Subba

Great stuff, friendly owner, not the Ritz but the food is great. This is somewhere between Tibet, Nepal and Beijing. Truly a unique mix and very relaxing atmosphere. Go there! Get the Nepalese version of Thali if you’re hungry…

Authentic! Excellent Nepali food. Waiter doesn’t appear to speak much English but that’s ok because you can’t go wrong with the menu!
And don’t let the façade put you off. This isn’t a place to come for white linen tablecloths and fresh cut flowers. It’s all about the food!

This place is wonderful. Cozy, friendly, delicious, and has fast service. Reasonably priced for their large portions. Great for eat in or take out.

In a nutshell: Serves Chinese, Indian and Nepalese dishes, but get the Nepalese dishes. The entrance looks a bit sketchy and you have to go upstairs to get to the restaurant. Affordable, quality, good tasting food.
So it’s a bit scary looking at the front door and even the steps going upstairs might make you want to turn around and go somewhere else. Don’t. Especially if you’re an adventurous eater like myself. I’ve never had Nepalese food before and I’m so glad there is a place that serves it right in my back yard. The Nepalese menu isn’t that large, but it’s enough to get a taste. Based on other reviews, we got the steamed veggie momos which were eight little dumplings. They’re similar to other Asian dumplings, but the sauce makes them different. The sauce is quite special and I have no idea what it is, but it is spicy, citrusy and perhaps a little curry-​like. As our entrée, we got the Pork Nepali, which was delicious. It comes with a variety of little sides like curried vegetables and pickled vegetables. The rice — there is something special. Maybe they cook it in butter and garlic or something, but it was so delicious on its own. My only gripe is that perhaps the Pork Nepali was a bit too salty, including the sides. However, when eating with rice or naan, it balances it out a bit better. The service was incredibly fast and the prices were affordable.

Great place! Momos were excellent and u can tell they are handmade. Simple décor but the food males up for it. The service was awesome, everyone was nice. Had the chicken Nepali which was a huge portion. Amazing flavors and fresh. Will definitely go back again and again.

cleanliness: **
décor/​ambiance:**
service: ***
food:***
value for price: ****
This is one of those places you could only find on Unilocal,especially if you’re from out of town. The front is very minimally marked and shows a questionable degree of promise due to the filthy awning on the front. The front door is also covered by greasy smudges/​handprints on the interior side. It is propped open with a dirty, broken broomstick. C’mon guys, get a bucket of bleach and show some sense of pride in your place of business.
We were a party of six and had some hesitation based on our initial impression, but soldiered on up to the second floor to see if what the other reviewers an experienced was as good as the write ups. As the six of us made our way across the very sticky floor, we kept the faith and we seated at our table by a friendly waiter.
The menu is fairly simple and easy to read. our orders were taken quickly and easily. the food was very good, highlights were the chicken dumplings, naan and vegtable curry. An absolute standout was the porridge dessert. Do not miss this. All at our table enjoyed it immensely. The hot indian tea was also especially good.
Value for price can’t be beat, portions are generous. I have little patience for lack of cleanliness though, and this place rates very low. If you don’t offer hand napkins in the bathroom, then you need the powerful hand dryers. What they had mounted on the wall was less powerful than a travel sized blow dryer.

Subba is a simple, local Nepalese/​Indo-​Chinese restaurant located on the 2^nd floor of a building on Cedar Ave. on the Northside. The entrance is non-​descript — you would almost miss it if you weren’t looking and one must climb 2 flights of stairs to get to the restaurant (note for people with mobility issues). The space is large with basic décor and the staff was very efficient the night that we went. They have a range of offerings from basic «Americanized Chinese food» to authenic Nepalese and other Asian dishes. I ordered the shrimp lo mein and my boyfriend ordered the Mongolian Beef while our friends ordered the Lamb Biryani and the Hunan Chicken. The prices are inexpensive and you get a lot of food for the money — enough to share. Overall the food is good, and I would like to try the Nepalese food the next time I go. Definitely recommend checking this place out.

Get all that fine Nepalese food down my gullet! They also have some of the best American Chinese food in the city. Go here. Go often. It’s beautiful.

Stumbled into this Nepalese curry joint. Excellent Chicken curry dinner with all the fixings and sweet tea to drink. Highly recommended!

I love subba. Please support this north side business owner. I love the Napali dish. It’s a great sampler. I’ve never tried Napili dishes before here. The momos are a must try too!

