. I ordered a lamb and spinach dish and another vegetable dish... I was using bread to sop up the remaining bits of the curry. Good stuff. Prices are a little steep. For two people's worth of food, I found myself spending about $35. I ordered takeout, but I got to spend a few minutes in the lovely dining area as I picked up my order. I'd definitely head back for a date night (or a takeout date night).
(4)Amy H.
Hubby and I went here for dinner on a Thursday night. We originally found this place because of a groupon, and it was actually good enough to go back and pay full price! I like the atmosphere here quite a bit. The open kitchen and bar gives it a nice feel. We ordered Himalayan salad (this has the best dressing of any salad EVER!) and at $5.50 it was still big enough to split. Both of us got Chicken Tikka Masala, because we know what we like and it is SO FLIPPIN' GOOD! I suggest getting an order of garlic naan... it's the best I've had at any restaurant by far. I knocked off 1 star for the service. They were nice enough, but they ignored us for the first 15 min and the last 30 min. The couple next to us came in way after us and were able to get their bill long before we could even try to ask for boxes/the check. We were a little tucked into the corner, but still. There were probably 10 tables and 2 servers, so it could have been an honest mistake. It would have bothered me more if the date hadn't been going so well :) Definitely a good date location, with wine the bill was around $50 (+tip). Would not suggest bringing kids.
(4)Cris F.
My husband and I are off to Nepal soon, so we decided to try Himalayan Flavors using Restaurant.com coupon to get a feel of what to expect by way of Himalayan cuisine .We were not disappointed. From the street, we spotted the restaurant right away because of its brightly lit signage. We thought the smoke coming out of the two-mountain artwork was quite ingenious and emphasized the restaurant's slogan of "Top of the World to the Tip of your Tongue" best. As we walked in, the evening crowd seemed to have started coming! We passed through a large open front dining area, through an open kitchen and into a cozier inside dining area and were ushered into our table. All the tables had white table cloths. The place was decorated with Tibetan/Nepalese-inspired buntings, streamers, frames and other ethnic art pieces creating an exotic Himalayan ambience. As we ordered our food, we gamely struck a lively conversation with our waitress since she was from Kathmandu. I left to go to the restroom and when I returned, my husband was speaking to another waitress who had brought our drinks. She too was from Nepal. It seemed that word got around that we were visiting Nepal and the young waitstaff (who were newly acquired) were as excited as we were to talk about Nepal and the Himalayas. We were having fun hearing from them first hand about Nepal, the places to visit, the things to see and dishes to try . . and this was all before the tasty meal came. It was a delight to be served a complimentary hot and savory cup of lentil soup before the meal. This was a good omen!! The other dishes were as delicious and flavorful. We had lamb samdeh, fish curry and chicken tandoori together with basmati rice for me and the healthier brown rice for my husband. We asked the dishes to be made SPICY and they obliged. We appreciated that the dishes came with ample pieces of lamb and fish! The chicken was very fresh and not overly spiced or marinated and the tandoori cooking just right -- chicken was moist and not burned or dry. When we thought nothing else could get any better, Ustav, the manager came over to ask us how our meal was. An hour after, we were still talking!! Not only were we fed well and enjoyed the many blended spices and textures of Himalayan cuisine, but last night, as a most unexpected bonus, we were given a unique sampling of genuine Nepalese hospitality and kindness. Himalayan Flavors is not only a restaurant, but it is a most pleasant sneak preview into the Nepalese culture and people! Cristina
(4)Carlos L.
Himalayan Flavors is the best of this kind of food I have experienced. I have been to various other similar types of restaurants,Indian and Pakistani. I see some of the same dishes at the other places so I think its fair to rate them against each other. If it was vastly different food I would not. What we had: Started with a sweet shake made with Bananas,dates,honey and almond milk. Very tasty, should have gotten it for dessert though. Simple side salad, fresh and crisp produce with a great dressing. Garlic Naan was crispy and hot. Loaded with garlic and a little bit of herbs. Excellent! Palak Paneer, creamy and savory. The cheese has a light flavor but works well. One of those dishes that I have had elsewhere, but this is the best. Tastes great over the rice and scooped up with the garlic naan.Makes me think of a slow cooked comfort food. Butter Mushroom Chicken. Rich and succulent. It's a very heavy dish, but anything with that much butter tastes good. Not very spicy, but something I get each time. It's rich enough that you can share 1 serving with 3 people. Curry Chicken with Spinach, it was just ok. It really gets over left behind compared to the other two main dishes we had. Nothing wrong with it at all though. The service is very friendly and they go out of their way to treat you well. If you go in not knowing what to get they spend time talking to you to see what you like. It can be a bit slow at times, other times they take care of you like you are dining at exclusive restaurant.
(4)Elayne L.
Food was good, staff was definitely on point. Prices reasonable...I'd go back!
(2)Wolf H.
Yayy. Very very good tasty food. Portions are generous and price are decent. I never had a bad meal here and i always end up to take left over food at home. Pacora are divine and their lamb dishes are all delicious. Private parkin right next door is also a plus.
(4)Phil S.
Had the goat curry and onion nan. it was vey good!
(5)Nisha G.
I came here as part of a Carrotmob campaign. The chicken tandoor special this month was delicious and the garlic naan is literally the best I've ever had - fluffy, not tough like in other restaurants. I'd go back for sure!
(5)Laura B.
I loved the flavors of the Himalayan inspired dishes served at Himalayan Flavors in Berkeley. Our party ordered a mixed mumu platter (assorted steamed dumplings with various fillings), the mushroom butter chicken, lamb stew (delicious) and a veggie dish. They all come with rice and a lentil soup. The buckwheat pancake was also a treat. The dishes were not too spicy (ordered mild-medium) and the flavors complemented each other nicely. Staff was very accomodating. Casual dining atmosphere. Would definitely recommend.
(5)Amy D.
ORDER THE MOMO!!!!!! I came here over the weekend to use my Gilt deal, and to try out Himalayan/Tibetan/Bhutanese/Nepalese food. Their parking lot is huge, and there is also street parking. Although we came at 11am (when they were supposed to be open), they were not quite ready, but still seated us. Since we came here to grab a snack, only ordered a couple of things: -Mixed Momo (9 pcs- Sampler of 3 pcs of Chicken, Lamb, and Vegetarian Momo Served w/Tomato Chutney $8.95): YUUUUUUUUUUUM. The momo (dumpling) skin was nice and thin, and the tomato chutney went well with all three flavors. If you like spicy, make sure to ask them for their chili sauce! The chicken was definitely my favorite and I would just order that flavor next time, but the sampler was a good way to try a bit of everything. The lamb was a bit gamey and I didn't like the cashews in the vegetable momo, but still managed to consume everything. -Phapar Ko Babar (Nepali style pancake made of Buckwheat flour stuffed w/onion, herbs, and spice $3.50): Pretty good, but very filling! The pancake is big (the size of a small pizza almost), and they give you a side of raita to dip it in. There is a lot of dill in here, so don't order it if you're a dill hater. -Carbeet Juice (Carrot & Beet $4.95): The juice was sweet because of the carrots, but the beet juice may stain your teeth. I don't think it was worth the $4.95. The server here was super nice and friendly, and offered to go over the menu with us since it was our first time trying Himalayan, etc. food. However, he forgot to put in our order for the phapar so we were waiting forever. They did give us complimentary lentil soups (Ok, but I don't like lentils so not my cup of tea) and apologized profusely. Overall, I would come back for the momos and to try their other dishes- and I recommend you do the same if you've been on the fence about giving this type of cuisine a try!
(3)Mark A.
this place is legit. well, actually i have no idea, as i've never been to bhutan. but it certainly tasted like nothing i've ever had before, and certainly was not dumbed-down at all (though they do have chicken tikka masala here too); they did however double check with me when i said i wanted it spicy. make sure to order from the local/regional corner of the menu with the bhutanese and tibetan dishes, that's the truly unique stuff.
(5)Lance h.
Himalayan Flavors is by far my favorite Indian restaurant. There really isn't anywhere that compares. The meat and fish are top notch, their vegetables are always fresh, the juice and tea bar is amazing, their sauces are exquisite, and their momos are better than the Tibetan restaurant up the street. The service has been attentive, friendly, and efficient every time I've been. Ordered delivery once, and it was timely and hot when it arrived. I really can't understand this place getting any negative reviews here, as I've never had a bad experience, and I've also brought several people here, and everyone loved it. The best. Go.
(5)S T.
Excellent food, great ambiance! Tikka masala was as good as it gets. Complementary lentil soup and great service was exceptional and will bring us back for more.
(5)Merricat B.
I've been to this place a few times over the past year, and I always love it. I usually have the goat curry, but last time I had the chicken tikka masala. Both are great, especially the goat. Sometimes goat curry has a sort of gamey, funky odor, which I tolerate because I love the taste, but no funky odor here, It is always excellent. I ordered the chickem tikka masala at the waiter's suggestion, and he was right, it Is different and better than the Indian restaurants where I've had it before, when I always found it a little sweet and tomatoey. This had a wonderful balance of interesting and subtle flavors. I ordered the garlic naan, which I always love, but I ended up feeling that the tikka masala really wanted rice, so I ordered that after a bite or two. I always get the Momo first, and you get 8 of them. I always think that will be plenty to share between two, and it should be. . . . .but I always feel greedy and wish I'd ordered a plate just for myself! LOL. The regular sauce is good, but I have to have the spicy sauce as well, it's tooooo good! They recently started having live music on Saturdays, a young Nepali girl sings while an American guy plays the sitar. I loved it when they played Beatle songs. They played a few songs in Nepali too (the singer told us). I couldn't talk my date into sharing a dessert, and I didn't want to eat one by myself, so we both had the Nepali Chai instead. Yum! I love this stuff, nearly as good as dessert. Part of the reason I love coming here is the decor and the vibe, it's just so pretty and so calming, a great place to decompress and relax.
(5)Glory M.
First of all, this restaurant does not look like much from the outside, but it is beaufifully decorated inside and has a very nice ambience. The service is very friendly, polite and calm. The food is off the hook! We had tandoori chicken which was probably the best I'd ever had. The lamb vindaloo was extremely flavorful with a great texture. The garlic naan was the real deal. For our appetizers we had the chicken momo and vegetable pakoras. Whoever is cooking here deserves an award. We left totally stuffed. Can't wait to go back!
(5)Ting T.
Coconut Naan: the right amount of sweet in a naan; doesn't taste/ smell strongly of coconut which can be the case when eating things like coconut tarts. Really though, this the best tasting naan I've ever had. Cheese Naan: greasy, but still tastes good. the texture of the cheese between the naan made it taste almost like a empanada/panades. Chicken ___ (under the Chef's special): costs $13.99 for a small bowl of saucy chicken. While the texture of the sauce was ground-meaty goodness, I don't think it's worth the price!
(3)Ano N.
Very friendly family restaurant. Great food! If you ask for mild it will be mild, not spicy at all. The lentils soup comes with each dish and it is very nice.
(5)S D.
i went here with my girlfriend last week the night before thanksgiving. i had been there before multiple times and every time i went here i loved the food. i am giving it 5 stars because the food is excellent and the waitress was especially polite the last time i went. we arrived there 9:35 or 9:40 maybe and even though they close at 10pm, they allowed us to sit inside all the way up to 10:30pm without making us feel hurried. i tried everything from tandoori chicken to eggplant dishes and curries (that I can not name) here and they all have been very good. The service has always been nice. I appreciate the quote from the Dalai Lama on the wall right next to the window. Very gentle words. Adds to the ambiance. This place allows me to enjoy nepalese food which I Had never tried before. oh, and another thing about this place: they have brown rice which a lot of south asian places do not have. brown rice is better for you so i always like it when a place gives me that option. Namaste.
(5)kristen b.
Super delicious. I feel bad not ordering from Mehak as often anymore, because they are so nice and the food is delicious, but I think I might like Himalayan Flavors better! They're also several blocks from my house, and will deliver if I am really feeling that lazy. Am curious to try their juices, they always sounds really good.
(4)Lawren B.
There are many Indian restaurants in Berkeley. I have yet to find one that I love. Himalayan Flavors is probably the best I have had in the area. I used one of those Yelp deals, which is a great offer (10 for 20 dollars). The only issue I had with the service was when we arrived to pick up our take out order. I was notified that I was not allowed to use a Yelp deal on a take out order. I let the waitress know that there is no specification or contract details on the Yelp deal. She gave us the Yelp deal for the take out order. The samosas weren't my favorite. The chicken momo is delicious. The vegetable/curry/spinach dish tastes great, as well. It's a solid place.
(4)Karen H.
Amazing place. I found this restaurant on yelp as I was driving home from the airport. The owner was very helpful explaining the different foods and regions. I decided to try two different things and take the leftovers home for later. Had the palak paneer, from India, which was terrific. Then I had a dish called Jasha Maroo which is a traditional dish from Bhutan. I would have it over and over. The spices are ginger, garlic, and tomato sauce over brown rice. A lot more going on in this dish! The owner gave me a taste of his rocky mountain juice which is a blend of carrot, beet, celery, apple and ginger. Hope it helps me to digest too much food!
(5)Kishan A.
nice place Phapar ko roti and tamma ko tarkaree is my best momo is also good chicken saag is also good Dal i love the test they make Friendly servers and owner
(5)Brittany L.
This is one of my favorite spots in Berkeley. The food is always delicious. I recommend the Tandoori Chicken and the Paneer Tikka Masala with the Rosemary Naan. Yummy!
(5)Christina A.
not so impressed... lacked depth and flavor on all the dishes we tried ;(
(2)Kas C.
I am so glad I discovered this restaurant earlier this year. Since then, I've been back many times with groups of my friends and they all love the place - not just for the delectable balance of flavors in their dishes, but for the warm, friendly family-style service and the well-laid out dining areas and Himalayan-theme decor that takes me back decades to the days when I traveled Nepal in the 1980's. Though I have not tried out everything, I especially like the regional specialties, like their Bhutanese, Tibetan and Nepali influenced dishes. Because I like my food searing hot (Himalayan food generally is not that spicy), I always ask for their home-made hot sauce which is one of the best things I like about eating here! Though portions are not huge, there's plenty of very tasty sauces to sop up with their delicious breads, from the regional buckwheat pancake to the multi-layer whole-wheat paratha and naans. Even my friends who've dined with me here agree that their garlic naan is perhaps the best of any we've ever had in a Bay Area Indian restaurant. But of course, I don't look at this place as an Indian restaurant. It does try to present flavors of the Himalayan region. The owner is very friendly and attentive and his niece, who's often there to help wait tables, makes me feel at home as soon as I enter the restaurant. I like to sit in the elevated dining area in the middle by the large mirror which allows me or my guests to observe all the activity taking place in the open kitchen. Since my first visit in the spring, when the dining room was sparsely filled, Himalayan Flavors has been discovered and it is usually packed on weekend nights. Big parties frequently take place in the private room towards the back. So, it's prudent to make a reservation; better yet, go on a weekday night when it's less crowded and the staff not as overwhelmed. In short, the food is excellent, the service warm and personal, and the ambiance carries you away to a another place and time. The dining room is beautifully decorated with a touch of class, making it a great place to entertain and take a group of friends for a special evening out. For what you get, the prices are reasonable and I always leave there very satisfied.
