Dirk McCall de Palomá of Sunnyside Shines (center) and Foodmandu owner Pashupati Shrestha (center, holding scissors) join community members for Foodmandu’s grand opening on Thursday. Photo: Shane O’Brien
May 23, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
A new restaurant offering a menu full of traditional Nepalese dishes and American classics celebrated its grand opening on Queens Boulevard on Thursday afternoon.
Foodmandu celebrated its grand opening at 43-01 Queens Blvd. on Thursday, taking over from Nepalese joint Newa Chhe, which closed at the location last week.
Owner Pashupati Shrestha, who co-owned Newa Chhe, bought out his former partners and decided to change direction with Foodmandu, rebranding the restaurant as a Nepalese and American fusion concept.
Shrestha was able to take advantage of Newa Chhe’s existing facilities to implement a rapid changeover, with Newa Chhe’s closure and Foodmandu’s opening taking place within a week.
He said has sought to change direction with the space in order to “diversify” and attract more American customers.
The new menu features items such as buffalo chicken sandwiches, beef tenderloin burgers and fish and chips in addition to Nepalese staples such as momos, Bhutan (sauteed goat belly) and pangra (chicken gizzard curry). It also features a range of Himalayan and Asian favorites, including chowmein, popular Indian dish Keema rice and a range of curries.
The menu has been designed to cater to Sunnyside’s growing Nepalese community in addition to providing local American residents with entry-level access to Nepalese food.
Foodmandu retains Newa Chhe’s Nepalese recipes, while Shrestha has hired a new chef to produce the Americanized portion of the menu. The restaurant will also offer popular Nepalese drinks, including Nepalese beer Barasinghe.
Dirk McCall de Palomá, executive director of the Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District, said Foodmandu’s opening is “huge” for the neighborhood.
“This is wonderful,” McCall de Palomá said. “Newa Chhe was a really great partner, and they did a lot of good stuff, but this new rebranding as Foodmandu is going to be huge. It’s going to be greatly successful.
“They’re coming up with some new menu items that are going to promote some fusion cuisine and bring a lot more people in.”
McCall de Palomá also credited Foodmandu for coming up with some “really creative ways” to expose people to Nepalese cuisine, heaping praise on the restaurant’s momos.
“We’re very excited about this. There’s a lot of people who haven’t tried this cuisine before. When they come here and they have a chance to try the momos – the momos here are out of this world amazing – they’re gonna love it.”
Foodmandu is also exploring offering Nepalese platters allowing guests to sample a wide range of Nepalese cuisine, McCall de Palomá said.
He also noted that the restaurant will prove a hit with the neighborhood’s Himalayan community, noting that a growing number of Nepalese, Bhutanese and Tibetan residents call Sunnyside home.
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