Indian Star Restaurant

Food was great. The Samosa were huge, biggest I’ve ever gotten. Flavors were really nice. Spice wasn’t really there for a 2/3 level of heat, but all in all a very nice place to eat. We were outside and the vibe was nice. Service was great, refilled waters right away, food came out fast. Portions are a good size for the price.

The food was goods not the best Indian we’ve had, but still good. Would go back if we are in Rotorua and crave Indian. Same can be said for the service. Not above and beyond and by no means rude. Overall, average.

Just wow! My friend and I went to Indian Star and had such an incredible experience. We had Butter Chicken and the Garlic Naan and it was nothing but perfection - especially the chicken was perfectly cooked & the sauce was sooo creamy! We actually fell in love with Indian food thanks to this restaurant! Huge recommendation when you’re in the area!

Food here is very tasty. The staff members here are so polite and friendly. Cost of food is reasonable too. If visiting Rotorua i would suggest you to atleast have your tummy satisfied here.

I’m disappointed with my recent visit. While the food and ambiance were satisfactory, the behavior of the manager at the billing counter was unacceptable and left a lasting negative impression. Upon reaching the counter to settle the bill, I was met with a dismissive and rude attitude from the manager. Instead of handling a basic billing inquiry with courtesy, the manager was abrupt, unhelpful, and spoke in a condescending tone. Hospitality is a crucial part of any dining experience, and unfortunately, the lack of professionalism completely overshadowed the meal. I believe feedback is important for improvement, and I hope the management takes this seriously. Customers deserve to be treated with respect—especially at the final stage of their visit. Until there is a clear improvement in staff behavior, I would hesitate to return or recommend this place to others.

It was such a delicious dinner. Butter chicken, garlic & chicken naan are especially great. It is a place I would like to come again next time!

After eating at Indian restaurants in India, USA and Australia, I must say this truly is one of a kind. We were visiting New Zealand and chanced upon this place as they had advertised a buffet dinner for an incredibly cheap price. We went in with mixed feelings but the quality, the quantity and service were superlative. It's a pity we don't live in Rotorua!! It is truly that good!!

Really enjoyed the food and the service here. The staff was very helpful and friendly and suggested me the buffet which was exactly what I wanted. Service was fantastic. Will definitely come back here again during my next trip to Rotorua.

We went to Indian Star for dinner. We have mixed opinions on it. I'll start with the good: the food was very good and the naan was exceptional!! If you are someone who likes Indian cuisine but doesn't like the spice associated with it, this place is a great option! It was also priced relatively cheap for large portions. Finally, the man who handled our payment was very nice even though we needed some stuff adjusted. Now the not as good: the lady waiting us made little effort to attend to us (we shall give her the benefit of the doubt, however, because she said the restaurant was understaffed). The food also took a long time to come out. Lastly, we asked to change a mango lassi to a mango cocktail when ordering, but our waiter instead changed our mango chicken to a mango cocktail. Location is great with a park nearby overlooking Lake Rotorua and it sits on a street with many other restaurants. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor (covered) options. Overall, great place if you have the time to wait!

Food was amazing but had to wait for about an hour even though they weren't busy. Thought the rice would have been included but was extra. Rice is only included if you get takeaways which is odd.

I think I loved the lively atmosphere and trying a new place more than I did the food. Either way it was a good experience. The chicken korma was good but not over the top flavorful as I had expected. The portions were large and one dish was enough for two people with additional rice and naan added. PROS: Location Extensive menu Palau rice Chicken Korma (med hot) Mango Lassi Garlic butter Naan CONS: Can be very busy during dinner time

(This is probably closer to 4.5 stars to me.) Indian Star serves excellent food! Two standouts to me were the chicken tikka and the vindaloo (of various types). While the vindaloo was excellent, the chicken tikka was the best my wife and I have ever had. (For what it's worth for context, yes, we're from the US, but we've eaten plenty of wonderful Indian food in Malaysia for a couple of years.) My only food criticism was that the butter chicken was overly sweet, which was unfortunate since it's usually one of my favorite dishes and I was introducing it to people who'd never had it before; however, I simply focused on all the other wonderful dishes. This is a pretty restaurant, with plenty of indoor and outdoor (covered) seating, located at one end Rotorua's Eat Street area. The staff was warm, friendly, and efficient. We were never wanting for anything because of the constant (but not obtrusive) checks from different helpful, conscientious staff members. I would definitely recommend Indian Star.

