The whole experience was amazing.. Food was very fresh and service by the friendly staff was top notch. Momos were melt in the mouth soft and delicious. Noodles and fried rice were super flavorful. We told them one of the members in our party has a flight to catch and requested for faster service and they kindly obliged and made it happen.. we enjoyed the food and made it to airport on time. We are definitely going back. read more

I ordered via phone for takeout, was originally planning to get vegetarian sha-bhak-leb and strawberry lassi as part of the order but unfortunately they only had the beef sha-bhak-leb and mango or banana lassis in stock. so I instead ordered go-nga and mango lassi. It was a smooth process to go pick up and pay for my order and the restaurant is small but vibrantly decorated, with QR codes for contactless menus on the tables. The go-nga is an egg and spinach-based curry, mild but delicious and savory in flavor. I enjoyed it a lot but I only wish there was a higher amount of curry relative to the rice, as the amount of rice was quite large compared to it. The mango lassi was alright, it was a little more watery and less concentrated compared to some of the lassi I've had elsewhere, but it's a good option if you prefer your lassi a little less sweet. read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - Go-nga - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

This was my absolutely favorite place to eat when I lived in the Bay. The atmosphere is wonderful and transports you to Tibet. The food is amazing. But my favorite part of the restaurant is the owner Samten! She is so kind and I love asking her about her history and culture. I highly recommend this place. Next time I'm in Berkeley, I'm definitely going here. Tip: Order as much as you can and share with your party. If you're alone, still order as much as you can! :-D read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

I loved their vegan momo variety plate (3 momos) and the serene atmosphere and kind server. This is a classic spot in the heart of Berkeley, and a perfect lunch or dinner option before taking in a concert or play on Addison Street! It's like going to Tibet for an hour. A pleasant sanctuary filled with delicious food. read more

Delicious momos. I love that they have several vegetarian options for momos. They were all very delicious and since I like spicy I asked for the spicy sauce and it was really spicy just the way we like it. The soups are also good. Authentic Tibetan food. I will be back soon! read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - Soups and momos - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place is a hidden gem of Berkeley! Everything tastes so good. A few recommendations: Beef momos- I was expecting something like dim sum steamed dumplings. However, this was beyond my imagination. It was very flavorful, the onion and beef were very well balanced by some spices. Then-thuk (Amdo special)- flat noodle in a rich broth with chicken. Loved it! Also tried the bod-jha, a Tibetan tea with milk, butter and salt. It wasn't my thing, but it was interesting. read more

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Cafe Tibet was absolutely delicious and also inexpensive - what else could I ask for? I got a flavorful bowl of momo soup and it was massive, I wish I included a spoon for scale in the photo. Go support this restaurant! read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Was here for dinner on a Thursday. Service was quick and prompt. Ordered beef momo per the waiter's suggestion. Took 15-20 minutes to arrive and it was worth the wait. The dumpling is packed with flavor, especially when paired with the hot sauce. There's also a good selection of vegan and vegetarian options. As the Terminator says, "I'll be back." read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - beef momo - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Best vegan food in Berkeley. Servers were very helpful with suggestions, even offering samples to try before ordering. The walls are lined with authentic Tibetan art. The new owner, Tashi, was so kind to speak with my friend and I about his homeland of Tibet. We will be back soon! read more

Cafe Tibet is a nice cozy place in the happening world of Berkeley. It's next to multiple restaurants on the University avenue. But it stands out in terms of service and food. The menu has wide variety of dishes from Asian/Tibetian cuisine with Vegetarian alternatives for every single meal. It also includes healthy and vegan options. I ordered the first of the vegan options and I felt that it was not only healthy but also very tasty and filling. The staff was very friendly and cooperative. Not only that, but we had zero wait time, compared to 45 minutes + wait times in other places on the same street. I will visit it again if I am in that area read more

