Momos and dal bhat in Kathmandu: cooking class or food walk?
4 min read
The short answer
Take the cooking class if you want to leave knowing how to make momo and dal bhat; take the food walk if you want to try many dishes in one afternoon and not stand at a stove. The Cook Nepali Dishes & Momos with Local Chefs is the one to book for most visitors, because it focuses on momo and dal bhat and ends with a meal you cooked yourself.
The two formats compared
| Tour | Duration | Group | Guide or instructor | From price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook Nepali Dishes & Momos with Local Chefs | 2–3.5 hours | Small group available | Instructor in English | €4.51 per person | 4.9 / 5 from 467 reviews |
| Food and Drink Walking Tour | 3 hours | Social tour with other travellers | Live guide in ten languages, including English, German, French, Spanish and Japanese | €43.15 per person | 4.9 / 5 from 265 reviews |
The cooking class in detail
The meeting point is the Kathmandu Cooking Academy, a 10 to 15 minute walk from Thamel according to the page, which asks you to arrive 15 minutes before the class. The page says the class lasts around 3.5 hours including a market visit, the cooking itself and the tasting, even though the headline range starts at two hours. Momo and dal bhat are the main dishes, with extras you can choose, among them masala tea, bara, yomari, chatamari, thukpa and mushroom choila; the momo can be filled with chicken or vegetarian. Included are the step-by-step instruction, the market visit, the use of equipment, a tasting of what you cooked and masala tea during the lesson; specialty or alcoholic drinks and tips are separate items on the page. A PDF recipe book is shared by WhatsApp on request. Hotel pickup exists only if you select that option.
The food walk in detail
This is a three-hour walking tour from Kaiser Library with at least nine tastings, according to the description: local Nepali food, noodle soup, momo, pancake, cookies, a donut, tea or coffee and desserts. The route is described as running from Asan Bazaar to the alleys of Thamel. The page carries a “pickup included” tag, and its itinerary gives Kaiser Library as the pickup and drop-off point. Before booking, ask the operator whether you can be collected from your hotel and which drinks are part of the price. A professional tour and trekking guide leads it, and the page says the restaurants are chosen carefully.
Who should choose what
Choose the class if you like cooking, want to take recipes home and can stand for a few hours at a worktable. It lists wheelchair users and visually impaired people as unsuitable, and you should tell the school about allergies and dietary preferences beforehand. Choose the walk if you are travelling alone, want variety rather than depth, or need a guide in a language other than English: the page lists German, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Hindi as well. The food walk page marks itself wheelchair accessible, but it is a walk through busy old-town alleys, so ask about steps and distances before you count on it. If you are bringing children, ask the operator about age limits before booking.
Our recommendation
Book the Cook Nepali Dishes & Momos with Local Chefs on your first or second evening, so that you know the dishes before you order them for the rest of the trip. Add the Food and Drink Walking Tour when you want a broader taste of the city on another day, or choose it instead if standing in a kitchen is not your idea of a holiday.
