Not bad for a quick Indian takeaway place. I was in Charlotte on business and this place is basically in my building so it is very convenient. There's a limited menu, but the portions are generous and the food is reasonably good, so it is a fair value. read more

Best Indian food you can get in Uptown especially during lunch. Secret is to stick to the South Indian dishes (ie NOT the typical butter chicken/tikka masala/saag/naan) Get the biryani and whatever other South Indian curry dishes they have that are fresh and you'll get a solid authentic tasting meal. read more

With everyone returning back to the office, this restaurant recently opened back up. The food is pre-made, you get your choice of rice and two portions of meat or veg. I ordered chili chicken, butter chicken, and basmati rice. I was wanting more spice from the butter chicken and the chili chicken was the best of the two options. Good portions for a quick lunch. read more

Nirvana II - Entrance - Indian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I'm pretty much a newbie when it comes to Indian food but I very much enjoyed the lunch I had this week. Wanted to try as much as I could at once so went with 3 meats. Chicken Tikka, Pepper Chicken and Chili Chicken. All meals come with basmati rice and naan, which here means warmed up pita I guess. Each dish had nice flavor and varying degrees of heat with the Tikka being the most tame, but also the most deeply flavored. The line was long but moved at a decent pace and the service was very friendly. read more

Nirvana II - Chicken Tikka, Chili Chicken, Pepper Chicken - Indian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Variety is the spice of life, and is this spice of life that is missing from Nirvana II. There are plenty of delicious spices in the food, but I went here for lunch and there were two vegetarian choices (paneer chunks or chana) and three meat choices (not three choices of meat, all the meats were chicken, but three choices of sauce for meat). I don't consider the biryani as a separate choice, because flavor wise you are getting biryani or rice. The value is similar to other places in the area, your Mexican or American places have a similar amount of food. I was a bit over stuffed from getting the 3 entree option - I recommend the 2 entree option as being the right amount of food. I enjoyed the flavors of the food but without being cheaper or having more variety they aren't going to break into the upper stratosphere of stars. I also thought the raita (yogurt) was a bit bland plus even asking for two containers I hardly got enough. The naan isn't worth the trouble. It lacks that light fluffiness and felt like it had been stacked under something heavy and absorbed extra moisture. They have the cooking skills, but they didn't make four star choices with the menu. They are another reasonably fast buffet that you can only carry out and they pack the container for you (they are generous enough). Conclusion: if you are nearby then go here, but don't travel out of your way. Find your local supplier. For me that is a place down the street from my home (see my other reviews and you will find it). read more

Nirvana II - a group of people in a fast food restaurant - Indian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Grab and go Indian spot open for lunch at the base of Wells Fargo 3. Line moves fast and the portions are usually huge. I have never been to India so I can't comment on how authentic it is, but it sure tastes great. If you arrive later in the day they may be out of several items so be warned. I am relatively new to Indian food but was glad to find this place right by my office and I am thankful I gave it a try because now I'm addicted! read more

What a rip-off! These people were at the Indian Festival this weekend....and I order rice and tiki marsala and a potato side dish. Dumb me didn't ask how much and I got home and was charged $16. And the food was ice cold! read more

The chicken biryani tasted authentic and flavourful. Had lots of fresh spices. Watch out if you can't handle too much spicy. Make sure you get extra yogurt read more

Nirvana II - Indian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

About 6 months ago this place started to noticeably, but subtly, evolve. Gone were the friendly owners, replaced by a new crop of much younger, less interested employees. I can recall on not once, but at least 2 to 3 occassions going here shortly after 11am for an early lunch and the place was closed. I've walked in at 11:30 am and they're still setting up? Prices went up, small changes to the menu items started showing up and the coma-inducing, extra scoops of food that really defined the value of their offering started to wane. In other words, now you're getting too much food (instead of WAYYY too much food) for $9, instead of $8. Subtle - but impactful to the discerning lunch goer. One correctable, subtle issue that popped up, and still persists today as I pull another one out of my mouth while chewing and writing this review, is exhibited by the fact that they cook with in-tact, full-sized Cardamom pods and cloves. Now in and of itself, this is not at all an issue, and in fact encouraged as the subtle flavors are a terrific layer of flavor. The problem exists when the pods and cloves are not removed prior to serving the dish and so you'll occassinally get a mouthfull of surprise when you bite into an entire Cardamom pod which can simply destroy your pallette for the next several minutes. It's a rookie mistake, that can be easily changed and make a subtle improvement to their quality. Unfortunately, after some serious evaluation of this place for several weeks, if not months (yea I still come here pretty much weekly because it's the closest place to my office) I can no longer recommend this place to folks who may have an Indian food itch burning in their appetites. The subtle changes that the Aroma management team has made have deteriorated the overall offering beyond my comfort zone. In fact, the line out the door that used to exist for Nirvana II is gone - the people have spoken!! The other factor here is that Persis Biriyani opened up a place across the street in the Latta Arcade. In another month or so, after they work out the kinks, I would expect Persis to crush this place on every facet of their offering. DING DING DING - LETTTS GET READDDY TO RUMMMBBBLLLLEEEE!!!!! And oh yea, the naan is still awful. read more

