Kathmandu, May 25 -- Just outside the busy Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue/74th Street subway station in Queens, sits a small Nepali restaurant that has become one of the most recognisable symbols of Nepali identity in New York City.

Known widely among the Nepali diaspora as "Bimala Didi ko Bhanchha Ghar," the eatery run by Bimala Hamal Shrestha recently earned a place on the New York Times' prestigious list of the city's 100 best restaurants. For many Nepalis living abroad, the recognition felt deeply personal, a rare moment when a small immigrant-run eatery serving Nepali food found itself recognised in one of the world's most competitive dining cities.

When Hamal first opened the restaurant in 2015, she said she never imagined it wo...