Cafeography
काठमाडौं

Cafés in Kathmandu from chiya stalls to stupa rooftops

Milk tea at a chiya pasal, croissants in a Thamel courtyard, espresso in Jhamsikhel and coffee in the garden behind Patan’s royal palace.

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551Cafés listed
9Open by 6am
16Open past 10pm
4Specialty & roasters

Kathmandu shares its valley with two older royal cities, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, and seven of the valley’s monuments, from the Durbar squares to the stupas of Boudhanath and Swayambhunath, have been World Heritage Sites since 1979.1 The Bagmati River separates Kathmandu from Lalitpur, also called Patan, or Yala in Newar, which is why Jhamsikhel and Patan, two of the main café districts, carry Lalitpur addresses.2

Tea still sets the price of everything else. In 2025 a coffee at Himalayan Java cost about US$2, as much as a meal at a local eatery or five cups of tea, and the chain’s founder put the number of cafés across Nepal at around 7,000.3 By 2019 coffee shops had spread through the city and were doubling as workspaces and places to network.4

Himalayan Java now counts about 100 franchises across the valley, Pokhara and abroad; its roastery and bakery at Bluebird Mall supply every outlet, and some of its beans come from the company’s own farm in Ilam.5

Start with a tole

Kathmandu by area

Thamel, the old Durbar Square and the embassy streets of Lazimpat lie north of the Bagmati in Kathmandu proper; Jhamsikhel and Patan are across the river in Lalitpur, and the stupa at Boudha stands in the valley’s north-east.213

Thamel

Garden bakeries, trekkers’ breakfasts and roasters, with the Garden of Dreams at the edge.

61 cafés

Kathmandu Durbar Square & Asan

Palace courtyards, the old pie-shop strip on Freak Street and the six-way bazaar at Asan.

26 cafés

Lazimpat & Baluwatar

Embassy streets north of Thamel: bookshop cafés, brunch bowls and coffee from 06:00.

56 cafés

Durbar Marg & Naxal

The King’s Way below Narayanhiti: coffee until 22:00, bookshop bakes and Kamaladi offices.

49 cafés

Boudha

Cafés on the stupa’s kora, from a monastery-owned garden to rooftops above the dome.

52 cafés

Jhamsikhel & Sanepa

Lalitpur’s expat café quarter: Restaurant Lane by St. Mary’s, garden breakfasts and roasters.

79 cafés

Patan

Newar courtyards around Patan Durbar Square: a museum garden café, Patan Dhoka and Mangal Bazar.

69 cafés
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Browse by mood and hour

Wi-Fi

Laptop tables from Paryatan Marg to Jhamsikhel, plus book cafés in Patan and Baluwatar.

74 cafés
बेकरी

Bakery cafés

Thamel's trekker bakeries, a library bakery in Patan and sweets counters in Baneshwor.

26 cafés

Brunch

Thamel breakfast sets from 06:30, Jhamsikhel brunch tables and a vegetarian café in Boudha.

11 cafés

Open late

Coffee until 22:00 on Durbar Marg and until 23:00 in Thamel and Swayambhu.

16 cafés

Thamel 61 cafés

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Kathmandu Durbar Square & Asan 26 cafés

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हरे राम हरे कृष्ण भवन

Hare Ram Hare Krishna building

  • Falchasa Pode Galli
  • Daily 08:00–20:00
  • +977 9818856665 / 9808106455
  • Smoke-free indoors
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Lazimpat & Baluwatar 56 cafés

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Namaste De cafe

  • Maharajgunj Road
  • Mon–Fri 06:00–18:00 · Sun 06:00–18:00
  • Open by 6am
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Organic Smoothie Bowl & Cafe

  • Lazimpat 2
  • Mon–Fri 08:00–19:00 · Sat 10:00–16:00 · Sun 08:00–19:00
  • +9779843514612
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Durbar Marg & Naxal 49 cafés

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Boudha 52 cafés

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Bliss Raw cafe

  • Phulbari street
  • Daily 10:00–20:00
  • +977 980 8732378
  • Vegetarian options
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Swayambhu 23 cafés

Jhamsikhel & Sanepa 79 cafés

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Top Of The World Coffee

Rock Beans Coffee

  • अरुन थापा मुर्ति चोक
  • Daily 09:00–20:00
  • 5013583; 9803510477
  • Wi-Fi
  • Smoke-free indoors
  • Laptop work
  • Power outlets
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Patan 69 cafés

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Thapathali & Babarmahal 18 cafés

Baneshwor & Tinkune 67 cafés

Chabahil & Gaushala 40 cafés

Kalimati & Teku 3 cafés

Balaju & Samakhusi 8 cafés

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Coffee chains in Kathmandu

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Before you sit down

How tea and coffee work in Kathmandu

Ask for chiya and you get tea, usually dudh chiya (milk tea). Masala chiya is spiced with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, black peppercorns and cardamom, and kalo chiya (black tea) comes without milk or sugar, sometimes with lemon.6 Street-side stalls brew it over wood fires or kerosene stoves, and puffed rice is a common snack to dip into the glass.6

