Thomas Kilroy
Welcome to my home on the internet.
Shaped by change, my journey has taken me across kitchens, businesses, and leadership roles - always anchored in people, creativity and the power of a good story.
I began as a chef and patissier before opening Kilroy’s of Kathmandu at the age of 27. What started as a single restaurant grew into a group of venues, employing over 250 people and becoming part of Kathmandu’s social and cultural fabric. There was even my own cooking show on TV at the time.
That chapter never really left me.
In the years since, I’ve continued to evolve - moving into leadership, communications, and transformation within the UK Civil Service, while mentoring others and helping people frame their own potential to step into new opportunities.
Alongside this, I founded The Mindset Agency - a space focused on leadership, personal growth and the power of reframing how we think, lead and show up..
It was during my time in Nepal that I met my wife, Arati. Together, we are now returning to that story.
The Kilroys are coming home.
Not just as a restaurant, but as a living story, a community, and a new chapter shaped by everything that came before it. You can follow our journey at kilroysofkathmandu.com.
Why www.thomaskilroy.com? To tie all these threads together. As a serial entrepreneur, I am always tinkering, thinking, exploring and experimenting - and this space allows me to share some of those stories with you.
Beyond the world of work, I am proud of my consistent commitment to weight training since March 2025 and I couldn’t be happier with the results so far. Teetotal for 15 years (and counting!), my sobriety journey continues too. Other pursuits include the calming, therapeutic joys detailing my car every chance I get! Not to mention, getting to know people and visiting new places whenever I can. So do say hi on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
Thomas Kilroy founded Kilroy’s of Kathmandu in 1998 in the Thamel district of Kathmandu, Nepal.
What began as a restaurant became something much more - a meeting place for travellers, locals, and stories that still resonate today.
Kilroys of Kathmandu is now being reimagined.
You can follow that journey through a series of reflections, food stories and moments from the past.
>> Explore the Kilroys of Kathmandu journal
From my Journal:
You can follow my writing at 'Kilroy Was Here'
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Recent Travels:
We'll always have Paris
Twenty-seven years ago we met at a Valentine’s Eve party in my restaurant, Kilroy’s of Kathmandu in Nepal. To celebrate that first chance meeting, we travelled to Paris - to be in the most romantic city in the world for another Valentine's Eve date to remember.
From the Louvre and the Mona Lisa to Notre Dame, the Palace of Versailles to dining at the Eiffel Tower, this anniversary weekend was about love, memories shared, and the quiet magic of saying yes to a moment.
As they say in our favourite film Casablanca… "we’ll always have Paris".
Subscribe to follow our journey as we revisit the past, share the lessons we’ve learned, and shape the future of a new 'Kilroys of Kathmandu' together 🙏