I was very disappointed with the newest addition to the Indian scene uptown, mainly because the food lacks flavor which is just not a good look. The servers were very friendly and allow you to sample what they have before you order. I sampled a few items that were just ok, so I decided to stick with the tikki masala since this was my first visit. Perhaps it was me but as I stated before the food simply lacked flavor and how shameful is it to serve store bought naan? read more

Nirvana II - Indian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Maybe 5 stars is a bit of a exaggeration because it's not like their food is perfect, for instance the naan isn't particularly good but overall their food is great. Fast, affordable, a block from my office and with enough spice to actually taste interesting. The spice thing is a big peccadillo of mine because most of these lunch spots really turn down not just the heat but overall flavor to suit the typical business lunch crowd. Nirvana II don't compromise as nearly as much and their food is adequately flavorful. The menu also rotates regularly so you never get too bored of what's available. Still i mostly go there on Fridays when they have their fish curry which i'm rather partial to. read more

I was in and out of the restaurant pretty quickly (they have meals prepared and you just check out what you want). Since it was my first time there I had a few questions about the dishes, but the employees were helpful in explaining the contents of them. The food was great and they do give you a lot! read more

Nirvana II - Vegetable Curry on top of White Rice with naan (super fluffy and good) and some fried dish with potatos and chickpeas in it. - Indian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I have been on quite the Indian binge lately, making it myself at home, trying everything pre packaged from Trader Joes and then a Groupon came out for Nirvana II. I only bought two meals worth knowing I should have purchased more and I really should have. I never go Uptown so my first trip to Nirvana was anything but "Nirvana". I wasted most my lunch break roaming around uptown, now on foot looking for the restaurant. It is neatly tucked away in some building on MLK blvd, not really S Tryon, which is probably what caused all my confusion. But alas I made it! For my first trip I ordered Chicken Tikka Masala with a side of curried potatoes and eggplant. The Chicken was awesome, the tikka masala was very mild which was nice since the potatoes and egg plant was quite spicy. I went again today ordering the Chicken Tikka Masala again, the chili chicken or pepper chicken looked great but my stomach has been sensitive to spicy lately, hope that passes.The sides were Aloo Bhindi (potato/okra), Navratan Korma and I got a mango lassi. This all came out to ten dollars, I swear it was pushing five pounds of food. I should have weighed it once I got back to the office. The chicken once again was great, korma was mildly spiced and the pineapple really made it stand out. But the aloo bhindi is what I was excited about the most. I had no idea Okra was a big deal out of the south east, probably because my mid western GF had never heard of it. It was very good, almost tasted like the same spices from the eggplant/potato curry but not as spicy. For someone who has recently discovered a love for Indian food and by recently I mean six months, I enjoyed Nirvana II. Sure it's the first Indian restaurant I have ever dined at (Woodlands I am looking at you next) but I think eight dollars, ten with the Mango Lassi for more food than I can eat in one sitting is a great deal. I will definitely return with or without a Groupon. read more

YUM! I was here for the first time yesterday. It is located at the Wells Fargo 3 building right on 2nd street next to the former Ono's. They cleaned up the place a bit - the former tenant of this location was famous for his unhygienic ways and sour attitude. The FIRST thing I asked upon entering was if the new owner was affiliated with the previous one and the nice man said no! Phew!! This is a takeout Indian spot - they have several different dishes to choose from (I think they are only open for lunch? I am not sure....). I had the Chicken Tikka Masala yesterday and it was mild - perfect for this inexperienced Indian-Food-Loving palette. The beautiful rice was plentiful and the nice chef also gave us free tastes of anything we wanted to try. The nan was the only letdown. It seemed prepackaged, as in not freshly made. But the rest of the food and yogurt sauce was delicious. I got my food plus a bottle of water for $7 bucks. Can't wait to get back here! So glad it is convenient for us uptown workers!!! :-D read more