The food here is comforting, healing, and delicious. The momo are incredible, and among the best things I have ever tasted. It is clear to me that the food here is made with care and love, because I feel GREAT after enjoying a meal here. The owner and staff are kind and gentle and it creates a wonderful soothing ambience in the restaurant. I recommend eating here again and again. I will be back very soon! read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - 'Cafe Tibet Soup' - this soup was full of healthy and perfectly cooked ingredients - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Very friendly mom/pop store! The lady was super kind and kept refilling us water! I enjoyed the beef momo, which are the dumplings, a lot! They have a savory taste with a subtle sweetness. My friend and I also got the buns, which was just the best when paired with the hot sauce. The curry with egg tasted delicious, but I didn't think too much of it. The butter tea is worth trying, if you've never had anything like it before! You might want to share this with someone else, just in case you might not like it. The tea is salty, but I definitely appreciated the subtle aftertaste flavors and the richness of the tea. read more

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Went here once, but will definitely be back. The 5 stars is not just for the food, but also for the hospitality and friendly owners. This is a family business that's been around for a while. The food is very vegan-friendly, plenty of options to choose from. Now the main star of the show is the momo. Oh man, those momos are amazing, and I've had quite a few different momos in my life. I recommend trying the momo sampler. Prices are pretty reasonable and you get everything fresh. Highly recommend supporting this local business. read more

One of my favorite places to eat in Berkeley. Delicious, affordable, and amenable to dietary restrictions such as gluten-free and dairy-free. I recommend the gluten-free pan-friend sweet potato noodles, but every dish I've had has been enjoyable. So many healthy options too! All the friends I've taken here have enjoyed the food as well. Definitely recommend both for take-out and dine-in. read more

the place is small. finding parking space is kind of difficult. well, you know berkeley mostly when i went there yesterday, there was road construction. i love the ngoe - thuk because lots of vegetables but taste needs to be bold. luk - sha she - dre ~ if you love curry and really like strong taste, should try this place. the spices are great!!! never try curry with lamb before but hey, this is excellent!!! then - thuk had no taste, i think you should mix it with salt and pepper by yourself, really plain. sha momo ~ i need more sauce, without sauce feels plain. the skin is too thick for me. they can fry it, too. the service is great and they are nice... read more

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This is potstickers, not momo. The pastry is very thick and nothing like a momo. There's no juice inside the fillings which a momo is usually with thin skin filled with the juice of the meat. I'm quite disappointed. read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - Beef Momo - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Cafe Tibet was a wholesome place to come and have dinner after yoga at Yoga To The People. I had a few regrets ordering from their superfood menu (as there was no real spices or unhealthiness involved)...and as such what I ordered didn't taste super incredibble. Despite my noodle soup meal, I would still recommend this place. It helped me eat mindfully while I was here and after a yoga class, there was nothing better than a nice introspective meal at Cafe Tibet. I would order something different. I had the Then Thuk and it came with boiled noodles, pumpkin seeds and a protein of choice. The broth was hearty and the seeds were a nice source of healthy protein, but it just wasn't all that tasty for me. The tea we were served was delicious. I would definitely come back here and try more of their menu. read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - Then thuk amdo special - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

YUMMY! As of July 8th 2020, they have reopened for takeout for dinner, 5-8:30pm. Not sure if those hours will be expanding to include lunch, but they are open for dinner as of now. GOOD FOR VEGANS. I love the sweet potato noodles (available in the gluten-free section of their menu). And also love anything with eggplant and the tofu momos. Call them to place your order! read more

3.5 rounded up This was a very interesting meal indeed and every dish was almost like a fusion of other Asian flavors intertwined. We started off with the eggplant chips which were really delicious. It's basically fried eggplant done exceptionally well. The large amount of eggplant meat to outside crisp was perfect and the dipping sauce was a nice compliment. Then came the Kar-sha momo which was also a different version of the momos I've tasted previously at Himalayan/Nepalese restaurants. They make their momo skin slightly softer and thinner and the inside filling is pretty packed with juicy contents..Loved it. Our main dishes included the mixed vegetable curry and the Then Thuk (amdo special) plus the mango lassi drink. Enjoyed everything we had although it took awhile for me to get used to the taste of the Tibetan flavors, mostly because I expected a slightly different taste from the descriptions. It was a fusion of Chinese and Indian touches here and there plus its own unique tastes. I thought the prices are overpriced especially for the entrees compared to the quantity you get though ambiance wise, it's hard to find another restaurant quite like this. It's super relaxing and conducive to enjoying your meal. You'll see the second you walk in! Lastly, the service was very good.and this is why I ended up bumping up to a 4. read more

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This place is LEGIT. The momo's melt in your mouth. The sauces they make are more flavorful than any sauces you've ever had before. Great service and super cozy inside. This is a special place, for sure. read more

