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Thakali Kitchen
If, after having travelled all this way to Nepal, you actually fancy some Nepali food(!), this upstairs restaurant is a modern place popular with local people working in Thamel. Most opt for the daal bhaat but there's also a range of Newari food such as aa lang kho, a dried meat, cheese and radish soup.
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Thamel House Restaurant
In Paknajol, this place is set in a traditional old Newari building and has bags of atmosphere. The food is traditional Nepali and Newari. Ask for the à la carte menu and choose individual dishes or go for the blowout set meal. It's also open for lunch.
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Third Eye Restaurant
Next door to Yin Yang, and run by the same people, this is a long-running favourite that retains something of the old Kathmandu atmosphere. There's a sit-down section at the front, and a more informal section with low tables and cushions at the back and a rooftop terrace. Indian food is the speciality and the tandoori dishes are especially good.
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Utse Restaurant
In the hotel of the same name, this is one of the longest-running restaurants in Thamel and it turns out excellent Tibetan dishes, such as momos (meat/veg-filled ravioli), kothey (fried momos) and talumein (egg noodle soup). For a group blowout, g acok (also spelt gyakok ) is a form of hotpot named after the brass tureen that is heated at the table and from which various meats and vegetables are served.
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Via Via Café
This century-old red house at the end of Seven Bends is part of a Belgian-run chain of travellers' cafés that is part restaurant, part lounge bar, and part cultural centre. The food is European, with some specifically Belgian touches, and the brunch menu includes French toast, crêpes and Greek omelette with spinach, cheese and black olives. If you like the food, sign up for the weekly cookery course.
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Weizen Bakery
Down from the Yin Yang, this bakery restaurant serves good vegetarian food. It has a pleasant garden and is a nice quiet place for breakfast, with newspapers to read and music playing in the background. The bakery out front has decent cakes, breads (particularly the pretzels!) and pastries, with bakery goods (but not cakes) discounted by 50% after .
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Yak Café
Another unpretentious and reliable Tibetan-run place at the other end of Thamel. The booths give it a 'Tibetan diner' vibe and the clientele is a mix of trekkers with their Sherpa guides and local Tibetans who come to shoot the breeze over a cigarette and a tube of tongba (hot millet beer). The menu includes Tibetan dishes, with good kothey (fried momos), and South Indian food, at unbeatable prices.
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Yin Yang Restaurant
Just south of the intersection, this is one of Thamel's most highly regarded restaurants. It serves authentic Thai food cooked by a Thai chef in either garden or floor seating. It's not cheap but the food is a definite cut above the imitation Thai food found elsewhere. The green curry is authentically spicy - the massaman curry (with onion, peanut and potato) is sweeter. There's a good range of vegetable choices.
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