Stopped by for dinner on a Thursday night. It's located on Eat Street. We were happy with our meal. You can select how spicy you'd like each dish. The main dishes come in medium sized metal bowls. Rice costs extra, but the $3 portion is pretty large - large enough for 2-3 people I'd say. Saag paneer: tasty, can't go wrong with this one Butter chicken: I wish the chicken was a smidge more moist; also, the sauce was a little too sweet and very tomato-y, which are flavors that are pretty different from the butter chicken dishes I've gotten in the U.S. Plain garlic naan: good but needs more garlic! Service was great! There was indoor and outdoor seating, but there weren't any heaters outdoors so we opted for indoor seating.

Located in the newer part of Rotorua, we decided to order take-away due to my coughing attacks. I personally wish that we could have ate there. While we were waiting for our order, I noticed how fast the restaurant was filling up. They even had large tables reserved. A good sign. Bonus if you order take-away, they give you a discount. Once we got back to our hotel, and opened up the food. We were very pleased with the portions and how fresh the naan was. We ate a lot and even had leftovers for the next day. Such a great deal.

Highly recommended to us by our daughter and her hubby, who had visited Rotorua last year. Also, the host of our hotel mentioned that this restaurant had won numerous awards. So, arriving in Rotorua, there was only one choice for Indian food, even though there are 2 other Indian restaurants within a block of India Star. Even though they have a decent wine list, they also allow BYO, so we walked a few doors down to the wine store to get our wine and save a few dollars. We started with the samosas, which were pretty standard fare, as samosas go. For our mains, hubby ordered the fish Marsala with medium heat, which was just perfect. I had the chicken korma, also medium, and it was totally delish. The garlic, butter naan was also quite tasty. The service was also quite good: our server, waiter-in-training Lucky, was friendly and eager to please. Harry, the primary server was also attentive and friendly. A great dining experience!

TAKE OUT Butter chicken n Chicken Korma Nice. Thicker gravy than used too, must have had a hiccup with the butter chicken... so sweet could served as dessert. All in all tasty meal.

Located in the vibrant eat street this place has great indian stuff. The place was fully reserved, but the owner was kind enough to find us a place. We enjoyed the food. Highly recommended if you are in rotoroua.

Excellent service by Vinny!!! Excellent food!!! Lamb Saags were perfect, as were the Vindaloos, Korma and Nawabi. Boss allowed us to smoke even though it's non smoking. Bonus!!! All full to the brim... Recommend to the max!!!

Some of the best Indian food I've had, we came here two nights in a row. Located on eat street there is both in door and vast outdoor seating. We sat outside is it was nice weather and people watched. The menu is pretty extensive and has lots of options (even beef which I don't get since its against Indian religion to eat beef) but we stuck with vegetarian both times since the vega risk options are typically the best. The Chana masala (chickpeas) and paneer makhani were both really tasty, but the latter was our favorite as the sauce had immense flavor. We got the garlic naan and the cheese and garlic stuffed naan and both were sooo good but the stuffed one had to be my favorite. The only odd part was that rice didn't come with the dish and you had to pay for an order of it...maybe that's only in the USA that rice comes with your dish. In any case for $3 we got a big bowl of rice.

Wow. Got the chicken tikka masala, garlic cheese stuffed naan, basmati rice, and veggie samosas to share with a friend. I've had much Indian food in my life and I gotta say, it was some of the best I've had. Who woulda thought, out here in Rotorua?! Portions were actually big, though it might not have seemed that way when the tikka came out. We were stuffed. The samosas were so flavorful and I forget what sauce/chutney I had with them but that was amazing too! The chicken was moist and everything was just so flavorful and delicious. The naan was a little underwhelming at first in terms of flavor (tasted a little bland?) but the chewiness and texture were amazing. Then I had them cold in the morning and they blew my mind. I think I was expecting to taste a stronger cheese, but it was very mild, especially when hot. Tastier cold, but overall, delicious and I'd still get it again! So good!!!