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with the prior review on this one. I was initially excited to hear about the opening of this new Indian Fusion restaurant as it's right next to where I work and I love South Asian food. The concept was new, interesting, and unique. The prices were incredibly low and the pictures on the outside looked pretty good. Unfortunately I was sorely disappointed when a bunch of buddies and I went to finally try it out (we all happen to be brown by the way). I can appreciate the fact that the food isn't supposed to taste exactly like Indian cuisine as it has culinary influence from several different areas of the world. But what I personally found was that the flavors and textures of the dishes they offered were as uninviting and bland as the yellow interiors of the actual establishment. We tried the red beans, the chicken korma, a couple of wraps, eggplant, and another chicken dish and somehow I couldn't even finish my food. Maybe it's just my bias since I grew up with this type of cuisine, but I'm not gonna pretend that I would even consider coming here again. To put it briefly, you get exactly what you pay for. For $5 at lunch time, you're going to get $2 quality chicken, $1 quality rice, $2 quality taste. It's like waiting in line at the school cafeteria. In the back of your mind, you're hoping for something good today, but ultimately you end up wishing you hadn't even made the effort to get in line. You can tell that some of the flavors are there in terms of identifying it as coming from a certain part of Asia, but you won't find the boldness or adequate seasoning in any of the dishes. The wraps were of course leaking everywhere because they put the actual chicken IN it's gravy into the tortilla. Not a clever move. I was also charged $76 because she "pressed the numbers too quickly." Hopefully the void shows up in my statements, otherwise I had an unbearably overpriced lunch.... I suppose if you've never had Indian food in your life, this might pass as edible. 2/5 read more

The best way to describe the food at Nirvana II is that it tastes like disappointment. Located in the bottom of 3 Wells Fargo, there's a line out the door to this carry-out only restaurant most days. I love Indian food, so I've attempted lunch from this location twice. The second time was only after I suitably convinced myself the first meal wasn't as big of a disaster as I remembered. I was wrong. They don't serve authentic naan, you just get flimsy pita bread wedges. Their version of Chicken Tikka Masala is a gritty, brownish curry mixture that doesn't resemble a quality version of the dish in any way. The chicken may have bones, or it may not, it's really a surprise by the day. I've tried another dish - chana masala from here, and it tasted the same. (Fortunately no bones!) Flavors are just muddy. Both times I've eaten here, I've tossed my lunch out half-eaten before finishing it. I don't understand why this restaurant is popular. How hard can it be to do Indian carryout right? read more

A new indian option uptown. The way I see it, anything's better than the place in the Latta Arcade. I welcome you with open arms. Cheap prices, friendly service with a smile and decent food. Minimalist interior, I mean seriously. No decor, it just a straight up take out restaurant. No decor = low overhead. Yay for me. read more

The first time I heard about Nirvana 2 was from a colleague of mine who loves Indian cuisine. Now growing up in a family of Indian chefs and doing my own Indian cooking there was only one restaurant that I like to visit and that was the Rajbhoj in the university area. When I first went to check out Nirvana 2 I was pleasantly surprised to see that the owner was also a chef at Lolas making the lolas beef tips. If anyone has ever tasted the Lolas beef tips it is also close as you get to original Portuguese cuisine. Now about Nirvana 2;- it is more about carrying out than dining in. Once you set that expectation you would be fine. Another thing to keep in mind is that not all Indian food is spicy. Anything that involves cream will be bland for the most part. What the reader Avi A said about the food being bland;- any lentils or korma will always have some blandness associated for it. If you want something with a flavor and a kick here are some options;- Chilli chicken Pepper Chicken Any south Indian chicken Curry fish - Yes this is really good For you non vegetarians;- Chama masalla Any peas and mushroom combinations Any kadai combinations The coconut chicken is also good but dont expect it to be spicy. The staff is very friendly and they do take feedback. So if you have to say something tell them. It will only help improve their cusine. My mama always told me that if you dont have something nie to say dont say it all. And if someone doesnt like the food they can always cook at home =(^-^)=! read more

