Nirvana

I was so sad to hear that Nirvana closed — and I heard the week after it happened, so unfortunately I wasn’t able to go for one last time, nor was I ever able to try the lunch buffet! So sad. It’s a small consolation that take out place is still in the Old Post Office Pavillion for days that I need lunch, but I’ll really miss Nirvana. The owners were so friendly, and the woman always remembered me. It was easily one of my favorite restaurants in DC.
What’s happening to all of DC’s veggie restaurants? First Vegetate, now Nirvana. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to maintain the #1 spot on PETA’s «Most Veg-​Friendly Cities in North America» list — though, quite frankly, I’m not sure how we beat out San Francisco in the first place!

One of my favorite places. Fantastic vegetarian Indian buffet during the week that features foods from a different region of India every day. I’m not a vegetarian, but I love the food! Very unique and satisfying experience. Owner is friendly and greets all of the customers personally. I’ve always been treated well and had fantastic, satisfying meals here.
If you are a vegetarian, I would say this is a must stop. Don’t miss the great homemade lemon pickles!

Went to this place on a Thursday for the lunch buffet – Thursday’s the day the lunch buffet features «savories.»
The restaurant is attractive, with a warm, old-​world feel, and the staff makes you feel welcome immediately. Most of the buffet items were vegan, except for a lentil-​yogurt dish, which was quickly pointed out by one of the owners. Drinks during buffet (iced tea) are only $ 1.00, which, frankly, can’t be beat.
The buffet itself is restocked fairly frequently. Even during lunch hour, the place was full, but not packed, so I felt comfortable. It seems accomodating to single diners, as well.
I can’t wait to try this place again on one of its other days, as it has a different lunch buffet menu for each of the five weekdays!

You will never love the food if you are from India, just because you will never feel that you ate authentic Indian food. And the waiters esp. the owner lady and her daughter (?) show lot of attitude in this stinking place.
Aditi restaurant in Georgetown is really good. Even the Spice Express nearby is better than this place.
Will never go back!

If you’ve got enough time for a quick sit-​down lunch and you’re a starvin-​Marvin, come here for the buffet. Even if you’re a meatavore, you’ll leave stuffed and satisfied despite it being vegetarian fare. Each day serves up dishes from a different region of India, and if you have any questions about the food or region, the wonderfully friendly owners will gladly talk with you. They’ll also feel like your long-​lost aunt and uncle, even if you have no Indian blood in you… there is something so comforting about this couple that somehow you feel as if you’re with family.
The buffet is served in traditional pots instead of chafing dishes and food light warmers as you normally see in many «ethnic» restaurants. Your dish is also a huge metal disk rather than your standard porcelain, and no one will look at you strangely when you go up for seconds. In fact, the other clientele, who could potentially make a mini model U.N. due to the regular diversity that comes here for lunch, will be busy in their conversations and/​or chowing down their power lunch.
My biggest complaint comes with the state of the bathroom. It’s scary to sit on the toilet, which wobbles and is not attached to the wall, and the walls could desperately use a paint job. I don’t get why a restaurant would allow the bathroom to look so much like a gas-station’s services. It’s not warming to one’s appetite, and you can’t help but wonder what the kitchen might look like when you see the bathroom so run down.
Naan and various other items can be ordered separately off a menu, along with mango lassis and chai teas, etc.

This is my favorite Indian restaurant. The staff serves up a great buffet, which changes everyday and features food from different regions in India. My favorite day is Thursday, which features savories.
I am not a vegetarian, and often thought vegetarian food would not be substantive. Nirvana’s vegetarian buffet is VERY filling. Enjoy!

One of the better
restaurants I’ve been to – usually these are a bust. Pino Grigio was very good, and we had the bread stuffed with potatoes as an appetizer, which was just spicy enough without being overwhelming. The crêpe and tofu entrée with cheese was delicious.
With the
coupon, appetizer, wine, 2 entrees, tax and tip was under $ 40! I’d strongly recommend buying the coupon as it’s really a steal with it, and an average value without it.

