Everest on Grand

Consistently good. Been for lunch twice now. I don't normally do buffets so ordered off the menu. Food was good with a good spice level(medium baby!).

Planning to add this as a regular lunch place.

So many wonderful vegan choices, and reasonable prices. I can even go there with family and friends who are omnivores or vegetarian.

Everest on Grand is, on a whole, the best Nepalese restaurant in the Twin Cities. The decor is nice and cozy and the service is friendly (though fairly slow, so don't expect a quick lunch here).

First, I started out with a samosa ($2.50). It was flaky, hot and nicely seasoned; it was definitely one of the better samosas I've had in the Twin Cities.

Next I had a kathar curry (jackfruit curry) ($10.95), which was great; the portion size was easily 75% larger than the jackfruit curry at The Himalayan, but the same price. And they didn't skimp on the jackfruit, either. The flavors were good, but it could have used a bit more seasoning or spice. I enjoyed the extra finishes they added, such as fresh chopped cilantro and tomato.

Finally, you can get a good sense of the sophistication and quality control of an Indian or Nepalese restaurant by their rice and bread. Accordingly, this is where I realized that Everest was the best Nepalese joint in town. I had a side of white rice ($1) and a piece of tandoori roti ($2.50), which is a vegan alternative to naan (naan is usually made with milk/yogurt). I didn't like that they charged me for the rice, which seems really cheap and tacky, especially if it's not even brown rice. That said, it was some of the best white rice I've had in the US: it was bone-dry, long-grain basmati rice, nicely fluffed. It takes skill to make rice that well, with the grains not sticking to each other. You don't see it often. The roti was also excellent: light, soft, fluffy and huge. From the rice and roti alone, I could tell that Everest has a serious, diligent cook.

A few drawbacks, though: because they have a buffet, it's not exactly a quiet place. There's constant chatter and over-fed people are continually shuffling around. Don't expect to have a quiet, laid-back lunch here.

Second, while I like that they have a 15% discount for MPR members, they didn't give me a discount, claiming it is valid only on weekdays. Something didn't sound right about that to me, and once I got home and checked, I saw that THEY were in the wrong; there is a 15% discount at all times of the day, every day. I didn't appreciate them not knowing their own policy.

Third, the menu is very busy and not laid-out in a clear manner. I had to ask questions about confirm what's vegan vs. vegetarian.

Lastly, Everest doesn't have an extensive, innovative chai menu like Namaste Cafe; nor does it offer soy milk for its regular chai, which seems like a major oversight. Other than these drawbacks, I definitely liked Everest and will be back to try other dishes.

Very tasty and veg/vegan-friendly as others have stated.

Have been for dinner and it was delish. If you have an eating partner, the COMBO MEAL is a good deal--like 17.80 (or something close to that) and you get 2 vegetarian curries (you pick), daal (a lentil type soup), the potato salad type thing (can't remember what it is called-but it is delicious!), rice, and dessert...enough of everything to have left-overs. The dessert was the only thing that I wouldn't want again, as, although it was tasty, like a funnel cake, it is most obviously not healthy at all--loads of sugar and deep fried! Perhaps this can be substituted, I am going to ask about this next time...

Also, if you like spicy food, they pull it off very well. Don't be brave and go for spicier than you think you can handle because it will probably be too spicy...you can always get hot sauce on the side (which is very tasty but VERY hot) if it isn't spicy enough...but it probably will be.

The momos are amazing too and the naan is good as well. I am not a naan expert (by any means) but this one is sweeter and softer than what I've had before--to add, as you might expect, the naan has milk in it.

Anyway, very good, and if you like this but are closer to the Seward neighborhood, the Himalayan is another delicious Nepalese restaurant!

I needed something to eat on Grand Ave. while doing some Christmas shopping a few weeks ago. I stepped out of the snowy weather and into this little gem, and found myself with excellent tea (Kaalo Chiya) and buffet. I don't recall the names of everything I had. Pakora, a rice dish, potatoes, vegetables, excellent spices. Most of the items on the buffet were vegetarian. We've ordered the vegetable momos from the menu and recommend them highly.

Only drawback is the price. Would have rated it excellent otherwise.

Fantastic!

Service can be a little spotty, but once the food arrives it doesn't really matter. They have carry-out as well. By far the best vegetarian restaurant in St. Paul.

I meant to write the review last week. I didn't, and since then I've lost a lot of the details. However, I can say that the momos (dumplings) are excellent, and the samosas are really great, too. I got the chau chau (I think) and it was good, although it was a bit spicy. That's probably my own fault, for ordering a "mild+" I like that they have levels between mild and medium and medium and hot, but if you have a tough time with spice, stick to the mild. Don't even try and be tough.

The green jackfruit dish is good - jackfriut is a little sweet with a mushroom-like texture.

The food during dinner is always really really good. I can't remember the names of everything, but I have not eaten anything I did not thoroughly enjoy, and I've been there many times. The spices are just amazing.

I went to the lunch buffet once. While it was nice that they had veggie items available, all of the food was cold or lukewarm. The service was awful, my water glass was empty on the end of the table for a VERY long time, and there were only three other people eating.

But my horrible lunch experience does not outweigh the goodness of the dinners I've had. Lots of interesting dishes. And the staff is very helpful in finding out what is vegan and what is not, and they understand what vegan means.

Good food, and friendly staff. The lunch buffet always has 2 veg dishes + appetizers and salad fixings. Note that the yellow rice with veggies in it (can't remember the name, but they always have it at the buffet) has butter in it. The buffet is a little more than I'd like at $9 ($11 on the weekends), but the food is quite good.

As previously said, the lunch buffet is very vegan friendly. The staff is knowledgeable about ingredients and seems genuinely happy to discuss this with you. I eat here at least a couple of times a month.

They keep the water coming but are consistantly slow with the check. So if you're in a rush be sure to just go up to the counter.