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Kathmandu · Kathmandu Durbar Square & Asan

Cafés in Kathmandu Durbar Square & Asan

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

Photo: Niraj Sah, Pexels License

Kathmandu Durbar Square, also called Hanuman Dhoka or Basantapur Durbar, is the city’s old royal center and one of three palace squares in the valley listed by UNESCO in 1979.1 Many of its temples went up under the Malla kings in the 16th century, and the Kumari, a girl worshipped as a living goddess, lives in the three-story Kumari Chowk at its southern edge.1

Asan, where six streets meet, is a Newar market square on one of the old India–Tibet trade routes, which ran from the palace to Asan and on to the north-east; the Annapurna Ajimā temple presides over it.2 South of the palace runs Jhochhen, which travelers renamed Freak Street.3 The cafés here are rooftop rooms by the temples, tea shops in the galli (lanes) and a couple of coffee rooms that carry the Freak Street name.

Local tip: Walk to the square from Thamel by way of Asan: the six-street junction sits on the old route that ran from the palace towards Tibet.2

At a glance

26Cafés listed
2With opening hours
08:00Earliest opening
21:00Latest closing

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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Coffee chains in Kathmandu Durbar Square & Asan

Freak Street, then and now

From the early 1960s to the late 1970s Jhochhen was a stop on the hippie trail, a draw partly because of its government-run hashish shops. In the early 1970s the government deported hippies to India and set rules on how tourists should look, and the trade was later banned.3 Karna Shakya modeled Thamel’s first guesthouse on the restaurants and pie shops of Jhochhen, and the crowds followed him north.4

Snowman Café has served pie and lassi on the street since the early days of the trail, and small tea shops nearby sell chiya with toast and eggs.5 Freak Street Kaffe and Khushi Coffee House, Jhochen, are two newer coffee rooms on the same strip.

Coffee around the palace

Galli Cafe on Gyachemuga Galli opens 08:30–21:00, bakes, and has Wi-Fi, which makes it the most practical stop for a long morning in the old town. Cafe d’Taleju, Temple Palace Cafe and Heritage rooftop cafe all sit within a block of the palace, and Bhulan, The Newari Cafe, is nearby. Cosmo De Cafe, RD’s Cafe, Supreme Cafe and Falcha Café are other small rooms in the lanes around it.

For tea rather than espresso, look for Mama’s tea shop and Everest Tea House. Himalayan Java has a branch at Basantapur.6 Café Coffee Day has an outlet here as well.

Tickets, earthquake repairs and timing

As of 2025, visitors from outside South Asia pay Rs 1,000 to enter the square and visitors from SAARC countries Rs 500; Nepali citizens enter free but pay to see the museum.7 In the last fiscal year almost 160,000 non-SAARC visitors bought a ticket, and the square took in Rs 194.6 million.7

The earthquake of 25 April 2015, estimated at magnitude 7.9, badly damaged the square and reduced the wooden Kasthamandap to rubble.1 The palace complex around it includes the nine-story Nautalle Durbar, built by Prithvi Narayan Shah to mark the unification of Nepal.1

Thamel lies about 1.4 km to the north, so the square is an easy walk from the main café streets.8

Sources

  1. Kathmandu Durbar Square, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Asan, Kathmandu, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Freak Street, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. A legend, a landmark, The Kathmandu Post (Samrat Upadhyay, September 29, 2018), accessed October 2026
  5. Kathmandu's Hippie Trail Food Scene: Where the 60's Cafés Still Feed Travellers, Nepal Traveller (July 27, 2026), accessed October 2026
  6. Must-Try Cafés and Coffee Shops in Kathmandu, Nepal Traveller (March 19, 2025), accessed October 2026
  7. Hanumandhoka Durbar Square collects Rs 194 million in revenue last year, The Himalayan Times (September 5, 2025), accessed October 2026
  8. Thamel, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Kathmandu Durbar Square & Asan, also browse: Wi-Fi Bakery cafés

FAQ

Kathmandu Durbar Square & Asan cafés: questions

How much is the entry fee for Kathmandu Durbar Square?

As of 2025, visitors from outside South Asia pay Rs 1,000 to enter Kathmandu Durbar Square, also called Hanuman Dhoka, and visitors from SAARC countries pay Rs 500. Nepali citizens enter free but pay a fee for the museum. Almost 160,000 non-SAARC visitors bought tickets in the last fiscal year.

Where is Freak Street in Kathmandu?

Freak Street, locally Jhochhen, runs just south of Kathmandu Durbar Square. From the early 1960s to the late 1970s it was a hippie-trail stop with pie shops and government-run hashish shops. Snowman Café still serves pie and lassi there, and Freak Street Kaffe and Khushi Coffee House are coffee rooms on the strip.

What is Asan in Kathmandu?

Asan is a Newar market square in central Kathmandu where six streets meet. It sits on one of the old India–Tibet trade routes, which ran from Kathmandu Durbar Square to Asan and on to the north-east, and the Annapurna Ajimā temple, linked to abundant grain, presides over it.

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