Nepali Restaurants Archives ~ NC Triangle Dining Food Blog

Front of Himalayan Range in Cary- NC Triangle Dining

Hey I have to confess. I’ve never been to Nepal but you know what? I like Nepali food. Or at least I really like the eats at Himalayan Range Nepali Restaurant! As a fan of the older Himalayan Nepali in Cary, I was happy to see its original owners re-open their own restaurant after selling the original. And the new spot has all of the pluses of the old restaurant with some new and improved twists. Read on my friend if you enjoy the flavors and spices of this mountainous region!

Dining room at Himalayan Range in Cary- NC Triangle Dining

Located in a quiet plaza off of NE Maynard Road you’ll find the new Himalayan Nepali Range restaurant in its luxurious new space. Bigger and better, it still sports the classic dark woods and deep crimsons from the old place. But now there are some chandeliers overhead which gives it all a comfortable but more upscale feel. But not to worry, it’s still a casual spot for lunch!

Lunch menu at Himalayan Range in Cary- NC Triangle Dining

At the table I peer through Himalayan Range’s lunch menu which fills a 2-sided laminated sheets. The menu is a mix of Indian eats along with Nepali specialties and breads, I’m not sure where to start! But given it’s our first visit we over-order. I go with some chai, chicken 65, cheese pakora, chicken tikka masala and some garlic naan. Pretty certain I’m going to be in a carb coma after this meal but what the heck…

Chili paneer at Himalayan Range in Cary- NC Triangle Dining

Chicken 65 at Himalayan Range in Cary- NC Triangle Dining

We start off our meal with the apps and it’s all impressive. The chili paneer comes in a sizable portion of toothsome fried cheese in a spicy, savory but sweet sauce. It looks and tastes great, nice job! I like the chicken 65 but not as much as the chili paneer. It’s coated in a thick red paste similar to tandoori and is deeply flavored. Again, there’s plenty on the plate portion-wise. I move on to the cheese pakora which is layers of paneer in a nicely fried coating, yum! Overall I’m really happy with all the flavors and size of our dishes that are in the $2 to $4 range, pretty durn cheap.

Garlic naan at Himalayan Range in Cary- NC Triangle Dining

Butter paratha at Himalayan Range in Cary- NC Triangle Dining

Next out is our breads and mains. My garlic naan looks wonderful spiked with yellow slivers of garlic and flecks of green (parsley or cilantro?). It’s warm, tender with the crustiness associated with a good tandoor oven. The paratha is a large, yellowed flat bread that comes in many layers. I don’t grab a bite but again, it looks great. My main of chicken tikka masala (medium spicy) is actually pretty mild. The sauce is more creamy than what I’m used to but decent with plenty of tender tandoori chicken inside. It’s good but I’d definitely get more spicy next time! The mains are served with rice but I hold back given all my naan.

Chicken tikka masala at Himalayan Range in Cary- NC Triangle Dining

HimalayanRangeNepali-PaneerPeas — Paneer and peas at Himalayan Range in Cary- NC Triangle Dining

The other dish on the table looks great, a paneer and peas in sauce but I’m not a vegetarian! Service at this humble, family-run is excellent and attentive. Himalayan Range Nepali has only been open for a week so the place is quiet but I still appreciate the effort they’re making. In the end the same great food at great prices has moved over to this newer restaurant in a bigger space and better ambiance. I really hope they do well here, Caryites and don’t miss out on this hidden gem off of NE Maynard Road…

Himalayan Range Nepali Restaurant

910 NE Maynard Road

Cary, NC 27513

919.378.9586

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Front of Everest Nepali Kitchen in Cary - nctriangledining.com — Front of Everest Nepali Kitchen in Cary – nctriangledining.com

Over the years of living in the Triangle, I’ve learned that if you really want good, down-home ethnic eats, you’ll find a lot of it in Cary and Morrisville. From Chinese to Indian, Mexican and more, there always seems to be a plethora of good, inexpensive, family-run eateries in these two cities. And one of the more common categories of cuisine you’ll find in Cary is Nepalese! Given its location on the planet, the mix of Indian, Nepali and Indo-Chinese fare makes Nepalese food a favorite in my book. I decided to check out a newer Nepalese spot recently, Everest Nepali Kitchen out in Cary and here’s what YOU can expect!

