Upohar

The food and the service were awesome.

This is not high end five star dining, but it is 5 stars and beyond for what it is. I cannot say enough how much I love the concept of the restaurant. Per the website, «We offer the gift of meaningful employment paying living wages to women experiencing barriers to workforce entry, such as newly resettled refugees, and put them on a path to economic self-​sufficiency. We celebrate our employees’ culture and heritage by featuring authentic food from their home countries.» And the food is very good. It is a small all vegetarian buffet with about 10 items. Yes. No meat much to my husband’s dismay. But even he grudgingly admitted he liked it and no longer wanted to go get «a chicken sandwich or something» after eating three plates of Congolese kale, African peanut stew, lentils etc. Everything was well made. I would say it was mildly spiced so it should not scare anyone away. The buffet at lunch was $ 10 and everything else (i.e. drinks, bread and dessert) are ala cart. I tried the lemonade, which is delicious. We also got the sambusa, which to me was just ok. I expected it to be fried, but it was baked. no big deal. Next time, I will try to save room for dessert, which the table next to me got and looked delicious. I made the rookie buffet mistake of overstuffing myself so couldn’t do one more bite. Service was great and the space was comfortable and very clean. A little hard to find for my gps. It is right next to a liquor store across the street from the Kmart. Enjoy.

Upohar is located on Roseville Rd off of Fruitville Pike across from Kmart not IN the Kmart shopping plaza. If you notice the beer distributer and the Chuck E Cheese sign, you can’t miss it but then again if neither of the two apply to you. I can understand how you can miss it. Plus, not all beer is vegan so…
Upohar is very vegan and gluten-​free friendly. I called ahead to make reservations but gained the vibe that doesn’t seem to be necessary. For dinner, perhaps? But lunch? You are fine. We tried the World Buffet which contains a little over six very flavorful and hearty (with spices) dishes from the African homeland for a nominal $ 10. Beverages (minus water), appetizers and desserts are extra. The owner, a very pleasant and polite Indian woman, has water and fresh mint lemonade out. Masala chai is also an option. Although beverages (minus water), appetizers and desserts are extra, I highly recommend the fried banana fritters. I wanted the kheer at the time which was not available at the time but the banana fritters were like a party in my mouth. I love Indian cuisine and they almost reminded me of gulab jamen though vegan. I was craving the banana fritters on the way home from the restaurant! Very talented cooks.
The ambiance is quiet, intimate, cozy and clean.
My omnivore fiancé that finds most vegetarian and vegan cuisine bland honestly said that «he could eat like this if he had more access to it.»
Will return.
When you get a chance, Upohar (meaning «gift» in Bengali) has a rad social mission behind it making strides in Lancaster’s local refugee community. It was even featured on NPR a year ago! Good food and a good cause? Yeah, I feel good allover. Check it out.

The place has lot of variety of food but non spicy. We tried eggplant with peanut stew, mixed vegetable with tomatoes, cabbage with potatoes and kale… all were well prepared but miss the flavor of spices. The place has well sitting arrangement and for the price the food range is good.

This restaurant has a great concept and the music in the restaurant was lovely but the food lacked essential flavors. As a native of Africa myself, I grew up around the flavors described in each of the meals and I am very familiar with them.
I ordered the North African and Nepalese. I was not expecting the same exact flavor I was used to from growing up in Africa and eating around the country but both meals lacked the basics (salt and pepper). The meal descriptions also detailed cumin which was disappointingly absent upon presentation.
I would be open to giving this place a second chance when the menu is rotated (this apparently happens on a regular basis).

This place is wonderful! Great flavorful vegetarian food. The staff is friendly. We will definitely return. Small place, but nice and clean.

