Nepali Bhanchha Ghar, a restaurant in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens, has been named to The New York Times’ list of the 100 best restaurants in New York City for 2026.
The recognition has renewed attention on owner Yamuna Shrestha’s business success, as well as the legal and financial challenges she faced as an immigrant entrepreneur.
Located on Roosevelt Avenue, the restaurant is known for its traditional Nepali home-style cooking, especially its momo dumplings. The honor is widely seen as a milestone for New York’s Nepali community and a reflection of the broader journey of immigrant-owned businesses.
Nepali Bhanchha Ghar has also won the city’s annual momo crawl five consecutive times. Its dumplings have been featured in multiple reviews by The New York Times and Eater, helping boost its customer base, Shrestha said.
“Customers from outside the Nepali community increased suddenly,” Shrestha told NepYork in a previous interview. “We were surprised by the surge and later realized it came after reviews in The New York Times and other outlets.”
Momos remain the restaurant’s top-selling item. Customers dine in for popular dishes such as jhol momo and steamed momo, while others purchase frozen momos to take home. The restaurant also offers delivery through apps including Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash and Seamless.
Open daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., the restaurant has expanded its menu since the COVID-19 pandemic to attract more customers. Shrestha is often present from early morning, attending to operations and greeting customers.
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has visited the restaurant and heard Shrestha’s story, expressing support for immigrant small business owners.
Originally from Waling in Nepal’s Syangja district, Shrestha arrived in the United States on April 4, 2008, with aspirations of building a better future. She worked in a live-in job for nearly seven years before opening Nepali Bhanchha Ghar in 2015 using her savings.
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