Nirvana

One of my top 5 restaurants in LA. Great Food, Good Ambience, Patio Dining...Celeb Hangout... I've personally spotted Sharon Stone, Luke Goss, Shekhar Kapur & Ben Kingsley. Highly Recommended!

Posted 09/12/08

I found Nirvana cozy and very classy at the same time. The food is delicious.....try the dal makhni and eggplant bharta.

Posted 09/12/08

We absolutely love this place and go there again and again.

1. Food is probably the best Indian food I have had in the US. The chef is from the absolute best Indian restaurant in India - Bhukhara, in Maurya, New Delhi. The Clinton family had multiple meals there when they were in New Delhi.

2. The ambience is awesome - for a lounge atmosphere, outdoor dining or just a plain table. All three options are available.

3. The exotic drinks are fabulous, and great starters to accompany them..

Last and probably the most important

You get personalized service.

Pros: Great Food, Ambience and Service

Cons: A tad expensive, but worth every penny!!

Posted 08/30/08

amaaazin food amazzinn atmposhere....perfect for that 1st date or just dinner with your pals....takes u into a different dimension...great service and the waiters are smokinn hotzz if u knw what i mean ; P i cant wait to throw our partayy here...2 thumps up perfect place to relax and have a great time and chillaaaxx in the cabana reccommend from the beverly homies..woot woot

Posted 03/28/08

This was my third and most likely last visit to this restaurant. The menu has recently been changed and it seems like so has the cook. The food was atrocious at best. The seekh kababs were uncooked, the cauliflower dish was burnt and the bread was soggy (which by the way were $4.50 each). When we brought this to the attention to the owner that we were extremely dissapointed with the meal, he was cocky about it and said that it was us who didn't know what to expect when we ordered. As a bonus they gave us a few complementary deserts which again were downright pathetic. On top of this, the ambience was also dead. At 9PM there was only one additional table that was occupied. I guess, people are realizing that this place is overpriced & overhyped with bad food and service. Avoid this place at all costs.

Pros: none

Cons: Bad food; no ambience any more - needs a serious overhaul

Posted 01/10/08

This is my first review on citysearch, but I have been meaning to report on my unfortunate experience at Nirvana since last month.

I feel that I may be a bit biased because the service was so poor that we left before even ordering so I can't speak to the food, drinks, etc. My friend called ahead to ask about the happy hour schedule and was told it goes "until 8pm". When we arrived at 7:20 the place was empty besides one couple quietly chatting in the corner. When we asked where to sit for happy hour we were told by who appeared to be a manager/owner that happy hour was over. When we told the hostess that were were quoted the 8pm time on the phone she gave us a fake smile, shrugged her shoulders and acted clueless. We were so disappointed by what seemed to be dishonesty (or at least an inability on the restaurant's part to take responsibility for misinformation), rude service, and inconsideration. At this point we were not interested in sticking around to take a look at the dinner menu. There are just too many great restaurants, lounges and happy hours in Los Angeles to put up with this disservice. I will not be going back!

Pros: Unique decor

Cons: Poor, irresponsible and highly lacking service.

Posted 12/18/07

I had drinks there last night with several friends and the place was amazing! I totally fell in love with the ambiance (stunning) but then the drinks were also yummy (I had the Kama Sutra- mmmmm) and the food was delish! I am taking my husband to dinner there this weekend. Seriously, it is now my new favorite place -all of the good things about Beverly Hills without any of the pretense.....

Posted 10/04/07

Nirvana is definitely cool to be in. The menu is interesting and service is great, but the food is so-so. Ordered the kebab sampler, and some sort of eggplant thing. The eggplant was good, but not good enough to come back to. If you are looking for something unique and different go here. If you are looking for excellent Indian food go elsewhere. Overall, would only go here for drinks and people watching (while we were there Bill Maher was on a date.)

