Nirmal’s

Nirmal’s is located in pioneer square, making it a nice location to walk to from downtown for lunch. The staff is friendly and its not uncommon to find the owner checking in on guests and taking care of the regulars.
The food fits a perfect need for downtown Seattle: Indian food that is right in between expensive and cheap buffet style. You will spend about $ 15 a person for the lunch menu and will receive great tasting Indian food.
The lunch special itself is a fun experience, maybe a tad on the expensive side, but in the end worth it. The special is 5 tasting size portions with rice and naan. When I went it included lentil and curry soup, rice pudding, and a tasty chicken dish. According to the staff, it changes almost everyday!

Nirmal’s has made it’s way into my lunch time rotation. They have a different thali every day, and in the 3 or 4 times I’ve been there, it’s been tasty each time. The soups in particular have stood out. Good people there, I hope they have a great deal of success!

We have been there on one of the Sunday evening as walk in, so got bar seating for dinner it was good. We ordered prawns bruschetta, butter naan, salmon curry, and chicken biryani. We really enjoyed the prawns appetizer and Fish curry but I am writing this review just for the Biryani it was not biryani at all. It came in a bowl with a bottom layer of tomato gravy, tandoori chicken pieces which were made for tandoori appetizer it seems, and layered with white rice on top. I really wish they made better Biryani instead of putting all the stuff together made for different dishes. Ambience was nice, owner was nice, I would visit this place again.

I was really looking forward to trying Nirmal’s. I thought it would be fantastic, upscale Indian food. Unfortunately, it wasn’t good or that upscale. Only the prices and portions are upscale. I don’t understand how the food can be so bad. Don’t the chef or owners taste the food on the menu first? Where to begin…
1.) Appetizer: Kasta tiki. I’m guessing this is a dish the chef made up. It was a very soft, falling apart patty of mashed vegetables and breaded in cornflakes. The menu did indeed say it was covered in cornflakes. But, the execution is awful. The cornflakes tasted kinda stale. The patty was falling apart and since it is Indian food, I don’t understand how one would eat this with one’s hands.
2.) Dal (lentils): Like another reviewer noted, it was on the thin side. I also felt like I could make this exact dal at home (maybe even better) so this was nothing special at all. In fact, I was a bit worried when I saw the pics of the food because all of the dishes look like there is a lot of thin sauce and not so much meat/​vegetables. Have I mentioned that I’ve lived in India? I’ve eaten a lot of Indian food both in India and here in the States.
3.) Naan: At first, I liked that it had some texture since some naan is super soft and fluffy. But then I realized the naan was actually kinda hard and chewy. Like it was difficult to bite and eat it.
4.) Service: server was super nice and friendly but didn’t seem to know that much about the menu. Why aren’t the chef and owners providing the staff with free meals to taste so they can help customers decide what they want to eat? I expect that any nicer restaurant to provide the waitstaff with a meal prior to the start of dinner service.
5.) I’d love to go back and try the thali lunch but I won’t. And my recommendation to anyone reading this review is to wait 1 year and then go to the restaurant. By then they will hopefully have the menu and service worked out.

We went to this place for lunch and tried the chicken thaali. The food was delicious, especially the dessert (Bread pudding).The thaali portions looked a little small when they first arrived but it was just perfect for us by the time we finished it. Do not forget to try the soups there– unique and tasty! Waiting to visit the restaurant again :)

Best Indian food in Seattle! Great atmosphere and amazing service. The owner is an amazing man & his food represents his care and pride! If you eat Indian food you must come here. My dad loves it and it’s the first time I’ve gotten him to eat Indian food in 10 years.

We went to Nirmal’s for an early dinner on a Saturday night. We had not made reservations, but they were able to seat us before it got too busy which we appreciated.
The menu isn’t your typical Indian buffet style fare, which is good… we’ve got plenty of those! We ordered a variety of dishes, but my favorite was the pork vindaloo. The meat was so tender and the sauce was amazing.
Our server informed us that the tandoori dishes take longer than we might be used to. That was helpful, so we ordered that with the starter to get it going. They cook their tandoori chicken in the tandoori oven the whole time, no shortcuts. It shows.
I’ll definitely be checking Nirmal’s out again, possibly for lunch too!

Nirmal’s is a welcome addition to the Seattle Indian scene.
The flavors in each item are distinct — not all dishes taste the same (which is something most North Indian restaurants are guilty of).
I tried Biryani (very very good), Achari Vegetable (quite good) and Avial (not authentic). The rotis/​naans were excellent. I ordered a non-​alcoholic drink, which was outstanding and not overly sweet.
It’s off to a good start. I hope they continue to improve and provide Seattle with a much needed top shelf Indian spot.