(5)Joel W.
Visited this spot today because it had fairly good reviews. Service was very friendly and efficient. The lental soup was good, although, a bit salty for my taste. The Chicken Tikka Masala was quite tasty and the Chow Mein(Indian version) was pretty good, however the noodles are much thinner than normal chinese chow mein noodles, which I like. This place didn't blow me away, but I would come back.
(4)Michael B.
I've eaten at Himalayan Flavors 5 or 6 times now and enjoy it very much. It's a pleasing place to eat and the people there are super friendly. The momos (dumplings) are great: get the mixed plate with all three kinds. The Chhoila (a lamb salad) in the appetizers is outstanding. I can't go there without ordering the buckwheat bread -- Phapar Ko Babar -- it's really, really good. The chili chicken is another great dish. Try any of the dishes under "Regional Cuisine of the Himalayas" -- they are all good. I'd go with as many people as possible and order family-style, so you get to try more dishes. They'll make it hot if you ask; they also have a tasty hot sauce (made on the premises) that will help up the heat level. My wife and I are pretty picky about where we eat out: this restaurant is definitely on our list.
(5)Dewi P.
Ordered from this place a few times before and the meals were ok.. Just ordered it 2 days ago and omg! it was a bad experience. the chix on tikka masala was still bloody. the chix on tandoori was somewhat bloody and didnt taste like the tandoori i had before. the samosas which i was craving for were really salty.. and i need lots of salt, but that was just way too salty. good thing: they gave us basmati rice for free; bad: the rice clearly was from days before. good: they gave us lentil soup for free; bad: nobody gonna eat it in this house. good: they pick up the phone; bad: they dont understand what i meant, and hey hello lady, yelling is not asking.. it was rude! good: delivery was ok, 40mins for berkeley; the paper they printed the bill on was cute; bad: the delivery guy was creepy-looking. bad: i saw another review saying that their employees smoke in the back and didnt wash their hands.. GROSS! would i be back? we'll see.. id have to be craving to dead to be back.
(2)Samir D.
I liked the food overall. The vegetable momos were ok but the Pumpkin Malai kofta was awesome! The service was great as well.
(4)Nick G.
Food was a bit over-priced and not as good as the quality I'd expect in Berkeley. You can find better places on Shattuck or Durant Av.
(2)Lisa W.
Our first visit, it was hard find a good Nepalese restaurant, we found it! Food very good, and excellent service
(5)Janani S.
So my parents were visiting for the weekend, and like many vegetarian parents from the motherland , they have an intense vegetarian- Indian-restaurant attachment (my dad has been known to drive 30 miles each way to locate a good cup of chai and dosa). Not wanting to spend the entire weekend in Fremont or San Jose, I began a slow but sure tactic of weaning them slowly from the Udupis, Woodlands, various "palaces" and "bhavans". After eating at Udupi 3 days in a row, we started working our way down University to try Thai, Italian, Middle Eastern, with pretty good results (including my dad's newfound attachment to hummus, hot chocolate, and Yogurtland) and then finally landed upon Himalayan Flavors on our last day of Berkeley food fest. It was Sunday evening and we were decently hungry but wanting something not too indulgent (earlier we'd eaten at Cinnaholic - enough said). We stumbled upon Himalayan Flavors and were attracted by the multiple veggie options, plus the fresh juices (any place that serves kale/parsley/ginger juice has to care at least somewhat about healthy food, right?) Plus, parking was awesome - so we went in. The wait staff were nice and attentive, and it's one of those places where you can see the chefs as they work. There's a TON of seating - and the restaurant was fairly empty. We ordered some of the medicinal teas (I wish there was a burn-off-Cinnaholic-calories tea, damn those addictive rolls!) of which they have a super-extensive list. It was pretty good but I'm pretty picky about tea, and think they should have added more tea "stuff" (it tasted a little watery, even after steeping for 10 minutes). I sort of harangued the waiter about "easy on oil, no butter" knowing that typical Indian restaurants usually drown the food in butter and there's a layer of grease floating on top (some people like that but not me). We got the kerau paneer, the mixed himalayan yogi veggie thing, the tandoori roti and some yogurt. So the food was amazing - not overly oily, not buttery, but delicious and really well flavored. Not spicy (although we ordered everything mild, having been "burned" - haha - at other Indian restaurants ) and you can totally finish the whole thing without feeling like you can't eat for 4 days. The roti were just divine and the best part was the dal soup they brought out as appetizers - it's so soothing, simple and hearty at the same time. Tastes kind of cleansing, which is an odd thing to say about lentils. The yogurt was absolutely incredible - highly recommend if you are a yogurt lover. And the paneer was just delectable. Even though we were stuffed at the end, we were so excited about this amazing meal that we ended up ordering the rice pudding. DEFINITELY order the rice pudding. It's like the best rice pudding I've ever had. We struck up a conversation with Dhruva, the owner (brother of the owner of Taste of the Himalayas) - apparently everything's made super fresh unlike other restaurants where they mass produce paneer and they actually take care not to over-oil-and butter-ify everything. There's a Karma "Clinic" too where all these alternative practitioners come and it's free to get consultations. I am totally awed and inspired by the Karma Kitchen concept at the other restaurant, so that creates 5 stars right there. BUT one last thing - I went back yesterday (one day later) after a particularly intense yoga class - I was starved, craving momos and juice (yes, yoga does odd things to people) and marched in at like 2:30 pm. I was the ONLY one in the restaurant (no shame!) and they were so sweet. Dhurva gave me a sample of the date shake (which literally tastes like a healthy cake batter - it's super sweet, so order for dessert) and a free bowl of dal soup! Isn't that sweet? The veggie momos, by the way, are INCREDIBLE. definitely get these - they are better than the ones at the farmer's market! Definitely a great place to eat, good quality food, and nice wait staff. Highly recommend!
(5)Pri T.
I love this place. The ambience is nice, the staffs are friendly, and the food is Nepalicious! I always get veggie samosas, chicken momos w/ spicy sauce, badami naan, chicken/lamb choila (authentic nepali). The chicken tandoori can sometimes get a little dry, but overall great place to be with family and enjoy the food and service.
(5)Alyssa B.
If you have had one too many of the same experiences with the ubiquitous Chinese or India flavors which are so abundant in the East Bay, maybe it is time to switch it up with Himalayan Flavors. From Tibet & Nepal to Burma, this cuisine is full of satisfying goodness. It was pleasing to receive a delicious cup of yellow lentil soup "on the house" after ordering our meal, and a great way to ease into it. There are beautiful murals and paintings throughout the restaurant, and an exhibition style kitchen. Go and enjoy a meal for one, or in a group-there seems to be room for all at Himalayan Flavors.
(5)Jason B.
My wife and I decided to come here tonight. Before ordering, we informed the female waitress that we had a $25 deal from Restaurants.com . After taking our orders, she conversed with another waitress in their Nepali language and made rude comments about us using the coupon, and laughed. Well, it just so happens that my wife also speaks Nepali, so she understood their entire conversation, and was upset about what she overheard. If the restaurant workers don't respect their customers, how can we assume that they will respect the food they serve to their customers? It's a shame, we wanted to like this place but their staff need to learn some manners. EDIT: the owner got in touch and apologized for his staff's comments. It is a good restaurant with quality Nepali food, and obviously has an owner who cares about his customers' experience, and he does not deserve to have all that hard work undermined by a couple of undisciplined staff members. I am upgrading from 1 star to 3, and will consider trying this place again in the future.
(3)Jana C.
3.5 Stars Went their with my Groupon for dinner take-out. Ordered all vegetarian. Pros: 1. Very friendly staff 2. Parking lot (Free!!!) 3. Food is not weighed down w/cream, like some Indian restaurants 4. Large menu, great vegetarian options 5. Yummy naan 6. Dishes come with rice Cons: 1. SUPER expensive. My will was $50 (before Groupon) for 3 dishes & 2 naans. I likely won't go back soon, as it is hard on the wallet, but I am a fan and hope to return on an annual basis.
(4)M R.
Still love this plve. I had the mixed tandoor grill this time seved over a bed of raw veggies that cook once the hot meats are put on top. The chicken was amazingly moist. The lamb was good too. Not tough or chewy. Next time I'll probably just get chicken, but I had a deal voucher to use. The samosas are still my favorite. I also like that they have a juice bar.
(5)Stu S.
We had lunch here today. We started with excellent yellow lentil soup. then came a vegetable momo, based on several Yelper suggestions. It was horrible; neither of us could eat more than a bite of it. I don't know if it is the seasoning or what. However, we had the buckwheat pancake (also a Yelper suggestion) that was superb. The Chicken Bhanta was very tasty and had generous portions of eggplant. Limited chicken, though. the Chicken Jasha Marroo is a melange of veggie and chicken bits; it was acceptable, but i did not enjoy the spices. The restaurant is nicely decorated and there is a parking lot. Our host-server was very friendly and helpful.
(2)Miri R.
I love this place. They had this vegan Himalayan malai kofta for a while as past of their monthly specials and it was seriously one of the best foods I had ever... and everything else I have tasted here has been spot on! Highly recommended
(5)David G.
We were really pleasantly surprised by this place! The place was practically empty on a Sunday night, but everything was great: the decor, the service, and especially the food. Firstly, our server was refreshingly honest about the food choices, admitting that some of the Bhutanese and Himalayan dishes were a little bland compared to the Indian food we're used to. The service was prompt, and the food was wonderful! The herbed naan was fantastic (i think they sprinkled it with rosemary and some other herbs I'm not used to tasting with this type of food). Everyone's entree was great, too - both veggie and meat. We had a combination of "Himalayan" dishes, which were indeed more rustic than their Indian counterparts, and more familiar things such as Tikka Masala. Definitely recommended if you're in the mood for something unusual, or just in the mood to support a new business.
(5)Yushan K.
It pains me to do this, but I recently revisited with a campuscred.com deal and was sorely disappointed compared to my first visit here. This place was WAY understaffed for a busy Friday night. I think our 2-person meal of an appetizer and dinner took about 1.5 hours from start to finish, partly because the food was so slow to come but also because we had to flag someone down each time we needed something. The one thing they were attentive about was refilling water, but the service still left much to be desired. My goat dish, which was a special that night, had little shards of bone scattered throughout it. The whole meal was just a march of small errors. So, if I were you I'd make my visit here during off hours.
(2)Nathan M.
I'm thrilled that this restaurant has opened in my neighborhood. It's owned by the same people who own Taste of the Himalayas on Shattuck, with a higher proportion of traditional Nepalese dishes and fewer run-of-the-mill things you can find at any Indian restaurant. (Fear not, though, you can get tandoor!) The food is delicious, with extremely fresh herbs and spices, especially cilantro and Sichuan pepper. Keep in mind that Himalayan food (Nepali, Bhutanese, Tibetan) is milder, less salty, and more buttery than other Indian food, so if you like it hot be sure to order it extra spicy. (And even so, it will not compare.) We particularly loved the momo (dumplings), BhutekoTama Chyau (spicy bamboo shoots and potato), Lamb shamdeh, and mango ice cream. And the naan! The naan is out of this world--pillowy and soft and all buttery herbed deliciousness. The service is attentive and kind, and the prices are very reasonable.
(4)Lizi F.
Went there with my roommates with Campuscred, and i have to give it 3 stars because: 1. the wait was really long; they gave us the mango lassi fairly quick(it just tasted like mango flavored yogurt), but we had to wait almost half an hour for the food to come 2. the food tasted decent (maybe 'cause i was hungry), and the portion wasn't that great taking into account the price 3. the Butter Mushroom Chicken dish was really good (: I don't think i've seen other Indian place have it 4. the garlic naan was fresh, but according to my roommate, it tasted like pizza. I just think the portion was too little 5. nice atmosphere, and nice kitchen! (:
(3)Jason J.
As we were roaming for something to eat along University, we were attracted by the lunch specials for Himalayan Flavors. As usual, I had the lamb tikka masala, which was a generous lunch portion. It has a hint of cinnamon which complimented the dish nicely and the lamb was delicious. My girlfriend had the chicken bhanta, which was a little too salty for her delicate tastes. The waiter tempted us to try the tropical flower power smoothie since it was fresh. It was an interesting combination of pineapple, coconut, ginger, and lavender. The ginger was a little too strong. Overall, the food was delicious but some of the spices were a tad too strong.
(4)Sara J.
excellent customer service and legit tasty food with complex flavors, not too oily or salty, regional options available etc. hit them up.
(4)Jamie S.
Himalayan Flavors is very similar to Taste of the Himalayas, they both are excellent and different than other indian style restarants. They are bpth owned by the same Nepalese family. In addition to the amzing food the decor is very beautiful. They do a Karma Kitchen where you can eat for free with a suggested donation to cover the next person's meal. I have never done this but the idea is really cool. It shows that money isn't everything to them. Check it out!!
(5)Parminder Nayyar C.
It was my birthday and I came back from India just two days before, so was still craving Indian... We had a groupon for this restaurant and decided to try it out, and we didn't regret! :) The menu is elaborate, with lot of choices. As soon as I saw Momo's I was Super-excited! I have tried the chinese wonton's but I never relish them, so it was good to find a cuisine near to Indian cuisine, serving momo's. We decided to get the platter which has all the three - pork, chicken and veggie. But sorry to say, I was disappointed as all the three had the same taste. It seems that the filling is prepared with the same set of masala's for all three, so all I could taste was that masala, more so coz the outer layer of momo's was coming off from the filling. However, one thing I appreciate is, that I saw the lady making the momo's fresh in front of us, that is why it took a lot of time as well. We asked for recommendations from the server and decided to order one Chicken Thukpa and Fish Masala Sabzi with the Buckwheat roti. Chicken Thukpa was super duper Awesome! Ummm! The flavors were soooo good! I later on asked the server and was told that the peculiar flavor is of Schezwan peppers and that they are grown only in China, Nepal and Japan. He educated us on the way they are grown and all that. It was all good to know :) The Fish Masala Sabzi was made from Salmon - The masala was awesome! Since I dont have much liking for Salmon, I thought it would have been a a better dish if the fish was CatFish. The Buckwheat roti was super awesome! We loved it, we were soo full but we still didn't want to leave a single bite of the roti in our plates - typical North Indian thing ;) And yeah, we had some beer too.. The food was not over spicy (we ordered medium spicy), over oily or heavy. The restaurant looked really hygienic and the staff very polite and full of hospitality. Overall, a good restaurant, I would not go back for momo's but for Thukpa and buckwheat roti I would go for sure! :D 3.5 stars to be precise!
