Cafe Tibet

Excellent Tibetian food, with an incredible ambiance! It’s a must visit if you’re in the East Bay.

It’s a small, family-​run place and if there’s a wait for a table, as there sometimes is, it’s worth the wait (though I’ve never had bad service, like someone else commented). Try the momos and thank me later.

The food is absolutely delicious. Came here after viewing some of the photos and reviews on Unilocal.There was a particular dish in a photo that I wanted, specifically for its anti-​inflammatory ingredients. Even though the photo didn’t have the official name in the caption, just showing it to the server, he was able to identify it, with a smile and friendly ease.
The place is quite small, and is filled with a very casual crowd. My only comment, which is why it’s four stars instead of five, is about timeliness of service. If I weren’t trying to make it to a meeting on time, I may not have noticed that it was a bit slow (despite there not being very many people there). On a more relaxed day, I would likely rate it five stars.

the butter water is very interesting it is like water butter and also the momo is very soft and good i like the yellow sauce it is like sweet warm squash

The best traditional Tibetan food out there. You can’t go wrong here. Then-​thuk, momos, and shabakleb.

When you walk into Café Tibet, you are immediately enveloped by walls of antiques, photos, statues, punctuated by these vintagey lace curtains on the windows. It almost feels like you’ve entered a quirky Tibetan grandmother’s little abode for some fresh momo and yummy bites.
For the unfamiliar, Tibetan is sort of a mix of Asian and Indian with momo being little dumplings (think steamed Chinese but different spiced filling) with meat or vegs, seasoned with ginger notes here. I had never tried Tibetan before, but came here for my roommate’s birthday. It was pretty empty, though I’ve seen this differ on weekend evenings; it matched the lazy vibe we were feeling since the service is personal (the nicest staff I’ve encountered), but the food delivery on the slow side. We didn’t mind though since we were too busy splitting a bottle of wine lol
Together we ordered plates of:
Kar-​sha Momo: mushroom and mascarpone filling, an unexpectedly tasty combo!
Beef Sha Momo: recommend them fried for crunch
Ngoe Thuk: noodle dish mixed with veggies and meat, refreshing more than greasy/​salty
Everything was delicious with great veggie accompaniments. Not to mention they treated us to this fried eggplant dish that was perfectly spiced and crunchy and not a slimy mess on the inside as you might expect. I swear I dipped EVERYTHING in that chili sauce that came with it and recommend you do too!
Overall, it’s a really great place for a long catch up with friends or a date (not a quick pick up), with food that doesn’t rest too heavy in your stomach with some amazing, sweet service from the family running it.

I tried the vegetarian momo’s. I hated it.

I had a lovely meal here. While broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are likely not native to Tibet, they were added to a sauce in a stew that had obviously taken much longer to simmer and reduce than the vegetables took to cook to tender-​crisp. This with an absolutely packed house.
The lamb in the stew was tender and the sauce was deep, rich and complex with no overbearing elements. No spice or garlic bombs here (I love both). The flavor of this stew had to stand on its own. I was very impressed at the first bite.
This shows an attention to detail that will bring me back.

3.5 rounded up
This was a very interesting meal indeed and every dish was almost like a fusion of other Asian flavors intertwined. We started off with the eggplant chips which were really delicious. It’s basically fried eggplant done exceptionally well. The large amount of eggplant meat to outside crisp was perfect and the dipping sauce was a nice compliment. Then came the Kar-​sha momo which was also a different version of the momos I’ve tasted previously at Himalayan/​Nepalese restaurants. They make their momo skin slightly softer and thinner and the inside filling is pretty packed with juicy contents. Loved it.
Our main dishes included the mixed vegetable curry and the Then Thuk (amdo special) plus the mango lassi drink. Enjoyed everything we had although it took awhile for me to get used to the taste of the Tibetan flavors, mostly because I expected a slightly different taste from the descriptions. It was a fusion of Chinese and Indian touches here and there plus its own unique tastes.
I thought the prices are overpriced especially for the entrees compared to the quantity you get though ambiance wise, it’s hard to find another restaurant quite like this. It’s super relaxing and conducive to enjoying your meal. You’ll see the second you walk in! Lastly, the service was very good. and this is why I ended up bumping up to a 4.

