It's not a restaurant per se; there are only two tables. But Tawa was a great find providing unique flavors. The goat in the goat thali had great sauce but somehow my favorite dish was the lentils. I don't know the name of the spicy vegetable but liked that as well as the greens. read more

Had the vegetarian thali. It was excellent! And I've had a lot of thalis. Small holi in the wall with 2 tables and great hospitality. read more

Tawa Food - Veg thali - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Jackson Heights, New York

Ok so do NOT sleep on this place ! It's quite possibly the hole in the wall of hole in the walls. It is a traditional restaurant serving Nepalese cuisines and an Aunty flips up rotis and parathas for sale. There's a chance you will share a table with others as there are only 2 tables, talk about hard to get a reservation at. But let's talk about the food- it's home made and quite simply put, perfection. The owner cooks up the food and he does a great job. Call ahead if you want to know the daily menu. Opt for the thali of choice and thank me later. However, do not sleep on the johl. Like I said, it's the ultimate hole in the wall. If you want to try cuisine from Nepal, start here and move onward through Roosevelt avenue. But trust me, this will likely be your go to in no time. read more

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Homey and comforting food that fills you up. A small restaurant with just two tables but people of all walks of life come here for a quick warm meal. Their thali is delicious! read more

Tawa Food - Chicken Thali - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Jackson Heights, New York

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Best Nepali style thali in all of NYC if not the US. A true hole in the wall of hole in the wall. Straight outta N.E.P.A.L. flavors. Food is something heavenly. I'm almost a regular here just having a meal 2-3 days per week. Crazy thing is I was getting a bit underweight recently and once I started going here now I'm overweight. Talk about gaining 15lbs haha. Thing stands, best Nepali style thali and great service. Love the lady who works here. read more

This is a great place to get Nepali food. All of the options taste fresh and home-cooked. I had the vegetarian thali. Some of the Nepali items like thukpa were not available when I went, so I'll have to come back to try the other dishes! read more

Yes the food is delicious. To the owners, I'd highly suggest replacing your current table and chair for tall and small square two seater tables and stools for better accommodation. You can always push tables together for a large group. :) read more

So delicious! I walked in and asked what meat thai's they had, and I ordered the goat thali. It came quickly and the flavors were WOW. I've tried many Thai's in the neighborhood, and this is the best one I've had. I'm excited to go back again. read more

Tawa Food - Goat thali - yummmmmm! - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Jackson Heights, New York

5/5 because Its my personal favorite place to eat thali in the area This place does nothing but serve good food It's not cool It's not insta worthy Not a place for a date Not a place to hang out Just good food The space has no design to it, it's basically a kitchen with three tables you can eat on The menu is pretty big considering the space but most of the items use the same base ingredients so it's not hard to follow The food arrived really quickly - not much cooking involved really The place isn't spotless clean - not organized in the normal sense either but I feel comfortable here The quality that you get is way above average for the price you'll pay, a solid place for a thali with friends or alone It's somewhere I'd go often to but is a bit far so I'm not a regular the food is spiced without being spicy, very flavorful and they are super generous with the rice and soup It's not fancy and doesn't try to be The food just works, like the fluorescent tube lights on the ceiling, it's not pretty but does a great job read more

Tawa Food - Veggie thali - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Jackson Heights, New York

As a Nepali, this place absolutely reminds me of a great dinner at my Grandparents house :). I always get thali which is a combination platter. EVERYTHING is Delicious. Tashi and another person are very friendly and offer us tea, so typical Nepali hospitality. The variations of acchar ("pickles") for lack of better comparison, is delicious. If any non-Nepali people want to be adventurous then I suggest you try bitter groud achar (Karela ko achar) which is also a part of combination platter. It is one thing I love here. Also gundruk ko achar (fermented and dried Nepali spinach pickle). Yum! I never miss this place when I am in the area. O also try sel roti! Rice fried bread! So delicious! I was so excited that I forgot to take before pic. But here is after :) read more

Tawa Food - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Jackson Heights, New York

OMG I love Queens so much. And this place is as Queens as it gets. Almost a literal hole in the wall. Step through the door and you're basically in the laps of the MoMo making ladies. Just brilliant. Dirt cheap, absolutely delicious, and totally legit. read more

Convenient place to get a quick Nepali thali, delicious sel roti or pick up home-made fresh parathas. You literally see the little ladies make them in the back to be packaged and sold. I always stop by for a quick bite of sel roti, aloo dum and sukuti. read more

