Himalayan Dine Inn

This is by far one of the best places I have eaten out when it comes to curries and spices. Good food and great service.

Great customer service. The waiter is very polite and always personally looking for great customer satisfaction. We felt we were personal guest as someone’s home.
Liked the palak paneer and Dal makhni. The tea/​chai was also good. The quantity was very huge.
The lentil soup was also very well made.

Rule of thumb: never trust an uneducated «review» of a Thai or Indian food place. People have no context for what is actually high quality; they simply taste exotic spices and think it’s the best thing they’ve ever eaten. This place is ghetto. It looks like one of those little places you see in the cafeterias of strip malls and the food is hardly better. Potato mixture in the samosas was meh, chicken tikka was oddly and overpoweringly sweet (did they just dump a bunch of white sugar in it??) and the tandoori chicken was super plain. Such a let down, mostly due to the high reviews from morons who use Unilocal.I’m done with this site. Fit context, try Himalayan cuisine in La Mesa, then tell me how this garbage has higher reviews. Ridiculous.

Ok the ambiance could use a little touching up. And it is kind of a odd place. That said I really enjoyed the items we tried.
My girlfriend ordered the spicy choina chicken dish and ordered the spinach lamb along with a chicken dumpling type appetizer, all very tasty.
I personally really enjoyed the unique flavors of the dishes and was very satisfied.
My date went crazy for their garlic Naan. I live in East Village so I will be back for another interesting Himalayan/​Indian dining experience soon.
They have a lot of options here and it’s hard to know what you are going to like but if you are feeling adventurous or a Indian food fan you need to stop bye.
I can tell some people will go crazy for this place and this place will drive others crazy.
The only way to find out is to try for yourself
Happy eating!

I write very few reviews, but I felt the absolute necessity to review this place. I’m not joking or exaggerating when I say this is the BEST, and most amazingly delicious Indian food I have ever had in my life! So delicious and very moderately priced, comparatively. Also, the service was very quick and friendly. Hands down, the very best! Well worth the long drive from Bonita to downtown! We will only be coming here from now on! We had the chicken tikka masala, the chile chicken, and the cheese naan. Omg! So yuuummmm! :)

The best indian daal chawal i had in USA! The staff is most courteous and friendly you will ever find! A five star service from the restaurant. Everythinng is cooked to perfection with perfect blend of spices. Will definetely come again.

Came here a couple of times for their $ 7 lunch specials. Good price, especially for downtown. First time, dishes seemed much like Gujarati style (sweeter) and the second time, not at all. Portions of entrees seem a little small, but are surprisingly filling. Had I been going straight home, I would have taken the rest to go. But as I was going back to work with no room in the fridge, I forced myself to eat it all.

I have been in search for a great chicken korma since I’ve moved away from home (because my mom’s is the best) and this was literally on the same level! I couldn’t stop eating it even after I was already full. The spice levels are key. The chef really knows what he/​she is doing! Not to mention, the customer service is terrific, very friendly. I will definitely become a regular.

Amazing, delicious Indian food!
I have tried many Indian restaurants and I have to say this is the BEST! !
Customer service is fantastic. Friendly, outgoing, they have no problem going over the menu and catering to your needs.
Dal was appropriately prepared and I was amazed how fast I finished it.
— Chicken vindaloo level 6 = On point with the heat, nice & spicy w/​out it being over powering. The wonderful flavors came together just right. (I love my heat)
— Chicken tikka masala. Wow spectacular, my taste buds were having the time of their life! ! A Ridiculous burst of flavors! A really delicious meal.
–Naan bread was fresh and hot, it added to my awesome experience.
I need to say it was a great experience and I will be back! !
Shout out to the chef! ! Keep up the great work!

I guess it would be fine if you’d stumbled out the bar (El Dorado) next door and were looking for something to eat. But there’s also a Del Taco nearby that fills that same void.
My summary: I ate there on a Friday. It would have been pretty good if I ate it on the Thursday when they made it.

I agree with most reviews I’ve read here so far. I’ve been to lots of Indian restaurants over the last 15 years and several Himalayan throughout San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. These guys have the best food! I don’t often get nutty when I eat, but when we eat here I have the reaction «oh my god this is SO good.»
The veggie momo’s seem like an unassuming app, but these little dumplings dipped in the sauce is aMazing! I’ve only had the vegetarian dishes so far, and they’ve all been fabulous.
They said they’re getting their liquor license really soon, like within weeks. It was pretty dead when we went in there, which is sad b/​c the food is so good and the employees are super nice. I really want this place to succeed, so go there! They probably need some help on the ambience of the place. Despite the name they do provide takeout, and you can order online as well, which is nifty.

Worst Indian food my husband and I have ever had. Ordered for lunch on Sunday and it tasted like it had been cooked the day before and not in a good way — in the way that some of the chicken was so tough and chewy that it was inedible. We had the chicken tikka and the chicken mahkni both of which were sweet. Really disappointing.