While the food was average and the ambiance nice (due to a great location on Eat Streat), the service was terrible and the price absurd (over $70 for two people for a few drinks and food). Our waiter was extremely rude and short with us the entire time and made us not want to be there to eat food. They were extremely uncommodating and weren't willing to make minor changes to the dishes (which is the first time we have had that issue at any Indian restaurant we have been to). Plus their "hot" spice level was medium at best. There are two other Indian restaurants within one block of this place, so i'd recommend checking one of them out for food and then making your way to Eat Streat for a drink/dessert. One of them is called Lovely India and the other one I can't remember but it is across the street from Lovely.

Order the lamb Balti. Jussi the head server suggested this dish and it was honestly the best Indian food I have ever had. 4 stars!

Friendly and attentive wait staff with a great location along Eat Street. The lamb I ordered was tender and not dry; medium heat was accurately doled out. I think my server felt sorry for me as I didn't order any rice, just naan, with my meal (I used the naan to sop up the sauce). He kindly provided some basmati rice for free in my bag of leftovers. Also, the container for leftovers was a pleasant surprise -- good lid that clicked on, not a cheap waxed paper box - very helpful for a traveler reheating a meal.

Seriously did not expect this place to live up to expectations, we're pleasantly surprised. Had lamb korma, yellow dahl, chicken tikka & garlic butter naan. All delicious but cannot finish!

Fantastic dining experience! The service was top notch and our waiter was really friendly. I can't remember what the hubby ordered, but I tried the Saag Gosht and it was so delicious. Everything came out quick and in huge portions. Nice and cozy atmosphere, good location right in the main food area of Rotorua. The service was just so amazing and everyone was so friendly and helpful with all the menu items, I highly recommend it! Would love to go back!

Very good food on Eat Streat-a trendy covered restaurant area in Rotorua downtown area. Both the chicken and lamb korma were delicious. The restaurant was full on a Sunday evening-always a good sign.

Pretty good spot. Small portions but Indian food is on the heavier side. Nice ambiance. Got the lamb and shrimp coconut curry. Very tasty. Recommendable place for your Indian craving fix.

The service here is terrible and overpriced food!!!!We had 4 in our group and it took 45 minutes to get an appetizer. In addition, my 2 vegetarian teen son's wanted a deluxe meal so they ordered a vegetarian banquet, while my husband and I ordered a butter chicken entree to share. After about 30 minutes of waiting, the owner came to our table and told us that we cannot share or take home the vegetarian deluxe meal, even though they advertise it as a banquet meal, it's really a la carte and you have no access to a buffet/ banquet. This was very strange and uncomfortable and they charged $30 per vegetarian banquet meal, a total rip off. In addition, they purposely serve the meal extremely slow.. I have an ethical problem with true way they advertise this meal but serve you a la carte & then tell you that the deluxe meal that you are paying for is not eligible for carry out? My sons wanted a deluxe meal, but they didn't ask or weren't served seconds, nor did they finish their meal. I wouldn't doubt if they reused the al la carte items they served & threw it back in the pot? Why would they have a buffet menu like this & confront a customer after paying $30 a meal that is not buffet? A very sketchy place! Don't believe the great reviews. After an experience like this, I don't trust the low volume Yelp reviews on restaurants like this because this is shady operation. Worst experience of my life in a restaurant!

On our Norwegian 14 days cruise. Looking for Indian Food 22 people enjoyed the Great food

We absolutely loved the food! As my husband is Indian and I spend a lot of time cooking Indian food at home, we can be pretty picky when it comes to eating out Indian. We ordered the Maharaja Vegetarian Meal and we loved all of it. The flavors were amazing and the naan was fluffy and buttery the way naan should be. If we were locals, we would come here all the time.

Went here for a meal when in Rotorua. The restaurant is in the new eat street section. Table for 6. Food came relatively quickly and all was very tasty. Service was friendly and prompt. Overall pretty good value for the part of town it is located in and I would happily return.

This Indian restaurant is legit. The menu has the standard curries you're used to seeing but also some interesting options. The waitress was very helpful in directing our choices. We ended up with a paneer dish we'd never tried and a lamb curry. We ordered "hot" and she was a skeptic (apparently the Kiwis don't do "hot"). We confirmed we wanted hot and it came out just right. Spicy and savory. Delicate cheese and tender steak. Garlic butter naan was crisp yet pillowy. I think this is your best bet on Eat Street.

