Kathmandu Newari Food Walk: Patan Durbar Square, Chhoyla & Samay Baji
Day tour
Food tour
Standard
Departure point
→
Destination
Kathmandu, Nepal
Kathmandu
1N (Participation Duration)
Walking (Transportation)
English (Language)
Number of participants 0/8
0 booked
Tour description
Most visitors to Kathmandu eat momo and dal bhat and leave. Neither is Newari food. The Newar people built the Kathmandu Valley's cities and temples, and their cuisine is one of the most distinctive in Asia - built on buffalo, beaten rice, fermentation and a spice called timur that numbs the mouth like Sichuan pepper.
We walk it in Patan, the quietest and best-preserved of the valley's three old cities. We start behind the Krishna temple at a shop that has been serving from the same courtyard for decades, for chhoyla - buffalo grilled over straw fire then tossed with chilli, garlic, ginger and mustard oil - with wo, a lentil pancake, and piro aalu, fierce cold potato salad.
Then samay baji, the ceremonial platter that appears at every Newari festival: beaten rice, black soybeans, buffalo, ginger, boiled egg, dried fish and a shot of aila, the home-distilled rice spirit. Your guide explains the ritual logic behind the plate, which is the whole point of it.
We finish with yomari, a steamed rice-flour dumpling shaped like a fig and filled with molten palm sugar and sesame, and a walk through the temple courtyards.
Small group, maximum 8 guests.
We walk it in Patan, the quietest and best-preserved of the valley's three old cities. We start behind the Krishna temple at a shop that has been serving from the same courtyard for decades, for chhoyla - buffalo grilled over straw fire then tossed with chilli, garlic, ginger and mustard oil - with wo, a lentil pancake, and piro aalu, fierce cold potato salad.
Then samay baji, the ceremonial platter that appears at every Newari festival: beaten rice, black soybeans, buffalo, ginger, boiled egg, dried fish and a shot of aila, the home-distilled rice spirit. Your guide explains the ritual logic behind the plate, which is the whole point of it.
We finish with yomari, a steamed rice-flour dumpling shaped like a fig and filled with molten palm sugar and sesame, and a walk through the temple courtyards.
Small group, maximum 8 guests.
Meeting point:
View on map
Patan Durbar Square, Krishna Mandir side, Lalitpur, Kathmandu
We meet in Patan Durbar Square beside the stone Krishna Mandir. Your guide will have a small sign with your name. About 30 minutes by taxi from Thamel.
Detailed itinerary
Stop 1 - Patan Durbar Square: We start among the temples with your guide on the Newar people, the valley's three kingdoms and the 2015 earthquake reconstruction.
Stop 2 - Chhoyla and wo: Buffalo grilled over a straw fire and tossed with chilli, garlic and mustard oil, with a lentil pancake and beaten rice, in a courtyard shop that has done this for decades.
Stop 3 - Piro aalu and bara: Cold potato in fierce chilli and timur pepper, and a fried black-lentil cake topped with egg.
Stop 4 - Samay baji: The ceremonial Newari platter - beaten rice, black soybean, buffalo, ginger, boiled egg, dried fish - with your guide explaining what each element means.
Stop 5 - Aila tasting: A small measure of the home-distilled rice spirit that accompanies the platter, poured the traditional way. Optional.
Stop 6 - Courtyard walk: A guided walk through Patan's hidden bahals and temple courtyards, which is where the city actually lives.
Stop 7 - Yomari and juju dhau: A steamed rice-flour dumpling filled with molten palm sugar and sesame, and a cup of the valley's famous set curd.
Stop 2 - Chhoyla and wo: Buffalo grilled over a straw fire and tossed with chilli, garlic and mustard oil, with a lentil pancake and beaten rice, in a courtyard shop that has done this for decades.
Stop 3 - Piro aalu and bara: Cold potato in fierce chilli and timur pepper, and a fried black-lentil cake topped with egg.
