Taipo / Taipo Behind the Door

By day it's a fast-casual Nepalese dumpling spot in downtown Arlington — momos, taipos, turquoise walls, college kids from UT Arlington grabbing lunch. Step through the 15-foot hand-carved Torana temple gate, though, and you're somewhere else entirely: a candlelit cocktail lounge that co-owners Rachel Puri Zimba and Riza Rawal filled with 1.2 tons of handcrafted Nepalese decor — prayer wheels lining the walls, gold-painted mandala ceiling panels, and an 11-foot sculpture of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddhist deity of compassion — all sourced and shipped over by Puri's father over the course of a year. The speakeasy pours an Asian-leaning cocktail list (Darjeeling Chai, City of Temples, a Lycheetini) and will light your drink on fire if you ask nicely. It's a genuine cultural artifact in a strip-mall suite, and almost nobody in the DFW metro knows it exists.

The move: Start with a round of momos and taipos in the bright turquoise dining room, then push through the Torana gate for cocktails in the moody gold-and-black lounge — ask the bartender for a flaming drink and let the prayer wheels set the mood.

• 📍 Arlington (DFW)
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 200 E. Abram St., Suite 140, Arlington, TX 76010

Hours: Added 2026-06-09 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

Verified 2026-06-09.