Get your ethnic chops ready for Himalayan Heritage, a new Indian, Nepalese and Indo-Chinese restaurant that’s replacing the former Queen Bee Café & Grill on Bethesda Avenue.
The restaurant, which has a popular Adams-Morgan location that opened in 2008, will have a soft opening, tomorrow, November 1 at 5 p.m., serving a limited menu through Sunday. Once the kitchen is up and running, the full menu will be available at the grand opening on Monday, November 5. The offerings will be primarily the same at both restaurants.
Aside from curries, kabobs, tandoori dishes and other traditional Indian items, the menu includes Nepalese specialties such as momos, steamed or fried dumplings filled with ground or minced chicken or vegetables and Nepali spices. There are also Fewa Chicken Chow Mein and Vegetable Chow Mein, Indian takes on the Chinese staple; Himalayan fixed-price meals, and plenty of vegetarian entrees.
Co-owner Suresh Sapkota, who was born in Nepal, said he and his two partners had been looking for a spot to open another restaurant, and initially considered Northern Virginia. But when Queen Bee—a short-lived restaurant with a multitude of problems—shuttered in mid-September, the trio switched gears.
The space has been spruced up with charcoal carpeting, a black tile bar, orange and yellow sponge-painted walls, and a variety of décor items from Nepal, including musical instruments, light fixtures, wood carvings, a Buddha with a gurgling fountain, and wall insets of Hindu gods and goddesses.
Bamsha Gopal, the executive chef at the Adams-Morgan location, is training the staff at the new locale, which includes chef Sher Bahadur Tamang.
The restaurant seats 48 inside, including the bar, and eventually, there will be outdoor seating for 24—in a Nepalese-style enclosure.
4925 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda, 301-654-1858, www.himalayanheritagedc.com