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  • Best Restaurants 2020: Royal Nepal
Royal Nepal Momos
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Best Restaurants 2020: Royal Nepal

Ready for something truly different with a side of great service in Alexandria?

By Alice Levitt October 30, 2020 at 8:00 am

Royal Nepal

Alexandria / Nepalese / $$

The Himalayas may extend into India, but don’t get it twisted: Nepal has a robust cuisine all its own. Yes, you can get chicken tikka masala here, but resist the urge. What you need are momos, and you need them filled with yak meat.

Sound forbiddingly out of your wheelhouse? Don’t be fooled. Royal Nepal deals in comfort food from a different part of the world. Yak is mild, and momos are just juicy dumplings, seared on one side then served with a spicy tomato sauce and a cooling mint one. We should all resolve to explore the world one dish at a time, and Royal Nepal is your ticket to one of the planet’s greatest (culinary) heights.

See This: Nepali music videos play on TVs over the bar, but colorful Nepali textiles will catch your eye, too.

Eat This: Yak momos, Nepali thali, Royal Nepal sikarni

When to Visit: You’re ready for something truly different with a side of great service.


This post originally appeared in our November 2020 issue’s Best Restaurants cover story. For more food reviews, subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Alice Levitt

Alice Levitt

Contributing Food Critic/Editor

Alice Levitt has been writing for Northern Virginia Magazine since 2020. She began her restaurant critic journey at Seven Days in Vermont in 2007 before moving on to Houstonia Magazine in Texas. Her food, travel, and health innovation stories have appeared in Vox, EatingWell, Simply Recipes, Allrecipes, and many other national publications.

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