Review Indian Star Restaurant & Bar - Hamilton

Great place for Indian food, been a few times and always consistently good. Good range of curries and the lamb dishes are really tender. Tandoori chicken is well seasoned and charred too. I also love the free chapati crackers that you get to munch on while waiting for your dishes to be cooked..

Great food! We had a company mid-winter function there, highly recommended for groups. There was enty of food and it was absolutely amazing.

Nice place. We moved over from the UK and it's been hard to find decent curry houses - this is one of the best in town though, very tasty. Good range on the menu and friendly staff, although service was a little slow (ended up fetching our own menus). Nice balcony space too. If you're looking for Indian in Hamilton, this is a great option

Our family was delighted with the quality and service of this fine Indian food establishment. The parking is ridiculously hard to find,unfortunately, but it is worth the effort.table water was great beverages and alcohol was great. Nice view out over the deck of some trees and a creek. Decorate interesting Maori/ Indian blend of decorations. Speedy service and very friendly staff.

A very inviting and friendly welcome by all the staff. Promptly severed with a very good selection of traditional Indian cuisine to offer. Food was very good as always. This is a great place for groups, family, friends and couples to go to for a get together, our group of 11 was all served very quickly and at the same time. Food still piping hot! I'm happy to report that the quality of the food is superb, great quality and taste, with the prices very small making all of us very happy! We shall be returning in the near future for the best Indian Food in New Zealand.

The food is good and the speed at which it arrived was amazing, I was writing a long email expecting to wait (I was there just before the evening rush) but I had my meal in about 10 minutes. The staff were friendly, the decor of the restaurant is very plain not much atmosphere. I was there on quite a hot night, most people were being seated out on the balcony but I was inside, the restaurant was very hot and there are no fans or anything to cool down, even the staff member I mentioned it to said they were strong with the heat.

Had a great dining experience here. Food was amazing and well portioned. Our server was very friendly and great at recommending dishes. Would definitely visit again when back in Hamilton. You should out on the patio if the weather is good.

We shared four main dishes and two different types of breads. I thought the service and place were OK. The food is average when compared to other Indian restaurants in Hamilton. Jaipur is still my favourite out of at least 8 Indian restaurants I tried in Hamilton and much more around the world.

Had dinner here this evening. First class service, food was authentic and tasted amazing and the kids were totally welcome! We won't be going anywhere else for family meals out. This restaurant will delight you! Fully recommend! 👌

Simply love the ambience, food and nice staff. Dealing of Indian Star is superb and the food quality is awesome very delicious. Whenever we wanna eat Indian food from outside we go to Indian Star only. We are going there from last 5 years. Highly highly recommended 😘😘

Love this place. Best curry in Hamilton and always fantastic service. We go here at least once a week, sometimes twice. If I had to recommend two dishes then their butter chicken is amazballs, and the bhuna gosht is a must try.

Very group friendly had a table of 20 worked brilliant! Food is amazing! If you are aiming to impress? Go no further than this place! Satisfaction guaranteed!

Great Indian meal. Nice surroundings and good service. The party of 5 were all pleased with their meals which included lamb and chicken jalfrezi, Chicken Saag and Chicken Biyrani. Reasonably priced. Highly Recommended.

We're going back tonight with a party of 11! Have always had excellent service, personal attention in fact from the owner! We love their food and breads.

went to this place after seen 4star rating, but food was not taste great, same sweet curries,<br/>dont know how they got 4 star review,<br/>ordered chilly chicken and balti chicken, which suppose to be not sweet but both curries sweet and in chilly chicken , chicken was dry and taste of oil coming from it,<br/>if u want really INDIAN food , dont visit this place,<br/>

The daal is great. Would recommend for Indian food in Hamilton.

Always make it a point to come to this place EVERYTIME I’m in Hamilton. This time I tried the Bhuna Ghosh (hot) with a butter naan and a mango lassi. The spice was a good amount and the sliced ginger was a good addition! The curry was thick and tasty and paired with a good naan took me back to when I was in India! The mango lassi had an extremely thin straw in it making it very hard to suck out off, didn’t stop me though! 100% recommend this place. Lamb Rohan josh also amazing!

