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3rd Ave-14th St (L)
23rd St-Park Ave S (6)
Union Square (4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W)
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
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$$
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
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Saravana Bhavan/Saravanaas
- 103 reviews
- Neighborhood:
- Flatiron
"Almost as good as Saravana Bhavan in madras (Chennai), India. The service and the food presentation are the same as the original ones in…" read more »
7 reviews for Nirvana Cafe
WOWSERS! You want great food at a reasonable price you MUST try this place. The decor is simple and nothing to write home about but who cares when the food tastes this good.
We did not care for the lentil patties for appetizers- they were a bit hard and tasted dried out.... but the main dishes more than made up for it.
It seems they put boiled egg with many of their dishes but they were happy to hold the egg on mine- it just didn't sound good to me with curry.
The waiter was very helpful in helping me decide what to pick and he didn't steer me wrong, because my dish was excellent. I don't recall the name of it but it was second the main dish section. It had shredded noodles with vegies mixed in. I had lamb (a stellar choice that wasn't too full of gristle). The curry sauce on the side was meant to be dumped all over the dish and it was AMAZING!
GREAT GREAT FOOD- with a very authentic flavor.
3.5 stars because sadly my food wasn't spicy despite my request. Like the other reviewers, I wanted to try true Sri Lankan food and sweat a bit, but to no avail.
This place has a lot of very interesting dishes that are exciting to branch out with especially if you love Indian food. My boyfriend and I shared the coconut roti dish and the biryani. The coconut roti was served warm with a tomato based chutney and some curry to dip it in. While it didn't include rice, I think next time I would order a side of rice to add to the curry sauce. The flavors were pretty mild but very complex, with tastes of cardamom and garam masala.
The biryani was also very good, it included a side of curry, a side of a type of salad with tomatoes and onions in a yogurt sauce, and a boiled egg on top. It was a huge amount of food, so much so that they should use bigger plates as I made a huge mess with rice going everywhere from trying to mix things together! We also ordered the Sri Lankan iced coffee which was very light and mild compared to Thai iced coffee.
The wait staff was very friendly and helpful, refilling water glasses frequently and being very attentive. I would definitely come back to work my way through some more of the menu.
Probably the best and most affordable Sri Lankan food in Manhattan. There may be some good SL food in Staten Island, but from what I hear, that involves calling some guys grandmother a couple of days prior and eating in their makeshift kitchen-restaurant....very sketchy.
If you're looking for Lumprai (not really sure how to spell that), this place does it right, and by right, I mean it's stinky as hell.
Everything else was pretty good too. My fam took me there for my birthday and 6 or 7 of us stuffed ourselved into oblivion for under $180.
It's a new place and the owners are sweet as pie, so you should definitely give them some support and try it out.
No, it's not as chic-looking as Sigiri, but it has a lot of other things to redeem it. (Find my Sigiri review for more info in SL food).
This was my first time trying Sri Lankan food and I was not dissapointed. The waitstaff was very friendly and helpful with the suggestions. I tried the Coconut Roti (a kind of flat bread made with coconut served with chili reslish and lamb curry), and the Lamprais (described as savory rice with a curry, sweet-spicy onion relish, etc). Both dishes were very yummy. Its great to have a good restaurant in an area that is generally a restaurant wasteland. Looking forward to going back and trying the String Hopper Kottu.
BTW this place is still BYOB
I don't think I've ever had Sri Lankan food before and I really didn't know what to expect - I mean, I imagined it was just like Indian food, and the general rule there is the further down the continent you go, the spicier things get - so here I am thinking "OK, sri lanka is at the southern most tip, this is gonna be spicy - bring it!"
Oh man, they brought it. My food was hot, heat and spicy, but this isn't meant to deter you, I requested it as such. My friend opted for medium spicy and his seafood curry (i went with chicken curry) was awesome. Mine was pretty good too, just in a multiple glasses of water, please leave a pitcher, sort of way.
The restaurant is new (byob for now), open late, and adds a fresh, clean modern humble mix to the gramercy restaurant landscape. I recommend this place, but stress spicy means spicy and anything curry means oil here, so request less of both...
I was so happy to hear there was a Sri Lankan restaurant opening in NYC...closer than Staten Island and an alternative to Sigiri (which isn't as good). And Nirvana is good. Sri Lankan food really is unlike any other. Try the hoppers (string hoppers and pancake hoppers). This a place for foodies to try a ton of new experiences. I wish they had better veggie options and more appetizers that weren't fried, but really delicious and authentic eats in general; and good people running the place.
They totally earned these 5 stars!
Our party of four enjoyed a variety of dishes, all great. Even our Sri Lankan friend approved of their authenticity. The other three of us at the table knew nothing about Sri Lankan cuisine, but the waitstaff was very nice about answering all our questions and helping us decide what to get.
You can have a great, unusual dinner experience here without long lines or crazy bills. It's affordable and not crowded on a Friday at 8pm. Though it lacks outdoor seating, the we were by the open floor-to-ceiling windows, which was just as nice. Our Sri Lankan friend said he felt like he was trying some of the dishes for the first time--all his life these meals have been prepared too spicy to really taste anything else! The staff instinctively knew to keep our dishes mild (seriously, three of us had to look completely lost), but you should ask for more spice if that's up your alley. The portions are huge, but your leftovers will be kindly packaged upon request. They also deliver, so I took a paper menu with me on the way out.
Now for the food review. Hope this helps other non-Sri Lankans navigate the menu! My list is limited to the things we tried, but their menu is more extensive than this. Remember the waitstaff will also take amicably to any questions you have.
Starter
Cutlet - a potato puff pastry with king fish inside, served with a hot sauce on the side. Ours was mild, but you could get a hotter one if you prefer.
Main dishes
String hopper kottu - very Sri Lankan rice noodle-type dish. The very thin noodles, meat, and vegetables are chopped thoroughly and served with a sauce on the side. On the menu you'll also find a "string hopper" dish (sans "kottu") which is flavored with coconut (just a heads up so you don't confuse them). We ordered string hopper kottu plates in the lamb and fish varieties. I liked the lamb better, but both were very good. Watch out for the broth served on the side though. I mistakenly thought I could eat what was in it, but it contained fish bones (didn't have this problem with the lamb dish). Just use your spoon to get some of the liquid on top of your food. Silly me.
Hoppers - totally different from the string hoppers. You get four crepe-like pancakes (they are a sight, curving upwards like bowls) and a plate of meat on the side to eat with them. One will have egg cooked into it on the bottom. The idea is to take out a piece of the crepe (remember they are not crepes at all, but I just don't have a better word to describe them), and use it to eat a piece of the meat dish of your choice (lamb, beef, chicken). Tried this from my friend and thought it was great.
Biryani - One you'll have seen in Indian restaurants, it's a rice dish cooked with vegetables and your choice of meat. Will taste more, um, Sri Lankan, I guess. Oh, what do I know?
Desserts
***Nut alert: The watalappan (gah, I hope that's right) contains cashews, but that's not mentioned on the menu.
We ordered the watalappan, the caramel pudding, and the curd & treacle.
The watalapan was one of the best-tasting desserts I've ever had. It was heavy but sooo good. The caramel pudding was identical to flan. The curd and treacle was ok, but not worth my attention next to the watalappan.
Would come back here for another Sri Lankan fix in a heartbeat. Shame that it's so far from my office or I'd come to the lunch buffet too!