Pros: Ambience, Service

Cons: Parking

Posted 08/18/07

Maybe it was the lateness of it all but after a very long day we were all famished and it was late so we thought we'd have to resort to one of those all night deli deals, ugh! But we discovered Nirvana at the suggestion from one of one of our party of 15. We were struck immediately by the beautiful mystical decor that whisks you up and ushers you off to India and embraces you with the good graces of the Gods and Goddesses whose images don the walls and appear as statues that do double duty as fountains and other functional services. And beneath us was the beautiful home of the large Koi that swam in lit corridors bringing a peaceful calm to our weary souls and over worked bodies. The menu is clear and explanatory, fairly priced and user friendly designed.

Service met our requests, every single one of them, from seating a large party comfortably to arranging us near the fireplace and lighting the outside patio heaters, to making special payment arrangements. The food arrived in a timely manner pleasantly presented, with more than ample serving portions and was absolutely delicious! The waitress was most accommodating with a smile. She made our evening delightful, all 15 plus of us. How she did it , I don't know but I will be going back. I don't take for granted what 15 demanded "industry" types can be like.

At 1 AM they never hinted that it was time to leave. They were gracious and warm on top of wonderful food and ambience. It all made for an enchanted evening in paradise. This restaurant is a soothing break from the hustle and bustle of the usual in LA

Pros: late dinning hours, ambience, service, food, happy hour

Cons: parking

Posted 08/07/07

My boyfriend and I first went to Nirvana last summer after passing by it numerous time. We have since gone back many times, although there are several complaints that I have about the place.

While the decor is cool and the happy hour great (unless they have changed it, the last time i was there it was $5 drink specials and $5 appetizers til 8 pm), the staff is incredibly inconsistent. If you are not waited on by one particularly sweet waitress with red hair, you will probably get one particularly awful waitress with black hair who will come back to the table MAYBE twice from when you arrive to when the happy hour ends. Unfortunately, sometimes the service is just plain terrible, and the amazing appetizers just cannot make up for it.

As for the owner, we have met him once or twice and he seemed nice enough. As I said, we have gone many times and probably will go many more this summer, but I always walk in with the hopes that we will not have certain people waiting on us. Shame.

Pros: Good happy hour, great place to take friends

Cons: Rude and unattentive staff

Posted 06/28/07

I went to Nirvana after my father raved about it - and I have now fallen in love with the place. Not only is the enviromnet cool and relaxed (they have beds and a mojito bar - and a corridor where fish swim at your feet below a clear floor) but the food is knee buckling good - their menu is fantastic - and acesible to those who are new to indian cuisine. The salmon and the chicken in lettuce cups are my favorite appetizers but it's all trancendntal. The owner, Deep, is a wonderful man - who is accesible and gracious and graciously accomdates most requests and special diets. The place is warm, and hip - and above all, I stress this - the food is fantastic. I have thrown dinner parties there, my last three birthday meals and everytime I have a dinner meeting I suggest this place. Between the comfort and luxry, the hopsitality and the phenominal food - it's as close to attaining Nirvana as you're going to get in Los Angeles. Go there tonight, order the salmon appetizers, you'll thank me.

Posted 05/08/07

The place is attractive to the eye, and romantically lit. The food is nothing short of spectatcular, and it seems to be the only posh Indian restaurant in L.A. For my entree I ordered Stuffed mushrooms, and later ordered Dal Makhani, and Eggplant Bharta. Both entrees were more than a delight. Simply marvelous. Kudos to Nirvana's owner Deep Sethi.

Pros: Ambience, Service, Music, Food.

Cons: can't think of any.

Posted 03/11/07

I threw a party for 10 of my friends. We all just had a blast!!!

The place is very exotic, the docor is sensual but classy, the music fusion, everything just too good -the outdoor patio with it fireplaces - beats any lounge in Los Angeles.

The foods was terrific, as we were ten of us we pretty got to taste a lot of their appetizers and dishes. I just loved the lamb chops and the fish. For drinks try their drink "Nirvana" it hits the spot.

The service was excellent, my friends got friendly with the bar tender and he spiced up the drinks......
The place had a lot of couples eating diner, it is perfect setting for a romantic date!!

This place is in my A list...

