Wichita food truck is the last spot to order this authentic food. See what they’re cooking.

There’s a new food truck in town — and it’s the totality of the Nepalese food scene in Wichita.

The Momo Stop specializes in authentic Nepalese food on wheels — primarily momos.

Momos are dumplings, usually filled with meat or vegetables. The popular dumplings are often paired with a side of achar, a tomato-based sauce.

Unnat Ghimire, owner of The Momo Stop, started the business in December 2023, a decade after coming to the United States to attend college.

Originally from Sindhuli, Nepal, Ghimire started his education in Tennessee at Lee University. Later transferring to the University of New Orleans, Ghimire ended up in Wichita for work.

He wasn’t planning on staying in the city.

“My sister came to Colorado in 2016, so I was planning to be with her, but eventually I found a girl over here,” Ghimire said.

That girl, Nikki Shrestha, married him. Originally from Kathmandu, Nepal, Shrestha works as a nurse, and in her free time, she helps out with The Momo Stop.

“It’s a lot. I don’t get a day off basically — I do, but it’s nothing,” Shrestha said. “It’s been busy.”

While Shrestha often helps with the food truck, it was not her first choice, she said.

“She was like, ‘No, I don’t want to do this,’” Ghimire said, laughing. “But I was like, ‘If we want to make money, it has to be through a business.’ You cannot be working for someone else and make money.”

So the couple put their money, time and energy into starting the truck.

Saying go on momo

Whenever they gather with their friends, Ghimire said momos were always on the to-make list. And that’s where he got the idea to start The Momo Stop.

“It was not a concrete plan that, ‘Okay, let’s do momos,’” Ghimire said. “But we were trying things, and I was thinking, ‘I need to do some business.’ And it was like, ‘Just go with the flow.’ Like, okay, yeah, maybe this will be a good idea.”

After settling on his business model, Ghimire wanted to get The Momo Stop up and running last fall, but the process took longer than he expected.

“Back home … (when) you want to start something; you get a truck; you go in the streets; you’re ready to open,” Ghimire said. “But after getting the truck, I realized, ‘Oh, you had to get licensed from states, you have to be checked from the city, and then fire system and everything. So that took at least 1 1/2 half, two months.”

So opening the truck was delayed until winter. That brought its own set of challenges.

“The main thing with this was the water … in the tank froze,” Ghimire said. “So … half of winter, I was closed because of that thing.”

A few months later, something happened, which to Ghimire and Shrestha, felt like good timing. Himali Eats, the only Nepalese restaurant in Wichita, closed.

“I was like, ‘Maybe this is a good opportunity because they have kind of already introduced what momos are (to Wichita),’” Ghimire said. “We can just take on from there and try to reach as many people as possible.”

Reaching the community

At first, Ghimire was focused on introducing the food truck to the Nepali community, as well as other people from South Asia. Since then, though, Ghimire has been trying to spread The Momo Stop’s reach.

“I cannot just focus on brown people,” Ghimire said. “And that is the reason why I try to go to offices where there is a … variety of people who would potentially be my customers. ”

Ghimire is still learning the ropes of owning his own business, and is open about the fact that he has a lot to learn.

“I’m kind of figuring it out, let’s say,” he said.

Where to get a taste

The Momo Stop can be recognized by its neon green color, which Ghimire settled for in a hurry to get the truck running as soon as possible.

“Fortunately, unfortunately — green is my favorite color,” he said.

Typically, The Momo Stop is parked at 6222 E. 21st St, near Speedy Cash from 3 to 8 p.m. On Sundays, it’s at Tall Oaks Apartments, at 2330 N. Oliver St, from 4 to 8 p.m.

The food truck is closed on Wednesdays. A full schedule of the truck’s hours and whereabouts can be found at themomostop.com/schedule.

Ghimire hopes to eventually expand with another food truck or even a sit-down restaurant. But for now, his goal is “just to continue.”

“(I hope) to introduce momos to as many people as I can,” he said. “And I’m pretty sure once they eat momos, they’ll definitely like it.”