Stop 4 - Samay baji: The ceremonial Newari platter - beaten rice, black soybean, buffalo, ginger, boiled egg, dried fish - with your guide explaining what each element means.
Stop 5 - Aila tasting: A small measure of the home-distilled rice spirit that accompanies the platter, poured the traditional way. Optional.
Stop 6 - Courtyard walk: A guided walk through Patan's hidden bahals and temple courtyards, which is where the city actually lives.
Stop 7 - Yomari and juju dhau: A steamed rice-flour dumpling filled with molten palm sugar and sesame, and a cup of the valley's famous set curd.
Tour price includes
• Small-group English-speaking local food guide (maximum 8 guests)
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• A small aila tasting, or a soft drink if you prefer
• Bottled sealed water and wet wipes throughout
• All taxes and service fees
• All food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• A small aila tasting, or a soft drink if you prefer
• Bottled sealed water and wet wipes throughout
• All taxes and service fees
Tour price excludes
• Patan Durbar Square heritage entry fee, if you wish to enter the museum and monument zone
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off (available on request for an extra fee)
• Additional alcohol
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for your guide
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off (available on request for an extra fee)
• Additional alcohol
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for your guide
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours are non-refundable. If a strike, demonstration or road closure makes the route unsafe we cancel and refund in full - see the notes.
Other notes
Runs daily at 10:30.
Please read this honestly: Nepal went through a major political upheaval in September 2025 and held elections in March 2026. The situation is now calm and normal daily life has resumed, but occasional demonstrations and bandhs still occur at short notice, mainly around government buildings in central Kathmandu. Our route is in Patan, away from those areas. We monitor conditions daily and will cancel and refund in full rather than run a tour on a disrupted day. Check your own government's travel advice before you travel.
Monsoon runs June to September and brings landslides and flooding across the country, including severe flooding in August 2026. Road conditions in and out of the valley can change quickly in those months.
Hygiene: Kathmandu's tap water is not safe. We provide sealed bottled water, serve no ice, no raw salads and no unbottled juice, and we sequence hot and fried items first. Typhoid and hepatitis A vaccination is worth discussing with your doctor before you travel.
Entry fees: the Patan Durbar Square monument zone charges a foreign visitor fee. Our food route does not require it; if you want to enter the museum afterwards your guide will show you where to buy a ticket.
Dietary needs: tell us at least 48 hours ahead. Newari food is buffalo-centred, but a vegetarian route through wo, bara, aalu and yomari is genuinely good.
About 2 km of walking on uneven brick paving. Not suitable for wheelchairs.
Please read this honestly: Nepal went through a major political upheaval in September 2025 and held elections in March 2026. The situation is now calm and normal daily life has resumed, but occasional demonstrations and bandhs still occur at short notice, mainly around government buildings in central Kathmandu. Our route is in Patan, away from those areas. We monitor conditions daily and will cancel and refund in full rather than run a tour on a disrupted day. Check your own government's travel advice before you travel.
Monsoon runs June to September and brings landslides and flooding across the country, including severe flooding in August 2026. Road conditions in and out of the valley can change quickly in those months.
Hygiene: Kathmandu's tap water is not safe. We provide sealed bottled water, serve no ice, no raw salads and no unbottled juice, and we sequence hot and fried items first. Typhoid and hepatitis A vaccination is worth discussing with your doctor before you travel.
Entry fees: the Patan Durbar Square monument zone charges a foreign visitor fee. Our food route does not require it; if you want to enter the museum afterwards your guide will show you where to buy a ticket.
Dietary needs: tell us at least 48 hours ahead. Newari food is buffalo-centred, but a vegetarian route through wo, bara, aalu and yomari is genuinely good.
About 2 km of walking on uneven brick paving. Not suitable for wheelchairs.
Detailed price list
| Guest type | Price |
|---|---|
| 大人 | $45 |
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