Pros: Ambience, the decor, the fireplace, the food

Cons: None

Posted 03/05/07

Excellent food, service, and superb ambience. Great place to take your date. Try the mango mojitos.

Pros: Ambience, food

Cons: Really hard to think of any - this place was awesome!

Posted 02/17/07

I arrived early (around opening) and was warmly greeted by the Hostess. She was friendly and attentive. She asked me what type of foods I enjoyed and then guided me to what would appeal to me. The appitizer was delivered quickly and had good presentation. After a suitable time, not too long but not quickly, our main course arrived. The taste and presentation were wonderful. The food was well spiced without being over the top. At many places that serve Indian food the curry overpowers the taste of the base food. This was quite the opposite of my experience at Nirvana. So what if the menu is not "pure" Indian. If that's what you want, walk across the street to the Bombay place. This is a fusion restraunt and does an admirable job of combining tastes and pleasures. Remember, you are also paying for the ambiance and that is quite exquisite. Where else can you lay in your significant other's arms and be served some of the best food in Los Angeles? Will I go back? Of course, and soon! The whole experience was something that I found delightfully sinfull and told all of my friends to go and enjoy an evening in Nirvana.

Pros: Ambiance and food

Cons: I got a good laugh at the Bollywood productions showing on the TVs around the room

Posted 10/10/06

This place su*ks!!! The wait staff is snobby and rude. My friend was even told to step outside to use his cell phone. Like he was going to disturb someone in this noisy establishment. Pleazzze. Don't waste your time folks. But if you must , leave your cellphone in the car.

Posted 09/18/06

This is the only restaurant in LA I will go to as a special treat. I say that as somone who LOVES Indian food and would be happy just eating it for the rest of my life (grew up in India, in a food obsessed family). The dal makhni is fantastic....just like the Bukhara Dal I remember from my childhood days. There's also a fish dish (I forget the exact name) which is mind blowing. I personally find the owner always warm...and love the vibe, including sculptures everywhere.
Definitely more expensive than typical Indian restaurants, but so what. I think it's worth it!!

Pros: Delicious food and cocktails, great decor and vibe including music

Cons: Pricy, service OK

Posted 09/16/06

The decor is very nice until you reach the bathrooms which look like they belong at LAX.
Don't they know Bathrooms are one of the #1 complaints by patrons?

Anyway, we arrived at 9pm on a Friday and the place was more than half empty.
Despite this, the service was quite slow and rude.

I ordered an Ice Tea and she replied "We don't have Ice Tea."
I was surprised that a restaurant wouldn't have Ice Tea and then she replied-
" Well, if you REALLY want it I could go brew some but it would take a while and have to cool down...."
She seemed to be so put off by this request and made me feel dumb for asking so I ordered sprite instead, which came in a Highball glass. (6oz) Half the size of a normal glass.

At the end of dinner the Bill came and I was shocked to see that they charged $4.00 per refill of Soda!!

I questioned the server about this, telling her that in all my years as a patron AND server in the industry I've never seen anyone charge for Soda refills. (Especially when they only serve in half a glass) At the least they should notify the guest when the beverage is ordered.
She was not very friendly and replied "Well, we do. Thats our policy" with a very tough luck kind of vibe going on. There was another employee and I believe a manager within earshot and nobody bothered to say anything.

It's not the $4.00......it's the principle of being made to feel unappreciated and as though by bringing my business to them I'm a bother.

Instead of taking out of her tip or making a scene we paid and left.
We'll vote with our feet and won't be returning.

Pros: Easy to get a table

Cons: Bad service

Posted 07/24/06

1st off this isn't an "asian inspired" menu. It's indian and while that's fine it's completely misleading to call it anything else. Deep frying salmon does not make you an Asian restaurant.

The service was awful. We waited for the check for 1 hour! We had to request the check 4 times. Everyone had finished and we were all just sitting and waiting. The food was pretty bad and honestly people weren't there to eat, they were there to be seen. The drinks were good - nothing more pricey then any other place. The bussing staff was hoovering over us and was literally snatching our plates out from under us but the wait staff was nowhere to be seen.

