Tibetan Dumpling Cafe

I am not sure when exactly the Tibetan Dumpling Cafe opened up, or how I completely missed it until now. The fact it’s a bit out of the beaten path – past 49th street on Queens Blvd – likely has something to do with it. The first I heard of it was an article on Gothamist, which prompted me to pay a visit within a few days.
 

The place is already quite popular – we had to wait for a table, and there were people grabbing take out as well. They also do delivery. The staff still seeems to be learning the ropes in terms of the dine-in service, as they were very poorly organized. It took a long time for them to take our order, and then they screwed up parts of it, and had to repeatedly ask what it was we had ordered. Additionally, there were two different waitresses who would independently try to serve our table, and both would ask the same question. We also noticed them arguing with each other in the kitchen. It was strange.

Without further ado, here are the namesake dumplings – or as they are referred to here: momos. All under $7, the filling options include chicken, beef, and vegetables. This was my favorite part of the meal. The restaurant definitely lives up
to its name. The soft dough of the perfectly sized dumplings complemented the chicken filling deliciously. A few different  sauces were available to go with the dumplings. And they come in different shapes, too!

One of the “Tibetan Specialties” on the menu is this chicken chili dish for $8. Although others seem to really like it, I personally was a bit disappointed. It just seemed like a glorified version of a chinese takeout chicken dish. Not bad, but not something I want to go to a restaurant for. The chili was also very unevenly distributed. Parts of the dish were very bland, and parts were way too spicy. On the side it came with a big chunk of tibetan bread, which resembles a ball of soft dough. In it of itself it was quite bland, but it can be dipped in sauces.

There are a variety of other items on the menu, includng soups: chicken, hot & sour, vegetable, and thank (egg drop). There are rice and thali dishes as well. Everything is very reasonably priced – I don’t think there is a single item over $10.

There is no alcohol at the cafe, but they do have sodas and lassi drinks. The best drink – a mango lassi – is a whopping $4  unfortunately.