(4)Ava H.
I love Indian food but I am a total wuss when it comes to HOT spicy. I asked for mild, like Norwegian wussy girl mild and it was Perfect! This is the first Indian restaurant I have been to that got it right. The Lamb Tikka Masala was tender, no gristle at all, well flavoured and filling. The basmati rice was cooked to perfection. The garlic naan was worth stopping alone. My friends like their food spicy and were not disappointed. They were also very happy with the spice level of their food. The cooks are superb and the wait staff understand the meaning of Good customer service. This was us just taking a chance while we were on an adventure for the day. Highly Recommend!
(5)D L.
Came for lunch on Friday ~12:30. Parking lot was being painted but we found one-hour parking on the street. Cons: Took a while for the waitress to take our order... Pros: ... but after our order was taken, the food arrived quickly The food is delicious! We had: Himalayan Salad - light and flavorful with delicious honey-based dressing Spinach Samosa - deep fried I think but not greasy Curry Salmon - lots of sauce; a few more chunks of salmon would've been nice Came with lentil soup and choice of brown or basmati rice You can see the cooks over the counter - one guy in particular seemed like a happy, friendly guy - nice to see someone enjoying himself at work!
(4)Joe B.
Groupon in hand, we trekked off to the Himalayas to see how far we could make it up a mountain of . . . naan and rice and tofu saag? The warm spices and hot tea were just the thing to warm up a cold winter night. A tasty lentil soup accompanies every meal to get you started and warmed up. The veggie momos were outstanding - I would order them on any trip here. I got the aforementioned tofu saag, a delicious, nutritious curry with plenty of spinach. Portions were slightly small on the saag, so don't worry about not finishing - with an appetizer, naan, rice, and an entree, you can easily finish it if you're hungry. Definitely try some tea with your dinner - they have an extensive list that they don't even mention on their site - intriguing herbal elixirs that claim to help with many common ailments, or at least increase your energy. I don't know about some of the claims, but the tea was warm and flavorful and the bit of mate in it gave a light kick without being too strong.
(4)Karma K.
Eh maybe I ordered wrong? I got shrimp spinach which I expected to be pured creamy spinach, but was instead a tomato sauce sauted whole spinach which had heat but no depth. Not sure if I would go back. There better options around. But they do have brown rice which is nice and all entrees come with lentil soup.
(3)Paul B.
The vegetable momo and lamb samdeh were both excellent; the Bhutanese datshi was fine as far as vegetarian entrees go at Himalayan/Nepalese/Indian restaurants. The surprise inclusion of a very good lentil soup was a fun bonus. If you get a beer, it should definitely be a Real Gold. The public food preparation adds a lot of aromatic value but is sometimes a little noisy. It's definitely the best Himalayan food I've had in the Bay Area, I hadn't heard of it before, and it wasn't very busy, so it may count as "underrated".
(4)Margot S.
It's a new restaurant- so always a bit risky- but I saw it on a walk on University Ave. with my dog, and thought it would be fun to check it out. It's a very nice restaurant, and the staff is SUPER friendly and informative. They are more than happy to tell you about the food, and the ingredients. They were, however, a little TOO attentive. Seemed they stopped by our table every 5 minutes to see how it was going... well, since 5 minutes ago? Pretty much the same! Haha... I understand it's a new restaurant, but maybe take it down a notch and let your customers enjoy themselves and their food. 1-2 stops by the table is enough. The food was delicious! But not as many unique Himalayan foods as I was expecting. (I believe I had better Himalayan food in Minneapolis.) It was all prepared well, and I was happy with the food, but nothing that was a "wow"... All in all, you can't go wrong with curry dishes and Nan bread (try the Rosemary!) with Chai. I was happy at the end of the meal. Good food, attentive staff, beautiful and clean restaurant. A pleasant place to go with friends, on a date, or with family.
(4)Elizabeth D.
Awesome New Year's Eve dinner. They rushed our order so that we could get back in time to pick up our young daughter. The food was amazing- Momos and Pumpkin/Beet veggie balls in curry. Deeelish! Thanks for letting us eat folks!
(4)Turi F.
This place is sooooo yummy! I had never had "Himalyan" food before, so I didn't know what to expect, but I ordered one of the Indian options and it was delish! The naan is also super yummy. Try the rosemary naan! Also, all entrees come with a cup of wonderful lentil soup.
(4)Mike R.
It was OK, but not any better than OK.
(3)j e.
I'm a little sad that berkeley folks think this is good food. The appetizers were fine but it was all downhill from there. Not, not good. not the worst food I've ever had but I was kind of mad that I wasted one of my meals in Berkeley here. Sorry, I've had so much better. *In response to the manager, we had the vegetable momo, buttered mushroom chicken, and lamb korma. It just wasn't as flavorful or well seasoned as many other places where we have had the same dishes. We did tell our server as we only ate one of the momo which had a thick outer doughy crust out of proportion to the inside stuffing, and we barely ate the other entrees but the server barely seemed to notice that we had commented, nor did he seem to notice that we didn't eat our meals. I didn't realize that there is a quality standard on yelp that I'm duty bound to uphold, I think it is great when people take the time to comment however short or long and I really don't appreciate BEING YELLED AT IN ALL CAPS just because I didn't like your food. You can't win them all and I've had better in many places. We ate there in mid June so more than 3 weeks ago, though doesn't matter since we did say something when we were there. One star for the hostile response on here which really seemed unnecessary.
(1)Tarah D.
I would say that this was, exactly as Yelp rating suggests 3-stars is, A-OK. They have a LOT of vegetarian options, including a very flavorful veggie korma. They bring out a free dal soup, which is very tasty. But I was underwhelmed with the flavor of the Himalayan-specific dishes, which were generally very mild, even a little bland. The prices are not great- not awful, but certainly not great. And the Gulab Jaman was very dense. One major plus is the service/attitude. E.g., I wasn't very hungry on a visit and so was really not eating much of my dish. One of the chef's saw and was really concerned about it: he came out to make sure everything was fine, there wasn't anything wrong with the food, etc. People super-nice, but I'd stick to the more flavorful traditionally Indian dishes.
(3)Keturah A.
This place is awesome!! The staff is super friendly and accommodating and the food is fantastic. I LOVE the coconut naan! My husband and I go here at least once every two weeks. I love the lentil soup that comes free before your meal. I also like how you can look right into the kitchen and smell the fantastic aromas wafting towards you. The chefs always ask us how we like our food and are always so sweet. Himalayan Flavors ROCKS!
(5)Candle L.
Lentil soup was the best part of the meal. The other good thing was that they could seat a large group in an area where we could really talk among ourselves. Some of the curry dishes, especially the vegetables had no sauce. Service was very slow.
(2)T. L. H.
Nice atmosphere, great staff. We ordered lamb vindaloo, chicken thukpa (a noodle soup) and chyau bhanta (eggplant dish). The flavors were great. The lamb was pretty tough and chewy. I love noodle soup so the thukpa was a winner, and the eggplant had good texture. Still, for the price--it is not that expensive--I wasn't particularly floored. May go back again as I'm sure there are some real gems there (wish I'd ordered some momos), but probably not any time in the very near future.
(3)B. R.
I liked the atmosphere and the service, and the momos were great. But both curry dishes we had were pretty bland. I had to dump the (tasty) spicy sauce they provide upon request all over my curry in order to make it taste like anything. But the momos were almost good enough to convince me to eat there again.
(3)Deni W.
Good service good food, their samosa was amazing def gon back
(5)Chat H.
As you may have noticed by now, the names of virtually all Indian restaurants in Berkeley can be derived from random combinations of about a half a dozen common words. Having been to Taste of the Himalayas (TOTH), Indian Flavors Express (IFE), and Flavors of India (FoI), we are delighted to review the last (?) member of the India/Flavor/Himalayan word jumble: Himalayan Flavors (HF), at University and California. HF's interior décor is decidedly Tibetan, with at least five Buddha depictions, and one decidedly-out-of-place sketch of a French chef. The entire kitchen area is exposed, affording the fastidious patron that added level of reassurance. While the wood and metal accents are well placed, the interior is marred by a strange, bed-skirt-like fabric border that hangs from the ceiling. As in the case of HOCOD, HF's interior mirrors are covered with a thin layer of grease, suggesting a systemic problem among Indian restaurants. However, the most egregious infraction we found was the poor stability of our table, which required us to coordinate our foot movements to prevent it from toppling over. True to its name, HF makes a point of featuring food from each "flavor" of the greater Himalayan region, with separate sections devoted to Bhutanese, Indian, and Nepalese/Tibetan food. In light of Masala Chaat's narrow jurisdiction, we elected not to stray too far into the cuisine of neighboring states. Each meal comes with complementary lentil soup, which we found to be slightly overseasoned with cumin. Our vegetarian eigendish, aloo gohbi, appearing under the exotic-sounding alias of cauli matar ko tarkari ($10), did have a distinct flavor compared with the many we have tasted heretofore. While the cauliflower was cooked well, the pieces were gigantic, requiring a fair bit of additional cutting to maintain a uniform sauce-to-vegetable ratio over the course of the meal. Despite being a little less spicy than we had hoped, the aloo gohbi met our expectations. The lamb tarkari ($11) was quite spicy, and had an ideal texture. We were most surprised and pleased by the phapar ko babar ($4), a nepali-style pancake made of buckwheat. It even satisfied Chat's highly refined palate for buckwheat (he hails from the buckwheat capital of the world, Penn Yan, NY). The badami naan ($4) was tasty, despite a rather lower concentration of cherry fillingl; and the mango lassi ($3) was tart and full-bodied, albeit a tad too frothy. Unlike TOTH, which we found to be Himalayan in name only, HF makes a serious effort to provide a sampling of Himalayan cuisine. Indeed, unofficial future visits by your humble reviewers will certainly involve more exploration of HF's exotic offerings. Despite a few missteps, particular regarding table stability, HF is well deserving of four samosas. The exotic cuisine comes at a high price, however, making HF a clear three-rupee establishment and yielding a rather low samosa-to-rupee ratio (1.33). On its website, HF comments that "traditionally, guests are like Gods; therefore, we serve them the best we have." While we cannot promise you a Divine experience, HF is certainly worth a visit.
(4)Nina Y.
We hadn't planned to eat here, but it was raining and there was hail, and it was the closest warm shelter. We didn't receive any free dal. We ordered Chicken Momo (meh), Salmon curry (meh), naan, and dal (bleh) and shared it all. I thought the dumpling wrapper on the momo was too thick and that the filling was slightly watery. The filling did have decent flavor, unlike the sauce they served it with. It had almost no taste whatsoever. The portion is fair. The salmon curry had 4 tiny pieces of salmon and a couple of chunks of tomato. It tasted good, but not the best - I'd expect more punch from the spices. Not even heat, but just some stronger flavors. The dal was unlike any other I've had before. Rather than the usual thick texture, it was very thin and almost watery. The bowl was more than adequate for sharing. The service was fine; a little slow, but not bad - they brought us everything we asked for without being reminded. They will give more hot water for your tea (they use loose leaf) if you ask, which is nice. I probably wouldn't eat here again with the bevy of other really good options to choose from nearby.
(3)d v.
One of the last standing restaurants that serves deliciously fresh food (rip intermezzo) Nice people and art. Always great service.
(5)Christopher K.
Good food, friendly staff, good prices (especially with the $20 for $10 Yelp deal). We splurged on the Coconut Naan (on the seasonal menu) and it was fantastic. The one bad thing about my experience was that I overate, but this solely my own fault. I strongly recommend.
(5)Michel E.
It's difficult for me to write this review because I have had some inconsistent experiences at this place lately. On a few occasions when the place was relatively busy, our food was underwhelming. For instance, recently we placed an order for pickup only to find that the tandoori chicken and the naan were severely under-cooked. This is especially troubling in the case of the chicken because it could have serious health consequences. However, when they have their act together, it's some of the best Indian food I've had in the bay area.
(3)Tiff W.
the food was great but there was very few pieces of meat in the curry, way too much potato and sauce. staff was very nice. i was disappointed in their naan breads, very thick (we got the coconut one and paratha), didn't taste like the naan I'm use to. maybe it's because it's himalayan? and I was expected indian naan?
(3)Anna M.
Short and sweet - Great Service and nice ambiance. Lentil soup was very tasty, and dishes we had were great. Naan was delicious, especially herbal kind. Definitely a place to return to and support in the future.
(5)anthony t.
My friend and I were there on a Thursday night and the place was really a treat. The service was fast and very friendly. The food was reasonably priced and the portions were good. I had a curry lamb dish and it was good without any heavy lamb after flavor. My friend had a perfectly cooked sizzling salmon platter with naan, also very tasty. Would go back again. The ambiance makes this a nice place to take a date too, plus they have a spacious parking lot.
(4)Richard C.
What a cluster f#$k !! Waitress brought my entree 10 minutes before bringing my wife's, totally forgot the appetizer and my daughter's entree. We sat trying to get someone's attention (while trying to eat our now cooling-off meals). So much fun trying to eat while glancing about for our missing-in-action waitress. Finally flagged down another waitress and spent a further 5 minutes waiting for our message to be delivered and for our waitress to return. We asked to cancel the appetizer, as both my wife and I had finished our meals, and to PLEASE, for god's sake, get my daughter something to eat other than that bowl of rice you brought to accompany her, as of yet ,non-existent entree. So the waitress cancels both the appetizer and my daughter's entree!! We finally surrendered and asked to just get out of this place as soon as possible. By way of apology they took $2.60 off the bill!!! Can't imagine this could have been worse except, oh yes, the "medium spice" the waitress had advised turned out to be NO SPICE whatsoever! Abandon all hope ye who enter this place when the wait staff are this crew.
(1)Ava C.
Great service, ample parking, but the food just was not good. At all. Instead of tasting the flavor and spices of the curries/sauces, the saltiness of the dishes were so overwhelming that it was almost inedible. Too bad. TOTH is much better.
(2)Anand G.
Decent food but a bit pricey. But the portions are big for one person.
(4)S H.
