Nirvana is a neighborhood gem. Service and food are both fantastic. Owner is always warm and welcoming. Love that it's BYOB and you never feel rushed. read more

Food is very good. Would be a five star if my order was not so messed up not once but twice. None of the meals for our party of four came out within the same five minutes of each other. When mine came out last it was a totally different dish then what I ordered. Waited 15 minutes for the first correction. When it came out wrong again I was not going to wait for the server to come around but went directly into the kitchen (a first for me) and it was corrected within 2 minutes. I'll return and if service is better I'll update to five stars. read more

My husband and I had heard nothing but wonderful things from our friends about this restaurant so we looked forward to going. We had a late evening reservation and arrived on time. We were greeted by friendly staff and seated promptly. We brought our own wine which was quickly opened and we were given menus. We love Indian food and the menu had many great selections. We tried some new things and were very pleased. As well we had chicken tikka and lamb korma our usual. Really good. So here is my issue: once we were seated the pace was so hurried. The staff was very pleasant and all the diners around us had wonderful appearing meals but there was not even a minute between courses. There were empty tables as well, so we could not understand the rush. Beginning to end we were there 40 minutes. Not my idea of dining out on a Saturday night. Thought about giving 3 stars but the food really was nice. Ambience is pretty good too. Hopefully they will read this review and adjust. We will go back but if the pace is so fast again that will be our last visit. Just wanted to say that I have twice been back to Nirvana. My entire family thinks the food is great. We asked them to suggest new things and everything was wonderful. On our last 2 visits we were not at all rushed and the servers are gracious and friendly. They totally deserve 5 stars. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Sorry to yell, but after 4-5 visits I expected they had worked out the kinks. We asked for a 9pm reservation and were told that was OK but that no new orders would be taken after 9:30. Ok. We ordered by 9:10 and the appetizers were served promptly. Then came the rush. As the appetizers were being cleared the meals were served. My "Are you kidding me?" moment came at 10:10 when they turned off the lights in the restaurant. We were not the only table there. Do they want to be fast food or fine dining? On a Saturday night I would expect them to find it acceptable for us to take more than an hour and ten minutes to be finished. We had not yet finished our glasses of wine but took the big gulp so we could leave them to their darkness. Really amateur. We may have to rely on take out. Then their speediness will be appreciated. read more

Your new best spot in Bergen County for Indian cuisine is here! Take your wife there, take your kids there, take your Mama there! The food is that good. Please give this great place a try, you will be so happy you did! You Dad's know we will do anything for our daughters. Well my daughter loves Indian food. As a result we've been to most Indian restaurants in north Jersey over the last 10 years. I am happy to say our search is over!!! Nirvana has the best dishes we have ever had. The naan is so light, fluffy, done to perfection. The chicken tikka masala is the best we have ever had and trust me we have had a lot!! The chanas are great, saag , paneer all were excellent. The tandoori chicken was again, some of the best we have ever had. Okay I'm probably like you, a working guy with a wife, two kids, a dog and a mortgage so when we go out I'm looking for a good value. Once again you can't beat this place!! The lunch buffet is around $13. I had two big plate fulls, my wife had three...when we left I knew it was money well spent!! Finally the atmosphere is casual yet elegant, perfect for a business lunch in the afternoon or date night in the evening...and it's BYOB! The host Vikram and the other gentleman, sorry I did not get his name were so friendly, accommodating and warm you want to tell them to pull up a chair and join your family! The entire staff was very attentive. Okay, I know I'm rambling here but when you find a real gem you want to share it with folks. ENJOY read more

The food was fantastic. Best Indian food around. Plenty of vegetarian options, as well. The buffet was beyond worth it for the price.