Nirvana is a solid lunch option for the working stiffs uptown. I eat here 2-3 times a month and it helps get me through the morning grind when I know I'm heading here for lunch. It's pretty much a "to-go" type of establishment, but they do have a few tables out front. I usually try to eat this stuff outside as the aroma is way too strong for the office. I don't want to make my co-workers too jealous! I usually stick to the vegetarian options (it's cheaper and you can get a lot more food for the price), but everything I've had has been delicious. Indian food just has that 'POP', and Nirvana delivers it at a good value. Yes, the naan is just pita bread as others have mentioned, but it's still good. Make sure you also know your limit when it comes to spicy food because they usually have 1-2 entrees that deliver a big kick. They'll let you know if you ask. Bottom line, it's a tasty, cheap, and quick lunch Uptown. I just have to watch it because sometimes I want to curl up under my desk and take a nap after chowing down! read more

I have visited this place at least twice a week since I started working in downtown Charlotte. The spicy dishes are legitimately spicy and wonderful, but there is plenty to choose from if you want to stray away from the spice. Their naan isn't the best, but the rest of the food more than makes up for it. Even when the line is out the door during lunch, it moves quickly and the staff is amazingly friendly. Two vegetarian dishes with rice and naan are enough to have me near stuffed for less than $8. I only wish they took AMEX. Other than that, I love this place! read more

Aromas were great. Staff was friendly. Food was tasty and plentiful. However, the 2 chicken dishes I had were too bland - not spicy at all. I mean zero. "Indian food" and "spicy" go hand in hand, and it doesn't have to be overpowering; even very mild spice makes for more flavorful food. Nirvana II could use a little of that. Take out only. A couple of cleanish tables outside the front door. I will say most of the clientele was Indian, and they are likely better judges of the food than I. read more

I was excited to see that there was an Indian restaurant so close to my job but boy was I disappointed. I wanted the Chicken Tikka Masala which I'm assuming is the most popular dish b/c when I got up to order they were out. The server told me that I could just get the sauce. She would give me the Veggie price (which is a dollar less) but that is so stupid to me. The owner, I'm assuming, was very non chalant of running out of food. He told her to tell me that I could come back tomorrow. Are you serious? I was just standing there stupified because I couldn't believe that they didn't have anymore (it was 1pm btw). He suggested I eat something else but I didn't want any other dish. Just as I was going to leave. He picked out the last little pieces of chicken and plopped on my plate. I just thought since it was the last of the food that maybe I could get more sauce. Not so! It was medicore at best. I've had better and they acted like they could care less if you ever come back. I'm sorry but I can not give this place a good review. read more

The service was prompt and the food was tasty. It was my first time ever eating Indian food so I can't say I knew what to expect. I will certainly eat here again if the opportunity presents itself. I went in July 2013. Amex was not accepted at that time. Perhaps things have changed? read more

I guess today it's their first new ownership crew, they seem a little confused and unorganized. I had the spicy chicken and tiki masala. Great food, right amount of spice and not overwhelming. However the naan was pretty flat and not hot enough. It's been a while since I had Indian food ,but their yogurt sauce was too watery for me. I think it's supposed to be thicker like tzatziki sauce. read more

This take-out Indian place has become one of my go-to lunch spots. It's fast enough that I can easily grab lunch and either eat it outside or at my desk without it becoming lunch hour-and-a-half. The menu rotates, but it seems that chicken tikka masala is always available for those who are spice averse. Today, they had fish curry, aloo channa, dal tarka, chicken biryani, malai veggies,and coconut chicken. If they have rice pilaf available that day instead of just rice, pay the extra quarter and get it. If you are unsure whether you will like a dish, ask for a taste before you order it. They are happy to accommodate. Chai is sporadically available and my coworkers swear by it, though I find it too sweet. Occasionally, they will have a dessert available - get it! I have seen some seemingly strange combinations of foods in their desserts that I thought would absolutely not work flavor-wise and they turned out to be surprisingly delicious! read more

This place is busy like no other during lunch time! Decent Indian food in uptown, ESP on Thursdays for goat curry! It's a hit or miss though bc sometimes u get mostly bones. But the flavors are there! The menu is confusing to read, I still don't know what the pricing is but I usually get biriyani (mixed rice dish) with a meat (either goat curry or chicken tikka masala) and a vegetarian side like paneer. This is actually more than enough food that you can split into two meals. Either that or just get the rice and meat dish for around $8. Make sure to get here before 1pm bc they run out of food quick. And it's all to go dishes, no dine in option! read more

