Himalayan Yak: Is This Queens Spot Worth It for Authentic Nepali Comfort Food?

Quick Summary

Restaurant: Himalayan Yak Restaurant
Address: 72-20 Roosevelt Ave, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
Cuisine: Authentic Nepali, Tibetan, Bhutanese & Indian
Price Range: Moderate ($$)
What We Ordered: Chicken Lollipop, Nepali Thali, Naan Bread, Nepali Chicken Curry, and Aloo Cauli
My Favorites: Chicken Lollipop and Nepali Thali
My Rating: 8.1/10
Best For: Anyone wanting to experience authentic Nepali cuisine in Queens
Skip If: You're looking for a bright, quiet restaurant or bold, heavy Indian-style curries.
Would I Come Back? Yes, I'd like to try their famous momo next time.

Watch My Experience

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Quick Summary
Watch My Experience
Trying Authentic Nepali Food in Jackson Heights
A Modern Restaurant with Traditional Nepali Touches
Getting to Himalayan Yak
Chicken Lollipop: The Standout Starter
Nepali Thali: Comfort on a Platter
Fresh Naan Bread
Milder Curries: A Note on Spice and Preference
Nepali Food vs. Indian Food: What’s the Difference?
Moderate Prices and Friendly Service
My Honest Thoughts
Restaurant Information

Trying Authentic Nepali Food in Jackson Heights

If you want to eat your way around the globe without leaving Queens, Roosevelt Avenue is the best place to go. While I usually head to this stretch of Jackson Heights for destination-worthy birria tacos, my latest food run led me through the doors of Himalayan Yak Restaurant to dive into traditional Nepali comfort food.

The brick exterior and storefront of Himalayan Yak Restaurant in Jackson Heights featuring a prominent copper-colored awning, neon open sign, and a large white traditional stupa eye emblem above the restaurant name. — Settled along the lively stretch of Roosevelt Avenue, the eye-catching facade of Himalayan Yak welcomes hungry diners into a sprawling world of Himalayan culinary tradition.

Himalayan Yak hits a bunch of bases—Nepali, Tibetan, Bhutanese, and Indian. It’s a huge menu, but it’s actually a solid spot to try things you don’t see every day in NYC

I love hunting down dishes in NYC that you can’t really find outside of specific neighborhoods. Honestly, Himalayan Yak is a solid, easy introduction to this kind of food. A few of the dishes we tried felt a little safe, but the best things on the table were good enough that I’d definitely go back.

A Modern Restaurant with Traditional Nepali Touches

Unlike some of the older, no-frills South Asian spots anchoring Jackson Heights, Himalayan Yak feels noticeably modern, spacious, and clean. The interior designers did an excellent job retaining an authentic cultural character with traditional artwork and woodwork while keeping the seating arrangements comfortable and contemporary.

The modern, clean interior dining room of Himalayan Yak featuring dark wood tables and chairs, yellow walls, a large painting of Himalayan mountains and yaks, and traditional wooden window frames. — Inside, the space opens up into a spacious, contemporary dining area adorned with warm tones and classic cultural art pieces.

Just a heads-up on the vibe: the dining room is pretty dark. It’s a nice, chill atmosphere for dinner, but it makes taking photos of your food kind of tough. They also have a stage for live music. If you walk in while a band is playing, the whole place turns from a quiet dinner spot into a loud, packed neighborhood party. I honestly loved the energy, but if you're looking for a quiet spot to have a private conversation, it's definitely something to keep in mind.

Getting to Himalayan Yak

Himalayan Yak Restaurant is located at 72-20 Roosevelt Ave, Jackson Heights, NY 11372. Public transit makes getting here an absolute breeze: simply take the E, F, M, R, or 7 train straight to the Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue Station, and it’s just a five-minute walk to the entrance. Because it is right off this major hub, it’s also incredibly easy to pair a meal here with a broader neighborhood food crawl, even venturing just a few minutes over into neighboring Elmhurst to explore spots like Chung Ki Wa or Pulau Pinang.

If you're planning to drive, local street parking along Roosevelt Avenue is notoriously cutthroat and highly dependent on luck. Taking the subway is definitely the most stress-free option.

Chicken Lollipop: The Standout Starter

Look at almost any table inside, and you’ll see an order of Chicken Lollipops. These were easily my favorite thing we ate. They aren't your typical game-day buffalo wings—the meat is pushed to the end of the bone to form a big, juicy chunk, and the whole thing is heavily seasoned.

A white plate holding a pile of deep-fried Chicken Lollipops with exposed bone handles, served next to a small metal cup filled with bright red dipping sauce. — The standout starter: golden, shatteringly crisp Chicken Lollipops that stay wonderfully juicy on the inside.

They got the texture exactly right. The outside has a massive crunch, but the chicken stays super tender and juicy on the inside. Plus, the spice blend has a ton of flavor without burning your tongue off. It's the perfect starter to share with the table, though honestly, I could have eaten the whole platter myself. Definitely order these

Nepali Thali: Comfort on a Platter

For the mains, the Nepali Thali was the clear favorite. If you want to see why traditional Himalayan comfort food is so good, this is the thing to get. It comes out on a big copper platter, so you get to try a bunch of different essential dishes all at once.