Got food catered from Nirvana for a big party. It was delivered right on time, hot & in very well organized trays. Everything from appetizers to entrees & desserts was delicious. All my guests loved the food. read more

Best place ever! Food is magnificent, the service is incredible and the drinks are strong and reasonably priced! Dominic, thank you! You're simply the best! read more

I had a lovely meal here. Easting in restaurant is always good. I've also ordered delivery from here. Not everything was still hot so that wasn't ideal. read more

Finally a great Indian restuarant in my neighborhood. This place is a perfect combination of elegant ambience, excellant service and mouth watering food items. I went there with my husband and two very naughty little kids on a saturday afternoon and felt it was a perfect place for a family to hang out. We tried the masala dosa and idli and both the items were to die for. I have lived in US for 8 yrs and never had the masala dosa like this before. It was paired with the most delicious sambhar and cutneys. We ordered, tandoori chicken tikka for my son and he surprised me by finishing it all by himself in just a few minutes. It was perfectly cooked, juicy and tendor and just melted in the mouth. Writing this review makes me hungry :). Can't wait to go back again.... read more

Tried Nirvana last night. The service and food are very good. We were a party of 4 so we were able to order several dishes. All the dishes were fresh and tasty. The owner visited our table to introduce himself and chat. He seems very sincere in his desire to take care of his customers. In fact the entire staff is eager to please. Although they do not have a liquor license you can BYOB. We ordered fried calamari appetizer which was lightly fried and crisp. It was accompanied by sautéed onions and peppers. The dish was covered with a chili sauce, which did have a kick to it. All the items certainly tasted like they were freshly made. For the main course we had chicken, rice, and vegan entrees. We also tried the ice cream for desert, which was terrific! We plan to return to Nirvana soon. read more

Great new Indian dining in Allendale. Good service, nice room and excellent food. After one meal we can see that this will be a regular choice for us. Terrific on all counts. read more

This place is awesome! Great vegetarian dishes and friendly service. I recommend Nirvana to all! Five stars --- thumbs up!

We went to Nirvana yesterday for lunch and it was wonderful!! The food was delicious and the service was very good!! The decor was very nice too! Will Be going back for sure!! read more

The food was good and the service was excellent. We walked in on a Saturday night with no reservation and our 9 month old son. They were packed, and my some started to cry because it was dark and a little on the loud side. I apologized and said he would calm down once we sat down, and they said not to worry it was fine and then proceeded to give us a great table that was definitely bigger than necessary for our party, but helped accommodate with the baby. The staff was fantastic and super helpful. Food wise, I did not like the papadum or sauces (they can vary quite a bit from restaurant to restaurant). But the malai kofta and naan bread were very good. I will definitely go back and try other dishes. read more

Will start off by saying that we have ordered takeout from Nirvana few times and really liked the food. So for the food as takeout I would give it 4 stars. However after one dine in experience I would rate it a 2 hence the rating falling in between at a 3. The apps were ok, nothing to write home about. The tandoori naans were excellent as well as the lentils. The chicken tikka masala was way way too sweet. The waiter did not ask us for level of spice so we didn't really get to change it to our taste unlike they do with takeout orders. Food aside my biggest issue with the restaurant was the rushed service. We sat down to eat at 9:20 on a Friday night and they were literally on top of us to order. Everything came out at a fast food pace and they barely gave us time to enjoy each course. On yelp their hours say they're open until 10:30 so why do they have 3 waiters staring at you while you finish your meal? If you don't want to stay until closing time, then change your hours to 9:30 or do not seat people past 9pm. The tipping point for me to write this review was when they turned the music off at about 10:10 which is basically a restaurant telling you to leave. We were in and out of there in like 50 minutes because it was uncomfortable to be watched while we ate. Between two people who both ordered appetizers and entrees and wine and our bill was close to $100 so for this price point I don't expect a fast food experience. It's not the money as much as a disappointing dining experience. read more

I can't believe I waited two years to try this wonderful place! The staff is very friendly and helpful with suggestions. My favs so far would be the samosa chat, garlic naan and Mali kofta. If you like Indian don't miss this fantastic byo! read more

