Found Treasure: River Cafe Momos

February 3, 2023 – I came for the momos. I left shaking my head. 

Momos have long enjoyed a mystical quality for me, so maybe it’s only appropriate that theme was amplified by everything happening in and around River Cafe in Santa Cruz. 

Momos prove mystical because I always heard about them but rarely tried them: A college bestie studied in Nepal, and prothletized about them regularly; another pal led tours out of Katmandu and was similarly converted; a Nepalese-American friend told me recently the main thing he misses about home is…momos.

At River Cafe, the vegan momos—tender little steamed dumplings stuffed with a seductive mixture of kale, potato, cilantro, bean noodle and tofu, wrapped with melt-in-your-mouth dough—are worth the visit by themselves. The zippy house hot sauce helps. (River Cafe also does momos with chicken or beef.) 

But there’s a lot more to recommend the place, starting with the prevailing vibe.

On my visit that began with a rapid-fire welcome from single-name owner-operator Rabgee, a Tibet native who started the restaurant after a successful run with his Nomad Momo food truck.

“How are you? How is your day?” he said. “Is it going to be wonderful or what?”

He stocks his place with affirming messages (note the “Relax and Accept the Crazy” sign), books reflecting his heritage (RawSome Recipes and The Face of Tibet), local craft beer (Humble Sea and Discretion among them) and Living Swell Kombucha (a Santa Cruz product). 

River Cafe also offers noodle soups, paninis and breakfasts. In addition to the momos, we tried the chai, lentil soup and a nomad salad. Each impressed with freshness, hand-crafted attention and flavor profile. 

The chai is simply something special, clearly brewed from scratch, with different kinds of black tea, fresh ginger, cardamom and other spices. 

My lunch companion, who has traveled in Asia quite a bit, summed it up with two words: “Very authentic.”

The lentil soup presented more deep and earthy flavor. About as life-affirming a stew as you can find.

The salad was one of the more robust I’ve had in recent memory, so loaded I wished I had a scale to weigh its girth of walnuts, apple, granola, blueberries and spinach, laced with a bright mango dressing.

“It’s an antioxidant salad bonanza,” my companion said. “A dream come true.”

While we ate on the patio space that rings the modest footprint of the cafe, Rabgee approached to ask if our accompanying pup likes chicken. 

For him, like us, this was going to be wonderful or what. 

Visible from that outdoor dining area are three spots that represent some of the very best Santa Cruz has to share with the world, all Surf City originals making setting trends in their own industries: Gooder Foods (home to Goodles protein packed mac-and-cheese); Specialized Santa Cruz (with a sparkling museum-grade showroom/repair shop), and Patagonia Santa Cruz (complete with excellent photography, local trail maps and info on their new all-profit-to-the-planet principles). 

The sheer amount of good stuff happening within a few steps seemed right on brand for the lunch—and had me shaking my head in happy disbelief.

Mo’ momos, no problems. 

More at rivercafesantacruz.com