A Vegan Paradise

Specialties
Opened in 1999, Café Tibet served as the only authentic Tibetan Restaurant in the East Bay for the past 25 years. The restaurant is now 100% VEGAN, and serves more than 50 different varieties of traditional Tibetan dishes, including some fusion-food that are magically created delicious and authentic food.

At Café Tibet, we offer a wide variety of homemade vegan options. We use fresh ingredients, no processed foods, mostly organics. We welcome you to join us for our famous combination momo sampler plate which a savory mix of Tibetan dumplings, hand-pulled Tibetan noodle in soup, and mouthwatering choices of curries and noodles.

History
This is the story of a passionate lady Chef Samten dedicated to sharing her traditional Tibetan cuisine with the world. Arriving in the United States at the dawn of the 1990s, she navigated challenging roles at Stars Restaurant in San Francisco, eventually becoming one of its top chefs. Following Stars’ closure in 1999, she embarked on a new culinary journey by opening the Bay Area’s first Tibetan restaurant. Café Tibet, located in downtown Berkeley, offered locals their first taste of authentic, home-cooked Tibetan dishes, marking a significant milestone in the region’s dining scene.

Meet the Business Owner
Chef Samten, who started the restaurant, was an experienced cook and pastry chef, and magically created delicious and traditional Tibetan food. She retired in the spring of 2024. Today, the Café Tibet operated and run by the younger generation who felt a dire need for a change to mitigate global warming and climate change, turned the restaurant into a complete VEGAN haven.

Aunt Samten dedicated 25 years to perfecting her culinary skills, adapting her traditional Tibetan dishes to meet the evolving tastes of Western palates while preserving their authenticity. Some of her creations were tailored to suit Western preferences without compromising their traditional roots. She passed the torch to the next generation. The younger generation, having spent much time in the United States, brought new values and skills that appealed to a broader audience. Today, they proudly own a restaurant that offers wide varieties of VEGAN dishes made from locally sourced ingredients. Everything is crafted from scratch by Chef Tamdin, the second-generation Tibetan who follows in Samten’s footsteps. Their ultimate goal is to make the restaurant 100% water-smart and eco-friendly, green business.