Detailed Gluten-Free Restaurant Card — Nepal

Dal bhat power, with one question first

Nepali cuisine is rice-based, and dal bhat — the national dish — is naturally gluten-free once I verify the hing is pure. Kathmandu and Pokhara have a growing number of gluten-free-aware cafes catering to trekkers. The wheat traps are the Tibetan-style dishes: momo wrappers and thukpa noodles are almost always wheat.

What’s on the card

• A clear explanation of celiac disease in Nepali — useful where English thins out on the trail
• What I can’t eat and where gluten hides: momo wrappers, hing (asafoetida) often cut with wheat flour and stirred into dal, and sel roti that some vendors make with added wheat
• What’s usually workable: dal bhat (after the hing question) and sekuwa, the grilled meat skewers
• The kitchen questions — including the country-specific one: “Is the hing pure, or mixed with wheat flour?”

What’s in the travel companion (page 2)

• Where I look first: trekker cafes in Thamel (Kathmandu) and Lakeside (Pokhara), and mountain teahouses whose simple kitchens are easier to verify
• Six dishes to build a rotation around, shopping notes (Bhat Bhateni Supermarket for imports, Schär at premium Kathmandu markets — and bring your own pure hing), and where options cluster along the Annapurna and Everest routes
• If you get glutened: show the card at the pharmacy (औषधि पसल) where English is limited outside cities; emergency number 102 for an ambulance

The honest certification picture

Nepal has no celiac association and no gluten-free certification. “ग्लुटेन रहित” (gluten-free) is a phrase people understand, not an official label. That means direct questions and rice-based dishes are the whole strategy — which is exactly what this card is built to handle.

Format

Instant download. A 2-page PDF that works printed in a pack pocket or saved on your phone.

This card helps communicate your dietary needs. It does not guarantee a gluten-free meal or eliminate cross-contact risk. Always use your judgment, and when in doubt, do not eat. Not medical advice.