This restaurant is terrible. I'm sorry to say it and usually I'm pretty forgiving but this was just horrible and totally unacceptable, especially considering the prices.

Pros: None

Cons: Everything

Posted 06/06/06

Update: I cant believe this place is still around.. Also I think that some of the reviews are from employees of the restaurant..
This place has not improved at all. They made us wait for an hour. The food and drinks were bad. The service was poor. They mixed up our drink and our food orders. They charge atrociously for all extras which are customarily free at other indian restaurants. The wait staff is really inexperienced. The bar tender was very rude. .unfortunately we had to stand there since the hostess made us wait for our table. The owner of the restaurant was also present and it was a sorry sight. Instead of assisting us he was trying hard to be hip

Pros: Chairs to Sit down

Cons: , Bad Food, Bad Drinks

Posted 12/30/05

I took my friend here for his birthday. Everything was perfect. We were running late, so the hostess held a bed for us. The food was fantastic (especially the mushroom appetizer). The atmosphere was relaxing (not flossy like most LA restaurants). The drinks were delicious. The Mango Mojito is a winner!! It's expensive, but worth it!!

Pros: Accomodating Staff, Great Food/Drinks, Cool Atmosphere

Posted 12/15/05

i came for dinner for the first time and i was taken away--servers treat you like royalty, nice and prompt, helpful. the lighting and music and look hits the right spot for a party! i came here with a group of people and it's best for just kickin' it with a drink after work. i'm going to come here for a date. best of all, the art is great, so is the patio. very sophisticated. try the lettuce wraps and mushroom appetizer. yum!!

Pros: good parking, yummy drinks

Cons: too relaxing

Posted 09/29/05

I had a memorable experience at "Nirvana" of Beverly Hills. The food was outstanding, the ambience was terrific, and the service was friendly. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Posted 09/28/05

What can I say....It really blew me away! The food is glorious...hmmm venison (you gotta try this if you go there). This place is out of the ordinary. Once you enter the wooden door with a carved buddha head, you will feel that as if you're not in LA anymore. It has that kind of rustic but serene energy that you can't find anywhere. The fireplace seating was the best seat I got, really romantic. After dinner we asked to be transfered to the bed seating for a more intimate conversation while "boozing".
Our group were seated promptly upon arrival and greeted with wide smiles by gorgeous staff. The music is great too! I will bring my girlfriend next time I go and will reserve the table by the fire...

Pros: food, ambience, service

Cons: none

Posted 09/26/05

I felt like I was on vacation as soon as I walked through the door. I was with some friends and the staff was soooo nice! Recommened great food (stuffed mushrooms & scallops!), very friendly. Awesome drinks. My martini was perfectly chilled! The music and vibe of the whole night was just perfect. This is my new favorite place.

Posted 08/26/05

Let me make this simple if you're thinking of a nice evening. DO NOT go here. This place, in a word, sucks. Decor- kind of cool. The beds are ok for drinks but annoying to eat dinner. Food- ok, but way too expensive. But the main reason I would never go there again is because of the owner/host. He is obnoxious, rude and ungrateful to customers. And that to me is unacceptable. I refuse to have someone profit off me who is a jerk. And from what I've read in other reviews, most people agree. By the way, you can't just go there for a drink, you need to have dinner first. Which would only make sense as an establishment if you want to lose money. You should not be able to treat customers the way they do, so I hope people stay away and they go out of business.

Pros: decor

Cons: horrible treatment, overpriced, rude

Posted 05/24/05

We planned a b-day dinner for our dear friend. We reserved one of the "beds". . When we made the reservations we were told that we needed to buy two bottles of wine and we were fine with that.
When we arrived, they told us we had to buy 2 bottles of hard liquor, we (4 girls) with two bottles of hard liquor priced at $150 each .........????????
They were very rude. Never ever met such rude people, including the owner!!!!!
The bar tender was cocky and rude too. What a bad experience! We felt they did not deserved our money, so we left!

