One of Vancouver's few Himalayan restaurants is closing—but not forever.

After 11 years of operation, Café Kathmandu manager Pradeep Sharma told the Georgia Straight by phone that their last day of operation at 2779 Commercial Drive will be on February 29.

When his family friend Abi Sharma (no relation) opened the restaurant in 2005, it was the first Nepalese restaurant in B.C. Pradeep bought into the business in 2014, as Abi stepped back.

Pradeep said they will be closing the restaurant to take a break due to "family issues".

Fittingly for a Hindu-Buddhist restaurant, the establishment may see new life through reincarnation.

Pradeep said they hope to reopen after a year or so somewhere in Vancouver. Though they have no specific details at this point, he said they hope to open a similar restaurant with Nepali cuisine but with more items from both Nepal and India.

"After a year or so, we'll reopen depending on how soon we get the location—something better in Vancouver," he said.

The restaurant was beloved for its hospitality, and for its dairy- and gluten-free menu, which included vegetarian and vegan options. Among the popular menu offerings were khasiko maasu (goat curry), choilaa (shredded chicken or pork simmered with spices), and momo (steamed savoury dumplings).

After a 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated Nepal in 2015, the restaurant raised $11,5000 from dining fundraisers to donate to the Canadian Red Cross and Educate the Children International. 

Vancouver diners have their last chances to catch a meal at the restaurant and bid their farewells before it closes at the end of this month.

Pradeep issued this message addressed to all of his restaurant's customers: 

Cafe Kathmandu has been in operation since 2005. With your loyal support we have had tremendous success since inception. Folks, It is with a heavy heart , we would like to announce the closing of this great restaurant on Feb 29, 2016. Due to unforeseen circumstances we have decided to close down this location, however we will be back soon with much more vibrancy and zest. We feel blessed to have received such love and patronage from our customers for the past 11 years. It's really been an amazing experience.

We would also like to thank all our fans, volunteers and friends who supported us a lot during the Nepal Earthquake Fundraiser dinner in April and made it a huge success, due to which we were able to donated $11500 to Canadian Red Cross and Educate the Children International.

We want to take this opportunity to thank you all for the support and loyalty and hope to see you at least one last time before February 29th 2016.

With gratitude,
Cafe Kathmandu Team