The Taj Indian Kitchen

We had a really lovely experience here and enjoyed every part of the meal. We started with the Beetroot Tikki, which was absolutely delicious and easily one of the best dishes we had. The Corn Bhel was fresh, crunchy, and full of flavour. We also ordered the Paneer Tikka and asked if it could be made mild so our child could eat it. Even though paneer tikka is usually marinated and many places say it can’t be adjusted, the kitchen happily made it mild for us—and it still tasted great. We really appreciated that extra effort. For mains, we ordered the Kofta Shaam Savera with Lachha Paratha. The kofta was excellent and clearly the standout dish of the meal, along with the beetroot tikki. Overall, a great experience with thoughtful service and delicious food. A must-visit place in Queenstown for Indian food lovers, especially if you’re dining with family. Oh how did I forget Mango Lassi — Yuuuuuuuummmmmm

BIG FLAVOUR HIT 👊👊👊 Amazing quality and selection. The flavours are mind blowing. Make sure to try the Lamb Masala Wonderful friendly service as well 👍🏽

Me and my wife had dinner at this place We ordered Lamb Kababs, lamb masala and some rotis. Good presentation and good taste was good. I felt the service is biased depending on who you are. The place was busy, so I waived my hand to call someone who came with the pad to take our order but did not even asked us if we need any drinks. I think t he bar they have for just a show but the staff is not trained to ask every customer if they want to drink anything. But to my surprise the table beside mine (less than half a foot away) had a non indian customer and the same person took their order but this time he asked what would they like to drink. So this place do not like to welcome Indians or they give different treatment to Indians. Or they are not trained to ask every customer for the drinks. The same person then was at the bar mixing drinks. Then the same person was taking cash at the counter. Well I did not lose anything I had my food paid and left but the restaurant lost my drinks orders. Good luck management

Well this was our last dinner on South Island. Good food. Good choices. Chef n team was flexible on our requests. Tasty food. Slightly oily, I must say. Good options on both veg/non veg/mocktails n beverages.

Extremely disappointing and concerning experience, primarily due to the food quality. As shown in the attached photo, the chicken used specifically in the butter chicken was extremely dry, tough, and chewy. It genuinely seemed like old chicken rather than freshly cooked meat, and the texture alone made the dish unpleasant and difficult to eat. The butter chicken sauce itself was also very poor. It was overly sweet and tasted undercooked, as if the curry had not been properly simmered or finished. Overall, the dish felt rushed or reheated, lacking the freshness and balance expected from such a standard Indian dish. What made the experience far worse was what happened afterward. After eating the food, everyone in our family became unwell, which raised serious concerns about the freshness and handling of the chicken. This was extremely distressing, especially when dining out as a family, and completely unacceptable. While the serving staff were polite and friendly, the situation was handled very poorly at the counter. When the issue about the chicken was raised, the counter staff were unfriendly and dismissive. Instead of addressing the concern or showing any willingness to investigate or apologise, he gave a lecture on how butter chicken is cooked, rather than listening to customer feedback or taking responsibility. Between the poor food quality, the illness afterward, and the way the complaint was handled, this was a very negative experience. Based on both the food and customer service response, I will not be returning and would not recommend this place.

I went to the Taj with my family. Including 2 young kids one is 7 and younger is Juz 3. While we were waiting for the food little one was bit cranky and he was screaming and we tried to calm him down and we offered him phone and he accepted. And in the mean time we had starters. As soon as we start eating the manager came to us and he asked us to leave because according to him we were annoying other customers. See these people in pics who get annoyed with 3 years old. Specially when parents trying their best to calm them down. So my advise don’t go there if you have small kids or young families.

Best Indian restaurant in Queenstown, authentic taste with wide range of options to choose from. Highly recommend biryani, starters Also the views from the restaurant are super nice too Cool ambience with excellent serving

Without a doubt the best Indian food my husband and I have ever eaten. We have travelled the world and honestly can not speak high enough of this incredible food. Rahul our waiter was exceptional and we gave recommended the restaurant to our family who are coming to Queenstown next week. Thankyou !!