My first time at Nirmals was last week for dinner, celebrating a friends birthday on their opening dinner night. I must say the interiors were beautiful, not a typical indian restaurant interior, beautiful furniture the lighting was gorgeous.
Now getting to the food part, I liked the fact that they had minimal dishes, because all of them had a unique flavor and were not dumped with spice and masala (which a lot of other indian restaurants do) Starting with appetizers we had their Khasta Kachori, Shrimp and paneer, absolutely Yum! We were all fighting to wipe out the plates, and their chutneys were fresh!
Going to dinner, we ordered the goat biryani, it was finger licking lip smacking amazing! The goat was well cooked, soft and was mouth watering. Goan fish curry was really good, the cream base was not spicy but had a perfect balance of flavors.
They also gave us a free sampler of one of their drinks a mix of cumin, lemon, vodka and St. Germaine, it was awesome!
Things they need to work in their bar, would love to see more indian fusion cocktails. The service was a little slow since we went on their first dinner opening night, however the food and ambience made up for it. Gita the owner was extremely hospitable and gave us the history on how they started the restaurant, pretty amazing!
The price point was high but the experience and quality of food made up for it. If you are wanting to go get some cheap Indian food with mediocre experience then please don’t go to Nirmals.
I’ m a firm believer of quality over quantity, and I’m definitely going back to Nirmals for dinner!

Nirmal’s Seattle– A dining experience one can avoid.
Firstly, the place stinks of wet grass/​wood. I think it’s because of the new furniture, but this problem needs to be fixed.
Secondly, the number of items on the menu is limited and very ordinary.
Thirdly, the taste of food is bland and below average.
We did not get reservation when we visited last week. So wanted to check out what the hype is all about.
I was excited to visit Nirmal’s but was disappointed as soon as we sat down. I do understand that the place is new but that is not an excuse to improve the taste of the few items that are on the menu/​thali.
Even the restaurant looks like a dingy dark corner which needs an upgrade.
Sorry to give my honest feedback among all the stellar reviews present here.

I was so disappointed by Nirmal’s after months and months of looking forward to it.
We asked our server what the best (dinner) items were and all her responses involved the phrase «looks good,» so it seemed like she hadn’t even tried any of them. And we asked what type of fish was in the fish curry and she said cod but I’m pretty certain it wasn’t cod (I wouldn’t have ordered it had I known). Everything was just ok, and we found everything to be pretty bland and underseasoned. The portions are very small — for 1 appetizer, 1 side of rice, 3 entrees (one being about 1 cup of paneer masala with only THREE small slices of paneer in it for $ 15!), 1 chai (which included refills) and 1 mango lassi ($ 5 for about 6 oz), the total before tip was $ 84. We were also pretty grossed out at the end of the meal when we asked for our food to be wrapped up and our server placed a dish inside one of the ones we wanted wrapped.
The space is very nice though, just a shame the food was so underwhelming, especially for such a high price.

My coworkers saw some awesome photos of Nirmal’s food on an instagram food blog and we decided to come here for lunch.
We ordered:
Me: Meat platter — 6 pieces of meat, probably the equivalent of 1.5 kebabs and a tiny salad plus naan — fish was tasty, chicken was ok a bit dry, the beef was like dry cardboard — $ 12
Coworker 1: Veggie platter and soup — 10 pieces of veggies, tiny salad and naan. Soup was a bowl plus naan– total $ 18
Coworker 2: Meat thali platter — 5 mini dishes, rice and naan — $ 16 — lentils were quite watered down
Overall there was an abundance of naan, which was great, but the rest of the meal was very tiny for the price point. If you just ordered the veggie platter it would not be enough food to for lunch. We gave this feedback to the waiter and they brought us more veggies (yay!), however, it didn’t seem like they were going to do anything to improve their menu.
The price point is too high for lunch around this area (everything should be a bout $ 2 less). They should also think about installing a curtain by the door or double doors as every time the door opens a huge cold draft comes into the restaurant.

What an amazing restaurant! The Thali was delicious; the five courses looked as good as they tasted. I’m not sure which I liked more, the Butternut squash soup that had a nice kick of heat that built as I ate but was not overwhelmingly spicy or the tender and flavorful pork vindaloo?
The dining experience is balanced out beautifully with a simple yet elegant décor, attentive wait staff, a talented chef, & friendly and enthusiastic owners. Take the time to learn what Nirmal’s is doing for their staff and for Pioneer Square; it makes them even more intriguing and irresistible!

