When I read my prior review I was reminded to avoid anything made in the tandoor. (Our meal last time was over-cooked.) HOWEVER I thought they did a stellar job with sauce, which is what brought us back. I went with my second favorite dish, chicken korma. The sauce was great, the chicken a bit dry. Deviating from his usual vindaloo, T lived in the fast lane (ha!) and ordered lamb roganjosh. The sauce was excellent, described in the menu as "yogurt, onions, ginger and garlic in a traditional curry" but there's the unmistakable addition of cinnamon. And it works! Our appetizer, tangy eggplant, was crisp and spicy with a portion large enough to feed four as a starter. What made the evening notable were four delightful octogenarians seated next to us. I was tasked with the awesome responsibility of guiding them through the menu. My recommendations luckily were well received. The restaurant was practically empty Saturday evening. "I guess the waitress is too busy to come over," one of our new friends said sarcastically. Which brings me to the help. Our server, the same person we had last time, is noticeably timid, hesitant to effectively interact with her customers. The neighboring table agreed and continued to wait patiently. Nirvana is still considered a byob, though they may actually serve alcohol. In any case, they now impose a $10 corkage fee, when before they charged nothing. read more

The food is delicious. However, the service was poor. If you have a lot of time to wait for your food, it's ok. But if you are starving or are going somewhere else after dinner, this is not your place. It took forever for the ONE waitress to take our order. Never refilled water glasses. And then we were told we couldn't buy wine by the glass, you had to buy the whole bottle. After the website said we would be charged a corking fee if we brought our own wine. I would do take out. But probably not go back to eat inside. read more

Our corner bar, Tip O'Learys, closed years ago and we have been waiting for something to take its place. I was excited when I saw the work being done on the building and happy to see Nirvana Indian Bistro open their doors a few weeks ago. They removed the booths from the front windows and replaced them with tables, updated the bathrooms, and cut the bar in half to make the front end the hostess station, the back half appears to be storage. I don't eat a lot of Indian food but do love Chicken Tikka Masala. They have 7 levels of spice from mild to very spicy. I went with Indian spicy which is the 5th hottest and didn't break a sweat. I'll go with one of the hotter choices next time. Came with rice and I got the Peshwari Naan. Everything was tasty and the servers were very friendly, I'll definitely be back and see if I can break a sweat next time. read more

See all

I was meeting a friend for lunch and was craving an Indian buffet. Unfortunately, there doesn't really seem to be an Indian buffet left on the Main Line, but Nirvana scored good reviews, so we decided to go here. (Note: lunch is just the regular menu.) The restaurant was quiet and well-appointed inside--in the latter regard, it reminds me of a NY Indian restaurant. We began by sharing the tangy eggplant appetizer, which was a crispy fried dish that was indeed tangy (and tasty). We followed that with the mixed tandoori grill and lamb rogan josh, both of which were excellent (we accompanied them with rice and garlic naan). The lamb was nice and tender and the sauce was flavorful. The tandoori items were also nicely cooked and flavorful, and there was nice variety on the platter. Along with the tandoori platter, the server brought a goblet-esque serving of tikka masala (i.e., the sauce). Never before has any restaurant done that--and I've had my share of tandoori over the years--but they seem to like sauces (they brought a couple--mint and tamarind--to go with the eggplant), so I dutifully tried it, putting a little dollop on my plate and trying it with the tandoori. It was perfectly tasty but not at all necessary, which is what made what happened next all the more unfortunate... We finished what we could, which was most of it, and the waiter arrives to clear the table. He collects things onto his tray, and as he starts to pull away from the table, he somehow manages to upend everything--and suddenly this sauce that has never before existed on any tandoori order I've ever seen has been weaponized. It ends up all over my leg, on my shorts and on my shirt. It gets my friend, part of a couple nearby tables and part of our table, but somehow I am in the perfect position to bear the brunt of the attack. The waiter was mortified, and I certainly get that accidents happen, but maybe do more than just apologize? Offer a free dessert or take a little something off the check? After all, instead of being able to go right to my next stop, a cafe where I planned to do work, I had to go back to my parents' house (I was visiting) to soak and change my shirt and shorts--a very unplanned detour. And, if I may offer a thought to the management: Don't serve that sauce with your tandoori. One, it doesn't need it at all, and two, if I wanted some version of tikka masala, I'd have ordered it. In sum, food-wise a delicious meal but with a very messy ending that could have been handled better by the restaurant. read more

This place is amazing and my wife and I love coming here! They have so many great vegan and vegetarian options and the food is always so good. Also the servers here are so sweet and accommodating! If you like Indian food, I highly recommend that you give them a try. You won't be disappointed!! read more

Delicious Indian restaurant. Highlights were the cauliflower appetizer and chicken korma.