Found this place on yelp and came through based on their rating. The dishes tasted good. However, I was very disappointed by how most of the naan bread we received were burnt. At first we just ignored it and thought there will be better pieces under the burnt ones but as we got to the bottom of the basket they got worse, and were so severely dark and burned that they were breaking into crumbs. I personally do not think it is okay to charge premium prices per naan and not give the customer what they are paying for. I am an Indian food fanatic - naan is one of the main and essential parts of the course for me. I personally think they should have taken a few of the naan off the tab. As customers that would have been appreciated. However I will say that they gave us new naans after we reported it to them. BUT that does not make up for the fact that we practically had burnt naan for half of our meal. Additionally they need to make sure that their bathrooms are more clean. The toilets were very gross. I went in to wash my hands but seeing that completely killed my appetite. Again, when you are charging premium prices for food, you should maintain the cleanliness of your restaurant as such. read more

Nirvana Indian Kitchen - Indian Near Me - Allendale, New Jersey

I am by far not an expert in Indian food. As a matter of fact, when I first tried Nirvana it was only my 2nd or 3rd experience. Since my first trip here, I have returned a dozen times. The friendly staff always takes the time to walk us through the menu and make great recommendations. I am learning more and more about Indian cuisine and although still nowhere near expert, have tried many new offerings and with the help of the staff, really beginning to learn about all the various nuances of spice and flavor. I would recommend Nirvana to both the experienced and novice palate. read more

Absolutely wonderful dining experience. From the pleasant atmosphere to the terrific hosts. We had the Bhindi Churi Muri and Masala Dosa to start which was just a fabulous combination of flavors, followed by Chicken Makhani with rosemary and garlic Naan. Total came to $50 and was ample food for my wife and I to share. I would recommend just getting one bread and splurging on a 3rd appetizer. Best Indian I have been hands down and that includes from restaurants I have been to in NY, NJ and the United Kingdom. Keep up the good work Nirvana and best of luck with your business. We will be back soon and often. read more

Loved the ambience! The decor is really relaxing and is a perfect place if you are in mood for Indian cuisine around Allendale. Prices are certainly accommodative for the value delivered. Try the Bagari Shrimp. This is great place. I am definitely coming back! read more

Great place to visit. Great food. The staff was amazing. Service is great but when the place is packed the servers and other staff give it their all in order to keep the people who are already seated happy, as well as the ones patiently waiting for their seat. The food is amazing! I highly recommend this place. read more

Very good Indian Food- probably the best I've found in the area w/in 20 miles. I've eaten at Indian restaurants around the world & would say food, spice, quality is above average. Looking forward to this cuisine over the winter months. read more

Nirvana is the rare combination of delicious cuisine and great hospitality! My family regularly comes here because it accommodates my gluten allergy (almost everything is GF), is so tasty, and the service is awesome. The staff remembered that my mother recently had a knee replacement, and seated us in a location with an extra chair so that she could elevate her leg...and we didn't even ask them to do that! We love it here! read more

I'm giving this 5 stars because the fact that I didn't absolutely love our appetizer (calamari) is no big deal. I don't recall the menu saying that it was battered and fried, but everything else about my recent dinner here was absolutely superb and I don't want to go down to 4 stars over a detail. The waiters in their matching T-shirts combined with the upscale decor and stunning black chandelier is a great combination--it says, We're casual people, but we take your experience very seriously. And every encounter with our very attentive waiter reflected exactly that. So, like I said the fried calamari wasn't really our thing, but it was tender and if you ordinarily like fried calamari, you might love it. For entrees we had the Tandoori Medley, which was the greatest platter of tandoori-cooked food I have ever had! Really superb in flavors, variety, quantity... every piece was tender and perfect. We also had the Malai Kofta, which is a dish that varies a lot from place to place.... LOVED IT. And the bread: fantastic (well, when is naan not fantastic, but this was the one with fruits and nuts and it was exceptional. Not too sweet, as it sometimes is.) We were first-time patrons celebrating our wedding anniversary, and our waiter very kindly brought us out a magnificent frozen mango confection drizzled in chocolate with a Happy Anniversary message. And then he sent us home with extra rice packed into our leftovers. Go to Nirvana--you'll be glad you did! read more

This continues to be our go-to Indian restaurant. Had a large birthday party here and everything was excellent.