I stopped by Himalayan Flavors to have a quick lunch and I have to say that the food is pretty damn good. The host is very friendly and attentive and I found the restaurant decor to be extremely appealing, elegant but yet cozy. Moving onto the more important stuff: the food. I asked the waiter for recommendations on what to get since I would normally just get something like Chicken Tikka Masala or Lamb Vindaloo. I wanted something authentic and lighter than usual and he recommended the Jashaa Maroo, a regional Himalayan dish that he loves himself. I also got a small Lentil Soup and Spinach Samosa. I got the Lentil Soup first and boy did it have excellent favors, very hearty and delicious. Next came the crispy Samosas which where filled with Potatoes and Spinach. The Samosas tasted better than most places because it was lighter and wasn't densely filled with potatoes. Lastly the main course, the Jashaa Maroo, I can say confidently that this dish is a superstar. It is a tomato based sauce mixed with Chicken, Onions, Bell Peppers, and I think celery. Anyways the texture was excellent and it was served over healthy fluffy brown rice. ***Overall 5 stars for delicious food and excellent service***
(5)SoCalSparky o.
My husband and I were in the area on vacation and I called the wrong Himalayan restaurant ....ooppss! Food was bland. No flavor, but they give you a ton of sauces.
(2)Don F.
Food was very freshly made and with fresh ingredients. If you want something that has heavy Indian and Chinese influence, fusion if you will, you will enjoy the meal. Nice decorations and service was very efficient and wait staff very friendly. With a coupon, price was quite reasonable.
(5)Tanmaya K.
good food!
(4)Nik N.
holy wow! my girl and i were fixin' to give this place a try - and boy o boy o boy are we glad we did.... we started with veg momos - which were amazing. and shared a chow mein (medium spice) and the paneer tika masala (also medium spice) and an order of garlic naan. the chow mein was a bit to spicey for my delicate scando blando palate - but it was so flavorful and delicous - i kept shovelling it into my face like a culinary masochist.... now, as to the the paneer tika masala - let me just tell you - both my fiancee and i dream about it. it was so robust in flavors - delicious is not even the word. the garlic naan was picture perfect upon arriving - and tasted equally delicious. himalayan flavors is great---- and not only have we found our new favorite himalayan place - we will gladly choose "flavors" over "taste of".... anydayoftheweek.
(5)Robyn H.
We've been to this place a number of times since it opened. I feel like the menu has changed a few times because I remember there being a veggie pakora that was made with buckwheat flour which was super yummy. The last time the pakoras were made with chickpea flour and great. We've tried numerous breads there, including the delicious buckwheat pancake which is perfect for me because I'm not supposed to be eating regular wheat right now. My boyfriend is a big fan of the naan--although it's not quite as delicious at the naan at Taste of the Himalayas which we refer to as fluffy pillows of heaven. I generally get the Chyau Bhanta--mushrooms and eggplant with ginger and garlic. It's got a very unique flavor that you won't find at regular Indian restaurants. It's varied a bit from visit to visit and last time wasn't quite as good as usual, though. I once ordered the Cauli Matar Ko Tarkari and wasn't a huge fan mostly because it was filled with regular peas which I hate. The description referred to them as snow peas so I was thinking of the stuff you get in Chinese food, which I like. Haven't tried other dishes yet, but plan to soon. The one thing I'd like to see--and this is true of all Indian/Himalayan places--is a vegetarian combo dish. I hate to choose between having veggies or having legumes. I want them both! Let us have our choice of two or three veggie dishes together. But at least they do give you a free lentil soup, which I find to be quite nice. My boyfriend has gotten several of the chicken dishes and his favorite is the Chicken Korma. It's a big, nice space as well and the service is always very good.
(4)stuart b.
Their Bhutanese veggie dish is outstanding. Sometimes the service is slow but they are very friendly and welcoming. Only thing I would not recommend is the veggie Momos--a bit bland.
(5)Isaac A.
I would eat here again. The staff was a little over attentive probably because there weren't very many people there, so it felt a little rushed because they were constantly there cleaning up plates almost before you finished with your food. The menu is VERY familiar to anyone who frequents indian food places. We went for the items on the menu that were unique to Himalaya / Bhutan and those were the dishes that I wouldn't order again. The Korma was peppery and delicious, the rosemary naan was great! The gave us a free scoop of mango ice-cream, they might have skipped that because it wasn't great. Overall the place is nice and clean, the service is almost too good but some of the menu items need a little revision to make them great, this place has a potential to be 5-stars, but not quite there yet...
(4)val j.
I was excited to try this place out and was even able to buy a deal where i spent $15 and got $30 worth of food which is great for trying out a restaurant for the first time. The place itself is pretty. they have an open kitchen which felt extra fancy. the colors and art were a pretty backdrop and it felt cozy. the servers were super attentive, not overly so at all, and friendly and knowledgeable about vegan options which was awesome. the food was a mixed bag. we ordered the spinach samosas which were delicious! they seemed really fresh and were filled with lots of bright green spinach, potatoes, and spices and looked so perfect and cute! the chutneys were perfect! for dinner we ordered the Cauli matar Ko Tarkari which had really nice pieces of fresh cauliflower, potatoes, and tons of peas in a really bland tomato sauce, i was tempted to ask for the salt shaker because it seriously had zero flavor. we also ordered the Chana Masala which was in the same exact flavorless sauce as the above mentioned dish! i was really sad! we had originally wanted to order the veggie korma that said it had a coconut based cream sauce, but its also milk based so we didn't. we also had the Jhumke Paratha which was really good and reminded us of pie crust! loved that. the rice was also really good and all of the food was served in really beautiful little metal bowls which i loved as well. i will check this place out again but not for a long time. i'm hoping it was just an off night where somebody forgot to salt and taste the sauces. this place has a lot of potential as it is a beautiful space, they have presentation down, the food is fresh with well made appetizers, its just that the food needs more flavor!
(2)yuvak t.
Great food, ambiance, service! Loved the goat curry made in authentic Nepali style.
(5)Ftw K.
This is our first time that we've had Nepalese cuisine and we had a great experience. The chicken momo was good and had juices inside. The lamb chow mein was our favorite -- even the noodles had a lamb flavor. The lamb tarkhari, however, was rather plain and kind of expensive for $11 given the portion size. The naan was the best I ever had!
(5)Dana C.
We had an awesome dining experience here. The restaurant itself is classy, i love the open kitchen and white table cloths. The service was superb. The appetizers were SO good. I suggest the simosas. They have amazing drink options here. I'll be back!
(5)Tamara F.
I jumped on the Groupon for this place, as I'd walked by before and noted the fresh juices and vegan options. I had a spicy eggplant dish and the Nepali soup, which includes little spaghetti-like noodles and lots of veggies. The owner also brought me the cup of lentil soup that I think is usually included with the lunch special (it was lunch time, but I ordered off the lunch menu). The lentil soup was okay, but had that sort of dense, chalky flavor that some dal has. Sadly, they were out of vegan carrot cake, so I had a banana and almond butter-based smoothie which was very good, but probably overpriced for the size. The Nepali soup was good, and a generous portion. The eggplant was also a generous portion, but a little too saucy / oily. Given the vegan dessert options, I wanted to like this place more than Mount Everest--both are very vegan friendly, but I think Mount Everest offers faster service and slightly better food.
(3)Brandi W.
I never know the proper etiquette for eating a samosa. Do you just go in for the grab and hoist it to your mouth like an oversized hors d'ouvere, or do you cut it with a fork and knife? Since the restaurant was pretty popular today, I decided to (try to) be dainty and go for the silverware routine. The samosas are HEAVENLY. I am no expert, but these were without a doubt the greatest I've had thus far. The tamarind sauce was a perfect accompaniment. I ordered the Himalayan Yogi Tarkari. On the menu, it's described as being "assorted mixed vegetables cooked in onion and tomato based Himalayan Flavors sauce". I ordered mine medium. I'm half Korean, so I can take some serious heat. The sauce was perfectly spiced, with a great mix of veggies that were still a bit crisp (which I love): bell peppers, cauliflower, potato, green beans, peas, carrots. It was perfect with the Basmati rice and the roti that I ordered. I thought the lentil soup was perfect. Mild, sure... but isn't that the point of a starter? You don't want your taste buds overpowered right from the beginning. Consider this soup the foreplay before a delicious meal. The service was very kind. Both waitresses seemed very earnest and sincere. I can tell that all of the food is made and served with a lot of love. I am also completely enamored with the fact that they clearly mark which veggie items are also vegan (just look for the little green leaf). I would go back just for the samosas, as those were the best part of the meal. Shout-out to Foursquare user Eugene. He saw me checked in and said hello. :)
(5)Sam S.
THis place roools!
(5)Ander C.
This place is highly rated on yelp and although I'll agree that the food is tasty, I'm going to disagree with the fact that its worth 4 stars. It does have a huge parking lot in a place where parking is mostly relegated to expensive street parking. The food is basically Indian food. Given that the regions are so close knit the food you find doesnt vary too much. I think the flavors are strong and the food is tasty but its also forgettable in the sense that you can probably find these foods at another decent Indian restaurant. The food portion size is not very large and it's also pretty pricey. If you go here even for lunch, as i did with my coworkers, prepare to shell out if you want to come away full. I probably wont be frequenting this place that often but its alright if you want to try it out.
(3)Saraninder S.
I was in Berkeley on a business trip found this place on yelp thought let's give a try Food was Average, Service not good my food came in like installments First they brought the curry 5 mins later Naan , then they brought another Naan which I didn't order curry was suppose to come with rice, When I was almost done they gave me rice, Indian Restaurant no salad on Menu ? Only one sweet dish Kheer Place is nice but little disorganized Order should come together, If it's buffet you can neglect a client after asking once , But in Dinner one should pay attention, Hopefully this will help, Happy Valentine's Day !
(3)Yoganshi S.
My husband is a huge fan for Indian food and he was craving paneer tikka masala for a very long time. So we decided to try this place out and it was just AMAZING - EXCELLENT SERVICE . Even though there was just one lady working she was so responsive to eye contact. Very courteous and attentive to our needs - TASTIEST INDIAN FOOD We ordered the vegetable thuppa and it was out of the world. The vegetable momos were just as good. And for the main course OMG we just ordered one paneer tikka masala and with that we got rice, daal for free!! VERY HOSPITABLE: After each item we were just in so much awe with the taste we kept complimenting them. And in return when we were done they offered us kheer which was on the house :) PARKING AVAILABLE there is parking available for their customers so no need to worry about that. LOT OF VEGETARIAN OPTIONS!
(5)Kaethe R.
Wow!!!!!!! One of the best meals I've ever had. We wanted to lick our Plates clean! Everything was authentic, service was excellent.. This place is doing it right. A must try!
(5)Bobby N.
Came because I purchased the amazon local deal of $12 for $22 worth of food. FOOD: My roommate order the lamb tikka, my other roommate ordered the monthly special salmon, and I ordered the coconut curry. We also had the garlic naan and Taj Majal amber beer. Probably the best garlic naan I've tasted because of the soft and doughy texture, and balanced taste. The beer was smooth as eggs (Chappelle reference) or just smooth. My roommate's lamb dish tasted too gamey. HAHA! He ordered the sucky one. He ended up eating off my coconut chicken dish and the salmon dish, which were AMAZINGLY tasty and satisfying. I had a better food experience here than I did at Taste of Himalayas. SERVICE: First, it is so hard not to have a good time especially when the hosts are attractive and have a great sense of humor. They refilled the waters often and took great care of us. I do admit that we were a little noisy but they upheld their humility. Geez, my review makes us sound like a group of rude white and culturally ignorant businessmen. Well, rest assured, we are not. Smiley face. I will definitely be back. They have a soothing decor, large booths for groups, and delicious food. PLUS, they gave us a coupon for $20 off on an order of $50 or was it $75? Either way, I'll be back. Pretty easy to meet either considering our bill was $80 for 3 pppl.
(4)Valeria Y.
Had to spend $100 here because we had a $50 restaurant.com deal. So we bought absurd amounts of food for 2 people. Beet carrot juice: delicious and very fresh! (I also love beets and carrots though) 5 stars Coconut pineapple smoothie: wow. Also delicious and very fresh. 5 stars Vegetable pakora: lots of cumin, green sauce is very zesty. Vegetable fritters. 3.5 stars Lentil soup (freebie with all mains) = pretty decent Padang: Lentil wafers, they were a bit salty and on their own largely unimpressive 2 stars Vegetable momo: pretty good, definitely interesting taste, heavy on the spices (not actually spicy though). Orange sauce also has a very novel flavor. 3.9 stars Himalayan malai kofta: very interesting flavor, we recommend trying it. Yummy coconut sauce. 4.3 stars Salmon tandoor: came in sizzling! Delicious. Squeeze the lime on top for sure. Succulent and soft and just yum! 4.9 stars Shrimp korma: sauce is seriously awesome. The shrimp just tasted like shrimp. Nothing special. 4.6 stars Cherry naan: novel flavor and very yummy! I give it 4.3 stars because it was great but nothing mind blowing. 4.3 stars Mango kulfi: very interesting, a must try! Creamy but icy, novel texture and has some nifty herbs in it. Got 4 more things to go because we were pregnant and couldn't eat any more Service was great!! Very fast and just great people serving us overall. Very accommodating
(4)Brandon H.
Well presented and exotic flavors round out this hidden Berkeley location. The complimentary yellow daal was not too creamy or salty. The Nepal/Bhutan/Kashmir themed dishes were a nice touch to this North Indian centric restaurant. Prices are a tad high ($13 for goat curry) but yelp's $10 voucher is worth it! The goat curry by the way was light, spicey, and bursting with turmeric and cumin. Definitely one of the better Berkeley Indian locales.
(4)Han Teng W.
Came here with my family last December. Pretty good lentil soup which was a surprise as it was a simple side dish. The meats were well cooked and we'll seasoned. My only gripe is that it wasn't as hot as I would like my Indian food to go. Pleasant experience with very friendly service.
(4)Vini E.
Waiting..... Waiting..... Waiting.... No food for over an hour. I don't think I would return here. Update: finally got the food. Pretty good flavor. However... Comma...but... pause for effect.... Meat was slightly tough. Nan bread and soup came AFTER main course. Lentil soup was really bland. Yup... not returning here again. Getting cheeseburger afterwards.
(2)Jessica E.
I recently visited Himalayan Flavors during a quick stay in Berkeley because it was a block away from the hotel. The decor was cute and they have an open kitchen which I really like. I like being able to watch the chefs prepare meals. They give you a complimentary cup of yellow lentil soup which was pretty good. We ordered the vegetable pakoras which I thought were delicious. For the main course I ordered chicken tikka masala with brown rice and garlic naan and I was in heaven. The chicken was tender, the sauce was creamy and mild in spice, and the naan was fluffy, yet crisp, and buttery and garlicky. The portions were generous, so I got to take half of it back to the hotel with me. The service was great as well. I will definitely come back here again next time I'm in Berkeley!
