Tibet Cafe & Bar

We were strolling around Kensington market when I spotted Tibet Cafe. I’ve never had Tibetan food but have heard so many good things so we decided to stop for a quick bite and drink. Bonus that the Euro games were on at the same time so we got to catch a bit of the Germany vs. Poland match. Their patio in the back is super cozy – pretty sure we would have sat there if the game wasn’t on. Otherwise, you can sit out on the entrance patio and people watch the day away.

Damn, they have crazy hours. 7 days a week, 12:00pm – 12:00am???  

The full menu. Never understand when there’s all day breakfast and burgers on the menu. Do people seriously order that? Key in on the Tibetan specialties – momo’s. 

- Mango smoothie ($3.50) and avocado and mango smoothie ($5.00) - Ju ordered a mango smoothie which was honestly terrible. It was overloaded with ice and I couldn’t taste any mangoes. Wasn’t impressed. 
Avocado by itself is $4.00 but our waitress told us it would be an extra $1.00 to make my favourite fruit drink combo. No biggie as long as it was good. Well, the avocado that they used must not have been fresh as it was almost tasteless and lacked any creamy thickness. Pass on their drinks!

- Beef momo ($9.50) - my first time trying momo’s which are a Tibetan specialty. Homemade, half-moon dumplings are the best and these were fantastic. You have to wait about 15 minutes for your order but trust me, it’s worth it. Eight juicy pieces stuffed to the tellies with meat. 

- Chicken momo ($9.50) - we were only going to get one dish of momo’s to share but the beef ones were so tasty that we decided to order a round of chicken momo’s to compare. Comes with the same side salad (meh) and Tibetan dipping sauce. Ju was telling me that each sauce is different as each restaurant has their own homemade/secret recipe. I can’t decide which momo I liked best but can safely say both were extremely satisfying. 

Cool Toronto has such a wide, diverse group of cuisines to try. There are quite a few Tibetan places so I would love to try a couple more next time in town. Tibet Cafe was a solid first experience into the land of Tibetan food.

Great Tibetan momos - best pad thai in town!. An eclectic menu, friendly owners and staff, and amazing food at a great price, 7 days a week, 12 noon - 2 am (they'll make your order fresh anytime during hours of business).

The pad thai is the best I've had in Toronto (I'm sure someone will want to take up the gauntlet - find a better-tasting version, with the freshest ingredients, not at all greasy or overly sweet, at this price, $7, a huge portion that you can get at 2 pm or 2 am, eat in or take out!).

You *must* try the momos - come by on a car-free Sunday (last one of the month, May - Oct.) and savour an appetizer helping, wondreful juicy steamed half-moon dumplings that offer a little taste of the mountain kingdom, the closest humankind gets to heaven.

The fresh juice smoothies are cool and delicious, made from the freshest fruit (secret: the owner's hubby works at the ont food terminal...)

5 yums!