Below Average<br/><br/>So I returned to this restaurant after almost 4 years and gosh it has gone down hill. It was a takeaway meal and the service was prompt. We orderd chilli chicken, onion bhaji, butter chicken n malai kofta- none of them had favor. I expect indian food to have vibrant flavours and bit of personality. Unfortunately all of it was missing on this occasion. Ended up ordering from another Indian restaurant that I frequent. Wont name the place as I dont want to be seen as promoting a specific outlet and biased.<br/><br/>Long story short- butter chicken tasted of excessive sugar (the order taker mentioned that he will advise the chef not to add too much sugar!!), koftas in malai kofta were purely made out of potatos & were a bit watery, chilli chicken was bland and I have no words to explain the coloured onion rings. In the end, my 4 year old decision of not to order from this restaurant was spot on. Good on you if you had amazing experience. Unfortunately I cant say the same. Cheerio

I am a regular customer. Their food is consistently amazing every time I dine in or take away. They never disappoint. Great place to have food with family and friends.

Takes 2hrs to get food to table. The food was decent but the delay killed the hunger anyway so no point in eating it. The waiters said the food would arrive in 5 mins, we asked 30 mins later to get the same response. Please ask them the time to serve before dining.

Been there for dinner. Kadai paneer and garlic naan are very good. Veg biryani, Rice are not completely cooked. Mixed veg and prawn curry are raw. Little disappointed.

FOOD = 2.5<br/>SERVICE = 3.0<br/>AMBIENCE = 2.5<br/><br/>Stumbled onto this place for a feed whilst visiting Hamilton. They have a decent menu with many options. The food is well presented and serves are good.<br/><br/>The malai kofta and tandoori chicken were good. Only two small koftas though in a serve though (cant really share). The biryani was not a biryani at all, it was a pulao with meat in it, a completely different dish that was masked as a biryani. The naan bread was good, the chicken was okay too.<br/><br/>Overall another regular run of the mill Indian resteraunt. Nothing spectacular.<br/><br/>Apparently this place has won awards, not sure what for. Seems perhaps this place use to be goof from the previous reviews and maybe chabge of management or something else. The rating is not accurate.

Absolutely terrible. Ordered a coke - no coke. Ordered an orange juice - no orange juice. We ended up just having water. Garlic naan was undercooked and doughy. Nothing spectacular about this restaurant at all. Tacky plastic tablecloths. Generally just a bad experience. Should have just got take always. Tasted the same as every other butter chicken I've had, was nice but paid inflated prices to dine in. Will not return.

The malai kofta was very good though rice seemed to be undercooked. Hence I complained it to server and the manager as well and no one got back to us on the same which was quite disappointing.

Best Indian restaurant in Hamilton. Awesome food and service we will be back. Restaurant has a view of the river which you don't get to see everyday. Had a great night and loved the food.

I'm not quite sure why this place is rated so highly. I ordered takeout Mango Chicken and it tasted like Butter Chicken? Infact i'm pretty sure it was. It wasn't terrible or anything but not that flavorful. I guess I came in with a high expectation considering its rating. With that being said there are defiantly far better Indian restaurants in Hamilton in terms of taste!

Went here for lunch with work colleagues and we absolutely enjoyed the food! Service was great, the staff looked after us very well. The food is great too! Lots of rice and naan bread along with the lunch special which is absolutely great value for money!

Your service is great and food is excellent atmosphere is great too so you get 5/5 for everything overall. They even gave me a discount my first visit here. Lovely staff and lovely food A++++

Superb food. By far the best Indian restaurant in Hamilton. Their food is high quality and exquisite. Same with their service. Served by professionals, as compared to underpaid international students in other Indian restaurants. Highly recommended.<br/><br/>However, their Biriyani is below par. For the best Biriyani in town, Try Biriyani House on Victoria Street. Possibly the best Biriyani in the North Island.

A brilliant authentic Indian meal with great service.. This is our second visit with my wife and enjoying our meals immensely and would thoroughly recommend. A special highlight was the naan with coconut and mango and the curried fish.

Eat as group of 9 on Sunday 4/5/14. Great service. Well presented and tasty food at a reasonable price.