Dining room at Everest Nepali Kitchen in Cary - nctriangledining.com — Dining room at Everest Nepali Kitchen in Cary – nctriangledining.com

Inside Everest Nepali Kitchen you’ll find a brightly colored dining room in yellows and maroons. Warm, casual and homey space, it’s definitely low-brow when it comes to decor. Grab one of the booths for maximum space and comfort! The menu at Everest Nepali Kitchen is similar to many of the other Nepalese options you’ll find in the area covering momos, samosas, chili chicken, tikka masala, tandoor meats and more. But Everest Nepali Kitchen has some interesting items that I haven’t seen elsewhere: tandoori wings, chips chili, kashmiri naan (pineapple, cherries) along with chili momos, cool! Over the course of my visits, I’ve had a chance to dive into a bit of the menu to get a taste for what Everest Nepali Kitchen can do.

Onion bhaji at Everest Nepali Kitchen in Cary - nctriangledining.com — Onion bhaji at Everest Nepali Kitchen in Cary – nctriangledining.com

Tandoori wings at Everest Nepali Kitchen in Cary - nctriangledining.com — Tandoori wings at Everest Nepali Kitchen in Cary – nctriangledining.com

For starters, consider the onion bhaji! Strips of tender onion deep-fried, similar to an onion ring. Served with some chutney sauce, the onion bhaji at Everest Nepali Kitchen is tasty and crunchy but my plate was a bit over-fried. Another great option for an appetizer is their tandoori wings. A small order of six plump wings show up bathed in a yellow marinade and showing off some charred bits. The wings are full of garlic and ginger flavor on top of super-tender, fall off the bone chicken that tandoor meats are known for. A thumbs up here from me, tandoori wings can be hard to find on many menus in the area. Everest Nepali Kitchen will also customize the spiciness/heat level of your food on a scale of 1 to 10. I went with the middle (5) for my visits which was perfect.

Chicken korma at Everest Nepali Kitchen in Cary - nctriangledining.com — Chicken korma at Everest Nepali Kitchen in Cary – nctriangledining.com

For the main entrees, I’ve gone with the chicken korma twice! A large, silver-plated bowl of simmered chicken in a yogurt tomato sauce loaded with raisins and more. Korma is a super, flavorful dish and seems to be nearly as popular as chicken tikka masala of late. I’ve found the entree sauces at Everest Nepali Kitchen to be a bit deeper and stronger then my usual Nepalese favorite, Himalayan Range Nepali. Also the portion sizes at Everest Nepali Kitchen are LARGE. From the entree itself to the biryani rice served on the side, you get a lot of food for the money here. And one of my bigger barometers for Nepalese food is the breads. Everest Nepali Kitchen offers a large assortment of naan, kulcha, poori and more. Their garlic naan was decent but a bit bready and doughy, a good and decent effort but less then top-notch.

I can say for sure that Everest Nepali Kitchen is doing a great job with its Nepali menu. There’s plenty of great menu choices with solid flavor, large portion sizes and good prices. But I’d still have to put Everest Nepali Kitchen a notch below Himalayan Range Nepali right now. For the sauce based dishes I might give Everest Nepali Kitchen an edge but in other areas of the menu, not so much. In the end, it’s still an excellent choice for Nepali cuisine. And given the competition it really has to be! Can’t wait to try the other Nepali restaurants to compare (Kathmandu Kitchen, Himalyan Nepali) but kudos to Everest Nepali Kitchen for offering a great dining option to those looking for Indian and Chinese flavors in their eats.

First Take: Himalayan Range Nepali Restaurant in Cary, A Hidden Gem!