Since Suman K C took over Curry and Grill 2 in July 2025, he has slowly transformed it from a serviceable neighborhood joint into a more upscale destination, at 1320 E. 17th Ave., for both Indian and Nepali food — that latter of which is growing in popularity.
To do that, he added a patio, revamped the interior (complete with white tablecloths), refined the service and pared down the menu to let the restaurant’s best dishes shine. He’s also added a small but impactful “Top of the Himalayas” portion of the list that features the kind of Nepali snacks that often get overshadowed by more well-known dishes like tikka masala and saag paneer.
But now K C — and co-owner Prakash Sitaula — are making an even larger outward change by relaunching this month as Sherpa Basecamp Himalayan Restaurant. (Nepali names are sometimes shortened to initials.)
The name change will help to cement a new chapter for the restaurant. “My main part is to give Denver very nice fine dining with typical Indian and Nepali food,” said K C. “When I took over, it was a typical Indian place. I made it more Nepali.”
Some of the Nepali dishes include the cabbage-heavy momo dumplings, which come either steamed or fried, and with chicken or entirely vegetarian; and the chicken choila, which is char-grilled and prepared with spicy chilies, garlic, ginger, roasted tomato, cilantro, lemon juice and Newari spices. There is also a thali plate, a tray packed with bite-sized portions of rice, lentil soup, meat curry, sauteed greens, pickles, buckwheat chips and other sides.
Even with the new additions, though, some of the best items on the menu are still ones that have been there from the beginning, like an uncommonly rich Tikka Masala and the perfectly crunchy samosas and pakoras.
On the beverage side, K C added 30 beer taps, which feature both local and national favorites, as well as bottles of hard-to-find Nepali beers, like Gorkha Strong. There is also a cocktail menu.
The improvements under K C’s direction reflect both years of experience and a long-held passion for the restaurant industry. While still living in Nepal, he opened the Blue Moon Inn in 2010, the first restaurant and bar in town to play live music, he said.
After emigrating to Colorado in 2016, he spent some time working at a 7-Eleven in Boulder before getting a job at a local Indian restaurant. “In that kitchen, I dreamed a dream of becoming the owner of a restaurant,” he continued.
K C is excited to see the growing popularity of Nepali food in Denver, citing the good weather and proximity to the mountains as major causes for the rise in Nepali immigration.