(5)Srujana C.
Biryani was laden with Ghee but it was amazing!! We were a party of 20 and it was a to-go order so they gave us paperplates, spoons and even ladles to serve the biryani. Amazing service!
(5)N S.
I loved the garlic naan from this place. It was one of the best ! The butter mushroom chicken was also very good but not huge in portion compared to other places and overall everything was pretty expensive . I also got the mixed momo , and to me it was nothing special , the lamb one was a little undercooked. The service was wonderful .
(3)Ram A.
Good food, but not much portions. The service was pretty slow, but we weren't in a hurry, so it was OK. The restaurant is ~5 blocks away from the busy Univ / Shattack area. We ordered the Bhutanese curry, which was unique - I have never tasted cheese and curry like this one; it was really good. The Garlic naan was excellent, they even gave a free daal soup.
(4)Stevanne A.
Excellent setting, plenty of parking. Service very good. Excellent menu with many choices for vegetarians also We totally enjoyed excellent lentil dal, veg pakora, onion nan lamb curry and veg dish with tofu and spinach. Sauces are tasty Good value and convenient.
(4)Amy G.
Himalayan Flavors is a fancier Indian food restaurant--you can't miss its bright yellow color driving down University Ave! Upon entering, I oohed and ahh-ed over the dark wood interior of the restaurant and the sleek ethnic décor, including colorful banners hanging around the kitchen and pretty sculptures by the windows. We ordered: Chicken Tikka Masala - Everyone knows this classic Indian dish, a national dish of Great Britain, etc. Rest assured that it's good here. Lamb Korma - This may have been my favorite of the curries, maybe because the dark red color of the sauce made the creaminess all the more surprising and delightful. Shrimp Vindaloo - I like that the seafood dishes here are not more expensive than the curries with more everyday proteins. The bowl came with 5-6 sizable shrimp, and my roommate really liked the tomato-y sauce. Chyau Bhanta (mushroom and eggplant) - I was slightly disappointed because I thought the eggplant would be stewed and deconstructed more to kind of form the base of the curry, but instead it seemed like a bowl of the chunks of roasted veggies that I make in my oven at home. Not bad-tasting by any means, just not special enough to order dining out. You get a choice of basmati rice or brown rice with your entrée, and it costs $1 to bump up to carb selection to plain naan. In addition to our rice we ate: Tandoori roti - Whole wheat bread that is more oily and layered than naan. Phapar Ko Babar (Nepali buckwheat pancake) - I ordered this based on the rave Yelp reviews. The texture was not what I was expecting because it is very moist and chewy with lots of visible pieces of veggies in the dough, but yummy nonetheless! Just don't be expecting a bread-like consistency; the description of "pancake" definitely fits the product. Heats up nicely in the toaster oven as leftovers. Plain naan - Maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I actually liked this the best out of all our bread selections. The naan was nicely chewy, tasted fresh, and not too oily so in my opinion complemented the curries the best. We used a Restaurant.com coupon and my roommate also checked in on Yelp, which discounted our meal another 10%. If you like Indian food, I would take advantage of the deals out there and try Himalayan Flavors for a South Asian dining experience that is more upscale than the average, greasy campus Indian eatery. If you have the time to make it down here for their lunch special, it would probably be very worthwhile.
(4)Jianglong H.
Great service, great food. I got the goat curry with plain nan and my girlfriend got the salmon tandoori. The nan with the curry is great and the goat meat is full of flavor.
(5)Iker Z.
Really good! The coconut naam is out of this world. Great menu, price and ambience. Friendly service. One of the best in Berkeley!
(5)Land-Surveyor K.
I came here based on a quick glance at the four stars and I wish I would have read the reviews more closely. Even with the Yelp voucher, prices are steep for lunch. The service was good if a bit unhurried, considering the place was almost empty. The food was OK. I liked the lentil soup and the tandoori chicken was moist. Overall the meal was flat with a lot of turmeric. It didn't hit all the flavor points on my tongue. There are many local restaurants offering this type of food, and this place does not stand out.
(3)Casey U.
Walking in here knowing nothing more about Nepalese cuisine then what is written on Wikipedia, I was apprehensive to try a new style of food. Armed with a Groupon (which meant that I ordered far too much food for my own good), I ordered two items, the "Momo Sampler" ($9.95) and their Goat Curry ($13.95). The meal began with what a more pretentious man then myself would call an "amuse-bouche" of Lentil Soup. While the soup was thinner then I expected, its vivid yellow color, and flavors of toasted anise, roasted garlic, onion, and tumeric delighted my palate. The trio of Momos were quite tasty as well. While the vegetable variety did not rank among my favorites of the meal, it managed to keep my attention with good textural contrasts which created a meat-like simulacrum. The lamb was good as well, with a distinctive flavor of ginger and garlic which did interacted effectively both with the gamey flavor of the lamb and the tomato-sesame sauce that accompanied them. However, neither of these options compared to the Chicken Momos, flavored with a gentle dusting of cumin, garlic and a hint of soy, with translucent, yet crunchy diced onions providing a fantastic textural counterpoint to toothsome chicken. However, the star of the afternoon was a masterful goat curry. Bone-in, superbly tender (which is rare for a stew, much less one featuring goat), richly flavored, this goat provided the perfect centerpiece to the tomato and yogurt based curry sauce it was slow-cooked in. Even more remarkable was the spicing, which wasn't an over-the-top distraction (as it can be in some variants of Subcontinental cuisine), but rather provided a slow, full burn during the aftertaste that perfectly complimented the gamey flavor of the goat, and brought out subtle nuances in the sauce through contrast that would have otherwise been lost by an overly heavy-handed application of spice. The inclusion of the bone, along with connective tissue and fat made for a rich, deeply satisfying experience. I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that this was one of the best preparations of goat I've had all year. Service was outstanding as well. I was served by the manager, and he kept my water glass compulsively filled (which was a godsend considering it was a hot Berkeley afternoon), and also took the time to talk to me about the cuisine, and the preparation and butchery of the goat in my curry. The decor was fun, with the space painted in bright colors, fanciful wall hangings and elaborately carved chairs transforming what would otherwise be a bland space into a delight on the eyes. Overall: 5 Stars. An fine meal such as this one with great service deserves nothing less. Extras: Accessable via AC Transit 51B, 52 and BART. Credit Cards accepted. An above-average selection of wine and beer is available.
(5)Emily S.
I recently discovered Himalayan Flavors on University Ave in Berkeley. Their service is so gracious and the atmosphere is an oasis of calm in the midst of noisy college restaurants. The Malai kofta is amazing... Extremely fresh ingredients and the unusual addition of beets in the mix make it tasty and pretty as well! You cut into the veggie ball and it makes a gorgeous deep red contrast with the creamy orange color of the sauce. Mmmmmmmm..! Can't wait to go back.
(4)Laura B.
Stopped in here at the behest of a couple friends that live in the area. Spent the last few years living in Fremont, aka the Land of Milk and Honey when it comes to Indian and Pakistani food. Nepalese food is different, but I expected a high level of quality given that it's Berkeley and the impressive decor (linen tablecloths). There's a lot of great places running the masala and biryani game, so the stakes were kinda high going into it. Service was really shaky - I think we had a trainee helping us in the beginning, because we quickly got a new server after we were initially told they didn't serve coffee, despite it being listed on their menu. We got the coffee comp'd in the end, so they are making an honest effort. I think comp'ing it was really above and beyond, actually. It wasn't that big of a deal. I had the Himalayan Salad (~$6), which was cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, and kiwis (!) on mixed greens with a house vinaigrette. Kiwis in a salad was pretty awesome, but other than that it was pretty standard. Nepali Chai Tea ($2) tasted like Windex at first sip, but I acclimated to it and it was alright after awhile. I wouldn't order this Chai again, though. Could be that I ordered the wrong things (likely). My friends ordered okra and chana masala ($11 a pop), and really didn't like either dish. I'd be willing to try this place again in the future, but would tread with caution.
(2)Viviene S.
This place is unbelievable good. Wow! The coconut chicken is off the charts amazing! We will be back!
(5)Liz S.
Delicious again! We like using the Living Social or Groupons and always spend more because of that. Casual but nice atmosphere here too.
(5)Alessandro B.
Our table was unstable and the waitress did not do anything to help. Service was slow, food was underwhelming, small portions and not worth the price. There are better options in Berkeley if you want some Indian food.
(2)Charlene G.
This was the first time I've ever had Indian food and it won't be my last! This place was spot on with the tikka masala and cashew chicken dishes. Very filling and tasty! Service was excellent, they brought the chicken tandoori right to our table searing hot! Naan was excellent to start with the samoas which were a great addition. Atmosphere is elegant and high class. Highly recommended I will be back!
(5)Kirsten P.
My absolute favorite place to get Indian food in Berkeley. The hostess always remembers my boyfriend and I and greets us really nicely when we visit. They've always got some great deals, too. The naan bread is probably the best I've had anywhere.
(5)Priya S.
The husband and I were here last weekend during our 1 day trip to Berekely. We got here at 5 pm (they close from 3-5 I believe) and within 10 minutes they started getting super busy. That's always a good sign! Our server was a really sweet girl who was extremely attentive. They started our meal with a complimentary lentil soup. It was just perfect. Appetizers - mixed plate momos. Consisted of 3 vegetable, 3 chicken and 3 lamb. Neither of us liked the vegetable momos. But we loved the chicken and the lamb. Main course- we just got chicken makhani and it was delicious. There's nothing I would change about it. The garlic naan was fluffy and oh so buttery and garlicky. Seriously, it was the best naan I've ever had and naan CAN make it or break it for you. We skipped dessert because we were too full but I'm sure it would have been great as well
(5)Edgar M.
We love the food here. We come down from Napa pretty often. The food is great and priced pretty well. Try the momo. The only way to huge these places is if you try the lamb dishes.
(5)Heta D.
Vegetarian and vegan friendly without compromising on flavor. I'm a paneer freak, and the Kerau Paneer here hits the spot. Some of the appetizers are as good as Maine course portions, so check with your server - we ended up with a lot in our doggie bag! A nice blend of northern Indian cuisines, and overall well balanced spices, great texture on the breads and free basmati rice and dal with a main course!
(4)Nas M.
Absolutely delicious Indian and Himalayan food. Stumbled into this spot after doing some late night shopping nearby and the food was AMAZING. I got the vegetarian Aloo Tama Bori super spicy and my boyfriend got the Chicken Tikka Masala with Rosemary Naan- everything including the mint chutney were incredible. Highly recommended!
(5)Michael S.
Incredible. Nice family and the portions were huge. I highly recommend.
(5)Zoran L.
Himalayan Flavors has raised the bar... this place just gets better. On our last visit, my wife suggested "rather than sticking with the usual dishes, let's to go with items we've never had" ...OK...why not. Well done honey...you chose wisely! I am not a vegetarian... but would become one if I could eat their Himalayan Malai Kofta every day. If you typically go with a Tikka Masala sauce, then give this dish a try. It may be a new (veggie) favorite. Don't be fooled...just because it's veggie...doesn't mean it's healthy. Hahaha We've had the Vegetable Momo in the past, and we usually go with Lamb, but the Chicken was easily the best of the trio. I love that they add a touch a szechan pepper for heat. The (complimentary) Lentil Soup has a thicker consistency than the usual watered down versions everywhere else. This one is easily the best I've had on the west coast. The Lamb Korma is very different from any I've had before....it has a unique combination of spices (with coconut milk) that has me questioning if this may be the best one I've ever had. Wife disagrees, but she can't think of a better one...HA! The Butter Mushroom Chicken is decent but would have been less disappointed if they called it Buttered Mushroom, because I couldn't find any chicken. Don't get me wrong...it was good...but may have to ask for added chicken next time. The Jasha Maroo (Bhutanese Chicken) was alright. It had good flavor and spices, but didn't really stand out. Other dishes worth exploring. I've said it once...but have to say it louder... THE SPICES CAN BE ON THE MILD SIDE...SO YOU HAVE TO GET THINGS SPICY IF YOU WANT ANY HEAT.
(5)Allison L.
Thing is, Himalayan Flavors has a lot of local competition. And against those competitors, it does not particularly shine. The food was drastically underspiced to the point of being tasteless. The tofu was sour. How did that happen? I'm not sure, but it did. I've been getting progressively more picky, so I think I would have rated this place more highly a year ago. But it's now, and three stars is what it gets.
(3)Martina R.
Seriously delicious
(5)Cece G.
We love the food in this restaurant. Not to mention the friendly staff and chefs ( open kitchen ) Authentic Food cooked to perfection. Being a chef myself, I am very picky with my food , but here at Himalayan Flavors I always leave the place content and satisfied! Definitely a place where you get your money 's worth ! Price is affordable! Once you've tried it, you will keep coming back for more!
(5)P K.
Palak paneer and another dish similar to matar paneer...one with white rice and one with plain naan...both were tasty! So was my mango lassi! Used a $12 for $24 groupon (each dish was about $12), which made it a better deal. Nice decor inside, too.
(4)Andrea B.
First time here, I was really impressed. Started out with the Papad (lentil wafers), they were okay, a bit on the salty side for me. I then ordered Buttered Mushroom Chicken - excellent dish. I really liked how the waiter asked me how spicy I wanted the dish, this was very helpful as I like mine mild and may have not liked it as much if it was too spicy. We also enjoyed the assorted tandoor with chicken, shrimp, and lamb. All the meats were tender, juicy and well flavored. Warning: Garlic Naan, has a ton of chopped fresh garlic, if your out on a date, you might want to go plain ;) Prices are reasonable, service was great, they have their own parking lot, and I would definitely eat here again!
(4)Eric K.
Got a great yelp deal ($20 for $10) and decided to check if out with the miss! There is a lot of free parking in front and we were promptly greeted by a friendly server. Not a lot of people Monday night. Decided to try the three combo momo, lobed the tomato sauce. Also the samosas were bomb. Our main course was lamb semdak? A bit expensive but really tasty. A bit on the salty side, but the brown rice balanced it well. If you are craving Nepalese check it out!
(5)Paul M.
I saw that there was a Yelp deal for $10 off up to $20. So I chose a more expensive plate of salmon and cream sauce with brown rice. I also ordered a coconut drink that was like a sweet lassi. Maybe it was all the cream in the sauce, or perhaps the salmon was undercooked (it looked soft and pink), but I didn't enjoy this meal. I added a star because I'm not sure what it was that was affecting me and the service was good.