Pluses:
— This was my first time trying Dosa, and I really liked it! It’s a great alternative if you want something less starchy… think samosa filling inside a crêpe.
— Service was great and the hostess (might have been the owner?) helped us create our meal.
— The mango lassi came in a big tall glass.
Minuses:
— The curries were mediocre
— No typical naan, but rather a slightly harder, fried wheat bread. I wasn’t a fan of this.

Nirvana is okay. The food is pretty alright (but a bit runny), however, the service was rather annoying.
I went during the lunch hour and had the buffet. I know, I know, what do I expect from a buffet? Not much, but a woman there acted rather annoyed that I was not eating «her way» — as in she kept coming up to me to «correct» my manner of eating. I was not pigging out and making a scene — but I was eating whatever and how ever I wanted — and apparently that did not fly with her. I was eating some breads with stuff I am not supposed to, apparently. Why that matters to her, I don’t know.
Aside from that, it was a pain to even get water. And when I did get water, the guy was grumpy and kind of tossed my glass onto the table.
Okay? Sorry to be throwing my money at you.
Sans the service, I’ll probably be back.

I went here for dinner on a Saturday.
Warning: there are no Indian customers! Always a bad sign.
The food’s not all that good. I know this place markets itself as vegetarian and gluten-​free friendly, but you should realize that all Indian restaurants have plenty of vegetarian and gluten-​free options.
The puri looks like it’s frozen (it’s not, which makes it even more inexcusable).
Service was very slow. We were on our way to a show and set aside an hour and a half for dinner (we had a reservation). We were seated immediately, but service was so slow, we had to wolf down our food in ten minutes. We were late to the show and I had a stomach ache from eating so fast.
On top of all this, the place is a rip-​off! The entrees are very small (about half «normal» size), the cocktail was mostly ice, and the liquid in it hardly had any liquor. Oh, when I ordered my entrée, the waitress (the owner, actually) asked if I wanted rice for that. They had the audacity to charge $ 2 for a small bowl of rice! This is typically included with the entrée at most places.
Finally, don’t bring your kids here! Another waitress was talking (sorry attempt at flirting?) with a table of customers. Only problem is the next table over was a family with two small children. The waitress was talking about drugs (e.g. the different type highs you can get) loud enough for half the restaurant to hear.

Nirvana is not just your average Indian restaurant. It’s an authentic tour of India’s different cuisines. Their lunch buffets are an excellent medley of vegetarian and vegan delights that follow a geographical theme that changes depending on the day of the week. Thursday lunch is always great because its «street food» buffet. I just wish they would tell me what the he’ll was in the food. Half the time I have no idea what I’m eating. Thankfully it’s all good.

