The best Indian restaurants in Whangarei run from tandoori grills and slow simmered curries through to biryani, kathi rolls and Indo-Chinese noodles, with dine-in tables, takeaway counters and online ordering across the city. Whether you want a sit down dinner in town, a family sized curry delivered out to Onerahi, or a vegan main that is not an afterthought, the kitchens below cook to order and publish their menus in full. Shiraz Haveli on Walton Street and Divine Indian at Morningside are two of the names locals return to.
1Shiraz Haveli Indian Restaurant
The first Shiraz opened in Whangarei in 1996, and the city restaurant now trades as Shiraz Haveli on Walton Street. Owner Jaswant Singh Minhas comes from the Punjab region of India and is a chef by trade, having started at Shiraz on arriving in New Zealand and bought the business in 1998. The kitchen works with traditional tandoor ovens, which is what gives the naans, meats and vegetarian tandoori dishes their flavour.
Services
- Dine-in lunch and dinner service
- Tandoori meats, breads and vegetarian dishes cooked in traditional tandoori ovens
- Takeaway and home delivery
- Online ordering through the restaurant’s own site and app
- Table bookings for special events and functions
Highlights
- Trading in Whangarei since 1996, on a site originally opposite Forum North
- Owner operated by Jaswant Singh Minhas, a Punjabi chef who bought the restaurant in 1998
- Chefs who have worked in some of India’s top hotels
- Sister branches at Kamo and Dargaville under the same ownership
- Own ordering app on the App Store and Google Play, with loyalty points and app only rewards
Location & Contact
Name: Shiraz Haveli Indian Restaurant
Address: 58 Walton Street, Whangarei 0110
Phone: 09 438 3112
Website: shirazindianrestaurant.co.nz
2Divine Indian Restaurant
Divine Indian Restaurant sits on Porowini Avenue in Morningside and cooks a classic North Indian menu, with butter chicken, chicken tikka masala and slow cooked lamb rogan josh alongside a long list of vegetable curries. The plant based side of the menu is properly built out rather than tacked on, with dal makhani, chana masala, palak paneer and mixed vegetable curries. A second site a few doors along, Divine Kitchen, adds relaxed cafe dining, breakfast and coffee for anyone who wants something lighter.
Services
- Starters and entrees
- Main curries including butter chicken, chicken tikka masala and lamb rogan josh
- Vegetarian and vegan mains such as dal makhani, chana masala and palak paneer
- Rice dishes and biryani
- Takeaway and online ordering, with table reservations for dining in
Highlights
- A generous plant based selection built into the main menu, not a substitution list
- Two sites on Porowini Avenue, the restaurant at number 6 and Divine Kitchen at number 16
- Divine Kitchen adds breakfast, freshly brewed coffee and casual daytime meals beside the curry menu
- Open from 11am on weekdays, with evening service through the weekend
Location & Contact
Name: Divine Indian Restaurant
Address: 6 Porowini Avenue, Morningside, Whangārei 0110
Phone: 09 438 6677
Website: divineindianrestaurant.co.nz
3Feast India Restaurant and Takeaway
Feast India is the Onerahi option, sitting on Onerahi Road out towards the harbour rather than in the city centre. The menu is a straightforward run through entrees, tandoori, curries and vegetarian mains, and every dish is priced on the restaurant’s own site so there are no surprises before you order. It suits an unhurried sit down dinner as easily as a takeaway picked up on the way home.
Services
- Entrees including vegetable samosa, onion bhaji and vegetable pakora
- Tandoori dishes such as paneer tikka, roasted in the tandoor and served with mint sauce
- Main curries including butter chicken, chicken saag and lamb rogan josh
- Vegetarian mains such as malai kofta and kadai paneer
- Accompaniments, chutneys, raita, poppadoms and mango lassi
Highlights
- A vegetarian mixed platter of samosa, onion bhaji, vegetable pakora and subz kebab
- Full pricing published on their own menu, dish by dish
- Lunch sittings Tuesday to Saturday, with dinner every night except Monday
- Onerahi location, handy for the eastern suburbs and the airport side of town
Location & Contact
Name: Feast India Restaurant and Takeaway
Address: 110 Onerahi Road, Onerahi, Whangārei 0110
Phone: 09 436 5333
Website: feastindia.co.nz
4Khane Bahar Indian Restaurant and Takeaway
Khane Bahar is the Kensington restaurant and takeaway, on Kamo Road just north of the city centre. The menu is broad for a takeaway kitchen, running from appetisers, snacks and soups through main courses, rice, tandoori breads and desserts, with an Indo-Chinese section and a vegan section listed in their own right. Orders go through the restaurant’s own site for delivery or collection.
Services
- Appetisers, light meals and snacks
- Main course curries
- Tandoori breads
- Kathi roll combos and rice dishes
Highlights
- A standalone vegan section on the menu rather than a handful of substitutions
- Indo-Chinese dishes listed alongside the North Indian curries
- Open 11am to 10pm, seven days
Location & Contact
Name: Khane Bahar Indian Restaurant and Takeaway
Address: 2/95 Kamo Road, Kensington, Whangarei 0112
Phone: 09 437 5151
Website: khanebahar.co.nz
5Whangarei Flavour
Whangarei Flavour is an Indian and Western kitchen and bar at 62 Walton Street, serving aromatic curries, tandoori dishes and biryani on one side of the menu and burgers, grills, seafood and family meals on the other. That makes it the pick when half the table wants a vindaloo and the other half does not. It is open from nine in the morning until ten at night for dine-in and takeaway.
