Fomo Momo opened (85 1st Ave. between 5th and 6th St.) in the East Village from Ankita Nagpal and Impreet Sodhi, two female founders of the Jersey City food truck (of the same name) that serves Indian fusion dishes that marry Indian flavors with Tibetan momos (dumplings).
In the late 1990s, momos crossed the border from Tibet and became a popular street food in Northern India where the founders grew up. They met in NYC and first launched a pop-up at Smorgasburg after developing and testing their own recipes in 2021. Encouraged by the response, they launched a food truck in Jersey City in 2023, and this is their first brick-and-mortar location. The NYC menu expands the food truck’s offerings with sandwiches, rice bowls, and snacks in addition to the signature momos, and is very vegetarian friendly.
Momos come either steamed or fried with 3 filling options: vegetables, paneer (cheese) or chicken, enjoyed plain with a chutney for dipping or in one of a variety of preparations like Schezwan with an Indo-Chinese condiment with red chilies; Makhani butter chicken sauce; Tandoori, marinated in spicy yogurt with ginger and garlic, then finished in a tandoor oven for a smoky flavor; Afghani, creamy marinade with cilantro; Achari, yogurt with spices and Indian pickled mango, and more.
While momos are the signature, five sandwiches unique to the NYC location offered for the first time are: Crispy Chicken Sandwich; Crispy Paneer Sandwich; Butter Chicken Sandwich; Paneer Makhani Sandwich; and Vada Pav, a popular Mumbai vegan sandwich. All come with cilantro chutney and crunchy onions, plus tandoori mayonnaise or butter chicken gravy – the Butter Chicken and Paneer Makhani can be made into rice bowls. There are vegan and vegetarian snacks like the plant-based chaap soy nuggets (a popular South Asian meat substitute – and delicious!) in different styles; tandoori paneer fingers, spring rolls, samosas and masala fries.
Drinks include housemade Masala and Rose Lemonade, Chai, and Indian sodas like the rose-flavored cola Thumbs Up (the national soda of India) and lemon-lime Limca.
The small but colorful space offers seating for up to 12 guests and features neon signage, tea kettle motif wallpaper and large backlit PVC food truck graphic with two Indian women enjoying momos on top of the hood referencing the food truck origin of the restaurant.
Fomo Momo is located at 85 1st Ave, NYC.
Hours: 4pm – 11pm on Tue – Thurs & Sun and 4pm-1am on Fri- Sat (closed on Mondays).
