When Momo Ghar announced it was stepping back from joining North Market Bridge Park, it was with plans to open their own brick-and-mortar.
To the excitement of momo fans on the northwest side, that day has arrived. Momo Ghar opened the doors to its first standalone restaurant at 2800 Festival Lane in Dublin on Thursday, January 28.
One big reason drove Owner Phuntso Lama to search for their own location versus expanding within the market system: A larger kitchen. More kitchen space means more menu items for Momo Ghar in Dublin.
Lama says that when Momo Ghar opened its first location at Saraga International Market on Morse Road, the menu included more Tibetan and Nepali cuisine, from noodle dishes to fried rice.
“Later momos were becoming so popular, I had to take the other dishes out one by one,” Lama says.
Momo prep, momo making and momo steaming pirated all the available kitchen space.
When the eatery expanded to the North Market Downtown in 2017, the focus remained on the meat and veggie filled dumplings that had catapulted the brand’s popularity.
Now in Dublin, Lama will start bringing some of those early dishes back in, including fried rice, which will provide a dining option for the gluten-free crowd.
Lama and her husband, Pramod, have spent the last six months or so renovating the space in Dublin, bringing in traditional Tibetan and Nepali decor.
They ordered paintings and seat cushions from Nepal and have adorned the walls and ceilings with prayer flags and Tibetan symbols. The endless knot, Lama’s favorite of Tibet’s eight lucky symbols, is featured predominantly throughout the space.
When they signed the lease in mid-2020, the Lamas were aiming for a December opening, hoping the pandemic would have slowed by then. While many dine-in restrictions remain, the space actually lends itself well to the current environment with a number of private dining areas.
In non-COVID times, Momo Ghar in Dublin has seating for approximately 60, but is currently seating at about half capacity.
The new location also has a liquor license, serving up beer, wine and eventually some Nepal-themed drinks. One cocktail in the works is Mustang Coffee. Popular in the mountain regions, it’s a mix of rum, coffee, butter and sugar. Black salt and its sulphurous smell will be the base of another cocktail, but Pramod says they are working on how to make that approachable. However, he hopes that if diners are adventurous enough to try momos, their creative cocktails aren’t far behind.
With this new beginning in Dublin does come an end. Momo Ghar has closed its original location at Saraga Market, 1265 Morse Rd. Lama says while they tried to keep it afloat, the coronavirus had a major impact on traffic at the location. The North Market location will remain open.
Momo Ghar is open for dinner only tonight, Friday, January 29, from 5 – 9:30 p.m. Saturday, January 30 marks the start of normal hours. Momo Ghar will be open from 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tuesday through Friday, the restaurant will open from 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 – 9:30 p.m. for dinner.
For more information, follow Momo Ghar on Facebook.