I am not a vegetarian by any means, but found myself thoroughly enjoying this place. The place itself is clean and inviting, and when we arrived (holiday hours right now, 11am-​7pm) the waitress had candles lit with the lights dimmed. This created a warm and cozy ambiance. My 2 friends and I thoroughly enjoyed trying each dish from the buffet, and the chai, although not very hot, was superb! Highly recommend! My personal favorite was the peanut stew over basmati rice:)

I considered 2 stars based on my experience, but opted for 3. Here is the breakdown:
BAD
1. Google maps says the hours are 11am-​7pm. I called to confirm and she said yes, 11 – 7. I then asked if a buffet was available and she said yes. When I arrived at 2:10pm, the sign seemed to indicate that they close at 2pm? Whoops. Well, they let me eat anyway, which I appreciated. She even poured water into the buffet dishes, which I appreciated… even if it did then make me want to know how long they had been sitting there…
2. No one greeted me. I waited 4 – 5 minutes and it was just getting awkward for the other customers watching me wait. I had decided to leave, but as a last ditch effort, I went back to the kitchen and found someone. Whew.
3. As I ate, no one asked me if my meal was pleasant or if I needed anything. Twice a gal approached my table to clear plates, but did not speak or make eye contact.
4. This is a small thing, but it left an impression… and I was trying to recall if this has ever happened to me before… anyway, since it is a buffet, I made several trips and used new plates each time. I put the used plates to the side of my table to get them out of the way. The second time she came to clear the plates, she brought the dirty plates from another customer’s table. She placed their plates down on top of mine, and then picked them all up and walked away. I am sure she did this for expediency sake, but I did not appreciate seeing another customer’s dirty dishes on my table, while chewing.
5. There was a charge for $ 3 for bread on my bill. I had asked for bread, and had originally assumed that since Nepali and Indian items were on the buffet, that bread would be included (like it is at every Indian/​Nepali buffet). When it arrived, it was a round piece of white flat bread, warmed and sliced into 8 pieces. It appeared to be store-​bought. Now, if they want to charge, then $ 1 for what they brought is ok. And if the bread is home made, I could imagine $ 2. But, $ 3 for a piece of white bread? That is almost ¹⁄₃ the cost of the buffet. That seems too high to me.
6. The food was good, but not spicy. That may be by design to accommodate market demand, but even then hot sauce can make up the difference. Right now, store bought Siracha is all they offer. Ugh. I do not like vinegar-​based hot sauce so I only use Siracha as a last resort. And I skipped it on this visit. I would much prefer to see a home made salsa/​house hot sauce (even by request only).
GOOD
1. The whole fair pay thing is cool, and I hope someone is getting good treatment. I did not read how that works, but nice to know they are not promoting «slave labor».
2. The food was tasty. The mung dal was very good and the Mediterranean «jambalaya-​type» dish was spectacular. Great to have items on the same buffet from Africa, India, Nepal, etc.
3. Nice interior and classy photos from around the world.
4. Most importantly, VEGAN options available and 100% vegetarian restaurant. Very Nice.
* If the service improves on my next visit, I will bump this up to 4 stars.
** If the service improves AND they offer home made hot sauce AND if they have home made bread/naan/roti/injira…either for free OR $ 2 or less, I will give this a 5 star review.

I am not vegan but I loved this place. My friend and I came in for the lunch buffet and everything was great. I especially loved the peanut stew. It was great to try new cuisines! I also love the concept of helping refugees find work! Overall A+!

The international vegetarian fare is amazing. The buffet style setting allows you to try a bit of everything. The staff is friendly and kind.

Real food. Perfect lunch! Loved the buffet option, the quality and variety. Chai tea was authentic, lemonade delicious.

