Nirvana Culinary Paradise — Restaurant in Cañon City

I recommend this place for some good Indian food --with a couple of possibly negligible caveats-- and a very nice atmosphere.

The menu has the usual offering of Northern Indian dishes (although, I do wish they offered my favorites of Chicken 65 and Ras Malai). We ordered the saag paneer, lamb vindaloo, butter chicken and an order of garlic naan. Dishes came with basmati rice. The food here was good, the portions were more than adequate and the taste seemed typical of Indian cuisine, however, I did find a couple of anomalous things.

As I sampled each of our entrees (of which you can choose the level of spiciness, as usual), I found something lacking: black salt. I am a tourist from out of town, coming from the NYC/NJ area, and have dined at restaurants in many Indian communities, so I believe my palate to be accustomed to the cuisine. At Nirvana, I found missing the slightly sulfurous tang of black salt, a seasoning which gives Indian food a unique facet to its already numerous dimensions and depth. Was this a decision of the chef to accommodate the tastes of locals who may be unused to such an exotic condiment? I don't know, but I did miss it very much.

Another thing I noticed was the texture of the naan. Everywhere else, I have invariably found naan to be soft and fluffy. At this restaurant, it was flatter and more crispy. Interestingly, independent of my observation, my wife noticed the same thing. I'm not sure if this unusual naan is due to the preference or regional style of the chefs - or even the altitude of Cañon City, which might affect the rising of breads - but it was good naan regardless.

The setting is very nice. Nirvana looks to have situated itself into a wide-open space flooded with natural light from pyramid skylights as well as from pendant fixtures. A long, hardwood bar completes a gastro-pub feeling. (In fact, you can get cocktails with Indian-spices/flavors like masala infused into them. I don't recall what they were exactly as we didn't order any, although they were tempting.) Two big-screen TVs project ambling scenes from world cities -- an interesting diversion. A separated dining room lies behind two large, carved wooden doors. The restrooms were clean.

We were seated promptly and given two carafes of ice water, orders were taken quickly and our food came after a reasonable time. Our server's attitude was absolutely neutral. Not aloof nor mean, but not overly friendly either. Ultimately, we were well attended to. So, service deserves 4.5 stars.

I split hairs in this review only out of love for Indian cuisine. Furthermore, when a restaurant has TWO synonyms for heaven in its name, that sets a high bar for quality. Does this restaurant climb Jacob's ladder that high? It's not far: the points I'm taking off for the food's style/authenticity prevent such enlightenment. Perhaps a future visit for one of their unique cocktails or a taste of the gulab jamun would offer further redemption.

Do visit Nirvana Culinary Paradise for your Indian food fix, but I think an extra sprinkle of black salt and more cloud-like naan (and maybe the additions of Chicken 65 or Ras Malai options on the menu) would fly it closer to heaven.

My 8 year old daughter's review: I highly recommend the butter chicken. Food came very fast. There were a lot of paintings. Server was polite and filled our...

I have never visited a restaurant like this before, and I strongly advise others to stay away.

On Aug 30, 2025, between 3:00 PM and 4:20 PM, we group of 9 members had a dine-in experience where we ordered multiple items. The person who introduced himself as the owner, Rupal, displayed extremely poor behavior and customer service. Even after repeatedly calling him to place additional orders, he openly stated that filling ice in his ice machine was a more important task than attending to customers who were already dining.

When questioned, he arrogantly justified this by saying that according to his “policies and T&Cs,” customers must place their entire order at once and are not allowed to order in portions. Such a policy was never communicated beforehand, and his dismissive attitude was shocking. Instead of listening to our concern, he rudely remarked that he had seen “many customers like us” and simply brushed it aside.

To make matters worse, while we were trying to explain our dissatisfaction, he kept shaking his ears and cleaning them as if our words were trash, which was extremely insulting and unprofessional.

This level of arrogance and disrespect is completely unacceptable in the service industry. I repeat: never visit this restaurant unless you want to be treated with the same disdain we experienced from the so-called...

My mom and I have been traveling for the past couple of weeks and stumbled across Nirvana Culinary Paradise, a lovely restaurant serving Indian cuisine located in the heart of Cañon City, Colorado. The food here is absolutely amazing and even that’s an understatement. After taking my first spoonful of savory curry consisting of a variety of exquisite flavors, I instantly felt a wave of relief wash over me. For the first time in my life, I felt alive. I wasn’t simply existing at this point, but I was experiencing happiness in its truest form. Imagine being abandoned by your tour group in the wilderness all because you left a trail of snacks behind the group to almost get mauled by a very hungry grizzly bear. Now you’re lost, afraid, and the coldest you’ve ever been. The next few days, you see the first car since the tour group left you in the boonies to die. A sweet, elderly woman with grandma vibes rolls down her window and offers you a lift. You are alone and have no other options or place to go, so you accept her offer. She brings you to her quaint, peaceful home and wraps you up in a cozy plush blanket. You feel warmth not only on your skin, but in your heart. You feel safe. You feel comfort. You feel unconditional love. That’s the same feeling you will get from Nirvana...