Good design for workday lunch - in and out in a few minutes. Food is okay. No place to sit inside. Don't take American Express. Menu online is not 100% accurate to what they serve (maybe they rotate dishes). read more

I'm a frequenter of Nirvana II for my lunches (perhaps once every other week). The selling point here is the magnitude of the portions; if you get the combo they will seemingly give you enough food for a family of nine. Service is always excellent, and you can be in-and-out in under three minutes on most days. I generally will just point to whatever looks appealing among the eight-or-so dishes that are served daily, and have always been satisfied. My only major complaint is the lack of spice in the food; my taste buds want to go on a rodeo, but sadly this is but a mere pony ride. read more

Love this place. This is one of two places uptown that I go pretty regularly and its consistently satisfying. Take-out only, but staff is friendly and quick, in particular the cashier. They have goat biryani on Friday that is excellent! But get there before 1 or it will be gone. Chicken biryani is also very good. read more

Pretty good for lunch time -- the price is definitely right (like $8 for one meat, rice and naan). I just never feel super great after eating it. The foods pretty greasy, even for Indian food, and the cafeteria style presentation isn't them doing any favors. Sometimes it's been really good though, so I think time has a lot to do with it. Try going closer to when they open -- especially if you want a non gravy item like Chicken 65, or else it'll be too soggy. They also serve chai tea later in the afternoon (cash only if recall correctly). read more

I am not sure what happened to this place. Based on other reviews I guess the change is due to new management - but the food I just had there was not the food I have been enjoying for the last couple of years... the second you walk in you can even smell the difference - the spice smells don't entice you like they used to. The food is completely bland, the tikka masala is a weird dark brown color versus the delicious tomato sauce color that I had come to expect from this place, it tasted canned, the potatoes in the potato and okra curry tasted frozen - not fresh at all... overall, just SO disappointing. I used to go to this restaurant at least once a week... now I don't know if I will ever be back. Tears have been shed over this... and based on the fact that I used to have to wait 10 minutes to order at this place and this time I just walked right up to the counter - it is pretty clear that I am not the only uptown worker who shares this disappointment. BRING THE OLD FOOD BACK PLEASE!! read more

new management, and new food. I can deal with a learning staff. This was nothing like the old nirvava 2 food. Chili chicken bland and saag paneer looked just weird. They dont make yogurt chicken anymore. Also went up on prices. 1* and no more visits until old food is back. I have talked with numerous regulars that wont be returning as well after similar experiences. read more

Uptown Indian selections are limited for me. The place in Latta Arcade is meh. And I don't know where any other places are. This little joint opened up right across from the entrance of my parking garage, and I had to try it out. MmMMMMMmMMmmmm! So great, super friendly staff, and hearty portions. And they didn't give me beef (ha!) about not wanting rice with my combo. Super tasty and flavorful food that doesn't taste like it had been sitting there for ages. So glad to have another awesome option in uptown! Yay! read more

Unfortunately this place appears to have changed owners. Food's slightly different, perhaps a bit worse than before. Prices have gone up. Still your best choice to get an Indian fix uptown for lunch, but not much competition. read more

This was one of my favorite eateries however they change pricing without warning so I paid double what I normally pay and then when they gave me receipt it did not itemize what I was being charged for. Won't eat there again because I feel like I got scammed. read more

Looks like a drab shady place to get food from, but the food is quite good. One of the few places I actually enjoyed Indian food at. They had a black bean curry on the menu and it was yummy yummy! Wish I had the appetite to try the biryani too coz it looked (and smelled ) great. I should also mention that this place gives you good value for money coz their portions are quite generous. read more

Good service, great quality and reasonably priced take out place. Quantity is sufficient enough and very tasty.

So happy I found this place. Great portions at a great value. Really friendly staff. I often have half left over, which makes for a great lunch the next day for me or my husband. They have punch cards too! There's no place to sit here, FYI. You have to take your food to-go. But it's perfect for the downtown worker. read more

In short, the food is unspectacular but they give you a ton of it. I wish they had some more spice in their food, but they do have some sauces you can grab at the end - the green one (mint chutney?) is good read more

I'm no expert on Indian, but I can say this is definitely my one and only stop for Indian during a work day in Uptown. You get a ton of food and everyone inside is pleasant. Line can look long and intimidating at times, but it goes relatively quick so give it a shot. read more