My husband and me were staying at the Ibis Hotel and by chance saw this restaurant and decided to dine in. The staff were very polite, service was quick and good, and the food was just fantastic. Being Indians we try Indian restaurants but must say that this one thoroughly satisfied me with the taste and the level of spicyness. Hats off to the Chef. Keep up the good work!<br/><br/>The only drawback is that the restaurant is hidden away. If located at a place where it is noticeable, there will be more customers visiting.

I love Indian cooking and as a Indian lady I was quite impressed when my friend and I went to the Indian Star.<br/><br/>Not very cosy environment but we had the best service and excellent Vegetarian meal in Hamilton so far!<br/><br/>very good Banquet for the price and the staff were very polite and always asking if we were okay and if we needed anything else.<br/><br/>Keep it up guys!

Me and my friend had the best dining experience at Indian star hamilton. The service is awsome and the staff will always make you feel special... I would Just say one word for that place "HIDDEN TREASURE"

Lets forget Indian Star and try Indian Superstar, we arrived at 5.30pm on a Wednesday to an empty restaurant, ok it was early but never a good look.<br/>To our surprise they knew who we were from the booking and showed us to a pleasant table by the window, now we had perused the menu on line so we knew the deal of the century was the banquet for two ( non vegetarian), The waiter who must have trained at the school of good etiquette was super polite and friendly and immediately ensured we had popadoms and water while we waited for our first course.<br/>Another waiter equally as amenable took our drinks order, anyway to write less than a book, the food was AAA+++ the Service was AAA+++ and the only very minor gripe was some of the tables are built for people who exceed 6ft tall, and we had one, most were normal height but some were higher, trust me though we will be back, we have tried every Indian Restaurant in Hamilton and Cambridge and believe me there is no comparison this place is the best!

I had a look at the reviews before I booked a table for my wife and myself to celebrate her birthday. I was very impressed by the reviews but thought that they were possibly exaggerated. Much to our surprise we found the reviews to be true. The service, the staff, the food, everything was just fantastic. we will be travelling over to Hamilton from Tauranga again soon just to have dinner at this restaurant.<br/>Many thanks for a great night out.

Like everyone has already said, best restaurant in town with the best service anywhere! We've visited regularly as a group of 4-6, and have also booked had a function for 60 very impressed guests! Thank you Indian Star, impeccable!

This place is AWESOME! We have been on 3 occasions, and the food and service has been exceptional every time. The staff do seem to remember us each time, which I find quite remarkable, and so refreshing. In fact I would go so far as to say the service is the best I have ever received in any restaurant (and we eat out a lot!).

We have been living in Hamilton for 10 years now. This is the best restaurant we have dined in so far. Food is excellent, service is outstanding. Staff will make you feel like home with warm welcome and greet you with a smile as soon as you enter the restaurant. Try their "PANEER CHILLI", Awesome ! We regularly go with friends ( Kiwi Friends) and family and they all love the food and service. Recommend to all !

It was a crisp cold night outside as my wife and I enjoyed a rare date night. I had booked earlier that day and when we walked in to this clean, warm, friendly retaurant we were greeted with a smile.<br/><br/>"Welcome, would you like a seat?"<br/><br/>"Hi, we have a booking for 6:30"<br/><br/>"Oh. you must be James"<br/><br/>They remembered my name from an email!<br/><br/>This typified Tanej and his teams service all night, personal and professional.<br/><br/>But they are not just smiles and service, the food was wonderful.<br/><br/>We ordered the Maharaja Banquet which is an awesome entree (see Tandoori combo) and all you can eat range of curries and loads of fresh, tasty naan.<br/><br/>Thank you for a great night for my wife and I Indian Star.

Great food and service - We went as couple and the food to be delicious. The location was lovely over looking the river. We found this place was great value for money, out standing service - the very best around -- enough said - awesome food and service!!

This is my favourite restaurant in Hamilton! It has awesome service and they remember you if you go back :). Good value and wide range of amazing food. I have been 5x and each time has been fantastic.

Great food and service - We went as a family group and found the food to be delicious. I would highly recommend to even the most hard to please diners. The location was lovely over looking the river centrally located in town. We found this place was great value for money, out standing service - the staff were professional and friendly and catered to our needs.