Food was okay, service was average! Not worth a revisit but if you want Indian food, this is an option

Located in the middle of the action at the city center of Queenstown, New Zealand, this place is charming and has a wonderful view of the lake from inside the restaurant. The staff is friendly, attentive, and happy to guide you through the various selections on the menu. And there's plenty to choose from! The waiter recommended the chicken curry, and it was the best I've ever had. Amazing flavors with just the right amount of heat. The garlic Naan was to die for! I have no doubt that I will be coming back here while on this 8 day visit to this amazing town.

This is a great place to try out Indian food in Queenstown. The location is fabulous with great views. We had Murg Tiranga on the recommendation of our server Rahul and the taste did not disappoint at all. The chicken was very flavorful and tender. We also had Tandoori Bharwan Kumbh and it was very tasty. For the mains, we had Andhra Fish Curry and Paneer Teen Mirch Ka. Both of the dishes very very flavorful and tasty. The staff was very nice and attentive. Our server - Rahul was super nice and engaged in friendly conversation. The manager - Hitesh was also very welcoming and a super host. If i visit Queenstown, this will be a place to visit again.

The food here was just ok which was a surprise given it has the highest rating on trip advisor for restaurants in Queenstown. I might be unfair here because I ordered something new. They didn't have my typical Indian restaurant dish (butter chicken or chicken tikka massala) I went with a chicken dish that is infused with cashews. It was creamy and wasn't spicy as what I would expect from an Indian restaurant. My wife went with the lamb shank and she really liked it, I didn't taste it so won't be able to rate it but will take here word for it. We started with the broccoli which was good given it was combined with melted cheese and some green sauce. We also shared one garlic naan, the portion of the naan was big! Overall an ok restaurant, nothing special

This is the place to go in Queenstown for authentic Indian cuisine. The place is small so you will definitely need reservations if you want to go for dinner. Reservations at lunch time are not necessary per the hostess. We ordered Pan-seared Scallops (Scallops, Smoked pepper chutney, Asparagus) for starters. I loved it, but husband felt that it tasted to burnt. I ordered the Handi Gosht (Lamb, Potato, Cardamom & Fried Onion Curry) with medium to hot level of spiciness. It was Devine and the spiciness was hot enough but not so hot that I couldn't taste other foods. My husband ordered the Murg Tikka Makhanwaala (Tandoor cooked chicken, Rich Tomato Curry) with the medium spice which was also delicious. The garlic roti was heavenly with the two different curries. Highly recommend this restaurant for any travelers looking for something different.

Me, my wife and our daughter were passing through Queenstown on a motorcycle trip and were hungry for Indian food. We happened upon the Taj Indian Kitchen and stopped in about 6:00pm on a Friday night. It is a very small restaurant, with about a dozen tables. It was very clean, well lit and modern. The wait staff was the friendliest and most professional we have experienced on our trip. We were greeted and seated as soon as we entered, and our drink orders were taken and delivered to our table promptly. We split two different chicken curry dishes and garlic naan bread. The food was delivered hot, fresh and tasty. If you are in Queenstown and in the mood for Indian, you could do no better than Taj Indian Kitchen. Highly recommend.

Amazing Indian food and great menu, they have Indian classics as well as a few unique options. The naan tasted fresh and they have several types (stuffed with minced lamb, cheese, etc). All of the entrees we tried were great; I don't think you can go wrong here. The only downside is that it's a small restaurant with only several tables. Be prepared to wait or reserve a table in advance.

One of our best meals and best Indian food we've had both in NZ and while traveling. We made the mistake of not making reservations and the earliest they could seat us was 9pm (we stopped in around 7:50p). We ordered their house specialty nilgiri murg and our always favorite murg tikka (butter chicken) and traditional naan. All were OUTSTANDING! The rice was wonderful as was the side sauce. If not for the great food, we'd probably not consider returning, it took exactly one hour for our food to arrive and noticed 4 other tables to be served after an hour as well (one family was there when we first inquired about seating and was just getting served when we arrived back at 9pm, our neighboring table was served appetizers when we sat down and their dinner arrived 1/2 hr later, and another couple that arrived 15 min. after we arrived was served at exactly 10:15pm. I would go for the food but be sure to make reservations and be prepared for a "leisurely" dinner. They also forgot to bring my husband's beer and when he told them he didn't want it any more, they brought it out anyway "on the house" which was a nice gesture, but nicer to have it to sip on while waiting for dinner...

