Seward Civic & Commerce Association

Naveen Shrestha opened Himalayan Restaurant just over one year ago. At the restaurant he serves traditional Nepalese food with beer and wine. For those of you who are rusty on geography, Nepal sits atop the Himalayan mountain range between India and Tibet. The food is quite similar to what you would expect from an Indian restaurant, but with its own special twist.

The building Naveen opened up shop in is said to be cursed. “Lots of businesses have come and gone here,” he told me, “we want to stick around, though. Someone has to break the curse.” Inside, the restaurant looks far from condemned. The walls are covered in a mural of the Himalayans themselves, painted by the mother of a friend. Buddhist prayer flags adorn the walls. And no matter the time of day, it seems, you will be greeted by the smiling face of Naveen’s brother or Naveen himself.

For the most part, business is going well. The people who come in love it and return. “We make good food,” Naveen said. Everything is made fresh daily in the restaurant. He also serves fair trade beer and wine when he can and is hoping to begin sourcing locally-grown foods.
Naveen’s hope for the business is to be able to share his culture of food with the neighborhood—
he wants people to taste Naveen at the front counter of Himalayan Restaurant.the flavors he grew up with. So far, Seward seems to be enjoying traditional Nepalese cuisine and his doors are always open to those wishing to expand their palette horizons.