Dining on a Dime: Quick Nepali Eats at Burlington's CK Dumpling House 

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• Amelia Catanzaro
• Clockwise from top: fried vegetable momos, Jhol vegetable momos, pork chow mein (table background made with AI)

I know one thing about you: You love convenience stores. You might not know you love them, but you do. Everybody does. They're convenient. Whatever you call them — bodegas, corner stores, mini-marts, delis — they are ubiquitous in their magic. A time-frozen portal where you can find the weird phone charger for your car, impossibly good lychee candies, surprisingly fresh vegetables, Tide laundry detergent, nostalgic ice cream bars and, at CK Dumpling House in Burlington, affordable Nepali takeout.

Recently I headed to 78 North Street to try the small-batch Nepali cooking. I ordered the pork chow mein ($12.99) and vegetable chile momos ($6.99 small; $11.99 large), then shared the guaranteed 15-minute wait outside the store with a sweaty couple in matching Hoka running shoes and a mother speaking Nepali to her daughter.

The food, packed in flimsy to-go containers, was wrapped up in a familiar brown-paper lunch bag emitting the smell of cumin and ginger. At the comfort of my kitchen table, I dove into the chow mein. The pan-fried, soy sauce-smothered noodles were mixed with delightful bites of crispy pork, airy chickpeas, and crunchy vegetables; it hit the spot after a long day. The vegetable chile momos — thick, pillowy dough folded around a mix of vegetables and potatoes — were coated in an irresistible sticky sauce.

Every single menu item at CK Dumpling House falls at or under our roughly $12 Dining on a Dime limit without skimping on portions. At that budget, there are endless combinations. Pair pork Jhol momos ($7.99 small; $12.99 large), aka Nepali "soup" dumplings, with a mango lassi ($3.99) or vegetable samosas ($5.99) and chatpate ($3 small; $5 large), a spicy mix of vegetables, potatoes and puffed rice.

It is a bit miraculous how good the food is, considering the unglamorous kitchen. The doorway is haphazardly covered with a small curtain, revealing only a four-burner electric stove and a small cutting board. And there is only one woman, chef and co-owner Chandra Mangar, behind the entire operation.

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• Amelia Catanzaro
• Chandra and Kalu Mangar of CK Dumpling House

With her 3-year-old son, Krish, strapped to her hip, Chandra told me about how she and her husband, Kalu, moved to Burlington from Nepal in 2014. They bought Maya's Mini Mart in 2022, then rebranded the business this summer to reflect their family. The C is for Chandra, and the K for Kalu and the couple's children, Kajal, Kristina and Krish. Chandra runs the business seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The store is a true reflection of the Old North End, a neighborhood marked by a smorgasbord of college-student renters, new American communities and lifelong Vermonters. With more than five Himalayan restaurants in the area, the expat community is well fed. But CK Dumpling House conveniently introduces new flavors to the Vermont palate at an economical price — a true neighborhood-to-table experience.

Dining on a Dime is a series featuring well-made, filling bites (something substantial enough to qualify as a small meal or better) for around $12 or less. Know of a tasty dish we should feature? Drop us a line: [email protected].