Just a wonderful concept in every way. Refugees in Lancaster are in need of jobs. Many of the women are expert cooks despite limited English, which is why the owner, herself a busy full-​time professional at a local college, started this business.
Categories of home cooking include Sub-​Sahara African, Nepali, Bengali, and North African, and there are desserts too. A buffet lunch is served weekdays from 11 – 2, with dinner only on Saturday night. They are BYOB, and nearly every table had a bottle of wine on it when were were there, except for ours, since we were passing through Lancaster when we remembered this was here. I think there is a very nice special wine store close by.
Upohar is in a tiny space in a strip mall off Roseville Rd, right beside a beer distributor and across the lane from the Kmart. It can be easy to miss. The space is small but nicely decorated, and the staff is very welcoming. They take credit cards too.
We chose the more expensive special, a huge plate of 4 different things, for $ 17.50. Tender inside and crispy on the outside was an eggplant fritter, my favorite thing. Lentils over basmati rice, garam masala potatoes, and cauliflower sauteed with peppers completed the plate. We also had some of the wonderful peanut stew over rice with sauteed kale on the side. Appetizers are about $ 4 each, desserts are $ 3. We had the pumpkin coconut pudding. Everything was light and flavorful. Most items are vegan, with one or two things noted if they have dairy or egg.
We called ahead and had no trouble, although we will make reservations next time. So great to eat healthy ethical food like this and know it also helps local people make a life for themselves. I hope this business grows and want to help it do so. Check out news stories on the owner in local papers and on NPR. The owner is a genius.

This is one of my favorites lunch places in Lancaster. Fresh, flavorful food that is filling but won’t weigh you down. You can truly taste the love in this food. They have the best chai in town as well!

Stopped here for lunch with a friend and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Authentic, tasty foods from the small buffet with refreshing Iraqui lemonade. The experience is certainly enhanced by the knowledge that the proceeds benefit others directly. Will definitely be back– maybe next time for dinner with a bottle of wine!

I’d like to give this place a 3.5 but don’t have the option. The concept of this restaurant is fantastic. The buffet food offerings on the day we visited were lovely overall, but one lentil dish tasted like it had been burnt. I didn’t say anything, but two of the other people dining mentioned the same so I knew that it wasn’t just me. The food seemed very healthy, very fresh, and made with love. The buffet included entrée only, meaning appetizers, desserts, and beverages were additional. I find it nicer when everything is included. There is only one highchair, and no boosters, so parties with multiple children may find this challenging. The space itself was clean, simple, comfortable. We would definitely return.

Wonderfully warm, welcoming environment. Feel like family plus excellent fresh food. Would recommend this to anyone. Great for family, date night, whatever!

I was here for a business event. We ate a few items and really liked what had. We learned more about the restaurant and how they operate. Will be heading back with the whole family soon.

Upohar has been on my radar for some time and was finally able to make it. Sure was glad. Did not call ahead, but a table was easy. A simple, clean, smallish room with a pleasant aroma that would make anyone hungry. This nights menu was dal-​bhat-​tarkari, a typical Nepali meal. The buffet is $ 15.50 + $ 2.50 for Chai/​PP, well worth it. I ate 3.5 plates filled with
Cumin Rice (basmati rice flavored with cumin seeds)
Motar Tarkari (potato and peas sauteed in a gravy made with tomatoes and aromatic spices)
Tarka Dal (North Indian mung bean stew)
Timman wa mash (rice with mung beans)
Couscous (North African pasta cooked with onion and thyme)
Vegetable Tagine (a Moroccan stew with mixed vegetables, artichoke hearts and olives)
Kale Saag (kale sautéed with garlic and aromatic spices)
Cabbage Tarkari (cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes cooked with aromatic spices)
Cucumber aachar (Nepali-​style spicy cucumber salad with red onion and cilantro)
My favorite was the Vegetable Tagine… EXCELLENT. Like many foods from the area some heat is needed, but the foods with spice are nicely balanced. I like how the menu changes so you can try many different things and eat as much as you like. We will be back… health? Yes Excellent food? Yes Nice People? Yes. see you again soon.

Got the lunch buffet and everything was delicious! The Mococcan tagine was probably my favorite but I’m glad I opted for the buffet so I could try a bit of everything.
This is a refreshing addition to Lancaster county food offerings — new and exciting cuisine at an affordable price ($ 10 for buffet).

I can’t say enough good things about the food here. We came to a Saturday evening buffet and the flavors of all the food was phenomenal. The cooks are refugee women and the concept of supporting refugees in finding work and sharing their talents is wonderful!