(3)Abhijeet M.
Wanted to add half a star there - Please read as 3 1/2 stars! Went there armed with a $20 for $10 Yelp deal. There were 4 of us, we ordered 3 main course dishes - Cashew curry, Salmon, Himalayan Kofta along with extra Garlic naan, Rice. No appetizers or dessert. The bill was about $40 thanks to the Yelp coupon. This definitely is one of the better places in Berkeley to have food from the Indian Subcontinent. Cashew curry was the best. The combo comes with a mild lentil soup which was totally authentic and reminded me of the times I had spent hiking in Himalayan regions bordering India and Nepal. Only 3 soups were part of the combo but they served us 4! Kofta was good too. The service was quick and pleasant. Ambiance, decor, music were excellent. - Deducting 1 star because the portions are quite small, barely enough for one person (But then I'm young, hungry and a glutton.) - Deducting 1/2 star because the Plain Naan is too "flour-y". It's not like anything you would expect in the subcontinent. (But then the subcontinent version is bigger and more greasy. So probably Americans would like this better.) We left 10% tip but for some reasons the server politely returned it. Wondering if it was too less or whether it's their policy of not accepting tips. In and all it was a good experience. Would definitely recommend this place to a friend.
(3)Teresa F.
Got a yelp deal here and my friend had been before and highly recommended the spot. Saw the yelp deal, and it was decided--we were on our way. We went earlier, I forget what time exactly but probably 4 or 5. It was empty in there. Service was friendly and the kitchen was open, so you can see them cooking and prepping. My friends who came before recommended the coconut chicken, but couldn't find it on the menu. But we asked the server if they could still make it, and the kitchen said yes! We also ordered a bunch of momo's--we got like the combo one. They came with pretty cool tasting sauces. It's similar to chinese dumplings, but the skin is slightly thicker and their fillings are quite different. Like we had the vegeterian, chicken and beef, and those within itself tasted very different. Overall, they were pretty good. The coconut chicken was superb! It was a light curry with a hint of coconut; one of the best savory coconut dishes I've had. The chicken was very tender and juicy. We also got another lamb dish--it was pretty good, but not as good as the coconut chicken. I'm not sure if it's not on the menu anymore, but you should definitely request it and hopefully it make its comeback! The decor and vibe was all pretty cool. I liked it, service was nice. Food was good. Be sure to check it out!
(4)tahira a.
I got the chicken tikka masala and lamb vindaloo. My girlfriend and I loved it although I felt it was more on the sweet side and I love my food spicy but their hot chilli sauce fixed that. Also the naan here is super fluffy and delicious.
(4)Stefan C.
This is our go to neighborhood restaurant. The food is consistently good and filling. Great atmosphere too.
(5)Joanna M.
So refreshingly and defiantly unhip, which is just what we wanted on a late Sunday evening after a bone tiring hike in Marin. We came in with big appetites and coated with a couple of layers of dust, unable to think straight and barely able to mumble more than a few words. My boyfriend had heard from someone of Indian descent that Himalayan Flavors was one of their favorite and most authentic restaurants around, so we were eager to try it, though we probably would have eaten our hiking shoes if need be. We began with their mango lassi to have a refreshing treat and get our sugars back to normal, and it was wonderful. Noticed that they have quite a few fresh juices, which is different for a restaurant, but they all sounded really good. Their mixed momos are delicious, with our nod going to the lamb momo as the tastiest of them all. The tandoori is wonderful, as was the complimentary lentil soup. It all felt like being in someone's home (someone who cooks very well), and I felt so comfortable there. The elevated and semi-enclosed area in the back was a nice place to eat and feel like we had our own little nook. I hope places like this stick around. It's not the newest and shiniest place, or a trendy flash in the pan, but it's soul-satisfying, unpretentious, and spot hitting grub cooked and served by some super sweet people. That's a fad that will never be out of fashion.
(4)Notmy R.
Pretty good food. The chicken thukpa had an interesting, unusual, savory taste, which I quite enjoyed. The veggie momos are good and on par with the momos available at Cafe Tibet or Hamro Aangan. I also quite enjoyed the lentil soup (daal) served as a starter. The chana masala was standard and well-done, and the caili mautar was good too (it is basically aloo gobi with peas). The naan was not as good as I've had elsewhere (it was too thick and doughy, not crispy enough). Portions were very large, and if you order it spicy, it is pretty spicy. Overall, good stuff.
(3)Joe N.
We had a terrific experience at this restaurant. The food was wonderful - lamb shamdeh, chyau banta (eggplant + mushroom), and khukhuru saag (chicken + spinach). You will recognize a lot of the dish titles from standard Indian restaurants but the flavors here have a distinct, and fabulous, taste of their own. The naan was perfect. Our waitress offered great tips and provided excellent service, and the food was very reasonably priced. They even brought us a free dessert to sample because they were trying out recipes. It's a new restaurant, and one that you should most definitely try. Can't say enough good things about the great food here!
(5)Aimee P.
The staff was great and the food was better. I had the Chicken Tikka Masala. It was delicious. Parkingw wasn't and issue and all in all, everything we ordered was great!
(5)Mark T.
Katmandu in Albany used to be my Tibetan restaurant. Now it's a toss up betwen Kathmandu and Himalayan Flavors. The food isn't as traditional as Katmandu, but it's very good quality and they give you a lot for the price. The cooks and wait staff are Nepalese. The service is attentive and polite.
(5)Mikey T.
Berkeley/Albany area has a lot of Nepalese/Tibetan restaurants. This is one of the better ones. The setting is nice, the staff are friendly and helpful. Even though the menu doesnt' indicate it, when you order an entree, they give you soup, and either rice or naan bread. Very good price for the amount of food. And the food is flavorful, with quality ingredients. Whenever I feel like having Tibetan/Nepalese food, this will be my top choice
(5)John W.
Food was very spicy, but not flavorful. Aiight. Better places in the area.
(2)J.A. K.
Dropped a star on our return. Chicken mo-mo's still good, but sauce was blander and straight out of the refrig. The lamb chow mein was disappointing. It uses the Chinese mein, thin with a nice toothy chewiness, in a dry stir-fry. Although the slices of lamb were delicious, the noodles taste like they're tossed with a tart sour ketchup. It comes off like an indifferent Pad Thai sans bean sprouts and scrambled egg, with wheat instead of rice noodles. The braised lamb Shamdeh was good, especially with their excellent raita, but nothing unusual and rather pricey for the six small lamb cubes in a sea of gravy. We asked for it spicy, which it wasn't. However, as we were finishing up, the busboy brought a small dish of vegetables, which WAS really spicy. They were pickled raw veggies, and if they'd been all fresh (and more finely chopped) would have spiced up the braised lamb quite nicely. Unfortunately, the large-cut zucchini and green bells were sabotaged by really poor quality starchy large green peas, and cold out of the refrig the dish was simply unpleasant. We enjoy this restaurant. But outside of the mo-mo's and tandoori grill, you're paying extra for dishes that aren't much different than what the competition is offering. Homogenization makes for consistency, but not for exciting or interesting food. HF has the décor and the skill; I wish they were willing to take a few more risks. Why just serve standard Indian curries? Why not try offering at least one Nepalese/Burmese/Tibetan dish that adventurous Bay Area diners could try, like Nepalese chatamari, which resembles to the Italian pizza or the Indian dosa, baked dough with a minced meat topping? Or the famous Nepalese samay baji? Tibetans eat a lot of sausages - have you ever seen any offered? We haven't. There are amazing Burmese dishes that people are raving about from restaurants like Burmese Superstar, which now has four separate Bay Area locations and all of them have lines out the door. Yes, it's risky to try to get Americans to eat exotic dishes. But if it can be done anywhere, it can be done here. I'd like to see this place and its competitors step up the game, rather than dumb it down to the all-you-can-eat-curry lunchtime buffets that have become the pathetic expression of what is one of the world's three great cuisines.
(2)Vincent T.
I feel terrible giving these guys this poor of a review because I absolutely love Taste of the Himalayas. Maybe it was the fact my girlfriend and I were fighting and didn't say a word during the entire dinner, but something wasn't quite right. Just as our conversation was lacking flavor, so was the curry we ate. It just seemed like their chefs weren't quite clicking that night. Just as my gf and I gave each other another chance, I might be willing to give this another try... until then my review stands as is.
(2)Dana W.
The staff is so friendly and very welcoming! The naan is absolutely amazing!! Our portions were big and the food was full of flavor. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for those that like Indian/Himalayan food.
(4)Monique B.
YES! I love this place. Got turned onto through Groupon and we've gone back many times since. The flavors are rich and deep and the ingredients are always fresh and well-paired. Lunch time is the best time for cheaper fare, as it can be a bit pricey. Typically Indian food does not settle with with me, but as long as I steer clear of dairy (which is very easy to do here), my tummy and taste buds sing together in joy.
(5)Jeffrey S.
Nice flavors, friendly service. As flavorful as traditional Indian food, but much lighter. The vegetarian Doma were excellent.
(4)Luke B.
Could not recommend this place more. A great place to take a date. The service was impeccable and our waitress was chatty and interesting. We were also offered a rice pudding on the house, just because they felt like being nice.
(5)Daniel G.
Just ate dinner at Himalayan Flavors and it was great!! Everything was delicious and very reasonably priced. Great for vegetarian / vegan food, too.
(5)Tina C.
Excellent food that is carried over from Taste of the Himalayas. Folks there are super generous and kind and the food is freshly made--- absolutely delicious. I would love to see them do a cookbook of their recipes in the future! Food is affordable and plenty to take home as leftovers.
(5)Susan Y.
So glad we discovered this place. Food is so good! We had lamb curry, eggplant and mushroom dish (DELICIOUS!), rice, steamed chicken dumplings, naan and a buckwheat pancake. Best naan ever, no joke. buckwheat pancake was delicious too. The service is great and staff are super friendly. Can't wait to go back.
(4)Russell W.
Excellent food, courteous friendly staff, pleasant atmosphere - highly recommended. We had vegetarian momos, tarkari, bhutanese dakshi and naan - all vegetarian and all delicious.
(5)I Be E.
i havent been to the taste of himlayas, the mother of himalyan flavors, but we tried himalayan flavors because of the groupon offered. the food tasted good. service, ok. buckwheat pancakes, not bad. what really threw us off is if you order the chutney or raika (yogurt dip) it costs $2.50 per dish. we were a little disappointed because i swear that plate was like a soy sauce dish at a japanese restaurant for sushi. that was $5.00 wasted. the other reason it was only ok because we ordered supposedly two different dishes in eggplant and lamb, but they ended up tasting and looking the same. with two people and a kid, we spent over $40, which usually means a satisfying meal. this one left us yearning for a little bit more...
(2)raja g.
One of fab appetizer succulent momo (potsticker's) always as it is the best with spicy chutney tandoori lamb & tea was awesome i'm little dis-pointed with the noodle taste seems OK quality of noodle n frozen cuts beans make little different Wat i expect in Himalayan flavors I would love to be back their again n service was top notch .
(4)Sarah A.
My husband and I stopped in here early on a Saturday night. By no means am I Himalayan expert but I can tell you that both of us like food with flavor and this place does the trick. We both tried a Himalayan beer that I highly recommend to anyone that is a beer fan, it had very smooth flavorful taste to it, almost with a hint of vanilla. We then ordered the garlic nan, which was fresh and exactly what is says in the title garlicky. It was great. Our main dish was chicken mushroom dish which was very good and a lamb dish. The flavor of the lamb dish was good but the lamb was a bit tough for my liking. Overall the service was great and the food was definitely worth a trip back. Please note I am very picky about the flavors of my food coming from So Cal where you can great flavorful food for a cheap price, and I definitely give this place a thumbs up.
(4)Willie S.
Excellent - great service, good food. Try the buckwheat naan and chicken tikka masala, top-notch. Only ding is the music was a continuous stream of annoying 'wandering' flute sounds. The menu has a wide selection and the server will explain which dishes are authentic Himalayan versus regular Indian. They provide a spicy index on the menu too, which is helpful as the spicy dishes are definitely spicy. Agree with other reviewers that the price is right. Himalayan Flavors is a solid value. Will try more dishes next time, may increase the number of stars.
(4)Cynthia S.
Today I had a delicious lunch at this clean, lovely restaurant! My friend and I had the mixed momos, a chicken and spinach dish, with an okra side dish. everything was very tasty, spicy but not too much, great, friendly service - this was my first time at Himalayan Flavors, however, I will definitely be back - they have free, off street parking - in Berkeley!
(5)Ben K.
The absolute best restaurant i've been too in the east bay in the 3 months since I moved here. Every single part of the meal tonight was fantastic. Had the veggie wonton type appetizers, a smoothie, vegan spinach and tofu, hot Nepali tea, eggplant, and garlic naan. Not one part of the meal wasn't amazing. Everything was so fresh, especially the spinach and tofu. Menu is laid out perfectly for vegetarians/vegans with everything being clearly marked. Atmosphere inside is much nicer than i expected as well. I will be going back a lot.
(5)Jenny C.
Dined here today for the first time. Had the lamb korma with basmati rice and garlic nan. Delicious. Meal came with yummy lentil soup. Highly recommended for an array of cuisine from India, Tibet, Bhutan, etc.
(5)Pranab N.
We had a chicken mo:mo and the "chyoila" which was the taste of my country... The service was fabulous there was no complains at all. The spiciness of the food could have been little bit better but never the less the originality of the food topped it....I would recommend you to at least go there once and try the taste of Nepal....
(5)Julia W.
This place is awesome! Great momos, great tikka masala and fast delivery. I'm glad I found this place.
(5)Elizabeth N.
I love Himalayan Flavors because it offers delicious food, attentive service and tasteful atmosphere. I've brought several groups of friends to this restaurant, and everyone has always enjoyed it. The Chili Chicken has a wonderfully crispy texture and a tangy but not overpowering flavor. I also like the Buttered Mushroom Chicken, which is like a thick, flavorful stew. I love the Palak Paneer, creamy spinach loaded with cubes of cheese. In addition, the Mango Lassis are to die for, as well as the dessert Gulab Jamun, deep-fried cheeseballs dunked in honey (they taste like donut holes soaked in syrup).
(5)Roots R.
