CHARLESTON, S.C. — Nirlep, one of the oldest Indian restaurants in Charleston, is serving again at 908 Savannah Highway in Avondale after a closure that stretched to about three years.
Balvinder and Dilawar Banga opened the restaurant in 2002 and built the menu around the cooking of Punjab, where they grew up. They shut the doors in 2023 for what was supposed to be a seven-month renovation, then reopened on Sept. 15.
The old building had plumbing and electrical trouble, a cramped kitchen and a bathroom that needed work. The rebuilt kitchen is larger, which gives cooks more room for tandoori dishes and fresh naan.
The menu is mostly unchanged. Butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken, garlic naan and samosas remain the best sellers, and dishes are made from scratch on site. New this time are three goat dishes, all gluten free, including goat saag with spinach.
The lunch buffet is all you can eat for $19.99. Tuesday through Sunday, Nirlep is open for lunch between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., then for dinner between 5 and 10 p.m.
The family still owns and runs the place, and the restaurant says City Paper readers have picked it as the city’s top Indian restaurant fifteen times. Takeout orders can be placed by phone at 843-709-6613.
Filed under: Charleston SC Food News
