Best in Flavor: Lhasa’s Homestyle Tibetan Food

Today’s dedication goes to a remarkable eatery that found its way into my life like a hidden treasure buried under decades of scaffolding. The place is Lhasa, a homestyle Tibetan restaurant, set squarely on the corner of 1st Ave and 11th st. Surrounded by ever-shifting delis and vape shops, Lhasa feels like a true East Village archive.

After an evening screening at Village East Cinema, my friends and I found ourselves craving delicious and affordable food (not as easy of a find these days)! We stumbled upon an empty restaurant with dingy, unassuming street seating. Immediately, we were greeted by a delightful and eager character. He waved us over, “please, sit down!” We took a look at the menu and thought, “Well, we don’t recognize anything… let’s do it!”. The man proceeded to guide us through the menu like a home chef telling us about his dinner choices. Watching this man explain in gleeful passion about the menu and the cuisine brought me so much joy. I was satisfied before even tasting the food.

Persuaded by the descriptions, we proceeded to order essentially the entire menu. We ordered the Sushi Lhamo, the Chef’s selection Momo, the Bodhthuk, the Mokthuk, Shoko Phingsha, Tingmo, Bodh-jha, and Am-jha; most of which we had never heard of until this day! Promptly, we were served our drinks, two traditional Tibetan milk teas. They were not sweet as our American palates were expecting, but salty and buttery like a beautiful rich broth. The rest of the meal was just as much a surprise as it was a delight. We enjoyed dish after dish, accompanied by full explanation and appreciation from our personal guide. Menu standouts were the Sushi Lhamo, Momo, and all of the Noodle Dishes. The Sushi Lhamo was unexpectedly bright and punchy, a perfect start to our dinner! The Momo was a special cross between a pierogi and a traditional Chinese dumpling; I suggest the Chef’s tasting menu to try them all. Finally, the noodle dishes were delicious, light, and brothy.

By the end of the meal, I felt that I had experienced a 5-star Michelin restaurant, from the street. I felt so inspired after the meal that I picked up the check for my friends (an unusual occurrence), and proceeded to gush about how much I loved each of them (not as unusual of an occurrence). That is the power of good food. So please, go to Lhasa. Eat your heart out. Tell them Jaxxy sent you.