Nirlep, one of longest running Indian restaurants in Charleston, has reopened at 908 Savannah Highway after a three-year hiatus. Balvinder Banga and her husband, Dilawar Banga, opened the restaurant in 2002, bringing the food of their native Punjab, India, to the Lowcountry.
The restaurant initially closed in 2023 expecting a seven-month renovation (oh, construction woes!). When Nirlep finally reopened this year on Sept. 15, it debuted a fresh look, but maintained a menu filled with delicious Indian favorites that Charlestonians have come to love.
When it started
The couple moved to Charleston in 2002 from Greensboro, N.C. The former moved to the United States from India in 1994 and the latter came to the country in 1986. They have two children; one of whom is in Maryland working in medicine and another is an aerospace engineer. While their children didn’t go into the family business, all of the recipes at Nirlep are from family. Since opening 24 years ago, the menu has been a greatest hit of Indian classics.
Balvinder shared that dishes like butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, chicken tandoori, garlic naan and samosas have always been the most-ordered items. All are made from scratch in-house, and many of the spices used are sourced from Atlanta.
While the Bangas have a kitchen staff, Balvinder still makes the vindaloo (a spicy curry with tang) sauce. “Even the kitchen staff, I don’t give them my recipe [for vindaloo],” Balvinder said. “This is a special sauce. Nobody has that one. Maybe later on, it will be in the cookbook.”
Chai tea is also a highlight at Nirlep.
“Most restaurants are going to give you sugar on the side, milk on the side, American style,” Balvinder said. “At my restaurant, I make tea how I make it at home. Real home tea. I use fresh ginger and cardamon in it.”
While you can order a la carte from the menu at lunch, the buffet is a great option if you want to sample a range of food and get real bang for your buck — it’s all you can eat for $19.99. While items do change, you can almost always expect dishes like butter or tandoori chicken, along with naan, rice and condiments.
A recent lunch showcased vegetable jalfrezi (tender vegetables a spicy, savory tomato-onion sauce), dal makhani (a Punjabi lentil dish) and gulab jamun (a popular dessert of deep-fried dough balls soaked in a rose-flavored sugar syrup). Pro-tip: add the gulab jamun to some rice pudding for a truly fantastic, sweet treat.
A new chapter
The restaurant closed in 2023 for some much-needed updates. The old building on Savannah Highway had plumbing and electrical issues. The bathroom needed improvements and the kitchen was small. The new, larger kitchen allows for more space for things like tandoori dishes and fresh naan.
While the menu remained the same after the reopening, one addition is goat. While it’s not common to find goat on menus in the United States, at Nirlep you will find goat saag with spinach and aromatics, goat aloo cooked with potatoes in a spiced gravy and goat roganjoshm, a Kashmiri-style gravy with warm spices. All three dishes are gluten free.
Another thing that has stayed the same? A feeling of home within the restaurant’s walls and many of the same regulars who have been frequenting Nirlep since 2002. Balvinder talks about these customers like they are family.
“When we were closed for three years, I missed my family,” she said. “I like to see my regular people. I’ve been here 24 years. I feel that this is my family. They love us. I love them.”
“I’ve spent my whole life in the restaurant. I come in the morning and go home in the nighttime to make sure everybody does the right thing. I like my job and when someone says, ‘I can’t find this anywhere else,’ then I feel really good.”
Nirlep is open Tuesdays through Sundays for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and for dinner from 5 p.m. through 10 p.m.
Glossary of Indian food
Aloo: Aloo is the Hindi word for potato
Butter chicken: Butter chicken – also known as murgh makhani – is chicken in a spiced tomato and butter-based curry. It is creamy and rich, and similar to chicken tikka masala, which uses tomato paste.
Dal makhani: a Punjabi lentil dish that uses butter and cream.
Gulab jamun: a popular dessert of deep-fried dough balls soaked in a rose-flavored sugar syrup.
Naan: the word comes from the Persian word nān, which means “bread.” It is a flatbread that is leavened, oven-baked, fried flatbread or baked in a tandoor.
Roganjoshm: a slow-cooked red meat curry that originated in Kashmir.
Tandoor: a traditional, clay oven used for high-heat cooking and baking in South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East.
Tikka masala: a spiced tomato and cream sauce.
Saag: a leafy vegetable dish using greens like spinach or mustard greens.
Samosas: a fried, savory turnover filled with vegetables like potatoes, onions and peas. It can also include cheese such as paneer, meat or fish.
Vegetable jalfrezi: tender vegetables a spicy, savory tomato-onion sauce with some tang.
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