Food: A+++
Chicken tikka Marsala = RIDICULOUSLY GOOD!
Chicken Biryani = you can taste every single spice on this dish:)
Naan = soft & crispy. Great consistency
Spicy Level:
For those who do not eat spicy food often but can tolerate it… Try getting #4 for starters.
For those who love spicy food, try #8or9.

wonderful food! wonderful service! very nice!
eat here!
it’s excellent!

I’ve been craving Indian/​Nepalese food non-​stop and have gone to many different places to get my fix. Taste of the Himalayas in Point Loma has been my favorite for the past few years– paying 40 dollars for dinner and being stuck in traffic for a good 1.5 hours round trip even. The customer service there is so-​so as well, but the food was good.
Enter in Himalayan Dine-​in. Yes the décor could be a bit better, but once you eat the food– you start seeing everything through rose-​colored glasses. I rarely ever write reviews, but the people who work there look happy and are friendly and the food is SO SO SO good. I’m definitely going to have to throw an event just so they can cater it. I’ll probably be here once a week from now on…

Palak Panner– good flavor but the texture of the cheese
seemed off.
Chicken Makhani– was really good.
Naan– I’ve had better.

Service has been fantastic every time I’ve come here. I definitely recommend the samosas (which are huge) and my favorite entrée is the malai kofta. It’s delicious. Check this place out. If you’re not familiar, it’s very similar to Indian food. And delicious.

I have been here 3 times so far and the experience has been wonderful. My server is very nice and always serve us free soups. The food come out in a timely manner and are always served in cultural bowls and plates. The food is very good quality. The only sad thing is they don’t get much business due to location… I hope more people can discover this gem of a hole in the wall!

This might just be the oddest place that’s warranted a 5 star review from me. It’s way down Broadway, almost «off» the beaten path. It’s extremely non-​descript from the outside. In side, it looks like someone forgot to put in enough tables for the amount of space. The décor looks like it’s been salvaged from several defunct restaurants. The menu appears almost sophomoric. It’s DEAD quiet in side. You almost want to walk out.
But don’t.
The food is good. REALLY GOOD.
Like stomp your foot on the ground good Lamb Curry. Like garlic Naan that is buttery and tasty. The Mango Lhasa (spelling) I had was — ethereal.
It’s worth the time and all your pocket change — easily better than any Indian food I’ve had down town, anywhere.

Himalayan Dine Inn provides tasty Indian food for a low price. I walked in tonight and ordered the coconut curry chicken for take out. It packed a great balance of flavors — savory, spicy, and creamy, and the portions were solid for $ 11.50.
As others have mentioned, this isn’t a place you go to for the ambiance. There are some cool Himalayan photos and stuff on the walls, but overall the décor is pretty spartan.
It did take a bit for my food to come out, but the staff more than compensated by bringing out a free cup of their lentil soup.
This place fills a good niche in the downtown area — some other Indian restaurants downtown have cool atmosphere, but are overpriced. Those would be better for a social night out, but the food alone isn’t worth the markup. Come here to get more food bang for your buck.

The last thing San Diego needed was another bad Indian restaurant.
Décor gets a solid ¹⁄₅. The one is just because they have booths which I rather like
Food gets ¹⁄₅. We ordered paneer tikka masala with a spice level of ⁶⁄₁₀. I’m not sure if the chef accidentally put sugar instead of salt but the gravy was extremely sweet

I’ve never been to Nepal, but yeah, I’m pretty confident that this place isn’t too far off…
The first thing that strikes you is the sticky heat and the lack of ventilation. You instantly begin to say to yourself, «this food better be good. Real good.» Next you’ll notice that the place is spacious, sparsely decorated, empty and almost dead silent. The voice in your head grows louder and louder and your hopes for a decent meal seem further and further from reality. Well, I have great news for you, friends. The food is good. Real good.
I could eat a mountain of those chicken momos and drown every last one of them in the ginger sauce served up with them. At $ 8.95 for ten of them, they’re a great little appetizer to get your meal started, (even though mine came out after the entrees).
Laaaaaaaammmmmmb cuuuuuurrrrry — order it spicy and over rice. When it’s dropped on the table you’ll wonder if it’s going to be enough food, but the portion ends up being just right and once again, you can’t beat the price. After a few bites you’re sure to be sweating due to the atmospheric heat but mostly because the chef takes his spice levels seriously around here. More often than not you’ll find Indian and Thai places Americanizing their heat gauge since we tend to get a little crazy and underestimate the heat. Not here. You get what you ask for and a level seven proved to be the perfect balance of pain and pleasure. At many other places my level seven lamb would have easily been a level ten. Spicy lamb curry… does life get any better? Yes, but how often do you get to picnic on a beach with Jessica Alba and a portable margarita machine…

I created a Unilocal account just so I could write a review for this place!
Nothing fancy or pretentious, just delicious food and fantastic prices. The portions are enough to have left overs. I am DEFINITELY making this one of my new spots! :D

El lugar no estaba muy limpio, la alfombra del lugar creo que le da algo de antihigiénico, ya que se nota que tiene mucho tiempo en el lugar pero pasamos a la comida, una comida con poco sabor y las entradas muy grasosas, no cumplió con las expectativas que tenía del lugar cuando lo vi en Unilocal,creo que está sobre valorado.