Love this place. We have been there a number of times and the food is consistently great! Listen to the waiters and their recommendations. They are awesome. Would definitely recommend and will definitely continue to return. read more

Our fav Indian in Bergen County! Food is consistently good and service is awesome! LOVE!

Real authentic Indian. It's a mixture of Cuisines across the country. The chicken vendela is to die for. All the dishes are made to taste when it comes to spice. The bread the non are fantastic give it a try I'm glad we have one in the neighborhood read more

The food and service are great. Very authentic. Joyson was fantastic. He really cared about the people he is serving.

Dragged there on a recent visit, I must say they added many more authentic and tasty dishes. I was pleasantly surprised and very very satisfied. This restaurant is now a must, and the best Indian in the area. read more

Poor service and not so great food. We went for lunch and were rushed many times as we choose to order from the menu instead of taking the sloppy buffet. The buffet placement was dirty and placed in pans used in kitchen. read more

My previous criticism of the waiter's behavior was accepted graciously by the restaurant's owner, Mr Srinivas. He has made corrections to ensure that this never happens again. His apology and gesture have revealed that he truly cares for the restaurant and the people who visit it. Since I had no negative remarks about the food, I will be visiting the restaurant again soon! And, I do recommend it to others. read more

Love this place!! Great vegan options and the service is incredible. Will definitely be coming back soon!

Am writing this as I head back home after dinner. The food was good but service was awful. We went to celebrate my mother in law's dinner and were relegated to a corner of the restaurant. The service was slow and when I say slow - the food took an hour to get to us from the time we ordered - for a party of three. The person serving us forgot the appetizer, and then forgot to bring our dinner plates. Worst is the couple sitting across from us kept shooting us dirty looks because my son made some noise. This place is NOT good for kids - its probably better suited for someone who has time to have a leisurely meal without kids accompanying them. That said, the malai kofta is a definite item to try. Its by far the best gravy I have had. read more

I'm so glad this place opened here. The food is the best Indian food I've had in New Jersey and the service is great. The restaurant is also decorated beautifully and is very comfortable. There's literally nothing I would change. read more

It was a snowy Saturday night and our dearest friends wanted to go out to dinner locally. They have been trying to get us to go to this Indian Resturant that they have been to many times. We agreed and said we would try it and to our surprise it was very good. The atmosphere is very comfortable and decorative. The staff was very friendly. I had a shrimp and mango dish along with potato fritters that were very good. We will definitely be going back here. This was a nice surprise on a snowy night in Allendale. read more

Delicious food. Have dined in and also taken to go. Helpful and nice staff. It's a byob.

Watered down, americanized Indian food at astronomical prices. Korma tasted and looked like gravy used for mashed potatoes. Half of the spices were missing in all curries. After eating real Indian (Seva) in Queens and Manhattan (Chola) for years, I can't settle for such mediocrity that somehow commands a 30% premium. Yes, the place looks nice, but food leaves much to be desired. read more

Just ordered takeout. Restaurant beautiful. Food outstanding. Each dish had distrinct flavor. Tamarind Eggplant, Samosas, Chicken Tikka, and Saag Murgh excellent. If looking for a great restaurant, give this restaurant a try. You will not be disappointed. read more

This place is awesome! I got the chicken vindaloo, which is very spicy but amazing. If you like spicy food I recommend the vindaloo but if not they have more mild dishes like the chicken tikka masala which is also delicious. The service is always great and the garlic naan is a must! read more