Pros: None

Cons: All

Posted 02/23/05

The drinks are completely over priced, $18 for a vodka and an amstel light? are you kidding? The staff is completely rude, acting as if you are bothering them, especially the female bartenders. Fireside dining, HUH? ok, sure. The "koi pond path" needs some work, its tacky, run down and in need of repair. The beds are in the way, there is no flow to the place at all. Bad experience, needs work, definitely wouldnt recommend this place to anyone. Oh and if you are going for the night time scene, its going to a casting call for the WB. ridiculous!

Pros: none

Cons: Unreasonalbly pricey, Rude staff, incompetent staff

Posted 02/16/05

We went to Nirvana last night which my husband (tall, slim guy) but he could not fit his legs under the table so we moved to a lounge table. The lounge is nice but not really ideal for eating a meal unless you don't mind hunching over a coffee table to eat. A manager came over and handed us a crumbling photocopy of the menu and told us our waitress hadn't arrived yet (It was 7:15 p.m.). The food looked interesting buy pricey and there is none of the usual Indian curry dishes. If you want a really good curry, head to the Bombay Palace directly across the street. Owned by the same people as Nirvana, it has an excellent selection of delicious, traditional Indian food. We decided to go there after spending less than ten minutes in Nirvana...

Pros: Atmosphere, Romantic

Cons: Pricey, Low Tables, Where's the waitress?

Posted 02/13/05

I went with a group of 10. Super bustboy service. Your plates are gone the second you finished your food. Inexperience waiting staff. They don't know much about the food on the menu. Presentation of the Menu really SUCKED, they just stapled the color copies. Food are above average but not exceptional. Overally pricey. Nice if you go with a date and snuggle in the bedside dinning. The looping videos (Indian MTVs) are very distracting. You can't even talk to your friends without looking at it. Nice, but totally Overated!

Pros: Sexy, Decor, Lighting

Cons: , Inexperience Staff, Distracting Videos

Posted 01/11/05

No place like this in LA. Exotic , Trendy, Amazing Food, Excellent Service. Perfect place for a romantic dinner or just hitting the bar for some Martini's.

The Lamb Chops are to die for. The service is quite, the servers are cute and polite.

A hot night spot you gotta hit!!!!

Pros: Exotic, Trendy, Romantic

Posted 09/16/04

I have been there many times and I love everything.
The food is amazing, the music and the ambience to die for. The service is great and totally improved from when it first opened. My favorite dish are the lamb chops and all apetizers.
I will have my birthday party there and I can't wait.

Pros: food, ambience, music

Posted 09/10/04

Nirvana is a super cool lounge, awesome indian food and stocked with pretty people. I recommend it.

Posted 09/01/04

once you enter through the large Buddha door you are in a different world. The decor, music , food & service is awesome. I have dined with my friends a few times and celebrated my b'day in the lounge on the beds. We had the best time and cannot wait to go back

Pros: romantic

Posted 08/31/04

This was the way I was feeling after an evening of lounging around in a bad, sipping Nirvana drink and eating great grilled indian Scallop, and divine mushrooms, the music is incredible, will watching indian video and the admostphere so...romantique.
I will be back, it was easy to give my car to the valet parking and and enter a restaurant who was so welcoming, the service was great our hostess was very charming.

Pros: high class customers, music, food

Posted 08/31/04

wow here is a place that epotimizes the phrase of bad service. Do not go here in a large group they wont know what to do with you. They provided us with seating for 12 when we reserveed for 20 and told us they hoped the remainder of our guests dont show up. What the heck is that??? It takes 30 minutes to get a drink from their very slow and only bar tender. Food is overpriced and just okay have had better Indian food. Overall decor is nice but doesnt compensate for the horrible, incompetent, and rude staff!!

Pros: Decor, Music

Cons: Bad Service, Bad Service, overpriced food oh yes and horrible service

Posted 07/18/04

I LOVE Indian food. So i was excited when this new trendy Cal-Indian restaurant opened up. i was expecting alot because i really like Bombay Palace. I was soo disappointed in the menu selection. What kind of Indian place does not have curry!?!?! Seriously!? overall....it has a cute decor, great for a girls night out. but if you want authentic indian food...walk across the street.

