Namaste Cafe
Restaurant, Coffee/Tea/Juice
$$ - average
Nepalese
An Uptown Nepalese restaurant and chai cafe
Namaste Cafe opened in April of 2006. Their menu includes a vegetarian section, with entrees running from $9 - $11. They also have an extensive list of chai. The atmosphere is bright and airy and there is some outdoor seating. There is an emphasis on organic ingredients. Check out their web page for the menu.
- (Mostly) Organic
- Outdoor Seating
Added by Rachel Widome on May 7 06 (updated May 3)
Reviews
delicious soy lattes and cheap lunch specials. the food tastes fresh and clean. it's also super helpful that everything vegan is labeled on the menu. atmosphere is also great. bummer they aren't open on mondays.
This place is cute as a button! The space, which is the lower part of an old house, is painted in cheerful yellows and oranges, has simple blond wood furniture, and had a small glass with bright yellow daisies on each table. The food tastes as pretty as the place looks. I started with the vanilla and nutmeg chai, which was hands down the best chai I have ever had. That alone is worth the trip. My boyfriend and I then shared an appetizer of potato cakes stuffed with peas and mushrooms. I believe it was called aloo chop, and then was my favorite food item I had. I had the Kathmandu curry as my entree, which is tofu and mixed veggies in a delicious curry sauce. It was good, but a bit on the oily side. I'm sure if you ask for less oil, they would accommodate. My boyfriend had a dish with potatoes and black eyed peas, which was really good but more on the bland side, which was perfect for him. They don't have any vegan deserts yet, but the owner said he is working on it. The overall experience was wonderful. The service was great and the place just feels happy inside.
my husband and i are frequent-diners at namaste cafe. we ate there tonite and they've made a few changes.....we had the kathmandu curry and it was wonderful! a tasty mix of spices - add a paratha and a chai and we were extremely happy.
I live nearby and have been in many times. The service is always friendly but sometimes slow. I love the tea. The bean dishes seem spicier than the other menu items.
A great place to sip some tea,have some food and read a book.
My girlfriend brought me to this place because she heard good things about it but we both left feeling the food was a litle bland. Not much flavor in either of our dishes but the spice factor (we both chose hot) was there.
Very nice. I tried a handful of different things and liked them all. A substantial selection of teas. Not terribly expensive. Good service, pleasant ambiance. I look forward to going back.
Very nice place with delicious food. You can choose the spiciness of your food, and the chais can be made either hot or iced. I really liked the colors and decor as well as the food. I'll definitely be back.
Nice place. Not a great number of vegetarian entrees (3 or 4), but they were all vegan. Two of the appetizers are vegan. The spiced potatoes appetizer, fried daal soup, and potatoes w/ peas & cauliflower entree were all quite good. They're just getting started, so it was quite uncrowded.
Update - They've expanded the number of vegan dishes quite a bit. The menu now has all the dishes that either are, or can me made vegan marked. I had green beans with potatoes and tomatoes, and it was one of the most finely spiced dishes I think I've ever had.
I have liked everything I've had here quite a bit. They have a great selection of chais, and they can make them with (organic) soy milk. They seem kind of expensive ($3 each) but they come in a huge glass, so it's not a bad deal.
The service is very friendly, and I really like the decor. It's a house converted to be a restaurant, so it's a change from the usual restaurant interior.
Namaste is a lovely restaurant. It is open, bright and peaceful. The vegan options we sampled were all delicious (though next time I'll try the tofu, mushrooms and peas entree instead of the curried eggplant and tofu). They also have an extensive tea menu; all drinks can be made vegan with soy milk. The vanilla nutmeg chai I ordered was excellent, as was the service. I'll definitely be going back.
I just went to Namaste for the 1st time last night and my dish was really good -- I got the tofu and eggplant coconut curry dish. I'd prob give them a higher score, but since I've only been there once, I'm being a bit conservative right now. I'm not vegan myself but I asked if the vegetarian items were vegan and they said most were and that they planned to come out with a new menu that marks vegan items. You can check out the menu on their web site. Nice atmosphere and nice people working there too. The chai menu looked great but it was too late for me to drink caffeine so I didn't try any. I'll def be going back there!
Namaste Cafe makes great chai and has excellent ambience, as well as a focus on local and organic foods (though it's not 100% vegetarian), but the service is lacking---our food took forty minutes to arrive and the waiters weren't very attentive. The food was light but seemed a bit flat in terms of spices and overall flavor. Prices were high, too, considering the quantity of food they give. I'll give it another shot, but was not totally impressed. I'd definitely take a vegetarian Indian restaurant over this place.
UPDATE: The service here has improved considerably. They've also added outdoor seating and wine. It can get really hot if you're sitting inside during the summer (they don't have a/c), so keep that in mind. I still think it's overpriced, especially for the tiny portions they give you, but the flavors are fresh and light and they've improved the taste quality. Their chai is still the best in the Midwest, and they've added beer and wine to the menu. They have one excellent vegan dessert, the "carrots in coconut cream" which is deliciously sweet, smooth and creamy. Amazing, unusual flavors. Unfortunately, they only occasionally have the ingredients for it.