Gorkha Eastern beach

About Gorkha Eastern beach

Gorkha Eastern Beach — known to many locals as Gorkha Kitchen — cooks Nepalese and Indian food on Eastern Beach Road in Auckland's east, serving lunch, dinner and takeaway to the surrounding eastern suburbs. It is a neighbourhood restaurant in the truest sense: generous, unfussy and built around food the kitchen describes as soul warming, with plenty of choices drawing on different parts of the globe.

The menu plays the overlap between Nepal and northern India to full effect. Alongside the curries you would expect — butter chicken, tikka masala, korma, saagwala, Madras and a very hot vindaloo, most served with free boiled rice — sits the Nepalese and Indo-Chinese side of the house: momo, Manchurian and chow mein, with that section alone holding 37 dishes. The tandoor turns out chicken tikka, tandoori chicken, seekh kebab, fish tikka and tandoori prawns, while vegetarians get genuine range, from stuffed tandoori mushrooms and paneer tikka to a dedicated list of 14 vegetarian curries. There are lamb, beef and seafood sections too, a dozen biryanis and eleven breads from the tandoor.

Beyond the dining room, Gorkha Eastern Beach runs a busy delivery and pickup trade across East Auckland — Sunnyhills, Pakuranga, Highland Park, Bucklands Beach, Eastern Beach, Half Moon Bay, Farm Cove, Mellons Bay and Howick — through its website and mobile apps. Tables can be booked online for parties of one to ten, and the restaurant's ordering platform carries more than 3,000 customer reviews averaging four stars.

Gorkha Eastern Beach: Nepalese and Indian Food in Auckland's East

On Eastern Beach Road in Auckland's east, Gorkha Eastern Beach — known to many regulars simply as Gorkha Kitchen — cooks Nepalese and Indian food side by side for the good locals of East Auckland. It covers the whole day's eating: lunch, dinner and a busy takeaway trade, all from the same kitchen. If you're after soul-warming food with plenty of choice, dishes here genuinely hail from different parts of the globe.

The pairing is more natural than it might sound. Nepal and northern India share a border and centuries of culinary exchange, and the menu leans into that overlap. Alongside the curries you would expect from a solid Indian kitchen, you'll find the Nepalese and Indo-Chinese dishes that set this menu apart — momo, Manchurian and chow mein, all named by the kitchen itself. The Nepalese / Indo-Chinese section is the largest on the menu with 37 dishes, so there is plenty of room to explore.

From the tandoor and the karahi

The clay oven does a lot of the heavy lifting. Chicken tikka comes in half or full servings; tandoori chicken is marinated in yoghurt, fresh herbs, ginger and garlic, roasted in the tandoor and served with salad; lamb seekh kebab, fish tikka and tandoori prawns all come off the same heat. Vegetarians are catered for properly rather than as an afterthought — tandoori mushrooms stuffed with cheese and spices, paneer tikka, and a full section of 14 vegetarian curries.

The curry list reads like a tour of the subcontinent: butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, korma, saagwala, Madras, a fierce vindaloo built on vinegar and spices, plus kadhai, jalfrezi, mango chicken and more, with free boiled rice provided with the curries. Around them sit dedicated lamb, beef and seafood sections — prawn curry, fish masala and Madras fish curry among the seafood offerings — along with a dozen biryanis, eleven breads from the tandoor, sides and desserts.

What regulars come back for

Butter chicken is the one the menu itself flags as 'a very popular dish' — boneless chicken semi-cooked in the tandoor, then finished in a creamy tomato sauce. There is also a Delhi-style version with bone-in tandoori chicken in a less creamy, tomato-forward gravy. To start, the vegetable samosa — pastry stuffed with potatoes, peas and cumin seed — and the onion bhaji are dependable, while chicken 65 and chicken lollipop bring some Indo-Chinese energy to the entree list. And when you can't decide, the Gorkha Special is the kitchen's own named house curry.

Then there are the momo, Nepal's beloved dumplings and the dish most identified with Nepalese cooking. Ordering a plate alongside a curry is the simplest way to taste what makes this kitchen different from the average takeaway.

Ordering in, eating out

Delivery covers much of the eastern bays: Sunnyhills, Pakuranga, Highland Park, Bucklands Beach, Eastern Beach, Half Moon Bay, Farm Cove, Mellons Bay and Howick. There is a $50 minimum for delivery, with the fee calculated automatically at online checkout; pickup carries no minimum at all. Orders go through the website or the Gorkha Eastern Beach apps on the App Store and Google Play, and tables can be booked online for parties of one to ten.

The restaurant's ordering platform shows more than 3,000 customer reviews averaging four stars — a tally that speaks to a kitchen that has become a fixture for the eastern suburbs. You'll find Gorkha Eastern Beach at 1 Eastern Beach Road, Eastern Beach, Auckland 2012; phone 09-533 1020 or email [email protected] for hours, today's specials or a larger booking.

