Namaste Cafe

YES! I love Namaste. Every time I eat here, it is amazing. Delicious Nepalese food, with fantastic chai (and green & black) teas.

There are so many choices here for a vegan like myself, and everything is clearly labeled with a V (vegan) or CV (can be made vegan). All the dishes I have had have been insanely delicious--like "I don't ever want this meal to end" delicious. BUT, I would recommend not having the spice level above a 3, unless you like burning your face off. You can choose on a scale of 1-5, and the first time we went, my boyfriend (who loves spicy food!) ordered his entree with a spice rating of 4... He was sweating & practically in tears throughout the whole meal, and had to take a 5 minute break every two bites. That being said, once he learned his lesson & we went back again, he ordered his dish at a 3 & it was perfect. (2 is perfect for me because I'm a wimp.)

I love the Coconut Spinach (favorite meal here), as well as the Coconut Curry with Tofu, Eggplant & Mushrooms. Aloo Chop & Tofu Mamacha (appetizers) are AMAZING, and you can't go wrong with the Namaste Special Curry with Tofu. I also love the jasmine rice that comes with the meal.

The staff is also really friendly & attentive, without it seeming fake or like they're just wanting a good tip. Great, warm atmosphere, and I've never felt rushed to get out, even if it's really busy.

I dined here for the first time with my girlfriend on Friday night. The staff was very nice and quickly accommodated our desire to sit outside. We shared the coconut spinach entree, the paapri chaat and I had bhatura fried bread. Ummm. It was all really good. Asked for "spicy, spicy" on the entree and I don't think it even registered as one "spicy", but flavor-wise, still very good. The paapri chaat was a great, delicate, light mix of flavors. Really excellent. Aside from the dust coming off the road, it was a very pleasurable experience.

The Cafe is small and cozy, with statues and paintings of the Buddha and Hindu gods. The service is fast, efficient and friendly, and our waitress knew the menu well and gave great suggestions about what to order. The spicy potatoes were amazing, we ordered two plates and they disappeared quickly. Be warned that they do mean SPICY, they have quite a kick after a minute. The almond tofu curry was also very good. The main thing was the chai. It was AMAZING. We each had 2-3 cups. The masala chai was exceptional, and the vanilla chai also worth trying.

The staff is also very accommodating for vegetarian and vegan clients. The menu will have a V for vegan and CV for can be vegan, so you know right away if something contains animal products. All in all, this is definitely worth going to, and I plan on returning again.

(Also don't miss the store upstairs!)

Namaste's dishes are consistently fresh tasting, simple, and filling. While I find the spicing to be a bit bland ( even at a spiciness level of 5, I can barely taste it ), the flavors are well balanced and authentic.

Highly recommended - especially with groups of like-minded individuals to share with!

Namaste Cafe makes great chai and has excellent ambience, as well as a focus on local and organic foods (though it's not 100% vegetarian), but the service is lacking---our food took forty minutes to arrive and the waiters weren't very attentive. The food was light but seemed a bit flat in terms of spices and overall flavor. Prices were high, too, considering the quantity of food they give. I'll give it another shot, but was not totally impressed. I'd definitely take a vegetarian Indian restaurant over this place.

UPDATE: The service here has improved considerably. They've also added outdoor seating and wine. It can get really hot if you're sitting inside during the summer (they don't have a/c), so keep that in mind. I still think it's overpriced, especially for the tiny portions they give you, but the flavors are fresh and light and they've improved the taste quality. Their chai is still the best in the Midwest, and they've added beer and wine to the menu. They have one excellent vegan dessert, the "carrots in coconut cream" which is deliciously sweet, smooth and creamy. Amazing, unusual flavors. Unfortunately, they only occasionally have the ingredients for it.

This place is cute as a button! The space, which is the lower part of an old house, is painted in cheerful yellows and oranges, has simple blond wood furniture, and had a small glass with bright yellow daisies on each table. The food tastes as pretty as the place looks. I started with the vanilla and nutmeg chai, which was hands down the best chai I have ever had. That alone is worth the trip. My boyfriend and I then shared an appetizer of potato cakes stuffed with peas and mushrooms. I believe it was called aloo chop, and then was my favorite food item I had. I had the Kathmandu curry as my entree, which is tofu and mixed veggies in a delicious curry sauce. It was good, but a bit on the oily side. I'm sure if you ask for less oil, they would accommodate. My boyfriend had a dish with potatoes and black eyed peas, which was really good but more on the bland side, which was perfect for him. They don't have any vegan deserts yet, but the owner said he is working on it. The overall experience was wonderful. The service was great and the place just feels happy inside.

I live nearby and have been in many times. The service is always friendly but sometimes slow. I love the tea. The bean dishes seem spicier than the other menu items.

A great place to sip some tea,have some food and read a book.

Very nice. I tried a handful of different things and liked them all. A substantial selection of teas. Not terribly expensive. Good service, pleasant ambiance. I look forward to going back.

Nice place. Not a great number of vegetarian entrees (3 or 4), but they were all vegan. Two of the appetizers are vegan. The spiced potatoes appetizer, fried daal soup, and potatoes w/ peas & cauliflower entree were all quite good. They're just getting started, so it was quite uncrowded.

Update - They've expanded the number of vegan dishes quite a bit. The menu now has all the dishes that either are, or can me made vegan marked. I had green beans with potatoes and tomatoes, and it was one of the most finely spiced dishes I think I've ever had.

Namaste is a lovely restaurant. It is open, bright and peaceful. The vegan options we sampled were all delicious (though next time I'll try the tofu, mushrooms and peas entree instead of the curried eggplant and tofu). They also have an extensive tea menu; all drinks can be made vegan with soy milk. The vanilla nutmeg chai I ordered was excellent, as was the service. I'll definitely be going back.