Owners of unique Wichita restaurant share more details about why they decided to close
Anyone who’s ever been a new parent can likely sympathize with Rita Rai and Tashi Sherpa, who over the weekend announced that they’d be closing their popular Nepali dumpling restaurant, Himali Eats at 3238 E. Douglas.
Though they weren’t specific about the reason for closing the restaurant in the announcement they posted Sunday on Facebook, they do have one, and he’s very small.
The couple, who opened the restaurant in December 2020, had a baby boy in August. They both also still have jobs in the aerospace industry.
It all got to be too much, Sherpa said.
“My wife and I were having a hard time managing the restaurant, our regular job and the new baby,” he said. “Although, Himali Eats was our passion project and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience, it was just not worth the time away from our baby.”
Rai and Sherpa, both natives of Nepal, said they fell in love with Wichita after they moved here in the mid 2000s to study aerospace engineering at Wichita State University.
The only thing they missed was the Nepali cuisine they grew up eating, and they wanted Wichita to try it, too.
The focus of the restaurant was momo — hand-made dumplings seasoned with Nepali spices. Over the years, they added curry and noodle dishes as well as Nepali desserts to the menu.
The unique cuisine earned the restaurant a following, and many fans — including other Nepal natives who live in Wichita — expressed dismay when the couple shared the news of the closing.
The couple is asking that anyone who has gift cards to the restaurant they were unable to use reach out to them at himalieats@gmail.com or via the Himali Eats Facebook page.
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