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.”…