Tawa Food is a hidden gem. This hole-in-the-wall restaurant serves delicious fresh Nepalese/ Himalayan food for the soul. The food is delicious, the service is incredibly polite and peaceful, and the prices are very affordable. This family run business allows you to see how the food is made: with love. You feel as if you are in someone's stainless steel kitchen. There is Nepalese grandma kneading flour for the momos in the back, a woman frying the Sel Roti (instagram.com/p/Bf4z2xuAPG6) in the front. The waiter/host has clean gloves to neatly lay out your Thali. Each ingredient placed with such care and detail, it almost seemed like he was praying. I've never had a Sel Roti before and it was so delicious! It was crispy sesame donut with soft sweet insides. It was so crunchy and freshly fried! We also ordered vegetable momos (3), chicken momos (2), beef momos (1), vegetable thali and goat thali. My favorite was the beef momos. They had a thin skin and juicy savory beef juices inside. It was like a bigger dumpling that was made out of beef. The goat tahli was good too. It was chunks of goat with rice, vegetables, vegetable curries and homemade yogurt. Each item was divided so you could mix and eat what you wanted. I loved the homemade yogurt! It was so fresh and perfect to cool your mouth after consuming all the hot sauce. It was a wonderful little place! I will definitely be back! instagram.com/snackchatnyc read more

Truly a hole in the wall. I stumbled upon this place after discovering that Lhasa was closed. Unfortunately momos were sold out because it was a holiday but another customer told me that the thalis are what they're known for. I would take a ridiculous amount of time to order anything so I just had what the other customer was having (no shame to play it safe). First on the hospitality. The people who work here are so sweet. Seriously. It makes me feel at home and I'm not even Nepalese. The customer (also Nepalese) told me what to mix with what and what everything was. I know this sounds so hokey but that truly makes a difference when you're trying another cultures food for the first time. Now on the food...so darn good. I think I surprised myself at how much I can eat today but there are more serious problems in the world lol. I got the beef thali and the beef was so tender and marinated well. It was also nice to see that the daal was thick- no one likes watery daal. One of my favorite parts of the meals was the pickled items. I have no idea what they're called but it is the yellow paste next to the cucumber and the orange thing (I think radish) next to the spinach in the pic posted. It was nice to alternate between this and the spicier curries. My favorite part of the meal hands down was the roti. You can see the lady in the back rolling them and making them fresh. I'm not sure if it cost extra but if it did it would be max 50 cents more based on how much I paid at the end. You know roti is good when you can enjoy it just as much plain. Definitely go if you're in the areas, I know I'll be back to try the momos. read more

Tawa Food - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Jackson Heights, New York

Tawa is still my favorite restaurant in New York City. As you might have seen in the Tips I've written, we endured a long (6+ month) period during which Tawa was undergoing construction. We usually ventured out every week anyway, in hopes of happening upon some indication that it would reopen soon. Finally it's back, seemingly for good, and better than ever. Oddly, not much about the restaurant seems to have changed. The decor is still as hole-in-the-wall as it's always been. The management appears different, which I don't mind since the service has definitely improved. We get pretty much the same thing every time, two vegetarian thalis and a plate of momo, but after the thalis we're usually pretty full because of the many kindly offered refills. (For the unfamiliar, thali is a meal format that consists of a variety of small dishes with different flavors, meant to be eaten together. At Tawa, the thali typically includes daal, vegetable sambar, rice, an assortment of achar (pickled vegetables and sauces), and either yogurt or a meat of your choice. It's beautifully plated and never fails to excite, since dishes are prepared a little differently every day.) If you've still got space after your meal, look for stacks of sel roti along the walls. They're super crispy, chewy, lightly sweetened brown donuts made with rice flour. Pair one with a cup of hot tea and you've got a perfect little dessert. Seating is still incredibly limited, but this place is a hidden gem, so it's not usually crowded. But if it is, be aware that sharing a table with a different group is standard practice here. When we walk in late (around 8-10 PM), we're often the only table being served. As mentioned in the previous review, don't come here with a group larger than 4 unless you want to sit apart or order take-out (but then you won't get the refills!) Don't forget to bring cash! read more

Tawa Food - Veggie thali. A little different from how it used to be a year ago, but just as good, if not better! - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Jackson Heights, New York