Going strong, Café Tibet! Love the food, love the atmosphere, one of those places that makes the world seem like a better place. I think this is down to the owner, a very graceful kindhearted person who has put something of herself into her restaurant.
I’ve noticed new items on the menu, organic-​type dishes, and I’ve enjoyed them. Love the chicken fried rice with brown rice and pumpkin seeds. So full of vegetables and love the flavors.
Please stay exactly as you are!

Berkeley cannot get any cooler, and then I discover places like this one and realise I was wrong.
Delicious food served simply in a colourful, vibrant space with friendly, relaxed staff. Exactly my style.
I had an enormous bowl of vegetable soup and the Tibetan tea (salty, yum!) and thoroughly enjoyed both. Flavourful, filling, and healthy. I can’t wait to go back!

I’ve been here a few times and I only remember the momos– we got the combination plate, which gives you three each of three kinds of the Tibetan dumplings, each perched on a small bed of sauce and served with a *very* spicy thick sauce on the side. You have the option of getting the beef ones pan-​fried, which I recommend. We also got the spinach & feta one (delicious) as well as the mushroom one (too much non-​caramelized onion for me).
Also the chai tea is extremely flavorful and rich and unsweetened, which is perfect for those who don’t like the super-​sweet stuff you get most places (they bring out sugar and a spoon with it), and for those with sweet tooths the lassi is thick and there’s a LOT of it.
As mentioned, very slow service. Comically slow.
The décor is fantastic and I love having the sound of Tibetan chanting and gongs playing behind me as I eat. While I don’t think this place is great (esp. with all the options in Berkeley), I’d say it’s A-​OK and not a bad choice.

Cute place on University & Milvia elaborately decorated with Tibetan art, sculptures, books, flags, and historical photographs. While the service was a bit slow, the staff was extremely helpful in their recommendations and walking you through different sections of the menu.
Onto the food:
— Combination Momo platter: The momos truly stole the show. I loved every single one I tried; if you want to try several kinds of momos, I highly recommend getting the platter and splitting among your group.
— Shen dea ngoe-​ma (pan-​fried rice with mixed vegetables, choice of protein seasoned with fresh ginger and garlic): a little salty, but overall well-​cooked and flavorful
— Tsel Nezom (mixed vegetable curry) — really tasty! We asked for this to be spicy, and it was the perfect amount of seasoning and kick. Choice of vegetables was diverse and plentiful.
Café Tibet also has an organic menu, which pulls mainly from local produce. You can request red rice in lieu of basmati rice for most menu items, which adds an extra depth of flavor and texture. There are several vegetarian and vegan options, making it a solid lunch option for anyone. Pretty solid Tibetan spot in East Bay!

Wouldn’t recommend this place at all.
Service is horribly slow — took us an hour to get our food AFTER we had to flag down the waiter to take our order because they forgot about us. The check took us an oddly long time to get as well. We ended up spending a terrible 2 hours there.
Menu is worded incorrectly. There’s only two versions of the Beef Momo not steamed, fried and pan-​fried as the menu says — just the two former ones. Don’t get incorrectly charged like us.
(The Momo was OK and the only dish to even consider getting should you make the mistake to come here).
I personally got the pan-​fried noodles myself. It was heavy on the veggie side with little meat and very little noodle. If you’re into that, great — for everyone else, you’ve been warned. But most importantly, it had very little taste and was bland. The 4 other people at my table also thought they’re orders were «meh» or «terrible».
Overall, I’d never recommend this place and am never returning.

