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Momo Crave

Momos have taken Queens by storm in the past decade. Thanks to immigrants from Tibet and Nepal, these delicious dumplings have become one of the most commonly found foods in Jackson Heights.  In fact, an annual Momo Crawl has taken place in the area for several years, with this year’s iteration marking the 7th. Over time, the varieties of momos have increased, from steamed beef to jhol momo, which are served in a sesame-laced broth. So it is only fitting that a place like Momo Crave has popped up.

Momo Crave specializes in a variety of fusion momos, although they also offer classic steamed and fried momos. The owners are Nepali, so they offer jhol momos as well. On our first visit, the toughest decision we had to make was which ones to order. Although we were famished, there is only so many momos that the two of us could eat! Even after some deliberation, we still ordered four varieties.

Our first choice were the tandoori momos, creatively served on skewers. Fittingly, the skins of the dumplings were strikingly red from the tandoori spices. This alone was a brilliant touch and added a great flavor to the normally standard exterior. Inside, we chose a chicken filling, which was well-spiced with curry notes and other spices. On the skewer, slices of bell pepper and red onion were wedged between each dumpling. These would prove to be our favorite of the day.

Jhol momos are a favorite of ours, so it was tough to skip ordering them. Although we had to replace one of the more unique choices with it, it was good to taste their take. The momo itself was flavorful, with the same delicious filling from the tandoori momos. Unfortunately, the broth itself lacked the potent flavor that we have come to enjoy from nearby Nepali Bhanchha Ghar. Though, it must be said that the broth here is the cold variety, as opposed to Bhanchha Ghar’s hot soup style broth.

As big fans of sukuti, the traditional Nepali dried meat similar to jerky, our next choice was a lock. Sukuti momos are fried momos topped with slices of sukuti, cilantro, chopped onion and tomato. For these, we chose beef as the filling as per the chef’s recommendation and our own desire to try their beef momos. These were excellent, perfectly fried to a crisp and the texture of the sukuti was chewy yet not too tough. As for the filling, it was very flavorful much like the chicken.

Finally, we ended our momo feast with an order of chaat momos. Much like the name implies, these momos are served chaat style. Here, the momos are fried and served in a yogurt sauce with chutney, crushed sev, chopped onions, chili powder and curiously, plantain chips. Since we ordered the dumplings with a veggie filling, this dish reminded us a lot of samosa chaat. The veggie filling was fine, but we likely would order a meat filling next time. We have been spoiled by flavorful cumin-laced samosa that have been incredible for samosa chaat nearby.

Although two varieties we ordered didn’t exactly blow us away, we were impressed enough with the tandoori and sukuti momos to sing the praises of Momo Crave. On a future visit, we would like to try the sandeko momo, topped with mustard oil and the tacos momo, topped with beans, sour cream and guacamole. We are also looking forward to see if they will launch any new styles in the near future.

Where is your favorite spot for momos in NYC? Do you have any creative momo ideas that you think would work well? We would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Momo Crave can be found on our Queens food maps page in the Sunnyside and Woodside map. 

Momo Crave

38-07 69 St

Woodside, NY 11377

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