Kathmandu Entertainment

  1. Casino Anna

    Casino Anna at the Hotel de l'Annapurna, attracts a mainly Indian crowd. Kathmandu's casino's are all attached to upmarket hotels and open 24 hours. You can play in either Indian rupees or US dollars, and winnings (in the same currency) can be taken out of the country when you leave. The main games offered are roulette and blackjack, and the main clients are Indians. Nepalis are officially forbidden from entering.

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  2. Casino Royale

    Make a beeline for the Casino Royale, set in a former Rana palace at the Yak & Yeti Hotel. Hang around the tables long enough and staff will ply you with free drinks and a dinner buffet (with Russian dancing girls!). You can play in either Indian rupees or US dollars, and winnings (in the same currency) can be taken out of the country when you leave. The main games offered are roulette and blackjack, and the main clients are Indians. Nepalis are officially forbidden from entering

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  3. Full Moon

    A tiny chill-out bar and den of iniquity, with a mixed Nepali-foreign clientele.

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  4. Himalayan Java

    Above the Bakery Café, on the eastern edge of Thamel, this modern and buzzing coffeehouse serves good teas, blended and iced coffees and snacks. There's a sunny balcony, lots of mellow sofas, a nonsmoking section, and big-screen TV for the football, but from certain angles it feels a bit like a hotel foyer. It's popular with cool middle-class Nepalis.

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  5. J-Bar

    At the back of Himalayan Java, the J-Bar kicks in around when the Thamel bars shut and keeps going to on Fridays and Saturdays. It's more like New York than Nepal, with cream leather interiors and pricey drinks, but it's a place to meet Nepal's beautiful set. After access is via the side alley.

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  7. Just Juice 'n' Shakes

    Little more than a hole in the wall, hidden down a side alley, with just four cramped seats, but the juices, espresso and fruit/yogurt smoothies are just great. Try a carrot juice with lemon and ginger.

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  8. Latin Quarter

    This place has hot and sweaty salsa dance nights on Friday and Wednesday and you can even arrange salsa dance tuition here. It's owned by a famous Nepali singer/actor and is in the Babar Mahal Revisited complex.

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  9. Maya Cocktail Bar

    Maya Cocktail Bar is a long-running favourite that remains popular. The two-for-one cocktails between and (with free popcorn) are a guaranteed jump-start to a good evening.

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  10. Pub Maya

    This place is associated to the Maya Cocktail Bar, but it's noisier.

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  11. Rum Doodle Restaurant & Bar

    Named after the world's highest mountain, the 40,000½ft Mt Rum Doodle, this famous bar is still milking a dusty (1983!) Time magazine accolade as 'one of the world's best bars'. It's long been a favourite meeting place for mountaineering expeditions - Edmund Hillary, Reinhold Messner, Ang Rita Sherpa and Rob Hall have left their mark on the walls - and trekking groups have added hundreds of giant yeti trek report footprints. The restaurant serves up steaks, pasta and pizza and there's often live music.

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  13. Tom & Jerry Pub

    Close to Nargila Restaurant, this is a long-running, rowdy upstairs place with pool tables and a dance floor. Thursday is ladies' night.

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  14. Via Via Café

    This café has a small but sociable bar, with a happy hour from to , and Friday and Saturday night club music in the downstairs lounge.

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