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I moved to Jackson Heights six years ago, went to Sunnyside for four, and recently moved back to Jackson Heights to a location even closer to Tawa. I do miss a handful of amazing spots in Sunnyside (Brothers Cafe still makes my favorite Torta, Sofra, and when I wanted to splurge, Sole Luna) but one of my top three reasons for moving back was proximity to Tawa. I still came here a lot when I lived in Sunnyside. It was my primary reason for ever riding the 7 train past my stop. If I had to take Tawa over all of my other favorite restaurants combined in NYC I would. And I don't even have to because there are other good Nepalese places in JH. (Red Panda, Lali Guras) Lali Guras was the first one that got me into it (my partner who is a Queens native suggested we try it and it changed my life). I'll never forget the first time I tried Nepalese Thali at Lali Guras. It was all of the combinations of Indian and other flavors that were home cooked and simple in the best way possible. To call it similar to Indian food is fair in some ways I suppose... to call it similar to Chinese is fair too? It just really is its own balance of flavors for me and I can't really explain it other than that I go often, and I cherish it. It actually is one of the reasons I live in Queens. I grew up loving curry, Indian food, so this is pretty darn important to me. Tawa has been our favorite spot for a while now. If you need a sit down place with a bigger party you can try Lali Guras and Red Panda for sure but I think the charm of Tawa is the simplicity and focus on nothing but food. I just generally prefer the taste a little bit more compared to the others. There's something magical about the place I really can't even describe and I realize that won't even help you understand anyway. If you're not into spicy (either hot or spice-laden) food I can't see why you'd really even want to come here. It's nearly always perfectly spiced and salty enough without being too much. It's a subjective thing but I've tried enough Thalis and I just always, always, think to myself it's not Lali Guras, Red Panda, or especially not Tawa. As I ended my other reviews for Nepalese restaurants I love I hope to one day actually go to northern India, Nepal, or anywhere close by to try the food. It feels like home. read more

Love this place, little gem in the neighborhoods. Great food, and great people. Very authentic Nepalese thali. Finding seating during lunch and dinner time can be hard, but I'm glad they rearranged it recently for more seating area. I usually have vegetable thali, comes with plain yoghurt. Portion is good, love the Karela, Indian bitter melon. They will refill your rice, veggie, dal upon request. Sel roti is really good too, they made it fresh on the spot. Tried to bring it home one time, it turned really hard, would recommend to eat when you there. read more

We got goat and chicken (not the jerky version) thalis and some momos and all the food was solid. With the thalis, when you're done with the serving, they'll offer you more rice as well as more dal and I even got some more goat curry (though mostly liquid with little meat, which was fine). The momos were also particularly tasty, though some of them arrived with the skin broken. We were also curious about an item on the menu called dhendo. The guy said it was made with buckwheat and we probably wouldn't like it so I feel like that is a challenge I must return for. Also a lot of folks came in just to buy roti so I got some to go and can attest that their roti is excellent. read more

This small corner restaurant (if you can even call it that?) is actually comprised of 2 businesses. An area in the front for hot food, and an area in the back where they hand-make a variety of paratha. Momos and thalis are the way to go here. I find that the hot prepared foods are usually a bit dried out. However the service is always super friendly, and they are always enthusiastic to have you try new things. I can't hate on that! read more

This place is small and glorious. How does such a tiny kitchen produce such delicious food in big quantities? I had the chicken momos, which, unlike Tibetan momos carries a bit more spice (like Indian food). Then the beef dhendo. Dhendo is a porridge/playdough like substance made from millet and I really don't know what else -- but it is blackish in colour and a tasty starch that absorbs other flavors. The beef was "dry" on purpose -- very spicy -- but the kind of spiciness that makes you want more and more once the initial heat has dissipated. One of the workers was on a quick snack break and I asked him what he was eating. The owners were gracious enough to give me a sample -- and by sample I mean appetizer portion at least! This one dish oddly did not seem Nepali at all. It is basically similar to farina/cream of wheat that is thick and rolled into balls with raisins, sugar and spices that would be quite familiar to a western palate. All in all, fantastic meal for a low price. read more

Tawa Food - Beef dhendo - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Jackson Heights, New York

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Finally made it to this tiny little destination just off Broadway and 72nd (note, map pin is incorrect on Yelp), and what a marvelous meal I had as the only diner in the restaurant--which only has four chairs. It was pretty early, around 11:00 and I'd skipped breakfast knowing I was headed here for a feast so wasn't surprised to dine alone. First off, the lady that appears to be the main cook is just as nice as can be. I ordered a mango lassi and beef thali. She apologized for the mango lassi not being chilled as it had just been made. I actually thought this was preferred because the flavors will be more pronounced and I was right. Really thick, enjoyable drink. Beef thali is a dish I was unfamiliar with. It's a dried beef with a bit of heat, a bit chewy and I'm guessing this is part of the cooking style. If you're eating Himalayan beef, which I'd guess is a delicacy, it's not dining on corn and grains fed to U.S. cattle. The beef would very lean, little fat. The drying and reheating process is going to make it a bit chewy. This was not a turn-off for me. The dish (see photo) came with a large helping of white rice, potatoes, some sort of pickled radish (this a guess) and several condiments and prepared vegetables that alluded my experience with this cuisine. Topped with papadum (cracker) which I understand to be called papad in Northern India. I may be wrong about much of this, but this much I know, it was a delightful meal and one I found really interesting, reasonably priced ($9.00 for the beef thali, $2.50 for mango lassi) and fulfilling. Just goes to show you that great food can come from anywhere. This is not much of a location in terms of interior decor, no one would dispute that, but the food I found to be really enjoyable and a real "experience," a good one. Glad to make the trip out from Manhattan for this meal. read more