My girlfriend and I stumbled upon Nirvana while we were on our way to Java Green Café one Thursday evening in early January 2010, which is just around the corner from Nirvana. My girlfriend is a vegetarian and so she wanted to take me to Java Green.
To our dismay, Java Green Café was closed for the night. Fortunately I had spotted Nirvana on the way and we were talking about checking it out some other time. And it was completely vegetarian too!
Upon entering I was surprised to see a well stocked bar. The atmosphere was warm and inviting and the entire restaurant was perfumed with the smell of exotic Indian spices. Not an overbearing smell by any means, very pleasant.
The one weird thing about this place is that every time someone waited on us, it was a completely different person! But I actually kind of liked it. This restaurant is owned by an Indian family and run by the family members themselves. We were seated by the mother, a gracious and warm woman, who asked for our drink orders. Being the adventurous type, I was interested in trying one of the eight or so Indian beverages. I told her I wanted something traditionally Indian. She recommended to me the Thandai, which is described on the menu as «An exotic aromatic drink made with milk shaved ice and a special blend of spices.» «Mom» explained to me that it is a centuries old Indian drink that is very flavorful, served chilled, and that it «cools you in the summer and warms you in the winter.»
Of course I was intrigued so I ordered this Thandai. It was delicious! She stopped back a few moments later to give me another fun fact — explaining that sometimes in India marijuana is used to spice the drink as well and that one day out of the year in India it is legal to prepare the drink with marijuana. I must have that look about me… but I loved the fact that she stopped by again to share that fun fact. How often, nowadays, do restaurant owners or employees show interest in their customers like that? It showed she was proud and knowledgeable of her heritage and wanted to enhance my experience by sharing a little bit of the history of the drink I had just ordered. Awesome!
***This personal touch was the prevailing theme of the night and aside from the great food was the highlight of the whole experience.***
As we were looking over the menu to figure out what to order, «the daughter» came by and asked if we needed any help ordering. Since I’m only familiar with the most «typical» of Indian dishes and my girlfriend had only had Indian food once before, we were very happy for her offer. She was extremely patient with us and not only provided her own recommendations but also was very happy to explain the taste, texture, look, etc. of any item on the menu which we asked about. It was like having a tour guide for the menu! When I asked about one dish, she said that she typically doesn’t like it but «ours is my mom’s and her recipe is the only one I like.» That remark really contributed to the feeling I got that I had been invited into an Indian home for dinner.
My girlfriend ordered the Vegetable Dosa («Rice and bean flour crêpe filled with potato and vegetable curry») and I ordered the Kadai Paneer («A royal vegetable curry made of cauliflower, green pepper, onions, potatoes, and homemade cheese in special red gravy»). We shared everything.
The dosa was good — we were told to eat it with our hands! It came with two dipping sauces, a red one that I think was tomato-​based and a white one that tasted sort of like a blend of horseradish and coconut. Both were tasty. My favorite, however, was the Kadai Paneer — delicious! Excellently flavorful, the vegetables were delicious and the sauce was slightly sweet but still savory. Yum!
Did I mention that when we received our food, «the daughter» came by again and explained what everything was and how to eat it? They don’t make you feel dumb or silly either for asking questions… they’re more than happy to help!
At the end of the meal a man brought our check by and set down a small bowl containing a mixture of seeds and grains. My girlfriend exchanged bewildered looks. I smelled the mixture and could detect the licorice-​like scent of anise but I had no idea what the other grains/​seeds were. We waved over «the dad» and asked him what we were to do with it. He explained that it is traditionally eaten at the end of a meal in India and listed the ingredients. We asked how to eat it, and he said «Like this!» and popped a pinch in his mouth. We did the same. He said it helps to freshen the breath and aid in digestion. Strong stuff, but pleasant.
Overall, a wonderful dinner experience! Don’t let the «vegetarian» part scare you… you won’t miss the meat! Highly recommended!

If all vegetarian restaurants were this good, I’d swear off cows for good. I love Nirvana. It’s an old standby for us… and if it weren’t so far away, we’d probably eat here once a week.
My favorite item is the Rava Masala ($ 8.95) – a giant sourdough-​flavored crêpe filled with spicy onions and potatoes. My mouth waters just writing about this thing… I like their curries too. I haven’t ordered anything I don’t like, but beware the Vindaloo. I handle spice well, but this had me crying and gave me heartburn for the first time in my life!

My boyfriend and I had been excited to try Nirvana for awhile now. The first time we tried to visit for the lunch buffet, there was a note on the door saying that they were sorry but they were closed.
Luckily, we made it to Nirvana the other night. It was a Friday night, and Nirvana was not crowded (we had tried to get into a number of jam packed restaurants in the area without luck). The service was exceptionally kind. They gave us the wrong appetizer, but immediately noticed, corrected, and took it off of our bill (but let us eat it anyhow :-).
My vegan boyfriend and I both enjoyed our dishes — I had the Paneer Masala, which was delicious. The veggie samosas were also super delicious. Extra plus that it is veggie/​vegan friendly, and it is quite easy to figure out what you can and cannot have. Kudos on the menu format.
Also, really enjoyed the ginger infused iced tea. The prices were reasonable. Will definitely be returning, soon!

I stop into Nirvana about once a month and always have the buffet. The food is plentiful and flavorful and since a different region is featured daily you won’t get tired of the «same old» buffet selections. While the price is moderate (approx $ 15 for the buffet) — you can eat as much as you desire, so bring your appetite and get your moneys worth. I especially appreciate the spiciness of some of the dishes. Too many places these days «tone down» spice to accommodate bland American palettes — Not so at Nirvana!
This place is definitely a nice change of pace from the usual DC lunch spots.