I am so full (in a good way)! Just finished dinner at Nirmal’s. Apparently this is the third day they have been open for dinner. Gorgeous interior and welcoming staff. Patience is required right now, so if you want a perfectly polished experience, give it a few months. They also have a LOT of traffic because they are getting great press, so make reservations.
We started with kasta tikki (loved the cornflake crust), then had the Goan fish curry and richly flavored paneer makhan masala (all with rice). The Goan fish curry is one of the chef’s specialties, and the fish is meaty enough to make it a hearty dish. Decided to add naan, which was smart to soak up the delicious sauces. All of these dishes were new to me, and I would order all again, if I weren’t so eager to try everything else.
I am not a big dessert fan, but I could have the mango kulfi every day, because it wasn’t too sweet. I can’t wait until next time.

We started with some Authentic India Tea, which is some of the best I have had in some time.
Then we ordered Thali (vegetarian). They have different type of Thalis each day, so I was curious what is in store today (Tuesday). Today we had ginger carrot soup, couple of curries, dal, rice, authentic rumali roti, and dessert.
The food was simply WOW… Totally relished every item in tHe Thali. The ambience has been great as well.

Where do I start… the rustic but eclectic ambience or the warm and friendly people who run the restaurant or the simple yet varietal menu or chef Nirmal’s perfectly flavored authentic dishes or the best tandoori bread varieties I’ve ever had?
I’d say the whole package delivers right from the moment you enter through the whole dining experience! We finally have an Indian restaurant in Seattle that provides an experience like no other! I’m sorry I couldn’t list or point out any specific dish that stood out from another, since I loved everything I had from my Thali :-)
I’d recommend anybody who craves authentic Indian flavors to try out Nirmals and keep coming for more coz the menu changes everyday! I know I’ll be coming back for sure…

The restaurant is clean and bright and the staff is very friendly. We were there for opening day and had the Thalia plate, which gives you a sample of several courses including dessert. The portions are perfect for lunch. Prior to this experience I would tell you that I do not like cauliflower but chef Nirmal has changed that! The soup was a cauliflower and carrots blend. Perfect for this rainy weather. Next was a vegetable blend which contained cauliflower and I believe potatoes. Perfectly seasoned. Then a dish of lentils, followed by a curry dish. It was finished off with a perfect dessert that was similar to a rice pudding. I’m telling you it was so delicious my friend and I literally melted into our seats!
If you’re in the Pioneer Square area you must stop in and try out this new gem of a restaurant.

I had the Tandoori Vegetable plate for lunch — it was fantastic, and I don’t say that often. I don’t know which I liked better, the big mushrooms or the crunchy okra. Everything on the plate was delicious, including the small green salad, and filling enough for lunch. The chai tea was a warming accompaniment. The waiter was fast, friendly, and knowledgable.

An excellent lunch experience from start to finish. Warm, inviting atmosphere, and fresh, flavorful fare. While there are definitely some Indian mainstays (like Thali lunch we shared), they have great Indian-​influenced sandwiches and rolls. We had the Tandoori Chicken Vegetable Roll and it was fantastic!
If you’re in the Downtown Seattle area and you’re lamenting the lack of Indian options, definitely hit up Nirmal’s for lunch!

World class Chef Nirmal has an incredibly impressive resume and when my friend told me a few of the places he had been the head chef I knew I had to check it out.
Fantastic place. The food is awesome and the place is much cleaner with a nicer atmosphere than one would expect.
I came in for lunch and had the beef sandwich. The meat was so tender it was practically falling apart. The sauces for the sandwich were excellent as well and I learned that the meat had marinated for a whole day and been cooked for another day to prep it the way it was.
Even if you don’t like or want fries you should really try the curry fries they are brilliant.
My friends got the 5 dish plate and while I didn’t regret getting the sandwich because it was excellent, I tried some of their food and it was awesome. The butternut squash soup was better than my moms (I pray she never reads this but if she tried it she would agree and she makes an excellent butternut soup). We learned it was made fresh in the morning. I was a huge fan of the spicy legume dish as well which was mostly garbanzo but had delicious spices.
My favorite part about the dishes was that the spices complimented the food and weren’t put on it to cover up low quality meat or anything like that.
Highly recommend checking this place out and can’t wait to try their dinner!