I have been to the Indian Star three times now. On our second visit (which was some months after the first) I was welcomed and it was clear that the team remembered us from the previous visit. I put it down to a bit of a fluke.<br/><br/>I went to The Indian Star by myself tonight. Once again I was recognised. The two staff were able to state where we had sat and what we had eaten. That was 5 months ago. Amazing.<br/><br/>And that brings me to the food. It is amazing. Great food and great value. Tonight I had the chilli chicken for entree and the lamb balti for a main. I weakened and got a garlic and coriander naan. <br/><br/>The food was faultless. I washed it down with a Kingfisher Strong and that was reasonably priced as well.<br/><br/>I can recommend this restaurant with complete confidence. You will not be disappointed.

Table for two. I have been here twice now in the last few months.<br/><br/>Fully deserving of five stars. Service is very courteous, friendly and attentive.<br/><br/>Food was as good as any other Indian restaurant I have been to and better than most. Well prepared and presented, tasty. <br/><br/>The restaurant has a nice outdoors deck and on the whole very smart.<br/><br/>No doubt I will be returning.

Indian Star Restaurant WILL become 'the place' for your regular curry fix. Ever since I stepped into Indian Star Restaurant, I've been hooked! I've been a regular since, owing to the excellent service from Tanka and the friendly the team. The cuisine is a delight, and well worth the trip into town. When you're looking for an Indian experience, this is where you'll get it.

This place is fantastic. The food is the best I have tasted and the personal service is excellent. I had been a stalwart of another restaurant in town, and had been going there for 8 years, however now, although I feel a little sad about the old place, I come here. I could not recommend it highly enough. Tanka and the team will look after you and the food as said is wonderful!

Good menu; good atmosphere; and matching service.<br/>We enjoyed a banquet for three people. The variety and quality of food was impressive.

This was our first visit to the Indian Star restaurant and it certainly won't be the last! From the moment we arrived we were well looked after by the friendly, polite and helpful staff.<br/>We chose the 2 different banquet meals and were thoroughly impressed. Our food arrived promptly and was delicious. The restaurant was comfortable, not too noisy, and the decor was very stylish. Meal prices were very reasonable.<br/>We will certainly be eating here again and would recommend it to anyone.

As a customer of Indian Star Rotorua for several years my friend and I visited Indian Star in Hamilton last Saturday and believe me it was unbelievable fantastic service (as usual) and the food superb I think it is the best Indian Restaurant in Hamilton dont forget to try the Mango Lassi and the mango icecream desert

Absolutely excellent! Highly recommended. <br/>The service is great with really friendly and helpful staff. The food is wonderful and the price is very reasonable. <br/>We went with a large group of people - they were very accommodating. We will definitely be coming back. <br/>Thanks

My partner and I got takeaway from here last night after reading all the reviews. We got butter chicken (Mild and Med) and Chicken Korma. Upon arrival the man was extremely friendly. Prices are great and the food was fantastic. Will go again I am sure. Thank you. - Would add to this that I have been another 3 times since Aug. Dine in and takeaway. They always remember who we are and the food is always 100% top notch. I love this place. (Perfect for a summer evening as they have a lovely balcony)

After discovering the Indian Star Restaurant I have always looked forward to returning. The cuisine is excellent, the service outstanding, and (very important to me) the waiting time from ordering to eating is short. I recently took a group of workmates there for lunch and I ordered a Mango Lassi. After some tasting by my mates most of them ended up ordering one too! I cannot speak highly enough of the menu choice and quality, and having been brought up with Indian cuisine as a child, I can only say that I continue to be impressed!

It was a pleasant surprise going to this restaurant, I heard it was good but didn't think it would be real, real good!!! My husband and I have been to many Indian restaurants in NZ and in Sydney (after living there 12 years) and this would have to be one of the best, if not THE best! The service is awesome, the Manager is professional and friendly and the food is outstanding. What tops it off is it is located along the banks of the mighty Waikato river so in summer its a great spot to sit outside and enjoy the atmosphere along with the great food!