This is the only Nepalese restaurant I’ve experienced in the ‘Burgh, though I’ve been to a few elsewhere, and we tried this place with some friends from a major east coast city. Our first impression was that the menu was a little bit odd — they offer «American chinese food,» some Indian food, and a Nepalese menu. We were also a little surprised by the location — nearly walking right past the place. When we did get up to the restaurant, we noted that there were only two other occupied tables, and we were meant to seat ourselves.
We ordered mango lassis and «indian tea» to start, which were all delicious (and so reasonable — all were under $ 2). We all ordered off of the Nepalese and Indian menu, and everything we got was nicely spiced (including for our one friend, who hates spicy food, who requested an «extra mild» meal). The vegetarian momos were SO tasty, and compared very favorably with the best momos I’ve experienced in the past. Their dipping sauce is mildly spicy, but excellent! Even my spice-​hating friend liked it.
I ordered the Nepalese vegetarian meal, which came with lots of rice, all kinds of pickles, greens, and vegetables. My only complaint was that I wish I had gotten more greens. Others ordered the Nepalese chicken dish. One member of our group was a bit upset to find out that the chicken was breaded (not listed on the menu, and he has celiac disease). However, this person had enough other food that it was not a big deal. One other gripe was that they were out of all parathas/​naan, which I was really looking forward to.
The chicken curry and the Nepalese chicken were similarly spiced, and were delicious over rice. We had easily enough food for leftovers, and the price was incredibly low. Everyone was happy and very full after we ate. Paying, as others have mentioned, was a bit confusing, as it seems we were supposed to flag down our waiter to get the check, and then bring it back to him in the kitchen to pay. Not the best service, but the food, portions and price make up for it.
I’m looking forward to going back, and I’m excited to try many more Nepalese menu items.

Please go this restaurant! We were blown away by the quality and taste of the food. Been wanting to go here for so long, but the location isn’t very inviting. However, ignore that fact and just go here! The food is legitimate! We especially like that they have a small menu, which is probably an advantage as they are able to maintain their quality.
We started off the the pan fried momos and chicken sadako. Both were amazing!!! The chicken sadako was especially well seasoned, with a very spicy sauce which was to die for. The momos were nicely pan fried without being oily. The sauce complements them really well!
For mains, we had the chicken and pork Nepali sets. Both amazing! Presented beautifully, with all the curries and vegetable varieties complementing each other very nicely! We also ordered aloo paratha to go with our mains, which was perfect! Just like what you get in India!
We were extremely pleased with the food here. Service is fuss free, which is not a problem for us as we don’t like to be bothered during meals. Really happy and highly recommended. Closest thing we have gotten to India/​Nepal in the Pittsburgh area.

Overall a great spot for a low cost lunch or dinner that’s different from most other Asian places. They have a varied menu so the non-​adventurous can enjoy fried rice or general tsos chicken. The real treats are the momos (veggie were better tasting and spicier than meat option) as well as the Nepalese plates. Parking is pretty easy. There were plenty of spots on either side of Cedar.
The only drawback was that we were a group of 13 people. Sometimes we had to grab the waiters attention for water or to ask about something. As well, they forgot two plates of food but everything else came out quickly, hot and delicious! They were gracious about splitting checks and having some pay with cash, others with card. Recommended.

This place is really nondescript, with a huge clunky door that opens up to a staircase going up to what is essentially an apartment-​like space. It certainly was not crowded, and I wonder if it ever fills up. The menu is simple and easy to peruse, and we focused primarily on the Nepali stuff since that’s what is supposedly unique here – not sure where else in Pittsburgh this can be found. The momo is a staple, which is a nice fusion of dumpling and curry flavor. More importantly for the Asian palate, the dumpling skin was great texture – not too soft but not too hard either. The thali (lamb, specifically) was tasty and had great variety. While the portion of actual meat was a tad small, the rest of the platter made up for it, with lots of herbs and spices in the sauce for flavor. Definitely reminded me of the Jackson Heights community in Queens, NY.

Subba is not very fancy, but it does prepare wonderful Nepalese cuisine. Everything is authentic and delicious. It’s hard to believe how inexpensive the prices are. We ordered all vegetarian. The potions were all plentiful, and everything was cooked perfectly. We tried to order the vegetable Momo, however they were all out. No worries, the vegetable pakora was excellent. We brought wine, but we’re delighted there was no corkage fee. The website says they have s private room for parties. Subba definitely the place to go for authentic Nepalese food at a very reasonable price.

I’ve seen positive reviews for Subba come across my Unilocal feed so I decided to give it a try since I was working on the North side today. Per everyone’s suggestion, I went with the momo dumplings. I got the veggie and it was good with the right level of spiciness.
I wasn’t super hungry, so instead of the Nepali plates which comes with more food, I went for the Indian chicken curry. I thought it was fine, but felt like I’ve had curry with more depth and richness.
The price is super reasonable and will definitely be back to try a Nepali entrée.

Great little hole in the wall Nepalese/​Indo-​Chinese restaurant on the North Side. I never knew it was there until my friend suggested it. It looks a little sketchy from the outside but inside it is comfortable and nicely decorated. It was a bit on the warm and stuffy side though when we were there, as the Spring temperatures had started to warm up but they hadn’t turned on their AC or fans yet.
I had some of the momos (Nepalese dumplings) for an appetizer and the nepalese lamb for my entrée and everything was delicious. They don’t let you specify your spice level, but it was fine for me since I found it to be perfectly spiced. However, if you don’t like spicy food this might not appeal to you, since it was a bit on the spicy side. The Nepalese dishes are served «Thali» style which means they are composed by a variety of small dishes in little bowls on a larger plate. Prices were very reasonable.
The server was very friendly and helpful, though toward the end when we were trying to pay he did disappear for a bit and we had to find him. The place is BYOB and they brought a wine opener and glasses for us but we had to open our own bottle. They were a little slow on clearing old dishes from the appetizers when bringing out entrees, but otherwise service was good.
I might give this 3 stars if this were just an Indian or Chinese restaurant, but given that this is the only Nepalese I know of in Pittsburgh it provides a more unique experience than you might find elsewhere.