Cafe Tibet is my favorite restaurant in the entire Bay . I especially value & respect this restaurant because they accommodate all: vegans, GF diets & omnivores. Quality & quantity of food is incredible. Excellent wine. I'm obsessed! Space is clean & intimate. The small atmosphere is relaxing, homey & usually has beautiful meditation music playing in the background. The chef/owner Samten greets me by name & treats customers as friends. Fast service. Great prices. Profe read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - Tingmo & [spicy] Ngoe - thuk - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

With the recent unrest in Tibet and it being 10PM on Easter Sunday, we were super glad that this restaurant stayed open for us to give it a try. We've never had Tibetan food before, and were pleasantly surprised by the homey atmosphere and comforting food. The first thing we noticed about the menu was the liberal use of cheese in the foods. For example, there was stilton cheese in a soup! We got that, as well as the cucumber-onion-tomato salad, which were both pretty tasty. The combination momos (dumplings) were fun and tasty, with a good salad in the middle to boot. Lamb curry at medium spicy was hardly spicy at all, so note to up the spicy-factor when ordering, and we mopped that up with bread. The Buddhist chanting reminds me of being in a temple, and the warmth of the people running the place made for an authentic Tibetan dining experience. Definitely coming back here again, if not to try the mung bean jell-o they had run out of. Did I mention they sat us at 10PM on Easter Sunday? Got to love these kind people for staying open to feed us at 10PM on a Sunday. It was good stuff too, and reasonably priced. We were stuffed! read more

I went here for lunch with five people. The interior was okay and there was some music playing in the background to match the food. We ordered various dishes. The steamed sha momos with beef were pretty good. The dumplings were steamed well as the dough wasn't too mushy. The mix of beef and vegetables was good. Next the curries: the lamb curry with Tingmo and the Tibetan chicken curry with basmati rice. Tibetian curry was different from other ones I've tried, as it wasn't creamy but seemed more like a mush of vegetables. The consistency was like apple sauce but still pretty good. I liked the chicken curry more. The Tingmo reminded me of steamed buns and wasn't too garlicy. Probably my favorite dish was the pan fried noodles with chicken. Generous portion of noodles, chicken and vegetables. It wasn't too salty and was just delicious. The prices were okay. read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

5 years later and Cafe Tibet is still one of my favorite weekday dinner places. Love the decorations, and it feels like you're in a restaurant adjacent to a temple. You gotta have the momos, and there's a combo that lets you pick three. We usually go with beef, spinach, and mushroom. Each with its own sauce, and a fresh salad in the middle. Get a noodle soup too and you'll be set for a dinner for two. The noodles are handmade, and the broth always puts me in naptime mode. The butter tea is great for colder nights, and they serve bottled beer as well. On our recent visit, the hostess had a cookie tin of khapse, a deep-fried little knot of sweet dough, and we were offered some as we perused the menu. read more

Very small so a wait for a table is understandable unless you get rude staff who don't even offer you the option of waiting, or setting chairs at the last existing table. Been a long time since I stepped into a restaurant to be told there's no room, no table in a rather rude voice. Maybe their food is better than their service but I won't find out because I'll never go back. read more

As excited I was for this place the food was terrible. When I had the first bite, all I thought was "do they taste food after making it ?" It had NO FLAVOR AT ALL. read more

Service was incredibly slow. It took us 15 minutes to get seated even though there was no one ahead of us in line, and another 45 minutes to get our food. The owner wasn't very accommodating to us when we asked politely when our food was coming. However, I thought the food was pretty delicious. 4 Star food and 2 star service. The fried momos are a must-try because the crispy texture and the juicy meat are delicious. For an interesting drink, the butter tea is a good choice because it's creamy, rich, and salty. I know that pretty sounds weird but it's all about getting a unique experience here. I would recommend coming if you have at least 1.5 hours to spare. Don't come if you're in a rush. read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I came here for dinner on two occasions. For the momos, I like the chicken and beef ones steamed the best. If you don't ask for pan fried, the default order for momo are steamed. The food was all made mild, for those that do not tolerate chili peppers well, and if they cannot, they will let you know. So there were no major surprises and everyone was able to eat everything. The first dinner, I have ordered the "Tre-ma Khatsa", the garbanzo beans appetizer was tasty and filling. Also a curry in which I forget what meat was in it., "Jasha-kam-ngo" a flavorful roast chicken, and the three momos combination. The vegetarian momos had a slightly pungent quality and were savory and they were good. But I would stick with the steamed chicken and beef momos. On the second occasion, I ordered "Shea-thuk" was a good noodle soup with chicken, one order could have served three or four persons. The "Bhutanese Organic Wild Rice" was red in color and was filling and reminds me of brown rice. I would order this again and chicken and beef steamed momos. We also had a side order of "Tingmo" a steamed bread with some vegetables mixed in. As for a drink, try the Lassi with banana, it's good. read more

