Best Burgers in Kathmandu: Thamel to Patan

The best burgers in Kathmandu are found in Thamel, the dense backpacker district north of the old city, and across the river in Jhamsikhel, the café street of Lalitpur (Patan). Lazimpat, Durbar Marg and the streets around Boudha stupa add more options. Chicken and buffalo are the main meats, with vegetarian patties on most menus.

The cow is Nepal’s national animal and its slaughter is illegal, so a “beef” burger in Kathmandu is usually made with buffalo, known locally as buff. Newar cooking has long used buff, and it fills the city’s most famous snack, the momo, a steamed dumpling served with tomato and sesame achar. Expect burger kitchens to borrow those flavours: achar-style sauces, chilli and timur, the citrusy Himalayan pepper.

Burgers in Kathmandu: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: Thamel for density, Jhamsikhel in Lalitpur for cafés, Lazimpat and Durbar Marg for sit-down restaurants, Boudha for a quieter evening.
• Local meat: buff, the buffalo meat used in momos and in most Kathmandu beef-style burgers.
• Local flavours: tomato achar, timur pepper and chilli.
• Currency: Nepalese rupee (NPR).
• Getting around: Thamel is best on foot; taxis and ride-hailing apps cover the wider valley.
• What our guides check: which meat is in the patty, stated on the menu or confirmed by the kitchen.

Every guide we publish on Kathmandu is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify, and all of them sit in our burger restaurant guides.