I hate to be the one to ruin their perfect score so i'll round up from 4.5. Their garlic naan was way too burnt which gave them deductions but they did it better the second time around after we asked specifically not to burn it. We started with the corn bhel which came nicely presented in a cone. It was good but it was heavy on the spices if you're not into that. The scallops were good but small - just bigger than a quarter. The fried softshell crabs had a lot of flavor to them and were delicious.

Found this place on yelp. The food was pretty awesome considering we were away from home and haven't had Indian food for a while. We ordered the corn bhel - it turned out a little soggy probably coz it was sitting at the counter for a while. However, the flavor was great!! Main course included the salmon moiili. Quite awesome, nice big chunk of salmon! The chili cheese garlic naan was filling (had to pack it up for breakfast the next day!!) Highly recommended if visiting Queenstown and miss Indian flavor!

Wow! Absolutely delicious food! The staff were very friendly and helped me narrow down my choices and pick a great wine from hawke's bay to accompany. My tour guide lives in queenstown and recommended this restaurant. If the locals love it, I knew it'd be worth a visit and if was.

Good indian place in Queenstown. This is the best of all three indian places here. The starters chicken tikka, tandoori are excellent. The chicken chettinad was great. The naans had an great smoky taste. Recommend if you are in Queenstown and in mood for indian.

Best Indian food outside of India :) with a classy ambience and wonderful attentive service.. Do i need to say more :) Must do when in Queenstown, NZ

Great restaurant, can't recommend enough! The food is really tasty, and the best part is creativity and uniqueness of the menu. Plus the space has contemporary decor and nice ambiance. We were visiting Queenstown all the way from San Francisco and really wish we had such an Indian restaurant back home.

The Taj Indian Kitchen is the epitome of a 5 star establishment! The best meal we had the privilege of enjoying during our visit to Queenstown! Upon arriving we were wowed by the impressive ambiance and greeted by a kind and attentive host who guided us to a window seat overlooking the lake at sunset. From then on things only got better! We enjoyed delicious complimentary mango chutney, delectable appetizers, and for our main, some of the best curry we have ever had! My sister and I had the aloo palak gujia which featured potato stuffed spinach in a velvety curry sauce and my mom had the lamb which she described as "outstanding!" All of the staff was very attentive and accommodating throughout our meal, making the entire experience absolutely idealic. Thank you, Taj! We will be back and could not recommend you more!!

Place verbally abused me and family for asking for a refund due to theft of hundreds of dollars of food. We were catering for 20 and they were forced to eat cupped noodles, and the owner argued with us, called us idiots and arrogant, and said other things to us. Never go here, teach this guy a lesson

Excellent Indian food in a small family run restaurant. Our waitress made excellent recommendations, and all four of us (including one with mild curry-phobia) thought it was great. Nice location on a busy lakeside street for people watching.

The food is just Amazing !!! Could not resist but visit again the next day for dinner !

This is a horrible place with random seating of people. There is a lack of professionalism in having guests seated in the restaurant. We had our names on the waiting list and realized that our spots were given to someone else without informing us. Other guests were randomly assigned seating.

Irrespective of its hype, the chef does not know how to cook genuine Indian food. We had ordered for veg biriyani and that came out to be pretty ordinary stuff with rice not being basmati (as claimed) and the vegetable cooked separately and then mixed together to give it the shape of biriyani ! It was a mixture of cooked rice n veggies being cooked separately n then mixed..that is their concept of biriyani !! Another irritating part is that in India, pickles and green chillies are necessary accompaniment of food and these things take care of your taste buds in case there is minor variation in the dish. When we wanted to have pickle to adjust to their version of biriyani, the guy (I guess it was their manager Saurabh Bhargava) insisted that we pay extra for the pickle. When we explained to him that we visited the restaurant only for Indian food and green chillies n pickles were necessary accompaniment, he showed us the rule book ! In any case, since the biriyani was a disaster, we left the matter at that point only, with a resolve never to visit the place again nor recommend it to anyone else ! A MUST AVOID PLACE !!

Excellent food and service. Very accommodating of our gluten free and dairy free requests. Lots of options and good value for money. Loved their fresh naan breads.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that this was some of the best Indian food we've had outside India. We are spoilt by the choice of great Indian food in NYC but this place beats most of them hands down. It was a pleasant surprise to find such great Indian food in Queenstown. Highly recommended!