One of the places to visit for sure if you are in Berkeley and ready for some authentic quality food. Their dumplings are probably my favorite) read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This is one of my favorite places to eat in Berkeley. The food is flavorful and fresh, the service is friendly, and the rice wine is super tasty. My favorite thing is the soup with Momo in it (the mushroom and cheese Momo in particular). read more

This is a place that is perfect for fall and winter. It's cozy and warm inside, the food is hearty and full of black pepper, and the woman who owns it (?) and does the service is always so nice. The momo sampler is a lovely plate for sharing, alongside one other entree to make a full meal. I hope they never go out of business. read more

What a gem! I have never had Tibetan food. We order the dumplings (combo), veggie pastry, chai Tibetan tea, Himalayan pink rice. Everything was so yummy! Everything is homemade. We also love it's a small family owned business. The lady who served us was telling they have been there for 20 years. We will definitely be back! read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - Tibetan dessert - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I'm sad that I didn't find this spot earlier in my college career! I went here for a weekend dinner w my boyfriend and this was definitely one of my favorite meals of the semester. We ordered the chicken momos, daikon and beef, and a fried noodle dish. I love love love daikon and this place did it right - tender but with enough chew, and it complemented the beef, spinach, and broth well. My boyfriend really liked the noodles that he had- all of the noodles here are hand pulled! The chicken momos took a while to cook, but they were really yummy- a really interesting combination of savory and sour. Some of the bottoms of the momos came apart, but they were still great. The woman who runs this restaurant is also super friendly and welcoming. Overall, this is a great spot and I know I'll be coming back! read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - Chicken momos - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Amazing place. I can't say enough good things about the tofu momos. They come with on top of a wonderfully flavored mint sauce but are great on their own as well. I feel healthy, full, and super satisfied whenever I eat here! read more

Cafe Tibet - Vegan Restaurant - Tsel - chul Momo (tofu momos) and Ngoe - thuk (vermicelli with veggies) - Vegetarian Near Me - Berkeley, California

This is my favorite restaurant in Berkeley. Multiple healthy options on the menu (including organic options), with steamed vegetables, whole grain rice, tofu/chicken which are baked or boiled (rather than fried), delicious lentil or vegetable soups with garlic and other spices. I cannot eat fried food or heavy sauces, and thankfully the food in this place is prepared in a healthy way - I would call it homemade. I hope Cafe Tibet will be around forever. read more

Having walked around Oakland Zoo all day - I had a craving for momo's. I knew the closest place I would find would be in Berkely so I Yelped it and found Cafe Tibet. They had just barely opened and apart from us there was a another group of students. The order to share: Sho-kho-kha-tsa - Curried potatoes sautéed and mildly seasoned with fresh ginger, garlic and coriander -$4.95 - when they say mild, they mean really mild the flavor of the ginger barely came through, but they were ok. Luk-sha She-dre - Tibetan gourmet boneless Lamb Curry w/mixed vegetables, served with Basmati rice or Tingmo - $11.95 - We ordered it with Tingmo (Home-made steamed fresh-garlic Tibetan bread) The flavor was mild and the Tingmo was not garlicky at all, you could barey taste the garlic, however it was pretty good accompaniment to the lamb curry we ordered the combination momos which included the following 3 types: Sha Momo (chicken) - Dumplings with minced chicken, Mixed with onion and ginger w/ special house sauce Steamed Ngotsel Momo - Steamed Dumplings with spinach, feta and mozzarella Mixed with onion and ginger-served w/mild mint sauce Sho-ko Momo - Steamed Dumplings with potatoes, carrots and cabbage Mixed with mozzarella, mascarpone, spices and scallion. Served with special house sauce while the momos were good, they didn't compre to what I have been so traditionally used to. The owner stopped by and chatted with us, she was really nice. I appreciated the food being made fresh and cooked to order. read more