Tawa Food - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Jackson Heights, New York

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Aloo and matar Saleroti Chicken choila Beef choila And Tashi dai with happy smile and welcoming vibe ...and offer us Refreshing Hot tea Pemba dai you rock man!! All food was flavour full and nailed it!! We love it! read more

They've started to add vegetarian dishes to the menu... it's about time! The pakora curry is superb.

Friendly staff! It's really close to Kababish. Had the beef momos ($5) and a mango lassi($2)! Both were absolutely fantastic! They also share their space with a homemade parantha business. In case you were in the mood for roti. :) I would say it's cozy with about 10 chairs and 4 tables. Definitely coming back. Their momos are absolutely worth the trek. read more

Tawa Food - Beef momos! $5 - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Jackson Heights, New York

Very Small place. Cleanliness is okay. The food is great and customer service is also great. Went there few times while I use to live there. Their cuisine is Nepali dishes. One of the best I have ever tried. I love their "goat thali" and "butan sukutey" these are the kind of dishes. My favorite is the dried fish pickle and horse radish pickle. Don't forget they also sell fresh parathas. They have some ladies who make fresh parathas which are healthy. Their "shell roti"a Nepali snacks made out of rice flour is yummm must eat with the fish pickle. The place needs to expand and get more sitting area. read more

I'm not really into vegetarian dishes but this wasn't to bad, they had quite a lot of different dishes which I didn't excpect I ended up having the vegetarian curry on brown rice it was very tasty. For desert it was some sort of rice pudding dish which was also delicious read more

This is probably considered very authentic for the natives. However, it was way too spicy for me. The place was small, more for takeout and delivery I suppose. They didn't have any heat on and is it was very cold. My feet were like blocks of ice. The staff barely spoke English and the menu was non-the script so it was difficult to order. I ordered an appetizer sampler and an entrée sampler so I can try a little bit of everything. The food wasn't bad, just not my cup of tea. However, the staff was friendly and the food came out promptly. I would've given this place three stars if I weren't freezing to death. read more

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Long awaited reopening finally happened. There is no obvious renovation, though. The people at the counter are different, but they are as friendly and courteous as the former workers. Notwithstanding, the food is the same deliciousness and freshness. They have the same tiny space. During the winter time, the inside tables are highly coveted. Come summer time as it is now, it is so nice to sit at the counter along the wall by the door, and enjoy the summer breeze. read more

Tawa Food - Chicken Thali. - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Jackson Heights, New York

Pros : Intimate setting, good food. Cons : You can't bring a party of 10+ people if you wanted to sit down & eat because there's currently 12 seats in here. read more

I had wanted to try Tawa Food for some time, and I finally did so last night. Ordering the vegetable thali to go, it was more than my fill- and tasty at that! Yay! I'm a fan. read more

My first Nepali Food. They only have two table and one counter but the place was packed with a lot of customer. I chose Goat Thali $12. The sauce is perfect, not too spicy, not too mild. You can enjoy variety taste in one plate. The service was good. I sheared Beef Momo with my friend. Total cost $15 each. It worth it! read more

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If you miss a home-cooked meal, this is the place to be. It's a hole in the wall type of place. The staff was super friendly and the food was worth every penny. read more

Authentic and homey Nepalese food! The sukirti thali is so good with so many varieties. The only problem will be the heat and the space. Like you gotta hurry up and eat cuz most likely there's people waiting after you. And there's only two table:( read more

Tawa Food - Making sel roti in the back - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Jackson Heights, New York

