Kripa Indian & Nepali cuisine — Restaurant in Lincoln

"Wow..."

I said that over, and over, and over here. My wife and I had the most delicious dinner, neither one of us can remember the last time we enjoyed a meal this much. They had a lot of things on the menu we wanted to try so we got a wide variety of dishes.

From the appetizers we ordered the lentil soup, which I thought was better than the lentil soup from The Oven and my wife agreed. We also ordered the Chili Chicken (Medium+ heat level) which was so delicious that I couldn't stop eating it, even though I knew we had a lot more food coming. The final appetizer we ordered were the Onion Pekoras, and boy oh boy, they were better than any onion pekoras OR onion rings I've had in my entire life, ever, anywhere, at any price. Hands down, if you like onions at all you MUST try them. Really loved dipping them in the tamarind and mint chutney sauces.

We also ordered the bread basket combo which comes with plain, garlic and cheese naan, and is an absolutely huge amount of them, easily enough for a table of 4 to eat as much as they could possibly want with their meals and maybe still have some left over. Came to the table hot, really great tasting, and is an incredible value.

From the mains we ordered the Kripa mixed grill so we could try a variety of their tandoor cooked meats, which came on a bed of onions, green peppers, and broccoli. The veggies were seared and seasoned and were a great addition to the 4 meats that come with the combo (shrimp, lamb, chicken tikka, and a generous piece of the tandoori chicken). My favorites were the 2 types of chicken and the shrimp (the lamb was also very good, I just don't enjoy lamb as much as I do chicken), and whatever the tomato based creamy "gravy" that comes with the combo is, it was an amazing dipping sauce for the meat. Like, epicly good.

We also ordered the Chicken Coconut Korma, which had a great coconuty flavor, very balanced spices, and was as delicious as everything else we ordered. If you like Chicken Tikka or Chicken Korma, almost a guarantee you'll love the Chicken Coconut Korma.

We finished over-stuffing ourselves with an order of Rice Pudding and Gulab Juman. My wife preferred the Rice Pudding, and I preferred the sweetness of the Gulab Juman. The rose water syrup soaked fried dough balls were yummy and it wasn't too sweet for me, which can be a problem with some desserts in my opinion.

The only other thing I'll add is to make sure to try the tamarind and mint chutneys. The tamarind went well with almost everything, and the mint chutney adds a bit of herby freshness when and where you want it which was wonderful.

I can't wait for the next time we get to go back any try more of their dishes. There are already 3-4 I've got on my mind that I'm looking forward to trying. If I'm honest, I'll probably order the Onion Pekoras and Chili Chicken every time I go in addition to whatever meal I order, just because I can't imagine not being able to eat them every time I go there, they were THAT good.

Don't hesitate, this place served us one of the top 5-10 meals I've ever had, and probably the best Indian meal I've had anywhere. Sorry most of the pictures are of partially eaten dishes, I couldn't keep my hands off the food and only remembered to take pictures after digging in.

An average meal would cost between $15-30 depending on drink and appetizer choices. We spent a fair bit more but had a HUGE variety of food and a whole lot of delicious leftovers...

Date Night

Recently made it over to the new Kripa. I had my Hopes set High for this one... Luckily they came through on nearly every level!

They were fairly busy but we were seated right away. Not ordering Every starter was hard but we decided on a few. I knew I wanted the Onion Pakoras. I've had my fair share of Pakoras in my day but these were Easily the best! Seasoned well and crispy, I can't imagine the other varieties (chicken, shrimp, veggies) being any different. Next the Samosa Chat. Chopped up Samosas are the base layer, topped with Chutneys and Raita, etc. It looks like a hot mess but is Delicious! Think Indian Nachos... Their open floor plan made it impossible to hide my Happy Food Dance and Yum Yum Sounds 😋.

My husband Loves dumplings. Their Steamed Momo was exactly what he was looking for, tons of filling, Amazing sauce! We also got the Bread Basket so we didn't have to choose from the various kinds of Naan. It comes with Original, Garlic, and Cheese. These are thinner and come with 2 Chutneys, Mint and Tamarind. Both full of flavor and soooo good!

For my Main Dish I chose Vegetable Mango Curry. I tend to gravitate to tropical flavors (coconut, pineapple, mango) in savory dishes. I got mine mild, cuz I'm a baby, and it may have been the lack of heat that made it just too sweet for me. I took it home to my kids and they absolutely Loved it!

I strongly suggested to my husband that he select a Thali for his main. Normally meant for more than one person it's a great way to sample a bit of Everything! He went with the Mutton, also no surprise, with a spice level of Hot. Totally in his Element he combined This & That and was incredibly happy! We took an order of the dessert Gulab Juman to go. It's little balls of dough soaked in syrup. Kids enjoyed them as well!

The place stayed busy both with patrons and take-out orders the entire time we were there. Several people helped us and checked on us. Food took a little while but we also ordered a Ridiculous amount. There are many more things on the menu we'd still like to try. While it won't replace any of our other favorite places, it is a Fantastic addition to the Lincoln Food Scene and will be a frequent stop ❤️.

Originally posted to EAT IT in Lincoln,...

I have finally found food with actual flavor in this flavor desert that is Lincoln, Nebraska.

Yes, it is a little pricey, but for me, who hasn't had good Indian food since leaving Colorado 5 years ago absolutely worth every dollar.

I ordered the Garlic Naan and Chicken Tikka Masala at medium+ spice. I am writing this review after the very first bite because it was that good. Sure, this is probably the most “basic” meal a westerner can order at an Indian restaurant, but even so it blew me away. Next time I will try the next spice level. I imagine the Butter Chicken will be equally excellent for those who prefer a milder dish.

I had worried the chicken would be rubbery, overcooked chunks of tough breast meat. Instead, it was tender, cut into perfect bite-sized pieces, and served in a generous portion.

And the naan… THE NAAN. Easily the best I have had anywhere. At most restaurants naan ends up like bland pizza dough or an under baked flatbread with the flavor of pure flour. This naan walked the fine line between cracker and pizza crust, crisp yet still soft enough to tear, brushed with the right amount of butter, garlic, and herbs. Absolutely perfect.

I am sooo happy to have found this place and will be making it a...