I checked this place out because one of my good friends recommended it to me. Hungry, we showed up at around 8 pm and luckily for us, there weren’t that many people. We quickly got seated and looked long at the menu. After searching through pictures on Unilocal,we settled with some of the more popular items such as the momos, the noodles, etc.
Unfortunately, we took a bit too long ordering, because just as the many other Unilocalers have stated, the service is friendly but very slow. We finally got our food around 850. First of all, the momos were pretty good. To summarize them, they tasted just like a larger version of gyozas. Unfortunately, the other items on the menu that we ordered weren’t as spectacular as we would have hoped. We didn’t get any indication that we were eating Tibetan food :(. However, I do like the wall décor and the music that plays. They do make you feel like you’re surrounded by culture.
Last of all, the waiters were pretty disorganized with our check. I believe they charged us an extra $ 1.50 for the momo’s because we got it «fried»?? Unfortunately, this slowed down our experience even more. If I ever go again, I would probably just order the momo’s. Maybe we were just unlucky, because it seems as though all the other customers had a great time.

The background music made me feel like I was hallucinating on the set of Jodorowsky’s Holy Mountain. In other words, I was in heaven. (In Jodorowsky’s cosmology, heaven is a Mexican restaurant.) While waiting for a table to open up I was acquainted with the spinning disk which appears at first to be a perpetual motion machine. «If you sit there, you have to spin it,» the matron told me, giving it a gentle whirl that set it in motion for another eternity. «Wow.» After a table was freed up – there are about 5 tables in all – we were seated by the window. Service was andante, congenial, at a human pace and the coffee and food were somewhere on the threshold of this world and the next.
«Is this the end of our adventure?» I asked.
Nothing has an end.”
«But is this life reality?»
«No. It is a film. Zoom back camera!»

The goal of this visit: channel my inner mountainwoman.
Tibetan hospitality was well-​reflected in the service. It was a quaint little slice of Tibet — music and all.
We were aptly warned that the Tibetan butter tea was not like most teas and more soupy. I don’t know that we were prepared for the exotic salty taste… But it was awesome to feel like we were in the Himalayas, saturating our taste buds with the most basic form of Sherpa liquid sustenance.
To accompany our butter tea, we got chicken sha momos. The server told us it would take ~20 minutes (we were the first customers of the evening), which was pretty considerate of him. I think any of the momos would be a good choice but their entire food selection looks fabulous (vegetarian, organic, and gluten-​free options! how very Berkeley!).
Our inner sherpas have awakened.

Café Tibet was quite the experience.
The service was friendly but almost TOO friendly (like eavesdrop-​on-​your-​conversation-​and-​make-​small-​remarks kind of friendly).
The music was unique but also borderline creepy.
The food was flavorful but at the same time unsatisfying.
I went with a group of friends and we ordered every kind of momo they had and their beef was probably the best but it was just incredibly dense and heavy. If you think it’s going to taste like dumplings I assure you it won’t.
The wait for our food took close to an hour and we were all getting quite restless. Waiting for our bill also took a surprisingly large amount of time. I’m giving this place a 3 star rating because I have no idea what Tibetan food is supposed to taste like so I can’t make the argument that it’s inauthentic BUT based on the wait time, the ‘friendly’ service and the mediocre food I’d say 3 stars is quite generous.

Found this little gem in Berkeley on my last trip out there. It’s a tiny room that was pretty packed with folks when I showed up for a late dinner. It’s decorated with posters, paintings and trinkets from Tibet giving it a home-​y, unpretentious feel.
I made the mistake of letting a group of 6 walk in before me and they managed to order first, so things took a while. That said, this isn’t «fast» food”.
I ordered a «starter» made from sauteed veggies, garlic & ginger. It was really good, and a good size too. The flavor was strong but not overpowering, and the veggies were obviously fresh. My dinner was a veggie noodle plate that was also flavorful and quite tasty. They have an entire «organic» back page where everything is about $ 4 more but all organic. I figured «when in Rome” – or this case Berkeley – and got the organic.
I would definitely visit again

I have been here several years ago and I feel that the service to food was good. It is a locally small shop restaurant. So you have to wait for the food. Which is good in a non-​timely environment. But if you are, don’t come.
We ordered the mom’s to share and it was really tasty. We all enjoyed it. The we ordered the traditional food on the menu and they were all good.
I really enjoyed my experienced here and the food tasting. I will be coming back as a regular for tibetan food.