People trying to make a home out of this busy, bustling city are often met with a kind of coldness so persistent that even the most stonehearted eventually feel homesick. In moments like that, what does one crave? Usually something simple—warmth, fresh hot food, and maybe a corner where the world slows down for a bit.
Thamel, a new vegetarian café tucked into a quieter part of Gurugram, leans into exactly that. It isn’t trying to impress at first sight. Instead, it unfolds slowly, with corners that seem designed for urban exhaustion—tables for the laptop-wielding worker, a nook for readers who like to dissolve into a book unnoticed, and even a compact presentation-ready setup for those who can’t entirely escape work over a weekday lunch.
The café is an extension of its owner’s origins. Piyush Agrawal, who was born in Kathmandu, explains that Thamel in Nepal is less a neighbourhood and more an emotion—a place where people pause, eat a plate of momos, sip something warm, and briefly forget the weight of the world on their shoulders. His wife, Sakshi, who is from eastern Nepal, brings her own flavour memories to the space. The couple isn’t from a hospitality background, so the operational backbone comes from CYK Hospitalities, who helped translate their sentiment into a functional café.
What lands on the table is quietly confident. A cappuccino arrives first—no latte-art theatrics, just a well-balanced cup that sets the tone. The signature Thamel momos follow— thin exterior and perfectly spiced, crunchy vegetables inside —neatly pleated and served with an array of dips that amplify their personality: roasted tomato, sesame, Sichuan pepper (timur), chilli oil. Each condiment tastes like it belongs there, and the timur especially adds a bright, nose-tingling lift.
There is laphing, the Tibetan street staple, treated with an honesty that avoids unnecessary reinterpretation. The Al Funghi pizza is unexpectedly competent—thin, evenly crisp, and generous with its mushrooms without straying into overindulgence. The café may be Nepal-inspired, but its menu doesn’t feel obligated to stay within a single cultural boundary. Instead, it moves comfortably between familiar vegetarian staples and regional cues that come naturally to the owners.
The drink that stands out isn’t coffee at all. The orangehottoddy—still a surprise bestseller for a café in its trial phase—is warming, slightly citrus-forward, and revealing in its simplicity. It’s less about the dish and more about comfort, and people seem to respond to that.
Thamel works because it doesn’t pretend to be a cultural replica of Nepal, nor does it try to package the aesthetic of “cozy” into something Instagram-friendly. It is, instead, an attempt to recreate a feeling—of being able to pause, breathe in a city that rarely pauses. The early response, especially to the hot toddy and the momo variations have been good, says Piyush.
In a landscape full of cafés angling for novelty, Thamel’s restraint feels almost radical. It offers vegetarian food without fuss, warmth without performance, and a reminder that sometimes, all a city needs is a place where people can simply sit and feel a little less rushed.
At: AIPL Joy Central, Sector 65, Gurugram, Thamel costs around R2,000 for two, (excluding taxes)