Bollywood Indian Restaurant

Every town needs a reliable Indian restaurant that they can depend on for delicious food and warm service. In Gisborne, it’s Bollywood Stars.

On any given day of the week, the delectable waft of homemade curries and smokey tandoori flavours fills the entire neighbourhood (good luck to anyone trying to focus on anything other than these mouth-watering aromas). This restaurant group first opened in Whanganui in 1999, before moving to Hawke’s Bay and expanding to Gisborne over a decade ago. While they have three locations on the East Coast, the local feel and impossibly friendly service of each venue keeps the restaurants from slipping into ‘chain’ territory – not to mention the authentic Indian dishes.

Inside, large banquet tables set the scene for the feast that awaits. The menu honours traditional recipes and authentic flavours from India’s rich culinary past. As with any true Indian restaurant, a real Tandoor is at the heart of the kitchen – which sees hundreds of naan slapped around its circumference and long skewers of meat cooked over the fiery bed of coals. From samosa and saag to biryani and bhaji, expect to find all your favourite dishes done incredibly well. 

One of the things that strikes us most about Bollywood is the part they play in the community. Beyond their location on Gladstone Road, you’ll find their food truck serving a small but sumptuous selection of street food at various events and fundraising initiatives. They’ve been known to donate a portion of their earnings to local and nearby communities affected by disasters and hardships – which makes them 100x neater in our books. 

Bollywood Stars’ popularity has been unwavering since before the millennium, remaining a go-to for birthday celebrations, large BYO gatherings, or just a casual midweek break from doing your own dishes.