A chiya pasal (tea stall) is cheap, but nobody rushes you: groups have long sat for hours over a single pot, a habit that has carried over into the cafés.7 Students and office workers now use tea shops to study, meet and work on laptops, and many sell coffee and breakfast as well.7 At Roshan Chiya Pasal, a Lalitpur stall pouring since 1992, milk tea cost Rs 20 and black tea Rs 10 in 2022.8

There is no service charge to work out. In January 2023 Nepal’s Supreme Court ruled that no business, restaurants included, may add one to a bill, and a 2022 district court ruling had already stopped restaurants charging more than the printed menu price; tipping is voluntary.9

Kathmandu’s tap water is not safe to drink, so avoid ice unless you know it was made from filtered, boiled water.10 If you are crossing the city for a coffee, Pathao and Tootle need a Nepali phone number, while inDrive accepts international numbers.10

What coffee costs in Kathmandu

DrinkTypical price
Chiya
Milk or masala tea at a tea stall		Rs 20–40
Chiya pasal (tea stalls)
Kadak or Irani chiya
Strong or slow-brewed tea		Rs 75–90
Tea-shop chains
Cappuccino
Regular size		Rs 160–550
Cafés citywide
Americano
At a full-service Himalayan Java café		up to Rs 355
Himalayan Java

Cappuccino as of October 2026 (Numbeo), Americano from Nepali Times (February 2026), tea from a 2025 Kantipur report on a Kathmandu tea-shop chain and a 2022 Kathmandu Post profile of a Lalitpur tea stall.115128

Sources

  1. Kathmandu Valley, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Lalitpur, Nepal, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Tea-loving Nepal is warming up to coffee, The Himalayan Times / Associated Press (July 27, 2025), accessed October 2026
  4. Trendy coffee shops take Kathmandu by storm, The Kathmandu Post (Krishana Prasain, January 29, 2019), accessed October 2026
  5. Java in the Himalaya, Nepali Times (Vishad Raj Onta, February 8, 2026), accessed October 2026
  6. Chiya: Nepal's Beloved Tea Tradition, Nepal Traveller (April 9, 2025), accessed October 2026
  7. Tea shops in Kathmandu (feature, August 31, 2026), The Rising Nepal, accessed October 2026
  8. Over a cup of tea, The Kathmandu Post (Shranup Tandukar, May 20, 2022), accessed October 2026
  9. No more service charge anywhere, top court says, The Kathmandu Post (Sangam Prasain and Krishana Prasain, January 27, 2023), accessed October 2026
  10. Kathmandu, Wikivoyage, accessed October 2026
  11. Cost of Living in Kathmandu (updated October 24, 2026), Numbeo, accessed October 2026
  12. अढाई लाख लगानी, ४ वर्षमै १५ फ्रेन्चाइज (Iranian tea shop, Suvidhanagar), Kantipur (Bhadra 4, 2082 BS / August 20, 2025), accessed October 2026
  13. Boudhanath, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
FAQ

Cafés in Kathmandu: common questions

How much does a coffee cost in Kathmandu?

As of October 2026 a regular cappuccino in Kathmandu costs about Rs 160–550, and an Americano at a Himalayan Java café up to Rs 355. Tea is far cheaper: a Lalitpur tea stall charged Rs 20 for milk tea in 2022, and a Kathmandu tea-shop chain charged Rs 40 for masala chiya in 2025.

Which area of Kathmandu has the most cafés?

Jhamsikhel & Sanepa and Patan have the most cafés, followed by Baneshwor & Tinkune. Jhamsikhel & Sanepa has the most cafés with Wi-Fi, just ahead of Thamel, and Durbar Marg & Naxal has the most that serve until 22:00 or later.

What kinds of chiya can you order in Kathmandu?

Dudh chiya, milk tea, is the default in Kathmandu. Masala chiya adds cinnamon, cloves, ginger, black peppercorns and cardamom, and kalo chiya is black tea without milk or sugar, sometimes served with lemon. Street-side stalls brew it over wood fires or kerosene stoves, often with puffed rice on the side.

Do you need to tip in cafés in Kathmandu?

No, tipping in Kathmandu is voluntary. In January 2023 Nepal’s Supreme Court ruled that no business, restaurants included, may add a service charge to the bill, and a 2022 court ruling had already stopped restaurants charging more than the printed menu price.

Are Patan and Jhamsikhel part of Kathmandu?

Not officially. Patan and Jhamsikhel are in Lalitpur, the neighboring city across the Bagmati River, which separates it from Kathmandu. Lalitpur, also called Patan or, in Newar, Yala, is one of the three historic royal cities of the Kathmandu Valley, together with Kathmandu and Bhaktapur.

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