Signature items

• Momo
• Butter Chicken
• Tandoori Chicken
• Vegetable Samosa
• Paneer Tikka
• Biryani

Menu

Vegetarian Entrees

• Vegetable Samosa (2 Pcs) — Pastry stuffed with potatoes, peas and cumin seed.
• Onion Bhaji — Sliced onions dipped in chick pea batter and deep fried.
• Mix Veg Pakoras — Fresh vegetables smothered in chick pea batter and deep fried.
• Papadum Platter — Papadum served with raita, mint sauce and mango chutney.
• Oriental Platter (15 Pcs) — Assorted spring rolls, wantons and cocktail samosa with sweet chilli and plum sauce.
• Tandoori Mushroom — Mushrooms stuffed with cheese, cottage cheese and spices, cooked in the tandoor.
• Paneer Tikka — Cottage cheese cubes marinated in yoghurt, ginger, garlic and spices, tandoor-cooked.

Non-Vegetarian Curries

• Butter Chicken Delhi Style — Bone-in tandoori chicken in a less creamy, tomato-flavoured gravy.
• Butter Chicken — Tandoor-smoked boneless chicken finished in a creamy tomato sauce; a very popular dish.
• Chicken Tikka Masala — Boneless chicken with onion, capsicum and special spices in a creamy tomato sauce.
• Mango Chicken — Chicken cooked in a very mildly spiced mango sauce and cream.
• Chicken Muglai — Boneless chicken in a creamy sauce of cashew nut mixed with egg.
• Chicken Punjabi — Tangy chicken with chunks of capsicum and onion, garnished with coriander.
• Chicken Vindaloo — A very hot curry prepared with vinegar and spices; boiled rice included.
• Chicken Korma — Tender boneless chicken in a creamy sauce of almonds and cashew nuts; boiled rice included.
• Chicken Saagwala — Succulent pieces of chicken cooked in spinach and cream.
• Chicken Madras — Chicken with curry leaves, coconut cream, onion and nut gravy; boiled rice included.
• Chicken Kadhai — Diced chicken with capsicum, onion and tomato in a thick cumin and coriander gravy.
• Chicken Jalfrezi — Tangy chicken with capsicum and onion, garnished with coriander.
• Gorkha Special (Chef's) — The kitchen's own named house curry.

Non-Vegetarian Entrees

• Chicken Tikka (Half) — Tender chicken fillet marinated in yoghurt and spices, cooked in the tandoor (4 pcs).
• Chicken Tikka (Full) — The tandoor-cooked yoghurt-marinated tikka in a full eight-piece serving.
• Tandoori Chicken (Half) — Whole chicken marinated in yoghurt, fresh herbs, ginger and garlic, roasted with salad (4 pcs).
• Tandoori Chicken (Full) — Eight-piece tandoor-roasted chicken marinated in yoghurt, herbs and spices, served with salad.
• Lamb Seekh Kebab (Half) — Lamb mince marinated with exotic spices, roasted in the tandoor and served with a dip.
• Lamb Seekh Kebab (Full) — Full serving of tandoor-roasted lamb seekh kebab with a dip.
• Chicken Lollipop (6 Pcs) — Chicken wings marinated with lemon juice, egg, ginger and garlic paste, then deep fried.
• Fish Tikka (Half) — Boneless, skinless fish fillet in yoghurt, ginger, garlic and herbs from the tandoor.
• Fish Tikka (Full) — Full serving of tandoor-cooked fish tikka.
• Tandoori Prawn (10 Pcs) — Prawns marinated in the chef's special masala and roasted in the tandoor.
• Garlic Chilly Prawn — Fresh prawns cooked with onion, capsicum, mushroom, soy sauce and chilli sauce.
• Chicken 65 — Chicken pakora with curry leaves and ginger garlic, garnished with spring onion; no rice.
• Masala Lollipop Dry — Chicken wings tossed in garlic, ginger, onion and homemade pickle, served dry.
• Masala Lollipop Gravy — Chicken wings tossed in garlic, ginger, onion and homemade pickle in gravy.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Gorkha Eastern Beach?

At 1 Eastern Beach Road, Eastern Beach, Auckland 2012. Phone 09-533 1020.

What kind of food does Gorkha Eastern Beach serve?

A combination of Nepalese and Indian food, including Indo-Chinese style dishes like momo, Manchurian and chow mein.

Do they deliver?

Yes — to Sunnyhills, Pakuranga, Highland Park, Bucklands Beach, Eastern Beach, Half Moon Bay, Farm Cove, Mellons Bay and Howick. Minimum order is $50 and the delivery fee is calculated at online checkout.

Is there a minimum order for pickup?

No. Pickup has no minimum order requirement.

Can I book a table?

Yes. Bookings can be made online, with party sizes from 1 to 10 people.

Is rice included with the curries?

Boiled rice is provided free with the curries, as noted on the menu.

Does Gorkha Eastern Beach have an app?

Yes, ordering apps are available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Tips

• {"body":"Delivery requires a $50 minimum order, but pickup has none — collecting your order keeps smaller orders simple.","title":"Beat the delivery minimum"}
• {"body":"The Nepalese / Indo-Chinese section is the largest on the menu with 37 dishes — try the momo, Manchurian or chow mein alongside your curry.","title":"Go beyond the curry list"}
• {"body":"The menu's named house curry from the chef is a good shout when you can't decide.","title":"Ask about the Gorkha Special"}
• {"body":"Online reservations cover parties from 1 to 10, handy for family dinners.","title":"Book for bigger groups"}
• {"body":"The website order page and the iOS/Android apps handle delivery and pickup, with fees calculated at checkout.","title":"Order online or via the app"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Tables bookable online for groups of up to 10.","dietary":"Strong vegetarian selection, including a dedicated veg entree section and 14 vegetarian curries."}