Unbelievably good food! I consider myself a bit of a connoisseur and come from Bradford, UK's curry capital. I can honestly say that I have waited 8 yrs for a great curry in New Zealand and this was it.<br/>Onion bhajis were perfectly spiced and plentiful in portion. Then came the big boost a chicken Balti. The chicken was perfectly tender morsels of breast meat (which admittedly is a UK thing, but god it makes for the best curry) enveloped in that lovely blend of sauce which is not too thin or too thick; lashings of capsicum, onion, coriander and topped with slithers of ginger. The rice was fluffy and perfect and the garlic naan was awesome. Topping it all off they serve Cobra as well as Kingfisher. friendly staff and in a very swanky restaurant.<br/>Best dining experience in NZ to date...get there.

We went here tonight. We eat out a lot- especially Indian cuisine. This is the best Indian restaurant in Hamilton and has surpassed our previous "favourite". The food was excellent, surroundings nice and staff very courteous and friendly. We will be visiting again.

This is easily one of the best Indian restaurants in Hamilton!<br/><br/>We were happy to discover that Indian Star had opened in Hamilton after eating at the original Indian Star in Rotorua for several years. As soon as we walked through the door in Hamilton, Tanka (the manager) remembered us from the Rotorua days, and gave us a very warm welcome. He has an amazing memory, and can almost give everyone their favourite meals without even having to ask!<br/><br/>The food is always fresh and delicious; and what we consider a true Indian meal to be. We've had butter chicken, korma, vindaloo and the balti dishes, and all have been superb. The garlic cheese naan is also a must have as an entree or to mop up the sauce from the curry.<br/><br/>Complimentary poppadoms are rare in other restaurants, but standard practice for Indian Star!<br/><br/>We wouldn't hesitate to recommend anyone to try this restaurant when looking for good Indian food, or to get one of their meals as a take-away - which we have also done!

Hi. This is the BEST Indian in Hamilton. They get it right everytime I must say. Even my 86 year old Nana who doesnt normally like ethnic food really enjoyed it. they get the flavours right and the naan is cooked well. Take your friends soon.

Tried this for the first time this week. Had a few dishes, all were full of flavour and had fresh herbs and ginger with them which we liked. As great curry eaters this was a positive experience with the dishes being very obviously different in colour, texture and flavour. <br/>Had a take away but want to go back to try the restaurant as in great location overlooking waikato.<br/>Only downside was there was only coconut inside Peshwari Naan, I can't remember what it said on menu but I like fruit in mine too!

Delicious and mouth watering food, amazing service and best environment to spend an evening. I don't think I would have any other choice better than this in Hamilton. I went to this restaurant with my friends where first time in New Zealand I experienced such a great taste of Indian cuisine- Cheese Chilli to start with, Chicken Balti and Karahi Paneer for the mains and Mango Kulfi on top of all as desert. The service as always was warm and welcoming with superb environment to dine in.....thanks a lot Indian Star!!!!!!!!!!!!

I tried this place on a deal voucher, hadn't heard of it before. Then I found out they are in Rotorua too. We had the tandoori platter for an entree and 2 great mains, garlic naans. I have eaten at nearly every restaurant(Indian) in Hamilton and this is easily in the top 2 for food..and for sure has the best service. Very attentive and easy to feel relaxed. We have been back 3 times now(no voucher) and have found it as good as the last time. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Wait...I forgot to mention, the dessert which was part of the deal platter was awesome..mango ice cream!!! Yum.

Great little restaurant - hidden overlooking the Waikato River. Clean sophisticated. High ceilings, minimal Indian art works. Great opening doors onto an outdoor veranda.<br/>Staff were very courteous and friendly. Well done.<br/>Tandoori Combo for two as a starter, came out on a sizzling platter:vege samosa,pakora,chicken tikka and seekh kebab with dipping sauces and hot pickles. Wait staff explained the items.<br/>Main chicken tikka masala and beef madras served with rice. Spice levels were great on both. Meat was very tender and the meals came out hot. Fluffy rice. Couldn't eat it all. We also had a very moist garlic naan.<br/>Finished off with a mouth watering mango kulfi -ice cream. <br/>Great food - however the service was the best I have seen in Hamilton. They also do a take away menu with 10%off.