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Okay this is getting ridiculous-yet another missed Toni M encounter. Actually I ate there last Thursday with my son for lunch. Our parking karma was not so good we ended up having to park in a paid lot, but I did make the most of it and scored some good stuff at the Goodwill. I also had the hot chai which was seasoned perfectly and I added more sugar than I would publicly admit. We had the fried tofu sticks with dipping sauce. I had the tofu/veggie momos and my son had the chicken momos. We also had some rice. Yummy! This is one of our son's favorite places to eat and now that he has his own car and own paycheck he eats here often. We were stuffed and quite satisfied with our meal. The owner is very sweet and we always feel so welcome here! read more

BREWING THE BAY: Tibetan po cha tea (butter tea) 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up for the friendly service. My friend and I had ourselves a little college reunion when we met up with a mutual college friend here (who's now living in Berkeley--yay!). When we we first got here, we were the only ones at the restaurant, but by the time we were halfway through our meal, the place was rapidly filling up. If done right, it's hard to be disappointed by Tibetan food. It utilizes some of the best elements of Indian, Nepalese and Chinese cooking, with the end result being a diverse, hearty and fragrant cuisine that--contrary to misconception--does indeed have meat. Add in the peaceful, Buddhist ambience that can always be found and I don't think I've ever NOT been satisfied at a Tibetan restaurant. If you're new to Tibetan cuisine, here are some suggestions: Momos: Probably the most well-known Tibetan food, these are basically Tibetan dumplings. They can easily be identified by their traditionally round shape and their fillings are not usually as well-minced as Chinese dumplings or Indian samosas. I'd recommend getting the Combo of Three to maximize the types you can try. The sha momo (chicken) was great and the accompanying apple sauce was great. However, I wasn't a big fan of either the sho-ko or the tsel-chul. Something tasted off with the seasoning. Phing-sha with Beef: Sauteed bean-thread (aka large, cellophane-like noodles) with potatoes and wood ear. This was a great savory dish with a delicious sauce that's perfect for soaking up rice. The bean-thread was not overcooked (as so often happens), which impressed me. Think Chinese stir-fry, of which this dish is reminiscent. Jasha She-dre: Delicious Tibetan chicken curry. Very tender pieces of chicken in a rich, thick sauce that was not spicy. Highly recommended. Bod-jha: I saved the scariest for last. ;) Bod-jha (sometimes spelled bod ja or po cha) is Tibetan butter tea, and if you're picturing a salty tea with a creamy finish like butter, you'd be right. That's pretty much what it tastes like. If that sounds gross to you, don't worry. I don't think anyone I've introduced this tea to has ever liked it on first sip. However, if you're looking for an authentic Tibetan culinary experience, you would be remiss not to at least give butter tea a try Unfortunately, Cafe Tibet does not offer yak, which is sad because it's a delicious meat that has a similar texture to beef. That, combined with the fact that I've had better-cooked versions of the same dishes at other Tibetan restaurants, is why I would only rate this place 3.5 stars based on food. However, as I mentioned in the beginning of my review, the people who work here are really warm and friendly, so at least you'll be greeted with a smile. Cafe Tibet is far from the best Tibetan restaurant I've ever been to, but it's casual and affordable and a great place to start for those new to Tibetan cuisine. read more

This is such a great mom and pop cafe. The atmosphere is genuinely ethnic and the service is very friendly. My wife and I had the starter (#2) and the entre (#36). We can't stop thinking of either of them. It was such a unique and delicious experience. Next time I make it back to the area, I will go back to try more from the menu. read more

I can't really recommend anything here. Even with the free entree coupon in the Entertainment Guide I'm not sure I'd go back. I had the cheapest potato appetizer which I remembered favorably. Maybe that was compared to what I tried there last time because it was very mediocre in this visit. I also had the pepper steak which was only OK, and the meat momos - also only OK. I didn't care for Kathmandu in Albany either (they serve Nepalese food which is similar but is quite a bit more expensive than Cafe Tibet). Maybe this cuisine ain't my thing. read more