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Tawa is one of those places that reminds me why I live in Queens. A total hole-in-the-wall parantha factory, right off the Little India grid. I mean, where else is your neighborhood "bakery" an Indian bread shop? The format is simple. Enter. Bark your order to the owner who multi-tasks at stuffing fresh made paranthas into bags and managing the retail end. Wait. The place is no more than 300 square feet, so you have no choice but to interact with all the action going on inside. Two "aunties" in the background, one rolling out the ata (Indian dough), the other puffing the flatbread one-by-one by hand on a giant flat griddle (or "tawa", which is just the Indian word for cast-iron griddle). A real old-world style factory. The fruits of their labor? Absolutely delicious. I tried the gobi parantha -- a thin bread stuffed with spicy curried cauliflower. Crispy on the outside, spicy and chewy on the inside. A blissful snack, particularly when right of the griddle (or tawa). Best part is: a huge parantha costs only $2. I was also surprised by the other types of paranthas: moly (Indian radish, which is super rare to find in Indian restaurants), methi (fenugreek, extremely fragrant), mixed veg, corn, etc. I love the experience and the taste can't be beat. I am definitely coming back. read more

Came here because me and my girlfriend have been trying out momo places around Jackson heights. We've had momos from the various trucks and stands such as momo bros and we've been to establishments such as Lali Guras, Little Tibet cafe, Himalayan yak and while their momos were good, their sauces always felt subpar. That is until we had it from Tawa. Their tomato sauce for momo tasted homemade and it was probably the best momo sauce we've had around the area. Momo was delicious as well. We had sel roti along with aloo Dham. The aloo tasted good and it had been made fresh. And FOR THE FIRST TIME, we actually had sel roti that wasn't hard but soft and was easy to break apart with our hands. Overall, it's a great place to get food from but not really a place to dine in at. But at least now my girlfriend and I can rest easy knowing we have a momo place that can satisfy us thoroughly. read more

Authentic Nepali food. Staffs are very welcoming and nice and no doubt food is great. I always visit there for sel roti, Ali dum, chana, tea and Momo. The taste reminds me of back home. Love going there and will always go. I highly recommend Tawa food for anyone who loves Nepali dishes. Pros : authentic taste, affordable, nice service Cons: only downside of this restaurant is there is not much space. read more

The old ladies at tawa make several varieties of parathas and chapatis right in front of you. (They usually only have a few of the advertised varieties). They're as good as any I've had (well, except for my grandma's when they're cooked on the wood-fired stove). You can find them sold at the big grocers on 37th Av/73rd St, but I come here to get a warm bag. read more

I'm not going to lie. I have no idea what the name of this dish I ordered is called (looking at other reviews I think it was a Thali) but apparently it is the dish that Andrew Zimmern ordered on Bizarre Foods. My husband and I came here 2 days after that episode aired and it did not disappoint. The mean which was like a mix between a stew and a jerky was so tasty that I had to order more rice to balance out the taste. Some of the side dishes that came with I think have to be an acquired taste which needs time for someone to appreciate. Overall very very good and affordable. The people working behind the counter were really nice and let us try some dessert for free! read more

I have only had Himalayan/Nepalese food twice in my life, both times in Jackson Heights. Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of the other restaurant and if I come across it in my life again I'll definitely hop in. So in regards to Tawa Food, this is a perfect example of how first impressions do not tell the whole story. This place is tiny, crowded, and the prototype for hole in the wall restaurants everywhere. That being said, I felt like it held a certain charm that you wouldn't find in a fancy or high end restaurant. We sat next to another couple at the only table seating in the restaurant. We watched the staff make our meal as well as make preparations for other food items, for example they were making and frying sweet bread in the back. I had the goat thali and my wife had the vegetarian thali. Both were very good but I would recommend the vegetarian thali. The goat meat was a bit gamey, but I can't deny the flavors it had held in it. We also had an order of vegetable momos and two teas. The momos were very good, and I recommend ordering them if you decide to come through. All in all for the two thalis, momos, and two teas the total was $27. So the pricing was a plus. The only downfall was that it is a cash only place, which is fine and all, but annoying when you don't know that going in and have to run to the ATM and pay those obnoxious fees. In short, I would recommend coming through and staying to eat. read more

A hole in the wall gem hidden right next to an real estate/travel agent strip. It's pretty much right off the intersection of Broadway and 72nd as noted by yelper Scott T. The cook and workers are extremely friendly and eager to assist with any questions or recommendations. For those who never had Nepalese/ Tibetan cuisine, go with momo or curry. For hearty eaters with an appetite then Thali is definitely your pick. It comes with your choice of meat with rice(chamal), papadam (lentil chip), variety of vegetables: tomato achar, (pickled tomatoes) seemi bean, saag (Tarkari or mustard greens), fried kerela (bitter gourd), and daal (lentils). For the price, it's unbeatable for refill of chamal, daal, and vegetables. Also, go for the Nepalese tea with milk, so good! We got ours to go with the sel-roti which is their version of a crispy fried donut. A must for those who loves sweets! read more

Tawa Food - Himalayan/Nepalese Near Me - Jackson Heights, New York