Cafeography
Kathmandu · Thamel

Cafés in Thamel

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

Photo: Lisanne W, Pexels License

Thamel grew around one house. In 1968 Karna Shakya turned his family’s Rana-built mansion into the Kathmandu Guest House, 13 rooms at $5 each, when friends doubted tourists would stay so far from the center and the area still had a reputation for being haunted.1 He encouraged neighbors to open businesses, and as the hippies of Jhochhen gave way to better-equipped trekkers, the visitors moved north to Thamel.1

The name comes from Tha Bahi, a Newar name, and the narrow lanes carry cars, cycle rickshaws, scooters and taxis among the pedestrians, past trekking-gear shops, money changers and budget hotels.2 For coffee, that adds up to bakeries built for early starts, coffee houses selling Himalayan arabica and tea lounges, most of them a few minutes’ walk apart.

Local tip: For a garden table at Pumpernickel on Paryatan Marg, arrive before 09:00; the courtyard fills soon after.3

At a glance

61Cafés listed
11With opening hours
06:30Earliest opening
23:00Latest closing

सलाद क्याफे एण्ड बार

Salud Cafe & Bar

  • Sagarmata Complex Street
  • +9779810596547
MapIs this you?Report

साजन फूड क्याफे र स्यान्डविच पसल

Sajan Food Café & Sandwich Shop

  • Jyatha Street First Floor, Thamel Mall
MapIs this you?Report

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Kathmandu.

Coffee chains in Thamel

Bakeries from the trekking years

By the mid-1970s small German-style bakeries had opened to feed Europeans who missed bread, an oven tradition Kathmandu had not had before.3 Pumpernickel Bakery, the best-known survivor, was started in the early 1980s by Norbu Tsering Shrestha, across from Mandala Street, and has served a yak cheese sandwich since it opened, with croissants and muesli alongside.4

Pumpernickel opens on Paryatan Marg at 06:30 and closes at 21:00, and its garden courtyard is busy from about 09:00.3 It has Wi-Fi and power outlets, and laptop work is fine. French Bakery (07:00–21:00) and Coffee House on Tridevi Sadak are two more bakeries with brunch menus and Wi-Fi.

Coffee houses and tea lounges

Himalayan Arabica Beans opened in 2012 and lists pour-over filter coffee and espresso made with arabica from the Himalayas, plus barista training.5 It runs 06:30–21:30 and also bakes. Palpasa Coffee on J.P. Road serves 07:00–20:00 with Wi-Fi, and Cafe Mitra on Jyatha Marga and Yala Cafe on Thamel Marg have Wi-Fi too.

Tea gets equal space. Chiya Pub in Dhobichaur pours tea 07:00–19:00 with outdoor seats, Teafresho Tea Lounge on Jyatha Marga keeps 08:00–20:00, and Kettle Café in Kwabahal, open 09:00–21:00, has vegan dishes and cakes. Himalayan Java and Kar.ma Coffee both have Thamel branches.

The Garden of Dreams and Kaiser Cafe

At the entrance to Thamel, across from the former royal palace, the Garden of Dreams was laid out in 1920 as the Garden of Six Seasons for Field Marshal Kaiser Sumsher Rana.6 It was neglected after his death in the 1960s, saved from demolition in 1998 and restored between 2000 and 2007 with Austrian aid; as of 2026 entry costs Rs 400 for non-Nepalis and Rs 150 for Nepalis.6

The garden opens 09:00–21:00 every day.7 Kaiser Cafe, inside the grounds, is run by Basera Boutique Hotel.8

Coffee after dark in Thamel

Thamel is the center of Kathmandu’s nightlife, and a few cafés follow its hours.2 New Orleans Cafe on Chaksibari Marg serves 07:00–23:00 and keeps the trail-era formula of all-day breakfasts and a menu that runs from momo to muesli.3 Delicious Cafe in Thahity is open 07:00–22:00, and cafe bliss at Narsingh Chowk never closes.

Sources

  1. A legend, a landmark, The Kathmandu Post (Samrat Upadhyay, September 29, 2018), accessed October 2026
  2. Thamel, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Kathmandu's Hippie Trail Food Scene: Where the 60's Cafés Still Feed Travellers, Nepal Traveller (July 27, 2026), accessed October 2026
  4. Pumpernickel Bakery review: healthy and fulfilling way to start your day, Onlinekhabar English (May 7, 2018), accessed October 2026
  5. Himalayan Arabica Beans, Himalayan Arabica Beans (official site), accessed October 2026
  6. Garden of Dreams, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  7. Garden of Dreams, Garden of Dreams Development Committee (official site), accessed October 2026
  8. Kaiser Cafe, Garden of Dreams Development Committee (official site), accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

More of Kathmandu

Kathmandu Durbar Square & Asan

26 cafés

Lazimpat & Baluwatar

56 cafés

Durbar Marg & Naxal

49 cafés

Boudha

52 cafés

Jhamsikhel & Sanepa

79 cafés

Patan

69 cafés

In Thamel, also browse: Wi-Fi Bakery cafés Brunch Open late

FAQ

Thamel cafés: questions

What time do cafés open in Thamel, Kathmandu?

Early. Pumpernickel Bakery on Paryatan Marg and Himalayan Arabica Beans open at 06:30, and French Bakery, Palpasa Coffee on J.P. Road and Chiya Pub in Dhobichaur at 07:00. At the other end of the day, New Orleans Cafe on Chaksibari Marg serves until 23:00 and cafe bliss at Narsingh Chowk is open 24 hours.

How much does the Garden of Dreams in Thamel, Kathmandu cost to enter?

As of 2026, entry to the Garden of Dreams costs Rs 400 for non-Nepalis and Rs 150 for Nepalis. The garden, at the entrance to Thamel, opens 09:00–21:00 every day, and Kaiser Cafe inside is run by Basera Boutique Hotel. It was laid out in 1920 and restored between 2000 and 2007.

When did Pumpernickel Bakery in Thamel, Kathmandu open?

Pumpernickel Bakery opened in Thamel in the early 1980s, started by Norbu Tsering Shrestha, and is the best-known survivor of the German-style bakeries that fed travelers from the mid-1970s. It has served a yak cheese sandwich since it opened, and its garden courtyard is busy from about 09:00.

For café owners

Own a café in Thamel?

Free listings are free for good. A featured page gives you photos, a menu and your own URL, in your café's own design, for less than a coffee a day.

Get listed, free See a page in its own design