SETTING:
«Hole in the wall». Located on the second floor. Clean inside, no frills when it comes to décor. The focus is on the food.
FOOD:
Full disclosure: first time having Nepali food, so to be fair I don’t have anything to compare it to. But I will say that it does remind me of the «typical» indian cuisine in terms of spices, spiciness, and flavor. I had the Pan fry momo and Napali Chicken.
Pan fry momo appetizer was solid. Came with 8 fried dumplings (think potstickers) and a dipping sauce. I love potstickers, so this was just what I imagined it would taste like, with some indian-​like spices infused into the meat filling inside. Definitely gave it an extra kick!
The Napali chicken came on a large plate full or rice, with the chicken itself in a small bowl simmering in a sauce, some «gravy»? (excuse my ignorance… I never had Napali food before!), and some tiny sides of veggies. Overall, it tasted good and all the flavors came together wonderfully. Although, I really was hoping there would be more chicken. There were maybe 4 pieces in that small bowl – it almost felt like it was a side dish and not actually part of the main entrée. With the sauce (a savory, runny texture) that came with the chicken and all the sides, it was very easy to clean the plate and be satisfied.
SERVICE:
I think the owner was the one who brought out the food, and he was a sweet gentleman. It always warms my heart when I see an honest person that may have immigrated to the states, working hard in a restaurant to share his country’s culture with others. The place wasn’t too busy, so the waits were not too long. You are not approached very often for water refills or other things, but I think they would be available if you ever needed something. Very low key.
IMPRESSIONS:
If you cannot handle spicy, then you might want to rethink your visit. Or you can tell them to go mild on your dish. Everything was good and prices were fine, but the experience was not really too memorable, other than the fact this was my first time having Nepali food. Again, I really admire the owner’s hard work, so hat’s off to you, sir. Keep doing your thing!

First off, this little restaurant in the North Side looks super sketchy from the outside. The exterior of this place really needs a major face-​lift to make it more appealing. After entering the front door, you have to hike up this narrow stairway to another door. Once entering the second door, then you reach the restaurant.
The restaurant itself is quite spacious with plenty of seats for large groups. The decorations are all over the place though. I became quite confused with the Bollywood music playing in the background and Chinese zodiac placemats under my silverware. Are they going for a fusion feel? Service was a bit lacking since there was only one guy there.
I am a huge fan of Nepali food and was super excited when I found out there is a Nepali restaurant in Pittsburgh. I had the chance to try three items on the menu: pan fry momo, sadako chicken and the Nepali pork dinner plate. The momos were crisp and oily. They’re just fried dumplings, nothing special. The sadako chicken was the worst though. After looking over the pictures posted by other Unilocalers, I felt cheated! The sadako chicken that I got was pretty much a salad of chicken pieces, carrots, cabbage, white onions, white onions, white onions, white onions and more white onions. This is raw white onions I’m talking about – like 50% white onions. Such typical plate fillers, they could’ve been a little more creative.
For entrée, I had the Nepali pork plate. The plate came with white rice and pork in curry sauce with a side of some brown sauce, mung bean soup, stir fried bok choy, deep fried vegetables and pickled vegetables. I thought there were too many unnecessary side dishes. I spent the majority of my dinning experience figuring out what I’m eating. I rather they have one solid, well-​made Nepali dish so I can direct my attention on that. The pork in curry sauce was well cooked with a crispy edge. I liked that they fried the pork before throwing it into the curry sauce to prevent it from getting too mushy. Thumbs up for the pork texture! The curry was super spicy though so be careful if you have sensitive taste buds. Out of all the tiny side dishes, my favorite was the fried vegetables with chunks of sweet potatoes.
Overall the food here was just ok. The items are definitely hit or miss. I don’t like how inconsistent the quality of their food is. Subba has potential, but it needs to step it up a notch. I recommend going here for the experience, but not a place I will go out of my way to check out again.

This is as authentic as it can get for a Nepali Cuisine at least in Pittsburgh. As a fellow Nepali and an avid cook myself — I’m pretty confident about my taste bud when it comes to food. Although, this place serves Indian, Chinese and Japanese — I highly recommend anyone who visits this place to go with the Nepali Menu.
Although some of the items might share some resemblance with Chinese or the Indian Dish — this is far from the truth. The Nepali dish has a certain uniqueness when it comes to flavor.
My highly recommended items on the Nepali Menu would be the Momo (s) either the pan fried or the steamed. They’re both home made including the wrapper and the sauce that comes with the Momo is very spicy. So, you might want to request the chef to decrease the amount of spice.
The Thali (Rice, Variety of vegetables, Lentils and meat curry of your choice) was very good. However, the amount of curry spice used were a little more than what I wanted.
Last but not the least — the price is super reasonable. I’m sure they will raise the price as it’s popularity grows but at least for now try all you can.