Venue: muggy, hot, unappealing carpet
Bathroom: smelly, looked clean, empty not much décor
Service: pretty good
Appetizer: samosa, complimentary daal
Came with sauce that was too sweet, samosa was oily and extremely hot (like burnt my tounge), daal too salty for me
Entrée: daal bhat takari, garlic naan, side of plain yogurt
The veggie curry was terrible, salty, not appetizing at all, chicken curry was ok, rice was excellent! Got plain yogurt on the side to cut the saltiness. Garlic naan was worst ive ever had
Dessert: mango kulfi
It was ok
Review: if im near by and there is nothing else open ill go back

Not fancy, no frills and I love that they serve water in ice cream sundae glasses.
Samosas, mango chicken and the okra were all awesome. Check them out.

The first thing one notices upon walking into Himalayan Dine Inn: this places needs some air conditioning. The second thing: this is a very big space at downtown prices. Third thing: the food is good but probably not trendy enough to attract much attention. Conclusion: check this place out now, or your might miss it.
But, as I said, the food is pretty good although not necessarily as good as its most obvious competitor, namely, Taste of the Himalayas. We began with some large samosas that were tasty enough for me to overlook the fact that they were a little oily. The second dish, the coconut chicken curry, served as the highlight for me given that the Nepalese addition of coconuts provides a flavor not commonly found in Indian food at least in the San Diego area. (Coconut is pretty much my favorite flavor in the known universe.) The lamb «momo,» which are seemingly an Indian/​Nepalese variation of Chinese dumplings were intriguing also due to their uniqueness in the area. That said, I would still prefer an East Asian version although the latter do not typically come with lamb filling.
Summary: Step right up to this unique establishment. (Possible) limited time only.

After Comic Con my date and I ventured away from the Gaslamp and made about a half a mile trek to Himalayan Dine Inn. When we walked in, it was super hot and stuffy, but as soon as we sat down, they closed the front door and turned on the AC.
My date and I were surprised how large this place is. Hopefully they are busier during the week for lunch, because it was absolutely dead in there for dinner. Anyway, we were given complimentary lentil soup to begin with. Even though it was a hot day, it still tasted good. Next came out samosas. Piping hot out of the fryer, they were HUGE and delicious!
We shared the coconut chicken curry with naan. They did not skimp on the coconut milk or the moist and flavorful chicken. I highly recommend this dish.
Last to come out were the lamb momo (aka dumpling). These took awhile, because they were made to order. I’m not much of a lamb person, but I can appreciate a good dumpling. The skin was soft and chewy and the lamb was well seasoned. Not sure what the sweet dipping sauce was, but I enjoyed it.
Although the décor seems a little too «hole in the wall» for downtown San Diego, the food is delicious and service was friendly. I really hope this place is around for awhile, so I can come back again.

We didn’t know what to expect when going to this new Himalayan restaurant. However it turned out to be some of the best Nepali/​Indian-​esqe food we’d ever had.
The Chicken Korma, Chicken Tikka Masala, and Chana Masala were absolutely outstanding and well above our expectations.
I also recommend the Garlic Naan and Aloo Paratha. It has a nice ambience and the booths are spacious. More importantly our server Matoo was extremely nice and funny.
(Be prepared to have a medium spiced meal unless you challenge him by asking for the spiciest curry available in which case you will be drinking more than a pitcher of water.)
Stop reading this and go now! Portions are generous as well. There is a great Groupon available as well.
I’m from Chicago where we have Devon, which has every Indian restaurant you can imagine but this one outshined it!

Don’t judge a book by its cover! This place may not look 5 stars but the food here is delicious!
I ordered a chicken tikka masala. At most restaurants they give you only a few pieces of chicken drowning at the bottom of the curry. However, this bowl was full of meat! The dish came with a side of naan bread and rice. My family and I ordered samosa, paneer pakauda, and chicken momo. We also received lentil soup which was very tasty. Unfortunately, we forgot to take pictures before devouring all the food.
I definitely recommend this place and can’t wait to eat here again the next time I’m in town!

At the risk of overusing idioms, two come to mind for this place: 1. Don’t judge a book by its cover; and 2. It’s a diamond in the rough.
I came here for lunch. I believe they’ve only been open a week or so and it was pretty empty. It looks a little rough from the outside, and adjacent the road construction doesn’t help. Even when you first step inside, the ambiance is not going to impress your date.
But my main criteria for restaurants are whether the food tastes great and is it a value? Himalayan Dine Inn hits the mark on both accounts. I ordered the lunch special (a curry/​lentil? soup), rice and two entrée bowls, chicken chili and chicken vindaloo, all for $ 6.95. I also order a chai (the noble ancestor of the bastardized chai tea lattes served at S-​bucks) and herbal naan. I couldn’t finish my lunch as the chicken dishes were generous portions. There was a good level of spice, everything was well cooked, service was present but not overbearing.
It’s always a good sign when an ethnic restaurant has plenty of misspellings on the menu. Himalayan Dine Inn confirms this rule of thumb. I’m looking forward to returning to try more items. And this could become my new takeout favorite.