Pros: DECOR/AMBIANCE, GARLIC BUDDHA BREAD, LAMB DISHES

Cons: , NO CURRY, NO CURRY

Posted 06/09/04

Considering how good the food and service is at it's sister restuarant across the street (Bombay Palace), Nirvana is a disappointment. Scene and decor are fantastic, but an attempt at new-Indian is so-so, esp. given the star chef from India. For a high-end venue in Beverly Hills, service is very inconsistent. Probably worth a try once, but only if you can tolerate the wait and poor service. To their credit, there are a couple staffers that are very nice, but you'll be lucky if you find them.

Pros: Scene, Decor

Cons: , Food

Posted 04/27/04

Gorgeous decor! Excellent food! Came in with some friends and was graciously taken care of by a wonderful manager, Bren. Had a wonderful experience at Nirvana! Will definitely go back for more!

Posted 04/21/04

Great food, great ambience and cool crowd! Some of the best Lamb Chops I've ever tasted and the dj on Friday night plays really well. 2nd time back there after attending my friend's birthday party and really enjoyed the sit-down dinner this time around!

Highly recommended.

Pros: Food, Music, Ambience

Posted 04/19/04

Overpriced entrees... although good, way too expensive.

Service was horrendous. I like taking my time, but this was ridiculous. No attention and we even had to get our own water.

And the management. When we complained, they complained right back. Whatever happened to the customer was always right?

Would not recommend although it has a great interior. With all the reserved areas, no place to sit.

Pros: atmosphere

Cons: , management, service

Posted 04/08/04

I had the same experience with the rice and drink charges. $10 for A SIDE OF RICE!! And a notice that there are NO free refills would have been appropriate. The entrees were priced three times that of the appetizers, but the appretizeres were generous portions - two would be sufficient for a meal.

Other than off pricing, I have to say that our food was delicious and the ambience was excellent - I cannot emphasis these two factors enough. Service was a little lacking considering that there were only two other occupied tables when I was there - we never had one consistent person helping us so I was a little confused. I would go back for the food..skip the rice...and skip the refill.

Pros: Good Food, Great Decor

Cons: , Pricing of Entrees

Posted 03/31/04

The decor was great, the food was great - but who the hell charges $10 for a bowl of rice which will get you two appetizers on their menu - also, no one charges $4 for a soda - and an additional $4 for a refill unless you're trying to make money any possible way you can to keep your restaurant going. Otherwise, the restaurant was great!!!

Posted 03/30/04

what a let down. I made reservations, arrived on time but was told I have a 20 minute wait! Plus I was not offered an apology suprisingly from a manager who was standing next to the hostess. Even if they said "we apologize. we're new and still haven't worked out the reservation times" it would have been fine. The restaurant is beautifully decorated but still needs some work, e.g. the glass aquarium walkway doesn't seem safe/secure unlike Crustacean's. Service was horrendous. It took over 30min to get a waitress to take our order. Even though it's a very small place, they definitely need more service people in the lounge area. Their saving grace was a newly hired hostess who was going beyond her duty to help out, and not just with us. Appetizers were tasty and the price was acceptable. Entrees way overpriced. I don't think I would return.

Posted 03/30/04

The ambiance is very cool and definitely unique for an Indian restaurant. The only issue I had was that food was not exactly Indain -- call it Cal-Indian? Entrees are pricey. You're better off sticking to the appetizers, which are tasty and come in large portions. Great lounge/bar area and outdoor patio.

Pros: Ambiance, Bar, Vibe

Posted 03/25/04

A little bit of the NYC in Los Angeles. This restaurant/lounge hybrid has an amazing vibe and great decor. Dinner is pricey, but go for drinks and order appetizers while you recline on huge beds. Biggest drawback is the service which seems to be improviing.

Pros: ambiance, appetizers

Posted 03/03/04