Services
- Indian starters including samosas, pakoras and tandoori bites
- Main curries and traditional dishes cooked with aromatic Indian spices
- Biryani, with basmati rice layered with herbs, spices and a choice of meat or vegetables
- Indo-Chinese chilli dishes, fried rice and wok tossed noodles
- Western meals including burgers, grills, seafood and family sized plates
Highlights
- Indian and Western menus run side by side under one roof
- Open 9am to 10pm, Monday to Sunday, for both dine-in and takeaway
- Private dining and special occasion bookings taken through the restaurant
Location & Contact
Name: Whangarei Flavour
Address: 62 Walton Street, Whangārei 0110
Phone: 09 438 3771
Website: whangareiflavour.co.nz
Indian Restaurants in Whangarei at a Glance
| Business | Based in | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Shiraz Haveli Indian Restaurant | Whangarei | Trading in Whangarei since 1996 |
| Divine Indian Restaurant | Morningside | A generous plant based selection built into the main menu |
| Feast India Restaurant and Takeaway | Onerahi | A vegetarian mixed platter of samosa |
| Khane Bahar Indian Restaurant and Takeaway | Kensington | A standalone vegan section on the menu rather than a handful of subst... |
| Whangarei Flavour | Whangārei | Indian and Western menus run side by side under one roof |
How to Choose the Right Indian Restaurant in Whangarei
- Decide whether you are eating in or taking away, since some Whangarei kitchens are built around a dining room and others around a takeaway counter and delivery.
- Check the vegetarian and vegan side of the menu properly, because a dedicated plant based section is a very different thing from a paneer swap on two dishes.
- Look at where the restaurant sits relative to you, as Walton Street, Kensington, Morningside and Onerahi all serve quite different parts of the city.
- Read the menu for the style you actually want, whether that is tandoori cooked over charcoal, a slow simmered curry, a biryani or Indo-Chinese noodles.
- If you are booking for a group or a function, confirm the restaurant takes bookings and can handle the numbers before you commit to a date.
Frequently Asked Questions About Whangarei Indian Restaurants
How much does an Indian meal cost in Whangarei?
Prices vary by restaurant, but published menus give a fair guide. At Feast India in Onerahi, entrees run from $8.92 for a vegetable samosa to $23.10 for a vegetarian mixed platter, and mains sit between $21 and $24.15, with chutneys, raita and poppadoms at $5.25. Breads, rice and drinks are charged separately, so a main plus rice and a naan is the usual way to budget.
Which Whangarei Indian restaurants have good vegetarian and vegan options?
Most do, but the depth differs. Divine Indian lists dal makhani, chana masala, palak paneer and mixed vegetable curries as part of its main menu, Khane Bahar carries a separate vegan section, and Feast India has paneer tikka, malai kofta, kadai paneer and a vegetarian mixed platter. If you are vegan rather than vegetarian, it is worth ringing ahead about ghee and dairy in the sauces.
Can I get Indian food delivered in Whangarei?
Yes. Shiraz, Divine Indian, Feast India and Khane Bahar all take orders through their own websites for delivery or collection, and Shiraz also has its own app with loyalty points. Delivery zones depend on the restaurant, so check that your suburb is covered before you build a large order.
What is the difference between a tandoori dish and a curry?
A tandoori dish is marinated and then cooked in a tandoor, a very hot clay oven, which chars the outside and keeps the inside moist. Naan, tandoori chicken, seekh kebabs and paneer tikka are all cooked this way. A curry is simmered in a sauce on the stove, so a tandoori main normally arrives dry, with sauce ordered separately if you want it.
Can I ask for a curry to be made milder or hotter?
Almost always, yes. Heat is added during cooking rather than built into the base sauce, so kitchens are used to adjusting it. Say what you want when ordering, and if you are ordering for children, ask for mild rather than assuming a dish such as korma or butter chicken will be gentle enough.
Which parts of Whangarei have Indian restaurants?
The city centre carries several, with Shiraz Haveli and Whangarei Flavour both on Walton Street. Beyond that, Divine Indian is at Morningside on Porowini Avenue, Khane Bahar is at Kensington on Kamo Road, and Feast India is out at Onerahi. Shiraz also runs branches at Kamo and further south at Dargaville.
Do Whangarei Indian restaurants take bookings for groups and functions?
Several do. Shiraz takes bookings for special events and functions through its own site, Whangarei Flavour offers private dining for special occasions, and Divine Indian and Feast India both take table reservations. Larger groups are easier to place earlier in the week, and it is worth asking about a set menu when you book.
How are restaurant food safety standards regulated in New Zealand?
Food businesses operate under the Food Act and are required to run a registered food control plan, with verification visits by a recognised agency or the local council. The Ministry for Primary Industries publishes the rules for food businesses as well as general food safety guidance for consumers, including advice on handling and storing takeaway leftovers.
How We Chose the Best Indian Restaurants in Whangarei
Every business in this guide was found by searching for indian restaurants in Whangarei, then checked against its own website. Names, addresses and phone numbers are taken from the business’s own site rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what they publish themselves. We also check that each one is actually based in or genuinely serving Whangarei, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business with no website of its own is not listed, because there is no primary source to verify it against.