Hidden away in a courtyard on the edge of Thamel, this stylish restaurant is housed in a former Rana's palace and the menu is packed with intriguing East meets West fusion dishes. It's popular with diplomats, government ministers and the UN crowd.

This up-scale eatery in the Baber Mahal Revisited complex (now restored after the 2015 earthquake) is a darling of well-to-do expats and their visiting friends and relatives. The food is French with an exotic twist, while the atmosphere is sophisticated and international.

The Indian restaurant at the Hotel de L'Annapurna serves the best North Indian cuisine in the city, with live Indian music in the evenings, Mughal paintings on the walls and a glass-walled kitchen where you can see your meal being prepared.

Nepal's finest pizzas and gelato, served in pleasantly informal surroundings in the heart of Thamel. The pizzas are cooked in a wood-fired oven, on thin, crisp bases, topped with the finest local and imported ingredients.

The café at the Garden of Dreams is one of the city’s favourite escapes, with superior food from the same cooks who cater for Dwarika’s Hotel. The romantic setting and European-inspired menu might almost allow you to forget you are in the heart of noisy, traffic snarled Kathmandu.

Famous for its wood-fired pizzas, this Thamel favourite also serves excellent coffee and delicious Nepali snacks, but with so many trekking groups competing for space, getting a table can be a challenge.

This vegetarian friendly restaurant offers a range of cuisines from Italian to Indonesian. Fren's Kitchen also provides authentic Nepali fare, for those travellers who enjoy the local flavour. With a chilled out atmosphere and excellent food, eating here is great experience.

This calm coffee bar looks out over the main road into Thamel but offers a welcome respite from the crowds. People gather here throughout the day for superior cakes, excellent panini and international breakfasts, plus the best espresso in the valley.

A long-standing favourite for backpackers, with inexpensive, filling Tibetan and Nepali meals, cold beers and even tongba (traditional millet beer) on the menu.