I won't go back. The momo (dumplings) with lamb were tasty. The veggie ones were ok, too. And those portions were generous. The lentil soup was flavorless. Worst of all was the expensive goat "Sh...something", (I cannot look up the name on their website because the Monthly Specials online are NOT the same as the ones in the restaurant -- and I had wanted to order from what they showed on their website!). Anyway, the goat dish was inedible. I've had goat enough to know what it should be like. This was not chewable (though they say it is tender) and had no flavor. Completely overcooked, which may be why it also took forever to serve. (The parties on both sides of us ordered after we did and left before we were served this dish.) It was supposed to come with vegetables (we got one tablespoon, maybe, mostly onion), and either rice or naan. We ordered the naan. Rice came, then naan came, and we were charged $3.50 for the naan. I mentioned the problem to the server, who said she would fix it, even though I told her not to bother. The bill came back HIGHER. Why go here when Berkeley has such great restaurants?
(2)Ozben F.
Whenever I go to Himalayan Flavors I discover another super delicious food. They make this delicious lentil soup , tastes just like my mom's. The service is excellent, everybody who works there are very nice and polite.
(5)Austin P.
I can't say enough good stuff about Himalayan Flavors. The staff are friendly, the menu has a great mix of dishes you can't get elsewhere. They have an excellent set of vegan choices and the chef said he is working to create more vegan-friendly options. The tea menu is first-rate, as are the fresh juices.
(5)Kirin C.
Went for the lunch and ordered the Assorted Tandoori. I was impressed with the quality of the chicken and shrimp. The soup was great. The food takes a while. The waiter came and stated the food was freshly prepared so it takes a while. Service was attentive. Very nice.
(5)Sudeep D.
I would have given them 10 stars if I could. We recently had our wedding reception at this place. Dhruba and his team made it really special, they treated us like family, and left no stone unturned to make the reception a perfect one. And the food was beyond just good - some of our guests told us that the simple lentil soup was the best they have ever tasted. The goat curry was simply excellent , and the home made gulab jamuns were delish! Every other detail was executed with perfection, and they provided us with everything we wanted, down to the last minute request for champagne glasses. They went out of their way to make it a success in every way, and we will always remember them and will keep coming back to this wonderful restaurant for years to come.
(5)Leslie F.
We tried this last night and we very happy. The food was wonderful, tasty and diverse. They have Tibetan, Nepalese, bhutanese, and more. It was all very well spiced and delicious. The family that owns this place is warm and friendly and service is good. The cuisine is somewhat different from their other restaurant, Taste of the Himalayas and the atmosphere.
(5)Wei L.
excellent service.. great atmosphere and live performance.. definitely will come again... price is very reasonable
(4)Nixie P.
(First, to address other reviews. Yes, the prices LOOK higher but they are actually much more reasonable - since you get free soup and choice of rice or naan. Think about it like that. ;-) ) Lately I've been experimenting with the whole "table for one" theory and armed with a Groupon, decided to give Himalayan Flavors a try. I called up to be sure they had Wifi, because eating alone is best enjoyed with lolcats. Starving, I rolled up and parked in their massive parking lot, which being a SF city girl was a super easy, and welcome change. The man who answered the phone for me instantly recognized that I was the "table for one" girl on the phone. Set me up in close proximity of a power outlet, and even let me rotate my table for prime hipster-machining. (Macbook) Don't worry couples, if you're looking for a hand-holding-while-loving-gazing-into-eachothers-Âeye's kinda place, this is it. There's also bar space for loners and in general all of it makes you feel like a classy mofo. See attached photo: bit.ly/himal-room Enough fluff, time for the food. I ordered the mixed momos and methi lamb. Chai (if you call it "chai tea," you're doing it wrong) and a jhumka paratha -- whole wheat layered bread to make me feel like it was a light meal. ;-) Bread was the best I've ever had, and all the food was fresh, prepared in a way that made me feel like I was a member of the family. The only minor issues was some texture issues with the ground meat in the momo and even though I nearly shook my waiter with enthusiasm and exclaimed: "As spicy as humanly possible, please!" Everything still came out mild. Hardly worth a star deduction. Customer service was prompt, super friendly, and it's weird to say but I had a lot of fun eating alone. Say hi to Utsav when you see him, he's the best!
(4)Jeff J.
So I came here to this restaurant on Monday December 8th with my girl and I decided to take a look at the menu in order before I use the restroom that was a very bad idea after ordering our food mushroom cream chicken chicken tikka masala garlic naan rice and some kind of onion pancake was our order I took a drink out of my class then went to the restroom when I walked into the restroom I noticed it was very aged there has been no upgrades done for a long time the grout in between the tile was black and on top of the toilet and around the toilet was all kinds of yellow stains there was no sign saying employees must wash hands overall it just made me not want to eat at that restaurant it is not hard to clean the bathroom but I sucked it up and I tried to eat the food I ignored a yelp review I read saying that the rice is very dry and ordered it anyways that person was very correct the meat inside of the sauces were very dry there was no moisture inside of them like they could have been reheated meet the garlic naan was okay but I asked for it crispy and it did not come that way secondly there was no straws in the entire restaurant so I was forced to put my lips up against the glass not knowing if they actually use hot water in the dishwasher there was a rather annoying lady dressed in what seemed to be like Middle Eastern attire I like the way she was to the only issue was she was at the bar behind the bar coming over here in the mirror around all of the bar glasses and where employees could possibly have their food contaminated then she took all of the money out of the register and left so when it came down to pay my bill the only thing I had was a hundred dollar bill nobody in the restaurant had change needless to say it took quite a few minutes to find a way to give me my change if you respect cleanliness please do not go to this restaurant it's been my pleasure to give you my review thank you for reading your readers!!!:)-
(1)Tuwie N.
Bonus points for having their own private parking lot! A rarity in Berkeley! Tip: you can go to restaurant.com and get a $10 for $25 coupon to spend here! Great deal. The food here was great. We wanted to try specifically Himalayan food to indulge in something new, since we already have had Indian food many times. Our server was able to suggest us some unique dishes, all of which we really liked! The spices and flavorings are similar to Indian cuisine, for sure. There were some Himalayan dumplings that were interesting, but my favorite was a Himalayan pancake type bread (order instead of Naan). Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, flavorful enough to be eaten on its own, but does a great job paired with any entree! Entrees are on the spicier side, so be warned! Not sure what their mango lassi was made of, but it was more orange than yellow, ahaha.
(4)kathleen m.
Delicious meal, super service! We enjoyed an early dinner here, and had the chicken tikka masala and the chicken korma...both were excellent, as well as the fluffy naan. Service was perfect. We'll be returning again!
(4)Heather W.
Based upon Yelp reviews, we placed an on-line order to pick-up this evening. Chicken Korma -- ordered mild, believing that it would have some of it's own spice going on, disappoinated at how bland it was, but that's my fault. Sauce was okay, the chicken was generous, but had been cooked separately from the sauce and had no marriage of flavors with the sauce. Lamb Thukpa -- overlooked that this is actually soup. We thought it was a main dish. It was okay, but definitely not what we were looking forward to. Chicken MoMo -- tough dough, too hard to eat as the filling simply fell away from the wrapping. Accompanying sauce very salty. Garlic naan -- after reading the reviews, I thought these would be really good. Unfortunately, they were burnt black and tasted extremely burnt. Not so good. EDITED: HOLD UP. It occurs to me that someone cooked the naan, burnt the crap out of it, couldn't help but notice that -- and STILL decided to put in our order! OUTRAGEOUS at any price, but even worse when it is inedible! Not exactly the kind of people whose food I want to eat. Not by a long shot. They forgot to add the rice to the order, so I had to drive back to the restaurant to get rice. This prompted discussion between the chef and the young female employee helping me and a discussion with me about whether I really had ordered rice. In the end, I got the rice. Good thing I didn't see the burnt naan before I went back, or would have come back with me. As you might surmise from this review, I am unimpressed and probably won't be going back.
(2)Stephanie B.
The creamy salmon special might be the best Indian food dish I've ever tasted! Friendly service, GREAT nann. The only negative was they can't cook asparagus to save their lives. Also, they even have a parking lot with spots reserved for the restaurant.
(5)Jack C.
A great spot right in the middle of Berkley. Not to crowded and the food doesn't take long, but the quality and flavor are great. Try the garlic naan, best I've ever had.
(4)Mark H.
The free parking is brilliant. The interior is nice and Indian restauranty and the service is nice. The rating falls flat because three of us ordered a chicken curry (korma, tikka masala and a local spinach thing) and I won the single piece of white meat prize. Take note, if you have chicken chances are, it will not be a piece of breast meat. Korma not coconutty enough, tikka was nice, as was the local spinach thing, brown rice is a bit over cooked so should have gone with the basmati - why I was trying to be healthy with a curry and nann bread, I don't know, I blame Berkeley rubbing off a little. Hope for better next time.
(2)Mr. R.
We ordererd food at Himalayan Flavors on Saturday evening at 6:40pm. We received it at 8:15p, more then 1.5 hours later. In between I got so hungry, I had to start eating stuff we luckily had at home. When they finally delivered it, they also brought us the wrong desert. Otherwise, the food was good. That's the reason for 2 stars instead of one.
(2)Annie S.
Went to this place via Groupon. Wasn't amazed, but it's a pretty standard Nepalese food place. The lentil soup was a nice treat, but it wasn't pureed to a very smooth consistency, so I felt like the little bits of lentil made me want to constantly cough and needed water to wash it down. Boo. The highlight of the meal for us was the special naan of the day. It was made with cherries and nuts in it. The sweetness of the naan went REALLY WELL with the saltiness of the tikka masala and other curries that we got. The paneer curry flavor was really light, a bit too light, so a lot of us mixed it up with the chicken tikka masala to give it some more oomph.
(3)Adriana F.
Overpriced mediocre food. The lamb korma was tough and chewy. Service was okay. Super smoky dining area.
(1)Kevin D.
I love the Lamb Samdeh--the Tibetan stew. The lentil soup is super good. This is not the most important thing about Himalayan Flavors, but it's almost like a surprise bonus, since I've definitely got weird gross salty pre-dinner lentil soup before at other restaurants. The staff was young but competent, which is awesome since sometimes restaurants hire children--it's good to hire young people, but sometimes young people are just too young and they are literally not good at anything yet (especially their jobs). Yay, Himalayan Flavors!
(4)Andy C.
My first experience of Himalayan food at Taste of the Himalayas in Sausalito was surprisingly pleasant that I've been in the look out for more Himalayan places. So this is the second time I have tried Himalayan food. In comparison, the Lamb Tarkari I had was heavier than Taste of the Himalayas -- heavier on spices and less sweet and buttery taste -- but you can tell they are based on similar Himalayan spices. They were very different but are good in their own ways. I ordered medium spicy and it had decent kick to it. So I chowed down a bunch of superbly, delicious rosemary naans. Did I say superbly, delicious? Yes I did. For whatever reason, the Himalayan naan are so much better to me. Also, I was glad they offered brown rice because I am not a white rice person. The service was good and very friendly. My friends and I definitely enjoyed the lunch here.
(4)Ziyan C.
OVERALL PROS: - Nice atmosphere, feels warm and homey. - Very friendly service. We got a free dessert and were treated well throughout dinner. - Good variety on the menu. I couldn't choose for the life of me there were so many things that sounded good, including the juices & smoothies. - I came with an SFGate deal that made the dinner pretty affordable. The lentil soup that came with our meal and the free dessert didn't hurt either. OVERALL CONS: - The food itself, unfortunately, just didn't live up. The Assorted Tandoor came closest to impressing me, but everything just didn't taste as good as it sounded on the menu. - Be aware that they only have one juice per day! We were excited to order the "Pomegrateful" only to find out the juice of the day was "Fear Not" and that was all they were serving. It wasn't bad, but it would've been nice to have our first choice. THE FOOD: * Lentil Soup - This was a pretty lackluster dish. I could clearly see a layer of oil on top of the soup, and it was pretty watery and not as full of flavor as some other lentil soups I've had. * #5 Mixed Momo (Sampler of 3 pieces of steamed dumpling with chicken (ground chicken, chopped onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro, soy sauce, soy sauce, olive oil, herbs and spices), lamb (minced lamb, onion, garlic, ginger and cilantro) and veg (cabbage, spinach, mushroom, cashew nuts, onion, cilantro, olive oil, herbs and spices). Served with tomato chutney) - I was excited to try this new thing called momos that I've never tried before, but found them to be basically dumplings with slightly different fillings and dipping sauce. They were very loosely wrapped and had come partially open when they arrived at our table, and they just didnt' taste fresh. The fillings seemed too soft and undercooked, and we couldn't even tell which momo had which filling. * #23 Bhutanese Datshi (Bhutanese assorted vegetables sauteed with ginger and garlic, cooked w/ yogurt and goat cheese) - I LOVE goat cheese so couldn't resist ordering this. However, it was not very flavorful and you couldn't taste the goat cheese at all. It was just really plain, and the vegetables were way too assorted and random - there would be a couple giant chunks of each vegetable and they didn't compliment each other well as a dish. * #25 Lamb Samdeh (Tibetan stew of lamb cooked with onions, tomato and pepper, anise seeds, cumin, coriander and tumeric along with a touch of soy and cilantro) - The flavor of the stew was really good and it had a really nice thick texture. But the lamb was overcooked and took too much work to chew through! * #42 Assorted Tandoor (mixed platter of tandoori chicken, lamb kabab, shrimp tandoor, and chicken tikka marinated according to ancient tradition and grilled in Tandoor oven) - The lamb was a tiny bit overcooked but still had a good hearty texture. The shrimp was good (though there were just a few pieces) and the chicken fairly tender. A good sampler dish with a variety of protein. * #75 Kheer (rice pudding) - This was pretty different from any other kheer I've had. It's much less watery with a higher ratio of rice to pudding, making it more chewy and with more substance. It was topped with several spices that added to the flavor. * Fear Not (Juice bar menu: kale/chard, celery, apple, parsley, ginger, lime) - Very healthy tasting, fairly light and refreshing. I enjoyed this but my friends thought it tasted "too" healthy.
(3)Dmitriy S.