Now I know this place has excellent reviews from local newspapers and blog so I had high expectations... Unfortunately my first experience there was really disappointing. It was a busy Saturday night but we decided to try our luck. Although there was a table for two about to get free, the waiter asked if we didn't mind sharing a table with a family of four... A bit of a weird request we all thought, but why not.... We were hungry! When the table of two got freed, we asked if we could move to that table, and the waiter agreed quite reluctantly. And from there... It just went downhill. We waited for 30 minutes for a waiter to just... Attend our table. No water, no menu, nothing... We tried to catch somebody's attention by making eye contact but everyone seemed too busy to notice anything. The family of four got menus but then were trying to order drinks, to no avail. Another table also who got there just before us still had not placed their orders. So we counted one more minute and left... We ate some place else and when we walked past the restaurant, the family of four was just finishing eating and the other unhappy table was still there as well. We came back another time for lunch though, and although it was also a weekend it was not busy at all, we were the only customers. Service was prompt and food delicious, I loved their beef korma. But I am not sure this place is worth all the hype... Definitely worth trying though, but not on a busy night unless you are in no hurry whatsoever!

Great meal and service. Staff were friendly and helpful. We ordered a starter for the main for our 2 kids (8+9) to share and it was plenty. We had a large rice and a naan bread too and it was enough for all of us. Price was good and we were served quick too, although we sat at around 6 and were one of the first ones in, although it soon filled up. Would definitely go back!

I love Indian food and made a beeline here my first night in Rotorua. I'm so glad I did. My meal was delicious and the staff was very attentive. The outdoor seating in summer is a plus. Recommended.

We had lunch here today at this restaurant which was recommended by our hotel and which was festooned with various awards from other travel-related sites and the local media. We were not disappointed we are here in the off-season and our restaurant was sparsely populated but our server was very attentive. Service was quick. And the food delicious. We started off with mango lassis which was the best I have ever had. We had garlic naan for our appetizer. It was as good as it sounds - buttery naan adorned with minced garlic. I had the chicken biryani and my wife had the lamb nawabi (I liked hers better but don't tell her that!). It was definitely a place I would go to for Indian food here.

The food is quite tasty here. We had fish and vegetables curry together with naan. You have to try the garlic naan, amazing. The rice is quite disappointing, it's long grain not short grain. The down side is that they had a lot flies there... Anyway, it's worth trying.

Went here with really high expectations and was disappointed. The chicken was undercooked and the curry itself lacked any serious oomph. Service wasn't the quickest in the world but were friendly.

Food is very good. We had butter chicken (not spicy and our kids love it), veg curry, lamb curry and buttered naan. Only problem was the wait. They did put up big sign to say it would take 30min for food to be ready and it did take 30min in our case. Ironic that they were apparently voted the best restaurant takeaways and I wonder if people would want to wait that long for takeaways!

This was one of our favorite Indian restaurants ever! We were in Rotorua for 3 days and every evening we went to this restaurant because of the amazing food. I am extremely picky and often disappointed with what I order, but here I didn't have to worry about what to order because everything we ordered was amazing. We had the veg samosas, garlic naan. Chicken kahari, balti and vindaloo. The chicken dishes were our favorite in that order. Wish I could go again and again and move the restaurant to the US. Being of Indian descent we go to a lot of Indian restaurants and this is hands down my favorite! The waiters were also very kind people

We had a very good dinner here tonight. Veggie Samosa, Fish Masala, Chicken Saag. All well prepared and generous portions. Sat at one of the outdoor tables and thoroughly enjoyed the Eat Street vibe. Recommend.

Food is very good but service is loose. Much too much tables sur and customers to take care for too less waiters. Result : wait too long. Anyhow, the staff is doing its very best and is quite nice. All dishes we selected were excellent. Wine list ok. Good place to go if not too busy !

Decent food but hard to digest with the terrible service on offer. Lack of integrity combined with lack of sensitivity makes for a bad mix. If you want to enjoy your dinner experience, look elsewhere.