Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on December 19, 2022.
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In 2022, Subba moved around the block to East Ohio Street. We have not visited the new location yet and this is from the former iteration. When we return we will update our review accordingly.
Nepal isn't known as a culinary capital of the world, but during our travels we fell in love with the country's unique cuisine– specifically the momos (a local dumpling) and daal bhat (a common feature in traditional lunch sets).
We weren't expecting to find this cuisine in Pittsburgh, but to our surprise a local Nepali family opened Subba Asian in the North Side which features dishes from India, China, and their home country of Nepal.
Naturally, we had to try the Nepali food we fell in love with during our visit.
The Menu Items You Must Try
Subba Asian falls into the common trend of international restaurants in that they sell more than their country's own cuisine in order to fill the seats. In this case it is the Chinese food, and our gut instinct was to avoid it.
Instead, we focused on the two items dear to our hearts: Nepali pan fried momos and the chicken Nepali platter featuring daal, saag, rice, and various vegetables.
For those who don't know Nepali food, momos will be the most recognizable as the pan fried dumplings are very much a Nepali version of pierogies- filled with vegetables and a protein and often accompanied with a tangy and spicy sauce. These were exactly as we remembered, and are something we could eat day after day without tiring of them.
The Nepali chicken menu set was very reminiscent of the flavors we enjoyed in Nepal; however, something was lacking. It is hard to say what exactly as eating this cuisine at our home in Pittsburgh just didn't have the same effect as it did while hiking in the Himalayas of Nepal.
Perhaps it was the scenery change. Maybe it was our tastes.  Or possibly it was that the portion size was on the small side and we were simply wanting more.  In any case, something just wasn't the same, and the missing piece is one we likely need to return to Nepal to experience again.
As for the Chinese food? Well, we caved and also ordered a serving of General Tso's Chicken (something not even Chinese in the slightest) and quickly realized we should've followed our instincts. The Nepali food is truly the star of the show at this restaurant.
Subba Asian is located at 422 East Ohio Street in the North Side.
After trying Subba, check out Pittsburgh's North Side with a drink at Park House Tavern or shaved ice from Gus & YiaYia's. Or, for more reviews of Pittsburgh restaurants, click the previous link to be taken to our directory of every review on Discover the Burgh!