I would give this place 2.5 stars, if that were an option. Nirvana has a good-​sized menu with all of their numerous vegan options marked, which I greatly appreciated. They also have lots of vegan wines, which is a thoughtful touch and extremely helpful.
The atmosphere is nice and fairly romantic. We were pleased by all of our food, including the Undhio (a Gujarati soulfood dish that you don’t see in restaurants often). I was surprised that they don’t substitute tofu for paneer in some of their dishes; instead they just drop the protein portion all together, which seems like a cop-​out to me.
While the food was good on a whole, the portion sizes were really small, so you might want to order appetizers to fill yourself up. The menu says they have daily vegan desserts, but our waiter said they were out.
What bothered me most was that the waiter hurried us out of the restaurant after we paid the bill; it was still 15 minutes to closing time, and he actually told us to move along. I don’t think that’s happened to me before and I was shocked by it. That sort of service is unacceptable, even if the food was pretty decent.

My experience at Nirvana was one of my worst Restaurant eating experience ever :(
Service was pathetic, food was cold. They served the appetizers along with the main course which sucked.
We wanted dessert which was denied as the «chef was done for the day». This was told to us be the owner!
To top that she felt our 15% tip was unexpectedly low!!!
Note to self — STAY AWAY!

This was the first Indian restaurant I went to in DC and let’s just say I definitely didn’t experience nirvana.
I went for dinner with a small group. A woman came to take our order and proceeded to try to make us change most of the dishes we’d ordered. I found this annoying. I’ve tried the majority of the dishes on the menu when I lived in India and if I didn’t like them then I wouldn’t have ordered them nor would I have suggested them to my friends. Also, I wish they served naan.
Overall the appetizers were fairly good, the sweet lassi was excellent but the food was bland. Overall I wouldn’t recommend it. There are plenty of great Indian restaurants in DC so why waste your time?

Review of Lunch Buffet:
I will have to say that the lunch buffet is way overpriced for what you get. I gave it three tries on different days to get a sample of all the «regions» and it’s not worth the $ 15 dollar bill all said and done. The staff is friendly and that’s why I will give it 3 stars but otherwise 2.5 maybe.
The buffet is very limited to only 2 or 3 main dishes, rice side with an appetizer and the presentation isn’t very appealing… tucked in the back it just not what I would expect a $ 15 buffet to be. I had such high hopes but it just didn’t get there for me. And maybe I am not into «authentic» but they didn’t have naan (but some other bread) or the spicy mint chutney sauce. I can’t really enjoy Indian without either.

Definitionally a 3.5.
I came here per the suggestion of a bunch of desis who assured me an authentic experience. Truth be told, it was good. The Indian woman roaming around is very pleasant. I went on Gujurati night and had the thali. Some of it tasted good: the cauliflower, daal, and dessert (which was strangely reminiscent of Captain Crunch). The eggplant wasn’t for me and there were two ramekins of rice. The weirdest part was that I was so stuffed, so fast, and I really didn’t eat all that much. Anyway, I don’t know why that is, but I will go back because the place is definitely unique for the golden triangle.

Now, I’m not a vegetarian. So, I would never dream of going to one. However, a group of friends wanted to try out this place. So, I thought I’d go along. Of course, I was thinking, I may just have to pick up something from McDonald’s afterwards.
Surprisingly, I enjoyed myself at Nirvana. They have a cute little waiting area with magazines and newspapers to read. The wait staff are really friendly as they led us to a large table.
We were offered wines at $ 20 a bottle. So, we ordered a few. Not bad. Since I’ve never been to a vegetarian or an Indian restaurant, I had no idea what to do. Everyone else wanted to do the buffet. I, being picky, scrutinized the menu for whatever appealed to me.
So, I ordered the Paneer Makhan Masala, which was basically a tomoto soup with cheese. I was surprised how tasty a simple dish could be. Plus, I had the Aloo Ticki, which are potato patties filled with coconut and peas. Now, that was good stuff!
I love it so much that I wouldn’t mind going back once again. I am curious to try some other dishes.
The ambience is relaxing. Of course, the wine helped. It is a nice little place to hang out with close friends.
…oh yeah, I didn’t have to go to McDonald’s afterwards.