The best Indian restaurants in Invercargill cover a wider range than the standard curry house menu, from South Indian and Malabar Coast cooking to Desi Chinese dishes and banquet menus built for a table of fifteen. Whether you want a sit-down dinner, a weekday lunch or a takeaway on the way home, the five below all take bookings or orders directly, and they are spread from the city centre out to Waikiwi and Richmond. Indian at The Crescent and Bombay Palace anchor the central options.
1Indian at The Crescent
Indian at The Crescent sits on The Crescent in central Invercargill and runs a dinner service through the week alongside a daytime lunch service. Tables are booked online in timed slots, and the kitchen also takes pickup orders and shared meals sized for three to four people.
Services
- Evening dinner service
- Daytime lunch service
- Online ordering for pickup
- Table reservations in timed booking slots
- Shared meals sized for three to four people
Highlights
- Online table booking in specific time slots rather than a general enquiry form
- Lunch served across most of the week, not evenings only
- Rotating specials and promotions published on the restaurant’s own site
- Diners can leave a review and upload a photo of their meal directly on the site
Location & Contact
Name: Indian at The Crescent
Address: 11 The Crescent, Invercargill 9810
Phone: 03 214 1555
Website: indianinvercargill.co.nz
2Bombay Palace Invercargill
Bombay Palace is on Forth Street and presents itself as eclectic fine dining rather than a casual curry house. The homepage opens with the history of Bombay itself, and the kitchen runs both a midday and an evening sitting every day of the week.
Services
- Dine-in service at lunch and dinner
- Online menu and ordering
- Table reservations
- Takeaway orders
Highlights
- Open seven days for both a lunch and a dinner sitting
- Presented as eclectic fine dining rather than a casual takeaway
- Menu, ordering and reservations all handled through the restaurant’s own site
Location & Contact
Name: Bombay Palace Invercargill
Address: 68 Forth Street, Invercargill 9810
Phone: 03 218 9886
Website: bombaypalaceinvercargill.co.nz
3AR Indian Restaurant & Bar
AR Indian Restaurant and Bar is in Waikiwi, north of the city centre, and works as both a sit-down restaurant and a takeaway. Its owners spent sixteen years cooking across cuisines from the Middle East to Central Asia before opening here, and alongside the Indian menu the kitchen serves Desi Chinese dishes such as chilli chicken and Manchurian.
Services
- Dine-in restaurant and takeaway
- Online ordering through the restaurant’s own site
- Banquet menus for group bookings
- Desi Chinese dishes including chilli chicken, Manchurian and fried rice
- Biryani, seafood, lamb, beef and vegetarian mains
Highlights
- Owners with sixteen years cooking across Middle Eastern and Central Asian kitchens
- Function space seating up to one hundred guests
- Banquet menu applied to group bookings of fifteen or more
- Separate vegetarian and non-vegetarian banquet menus
- Weekday lunch service alongside evening dining
Location & Contact
Name: AR Indian Restaurant & Bar
Address: 2 Ruru Street, Waikiwi, Invercargill 9810
Phone: 03 215 9568
Website: arindianrestaurant.co.nz
4Curry Guru Malabar Kitchen
Curry Guru Malabar Kitchen is on Tay Street in Richmond and builds its menu on the cooking of South India and the Malabar Coast, rather than the northern dishes that make up most Indian menus. Curries, biryanis, tandoori dishes and freshly baked breads run across vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.
Services
- Dine-in restaurant service
- Takeaway and online ordering
- Table bookings
- Biryani prepared with South Indian spicing
- Tandoori dishes and freshly baked Indian breads
Highlights
- Cooking drawn from South India and the Malabar Coast
- Vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes across the full menu
- Lunch and dinner service Tuesday to Sunday
Location & Contact
Name: Curry Guru Malabar Kitchen
Address: 356 Tay Street, Richmond, Invercargill 9810
Phone: 03 217 5121
Website: currygurumalabar.co.nz
5Curry Guru Tweed Street
Curry Guru Tweed Street describes itself as an Indian takeaway rather than a restaurant, and the menu is built around pickup and delivery. Deals run through the week, including a lunch offer, an all day combo and a midweek curry night, alongside banquet meals sized for two.
Services
- Indian takeaway with pickup and delivery
- Online ordering
- Weekday lunch deals
- Banquet meals sized for two people
- Vegetarian and non-vegetarian banquet options
Highlights
- Set up as a takeaway rather than a sit-down restaurant
- Midweek curry night and an all day combo deal
- Dinner service seven nights, with lunch Tuesday to Sunday
Location & Contact
Name: Curry Guru Tweed Street
Address: 231 Tweed Street, Invercargill 9812
Phone: 03 214 0296
Website: currygurutweed.co.nz
How to Choose the Right Indian Restaurant in Invercargill
- Decide whether you want to eat in or take away, because some kitchens here are set up primarily for one or the other and the experience differs accordingly.
- Check which regional cooking a kitchen draws on. South Indian and Malabar dishes taste quite different from the northern curries most people picture.
- If you are booking for a group, ask whether a banquet or set menu applies and from what number of guests, as this often changes both the ordering process and the dishes available.
- Ask about spice levels when you order rather than assuming a house standard, since heat varies widely between kitchens for the same named dish.
- For dietary needs, check vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options directly with the restaurant, as menu labelling is not consistent across the trade.
Frequently Asked Questions About Invercargill Indian Restaurants
What is the difference between North Indian and South Indian food?
North Indian cooking leans on wheat breads, dairy and tandoor cooking, which is where naan, butter chicken and tandoori dishes come from. South Indian and Malabar Coast cooking uses more rice, coconut and curry leaf, and the dishes tend to be lighter and sharper. Most Indian menus in New Zealand are northern by default, so a kitchen offering South Indian cooking is doing something different.
Which Invercargill Indian restaurants do takeaway as well as dine in?
Most do both, but the balance varies. Curry Guru Tweed Street is set up as a takeaway first, while Bombay Palace and Indian at The Crescent are restaurants that also handle pickup. AR Indian runs both sides properly, with a dining room and a takeaway menu.
Can I book a table for a large group?
Yes, though the process changes above a certain number. AR Indian applies its banquet menu to bookings of fifteen or more and has function space seating up to one hundred, so it is the most straightforward option for a big table. For smaller groups, most of the restaurants take bookings online or by phone.
Are there good vegetarian and vegan options?
Indian menus are generally strong here, and every restaurant on this list carries vegetarian dishes across entrees, curries and breads. AR Indian and Curry Guru Tweed Street both publish separate vegetarian banquet menus. If you need strictly vegan, ring ahead and check how the breads and sauces are made, since ghee and dairy are common.
How spicy is the food?
Most kitchens will adjust the heat if you ask, and the same dish name can arrive very differently from one restaurant to the next. Say what you want when you order rather than relying on a menu marking.
Do Invercargill Indian restaurants deliver?
Some deliver directly and others rely on third party platforms. Curry Guru Tweed Street offers pickup and delivery from its own site. Ordering direct with the restaurant usually works out better for them, and often for you.
How can I check a restaurant meets food safety standards?
Food businesses in New Zealand operate under a registered food control plan or national programme, and are verified by their council or the Ministry for Primary Industries. MPI publishes what is required of food businesses, and your local council handles registration and verification for most restaurants.
What should I do about a food allergy?
Tell the restaurant when you order, not when the food arrives, and be specific about the ingredient rather than the dish. Indian cooking uses nuts, dairy and mustard widely, and cross contact is a genuine risk in a busy kitchen. MPI has guidance on allergens in food if you want to know how labelling and disclosure are meant to work.