Let me start out by saying how downright awesome my visit to Himalayan Flavors was tonight. I think it's been a while since I've seen such festive free entertainment and such a warm atmosphere at a restaurant. Since this restaurant only opened a few days ago, my parents and I decided to come visit during their trip up to Berkeley. After seeing a familiar face, we started chatting it up with the owner and realized this is a branch of Taste of the Himalayas down on Shattuck. Considering how much we love that restaurant, we knew that this had to be just as good, if not even better. Himalayan Flavors is meant to offer a cheaper, but wider selection. Best of both worlds! FOOD: - Choila Lamb: Marinated pieces of grilled lamb mixed with vegetables and served over crispy rice. This dish was perfectly grilled and marinated with lots of flavor. The vegetables made it quite interesting, and the crispy rice was a perfect touch. - Chicken Momo: Steamed dumplings with ground chicken and other spices. This was just as good as at Taste of the Himalayas, but I would've liked it better with lamb. The dough is a lot thinner here and somehow doesn't have the same texture as it does at the other restaurant. Excellent dish, but would've preferred lamb. - Bhapar ko Babar: Buckwheat flour bread stuffed with herbs and spices. This was quite an interesting choice on the menu, but I glad I tried it. It's a perfect mix of sweet and savory, and had that great buckwheat flavor. - Assorted Tandoor: Tandoor Chicken, Boti Kabab (Lamb), Shrimp Tandoor, and Chicken Tikka all grilled over vegetables. This dish came out on a sizzling platter, which made the presentation that much better. All of the meats were wonderfully prepared and it came with a bowl of rice as well. Lam Korma: Pieces of lamb served in a coconut yogurt sauce. This one was kind of a disappointment. The meat itself tasted amazing, but I had to hunt it down in the bowl for a while before I found a piece. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but I expected a lot more meat for a bowl of that size. The sauce was good, but a bit bland. It came with a bowl of rice, which was perfect for finishing up the sauce. Because it was grand opening weekend, there were tons of Nepalese people there, which I absolutely loved. The #1 singer in Nepal even flew out for the festivities and did a wonderful performance. So wonderful that my parents decided to go and dance right in front of him. Imagine a white couple in their 50s dancing among ~40 Nepalese people. A rare sight to see. Overall, I hope Himalayan Flavors flourishes amongst the wide selection of Berkeley restaurants.They definitely deserve it. Great service, great food, great atmosphere.
(4)Lisa F.
Really tasty! Nice atmosphere too. I really like that they start you with yellow lentil soup. It's is wonderful. I had one of the specials which is called malai kofta. Completely ridiculously awesome! They are vegetable balls consisting of nuts, seeds, lots of spices, carrots and whatnot, all ground together to make a spectacular taste treat! Wow. I could be a vegan. The other dishes we ordered were also delicious. The naan was some of the best I've ever had. The only two criticisms I have ar that one of the pieces of tandoori chicken was still pink inside and that the tip was added to the bill (and I didn't notice- my bad) so I overtipped by quite a bit. Oh well. I will be going back, for sure!
(4)Isabella L.
Got the Yelp deal so came here around 5:30pm for dinner. There was only one other table there at that time. We (2 ppl) ordered the potato samosas, chicken tikka masala, and also a lamb dish with a type of gravy with rice and naan on the side. The food here was yummy and satisfying with a pretty big portion compared to other Indian/Himalayan/Nepalese restaurants. The lamb was super tender and there was lots of it in that dish. The only thing I didnt like that much was the samosas. The spices in it were a little too strong and the potato with the pastry was a little too dense. This stacks up to Tastes of Himalayas and Mount Everest though :)
(4)Nora S.
First time ever eating Himalayan, Tibetan, Bhutanese, Nepalese food so maybe I shouldn't rate it a 5 star as I have nothing to compare it to. However, I did really enjoy the food, the restaurant, the service and the prices were great. This restaurant has it all. If you are a fool and decide to go with the more traditional Indian offerings, I'm sure the Indian food is good too. But why do that when you can try something totally different? We went with a Bhutanese goat cheese curry vegetable dish. Amazing flavors with this one, the best of the bunch. Vegetable Thukpa (saucy noodles). This dish is bland compared with some of the others, but again is very unique. We were expecting a more Chinese-like dish according to the description, but it wasn't like any Chinese noodle I have ever had. I think it may be better with meat. Still, I would recommend. Momo (steamed dumplings)-we ordered the assortment. These were delicious with the vegetarian ones edging lamb out just a bit. They were deliciously spiced. Not sure if they used ground nuts with these, but they had a slightly crunchy texture. The second favorite of all the dishes was a savory, buckwheat pancake, which came with a raita-like yogurt sauce. Totally delicious. Finally, the waiter was so incredibly nice, plus they gave us a free lenti-soup starter (also very good) and free mini mango lassis for the kids.
(5)Jay M.
This is a great place to take your parents when they're in town. My parents are open to other cuisines, but sometimes it's good to just eat food closer to home. So this place more or less qualifies as Indian, just slightly different. The food is great. The prices are a bit steeper than other Indian places, but you are paying for service,quality, and atmosphere. They serve you 'lentil soup' at the beginning of your meal, which makes you feel full earlier than normal (great business decision). But it's delicious, so I don't really mind, more food to take home later! Overall a great place.
(5)Ryan S.
Great food, lots of options. Good choice of beers and excellent service.
(5)Yoko S.
We had lamb noodle dish and okra dish, both were yummy. Too bad we couldn't order momo, definitely next time! Loved momo since I got them in Kathmandu. Didn't realize the noodle dish was a soup noodle, nice surprise, just what I needed. So we ordered Momo this time and this place is a bomb! Ordered that noodle dish again, so usual and so good! The service was a bit off (forgot about Groupon discount, giving a change in a lrage bill where there is no way to give them a tip, etc), but better than the last time.
(5)Mary M.
Delish food. We tried because there was a YELP deal. Service was OK.
(3)Yen D.
HOLY CRAP THE CHILI PARATHA IS SPICY. In a great way. But after the meal I looked in the mirror and realized that this is what I would look like if I wore makeup, specifically pink lipstick and pink blush. I asked for medium spicy and got CHILIS IN MY FACE. Helps that I'm Asian. Pro tip: go with an asian person if you want it spicy. My white friend was pretty surprised. Other tip: VEGAN FRIENDLY. Tons and tons of options for us. Lentil soup is great and nourishing (body and soul, thick, hot, and mildly spiced nourishing), we also liked the brown rice option. We had the special pumpkin kofta, which were big dumplings filled with deliciousness, and a tasty eggplant-mushroom dish called Chyau Bhanta. Both were fantastic, and I loved using the paratha to mop up the onion-tomato sauce in the eggplant dish and the pumpkin sauce of the kofta. Oh if you don't know what paratha is: a freshly made thick naan-like bread, crispy on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle. The chili one has big green chili chunks mixed in with the batter, so maybe you have 3-4 chili chunks per square inch of paratha. It's delicious but HOT HOT HOT. Just yum all around. When I started writing I had 4 stars in, but after writing this down I'd say 5.
(5)Toro C.
My first Himalayan experience. Many of the dishes reminded me of greasy Chinese food. Thank God we came in with a Groupon because I would never pay full price for this place. However, I did enjoy eating the momos, but the portions were too small :(.
(3)v f.
would not go back for main courses. i ordered everything "to go". when i got home & saw the salad, it was mostly wilted with bad leaves. ew. do they not have lighting in the kitchen? chai was fair, curry okay. i did love the coconut naan tho'. the atmosphere inside is nice, staff was very accomodating, yet it was hard to breath from all the smoke coming from the candles & incense i waited outside and they kindly brought the food out to me.
(2)Vika N.
it was my first time tasting Himalayan food and I must say it was a pleasant shock to my tastebuds! their garlic bread is amazing - it's crunchy and looks like super thin pizza slices. The service was great! Coming back :)
(5)Anna B.
I was skeptical coming here free seeing multiple reviews about the complimentary but "bland" lentil soup, but I'm glad I tried it for myself! The service was outstanding, the food wonderful, an the lentil soup was SMACKIN!! If I'm ever feeling adventurous again, ill definitely stop by for some delicious chicken tika masala!
(5)Lisa V.
Great!
(4)Elaine L.
I knew nothing about Himalayan food before coming here. My boyfriend's family chose the place to celebrate his graduation and his sister ended up ordering everything for us. When all the dishes came out, my boyfriend shoots me a look O___O "are you okay eating this?" The food looked like Indian curries and I generally dislike Indian food. But I put on a brave face and dove right in. And I was quite pleased. Since I didnt order, I dont know what the dishes were called. The meal started with lentil soup which was really flavorful and free (always good). Then out came naan (which was cooked perfectly and still warm) and the rest of our dishes. Although they looked like Indian curries, they had a more meaty, stew-y taste which was great. We had chicken, lamb, and goat (I know... O__O). But they were all good and the lamb and goat didnt taste too gamy but it may be because the sauces masked it. Regardless everything was so yummy! We also ordered a sizzling chicken dish but I recommend the stew dishes. The waitress was really great about suggesting dishes and the number of orders to accommodate our party of 7. She also overheard that it was my boyfriend's graduation so she brought over some ice cream for the table on the house. The ice cream.... was another story. I dont like savory and spicy flavors in my ice cream so it was a no go for me. The texture was almost chalky for the orange colored scoop. Strange but appreciated since it was free. Great service, new experience, and free dishes.
(4)C S B.
Good food. Ordered Goat mutton curry[ nepalese] which was very good , however had more of mutton pieces but less gravy. Chicken tikka masala could have been a little better. Garlic naan and tawa roti were excellent. Overall good food experience.
(4)Margit C.
We were seated at a table by the window. It was small and very unstable. The waiter tried to remedy this by sticking a napkin underneath it. They surely must know the tables are unstable and find a permanent solution. The lamb momos were good as was the complimentary dahl soup, but the goat curry was terribly disappointing. We shared and my husband offered me the first piece. It was tender, but the rest of the goat meat in the dish was nothing but bones and gristle. I'd probably try it one more time but our first visit was a disappointment. It is rather inelegant to have the waiter stick a napkin under the table.
(2)John S.
The food is really good. I want to come back and try different things, but it's far enough down University that I can't really walk it for a normal lunch break. Then there's the Berkeley-places-to-die-for dilemma that keeps coming up: I spend five days a week in Berkeley, so why would I voluntarily come back on Saturday or Sunday (except to do pub trivia at the Albatross with a visiting-from-Philly Erin O., but that goes without saying)? It's a conundrum, really. I didn't have what Traci J. had, but she let me try what she had. I tried everyone's food, actually, but it didn't quite feel family style. And I only like family style with family, or at least people whose food preferences I'm very familiar and all right with. So next time, I'm going to order for myself and jealously guard my food like the prized possession that it is at Himalayan Flavors. I love that the menu is regional. It's not a Northern Indian or Nepalese restaurant trying to be cute; it features cuisine from all over the Himalayan region, and they list the countries where particular dishes come from. The service is good, and unlike many places, they take you at your word for how spicy you want things, even if the four people at your table have vastly different spice preferences. Really good food, nice selection, attentive service. The bathroom wasn't the cleanest, and the interior of the restaurant could feel more inviting, but I also came during the day, and I'm sure it could be a cozy little place, especially on a dark and rainy winter night--or maybe I'm just looking out the window as I write this review.
(4)Madeline S.
Very good and great prices. Friendly service. I liked the butter mushroom chicken and it was very tender chicken and flavorful. I liked the naan very much too. Buttery and fresh. The mango chicken was also good, as was the raita. The free soup was nice. Also, the entrees included rice (though a little small on the portion size). Very good.
(5)Lisa R.
I went to Himalayan Flavors for the first time in January based on the Yelp reviews. We picked this restaurant because of the reviews but also because my friend is vegetarian. I was there on a Monday night and there were only a few other groups in a huge restaurant. The water was very nice and polite with a good balance of being there and not. We asked about the food selections and got some good recommendations, we liked every dish. Specifically I remember getting something vegetarian with spinach and something else with lamb, I think a momo. The third dish also had meat but I can't remember what was in it. In case a great tea selection is something you look for in a restaurant they also had a nice selection of teas. My friend ordered tea and they brought it out in what I think was a french press or other clear container so you could see it. There was a whole page for tea and other drinks on the menu. At the end of the night when the waiter saw me taking pictures of my friend (visiting from PA) he offered to take a photo of all of us too!
(5)Kayla B.
My family and I really enjoyed dining here. Everything we ordered was delicious, the wait staff was very friendly and service-oriented. The food is flavorful, authentic-tasting, and high quality. I look forward to coming back and trying more of their dishes. Will definitely be returning and recommending.
(5)Tina A.
Awesome unique food. apparently himalayan is a like fusion fo indian, chinese, thai , yum yum yum Mixed Momo (3 of each: veggie, lamb, chicken) - all very yummy with a unique spices in them. the lamb was more of a spicy-gamey, which is certainly better than a peepee-gamey taste - definitly recommend for first timers Lamb stew - BEST LAMB I HAVE EVER HAD, usually i am not fond of lamb at all, but all my friends are. this lamb was so flavorful and the gameyness was stewed away, and the meat was tender and smooth. The stew is such a savory party in your mouth and it went amazing with the ... Herb naan - a garlic naan with an extra kick! buttery, soft , perfect Yogurt veggie dish - note memorable, do not get Slow service but good food! I would come here again for the unique experience!
(4)Zzaazz A.
Awesome Indian food. The pumpkin kofta was delicious :)
(4)Desiree O.
They have pompadom! Great with the free lentil soup that was so delicious! I had tiki masala, and all I can is it beat my most favorite tiki masala in this area! Must go!
(5)S D.
People were nice, but slightly slow service (not a big bother though). Food was OK, though I've had similar items elsewhere that were better.
(3)Kristen B.
We got a HomeRun voucher so decided to check it out. It doesn't look like anything from the outside, so we were impressed with the semi-formal atmosphere inside. We were seated and attended to very quickly, and the waiter was able to recommend a good vegetarian dish. We had: - Mango lassi - delicious, tasted fresh, not too cold - Dahl (free) - very tasty and hot soup - Chicken tikka masala - I always like this dish, and this one did not disappoint. However my companion did order it medium and it was not spicy at all. - Mushroom and eggplant in onion and tomato sauce - recommended by the waiter, I very much enjoyed it - Side of basmati and side of brown rice. I LOVE that they serve brown rice as freely as they serve basmati - Onion na'an, garlic na'an - the other reviewers are right--their na'an is delicious! Hot out of the oven, fluffy and flavorful Staff was attentive throughout the night, keeping those water glasses full. However, there was a bit of confusion with the waitstaff: - we asked for 1 brown and 1 basmati rice, and they brought basmati for both of us. This was corrected easily but I don't think they realized it was their mistake. - Our garlic na'an came out with the rest of the meal, but the onion na'an took forever. We went back and forth about 3 times over it, them apologizing and saying it was coming. They gave us some more garlic na'an on the house and finally got us the onion at the end of the meal. It was good and, since we have leftovers anyway, we were happy to take it home. I'm giving this place 5 stars because I do recommend it, despite the small confusion, and I will definitely be back. I've tried a few Indian places in Berkeley and this is definitely my favorite so far. Great food, good service, and nice ambiance.
(5)agharta t.
Momo n chicken biryani was superb!!!! Will b back again..
(5)