Great food. Spice is completely dialed in. Greet service. Robust menu. A ton of flavor. Great dishes and this place is now on our regular visit list. read more

Went to Nirvana when I dropped my son off at Villanova for his freshmen year. Food was so good, we went back again for Parent's Weekend. Lamb Biryani Vegetable Jalfrezi Lamb Tikka Masala Regular naan Mango Lassi All perfectly cooked, and service was excellent with both servers we had. I have no idea why this place is so empty. It's delicious. read more

Nirvana is a rocket ship straight to flavor town. A mouth full of their garlic naan scooping up their butter chicken and jasmine rice will put you right in nirvana as their name suggests. Their menu is very approachable for those new to Indian food, while still offering great verity of curry, proteins and entrees that can be made as spicy or not. The staff is extremely nice and all their locals have calming dining areas. read more

We've been eating here pretty regularly (every week or 2) for about a year. The restaurant is clean with a warm and elegant interior that's not too formal. The service is always polite and prompt. There is metered parking on the street and finding a spot is usually easy. We tend to order two entrees; a chicken dish and a lamb dish. The sauces are delicious. We've tried Korma, Vindaloo, Butter chicken, Tikka Masala, Roganjosh, Madras and regular curry and the Kerala Pepper. All the sauces we've had have been great but we almost always order the korma or kerala dishes as one of our entrees. The breads are fresh baked. They have an extensive Vegetarian and Vegan selection of which we've had the Bhindi Masala, which was delicious. There are lots of options in the area but we think that Nirvana (Bryn Mawr) is our favorite. read more

Ordered online thru their website for pickup. They also offer delivery. Showed up around time food was supposed to be ready. Time was between typical lunch and dinner hours ,and restaurant was empty except for one seating. There was noone manning the front. I waited and waited, for about 5 minutes, before a lady came out from the kitchen to attend to the seated group eating their meal. I said I was there for pickup, and she said give me a minute. She disappeared. I waited another 10 minutes or so and she came out with a large brown bag. But she would not hand over my food. It had already been prepaid online thru my credit card. I gave her the transaction number I received on my email receipt. She said 'no.' Apparently this wasn't good enough. Maybe I didn't look the part of a typical customer at this Main Line establishment. It was a tense minute or so. After showing her my email receipt, she relinquished the package. And then without another word or any apologies, she just disappeared again into the kitchen. I do not think I will be patronizing this place again. Maybe no loss as far as she is concerned. As for the menu, 2 things different. You can order a bread basket, which allows you a choice of ANY 3 breads. Spice levels for curries are also on a 7 point scale , starting from mild to Indian Spicy to Very Spicy. As for food quality, bread had flavor but was damp and undercooked. Curries were a little like store bottled paste. Also a little overcooked with a slightly burnt flavor. Supposed to be Nepalese Indian, I think, but not as sweet as Tiffin's, if that make a difference to you. Curry amount less generous than is typical. 2 orders equivalent to 1.5 at a place like Tiffin's. And lot, lot less generous with the chicken, just barely any meat; was sharing and had to break up some of the pieces. Rice was ample at least. This is apparently one of 6 of a chain in the Philadelphia area. read more

I would put 0 stars if I could. I received the wrong order. When trying to correct it, the driver and the restaurant were not able to speak English and communicate enough to correct the issue. When they finally agreed to resend the order, I didn't receive anything after 45 min and gave up, cancelling the order and requesting a refund. I will not be ordering from here again. read more

Nirvana is amazing! Their chicken korma is very yummy and their samosas are delicious. The interior of the restaurant is very pretty but order well in advance because when I went the wait was a little long for takeout. read more

Catering order review: Exceptional food - we ordered Gobhi Manchurian, Biryani, Paneer tikka dry, and Samosa Chaat. Finger kicking, and generous portions! They even gave us complimentary pakoras and kheer (rice pudding). Everyone in our (Indian) family loved it! Vishal was terrific! read more

We ordered chilli chicken, butter chicken, lamb tikka masala, food was awesome served fresh and hot. Service was good, the lady who took our order was very courteous and gave us a warm welcome. read more

Food is typically consistent but today it tasted different and bland, seems like a totally different chef. Dissatisfied and disappointed.

Service was just outstanding and all of our food choices were winners. We will definitely not hesitate to return

Great space, comfortable,CLEAN!! Waiter was very friendly and helpful and the food delish! Ordered the cauliflower app (so g, samosas, chicken tikki masala and tandoori shrimp with garlic naan on the side. Food was hot, fresh and we devoured it! Can't wait to go back!! read more

Nirvana is THEE best Indian food restaurant! Make sure you get the gobi Manchurian they are amazing!!

I am obsessed with the food here!!! I have tried the food at the Lafayette Hill location and was pleasantly surprised by the authentic food! The new Bryn Mawr location is very convenient for me and I will definitely be visiting often. As a South Indian, I love the Goat Chettinad as it tastes so authentic and reminds me of home. The Lamb Chops are also yummy. The staff is kind and they even gave me a rice pudding on the house - which was amazing might I add! My only issues with the place are the prices and ambiance. Being from the Bay Area California, I am used to Indian/Chettinad restaurants with high prices, but I feel the prices here are slightly excessive. Additionally, the vibe of the restaurant is quite formal, which is not really an issue, more of a personal preference. Since there are already two moderately fancy Indian restaurants within 0.5 miles of this one, it would be nice if Nirvana could have a more casual atmosphere to set it apart from the others, but that is just my opinion. This place is on my list of "good food cravings." Overall, I would recommend giving this restaurant a try!!!! The food is super great and the service is excellent! read more

So good. Tried for the first time last week. Great service and delicious food. Great atmosphere too! Definitely will be back.