A traditional round brass or copper Nepali Thali platter arranged with a central dome of white rice surrounded by small bowls of daal, chicken curry, stewed vegetables, greens, chutneys, and sliced raw onions with a green chili. — The glorious Nepali Thali, offering a clean, comforting variety of home-style flavors beautifully arranged on a classic brass platter.

Our platter arrived loaded with a mountain of white rice, earthy daal (lentil soup), tender meat curry, seasoned vegetable sides, and a crispy papad flatbread acting as the perfect texturized crown.

Mixing the rich daal right into the warm rice with the chicken curry makes for the ultimate comfort food. The vegetable sides add a nice freshness to balance out the rice, and the crunchy papad gives it a great texture. The whole plate feels clean, healthy, and rustic—like a home-cooked meal instead of heavy, greasy restaurant food.

Fresh Naan Bread

We also got an order of naan for the table. It came out piping hot, brushed with plenty of butter, and it was super soft with that great, chewy texture you want from fresh naan.

Slices of charred, blistered, and buttery naan bread stacked neatly inside a metal basket lined with white parchment paper. — Piping hot, pillowy, and lightly brushed with butter—this fresh naan acts as the perfect vehicle for scooping up every remnant of curry sauce.

Even though naan is usually an Indian thing, it was perfect for scooping up every last drop of sauce left on our plates. It’s hard to beat fresh bread when it’s done right, and it was definitely worth adding to the table.

Milder Curries: A Note on Spice and Preference

We also tried the standalone Nepali Chicken Curry and the Aloo Cauli (a potato and cauliflower dish). Just a heads-up: if you’re coming here expecting the thick, oily gravies and intense, fiery heat you usually get with North Indian or Pakistani food, these might surprise you.

A rich orange-red chicken curry garnished with fresh green cilantro and scallions, served inside a rustic brown earthenware clay dish. — The traditional Nepali Chicken Curry is incredibly tender and mild, skewing toward a gentler, more delicate flavor profile.

Neither dish was bad. The chicken was tender and the veggies weren't overcooked, but the flavors were just really subtle. The gravies were light, gentle, and mildly seasoned. Compared to the curries I tried at Shanai Restaurant & Party Hall, which is also located in the same area, these dishes were noticeably milder and less flavorful.

A close-up view of Aloo Cauli, a thick, golden-yellow potato and cauliflower curry mixed with bright green peas and black mustard seeds in a brown ceramic bowl. — A comforting bowl of Aloo Cauli, letting the natural textures of cauliflower, soft potato, and green peas take center stage.

They tasted good and clean, but they just lacked that punchy, deep flavor I usually look for in a really great curry. If you prefer things on the lighter side and don't want a ton of intense spice, you’ll probably love them. But for me, they weren't the dishes that would make me crave a return trip

Nepali Food vs. Indian Food: What’s the Difference?

If you're wondering how Nepali food actually differs from Indian food, it really comes down to how heavy it is. Indian dishes usually rely on tons of ghee, heavy creams, and slow-cooked spice mixes to build those thick, rich sauces. Nepali cooking is much lighter. It lets the actual flavors of the meat and veggies stand out, using a simpler mix of ginger, garlic, cilantro, and wild Himalayan herbs. It’s pure comfort food, but it leaves you feeling clean rather than weighed down.

If you want to try Indian food located within the same neighborhood, I do recommend you try Jackson Diner Indian Cuisine in 74th street

Moderate Prices and Friendly Service

In terms of your wallet, Himalayan Yak sits squarely in the moderate tier. It isn't a dirt-cheap street food stall, but it won't break the bank either. Given the generous portion sizes, the clean, modern dining space, and the hospitable, attentive service from the floor staff, the overall bill felt completely justified. It offers a great, high-value sit-down dining experience right in the middle of Jackson Heights.

My Honest Thoughts

Overall, I really liked Himalayan Yak. It’s a clean, comfortable spot and an easy place to try real Himalayan food if you've never had it. Not every single dish blew me away—the chicken curry and the potato-cauliflower mix could have used a bit more punch—but those Chicken Lollipops and the Nepali Thali were easily worth the trip. It’s just a really solid neighborhood spot for authentic comfort food, and that's exactly what I was looking for.

Would I Come Back?

Absolutely. There’s still a ton of stuff on this menu I want to try. Next time I go back, I’m definitely getting the momos—everyone says those dumplings are what they're actually famous for. If you’re hanging out in Jackson Heights and want some real, comforting Himalayan food, you should definitely check this place out

Restaurant Information

Feature	Details
Restaurant	Himalayan Yak Restaurant
Address	72-20 Roosevelt Ave, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
Cuisine	Nepali, Tibetan, Bhutanese & Indian
Price Range	Moderate ($$)
Nearest Subway	Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue Station (E, F, M, R, 7)
Walking Distance	Approximately 5 minutes
Must-Try Dishes	Chicken Lollipop, Nepali Thali
Parking	Highly limited street parking (Subway strongly recommended)
Would I Return?	Yes, planning to try the famous momo on the next visit

Please note that menu items, prices, hours, and restaurant information may change over time. Check the restaurant's official listings or Google Maps for the latest updates before visiting.