Indian House is an authentic Indian restaurant on Colombo Street in the heart of Sydenham, Christchurch, rated 4.8 on Google by more than 500 reviewers. Its kitchen is built around a traditional clay tandoor and slow-simmered gravies, with hand-crafted spice blends, chefs trained in classical Indian cuisine, and a menu of more than 50 signature dishes.
The dish that made its name is the famous Tandoori Wings — marinated in a secret blend of over 12 spices, slow-cooked in the tandoor at extreme heat for a charred exterior and juicy interior, and served with house-made mint chutney and thinly sliced onions. Around them sit the classics: butter chicken among the house signatures, and slow-simmered curries that regulars call bold and authentic.
Weekends bring unlimited buffets on Saturday and Sunday that locals consistently praise, alongside a bakery section of freshly baked treats rated as highly as the curries. The team's hospitality philosophy — in Indian culture, a guest is God — means a warm, family-style welcome whether you're booking a romantic dinner, a family celebration or simply ordering in. Lunch and dinner are served in Sydenham; tables can be reserved online and the full menu is available for online ordering, with hours occasionally varying on public holidays.
On Colombo Street in the heart of Sydenham, Indian House has become one of Christchurch's most-loved and highest-rated Indian restaurants — and its reputation was built the traditional way: one clay oven at a time. Diners on Google have rated the restaurant 4.8 from more than 500 reviews, with the location itself scoring 4.9, and the words that keep recurring are authentic, flavour-packed and welcoming.
The story began with a simple mission: bring the true flavours of India to New Zealand without compromise. Every recipe is rooted in tradition, spice blends are crafted by hand, and each dish is prepared, in the team's own words, with the same love a grandmother would pour into her cooking. The kitchen runs on a traditional clay tandoor and on slow-simmered gravies, using the freshest local produce it can source alongside imported Indian spices, all handled by chefs trained in classical Indian cuisine. Across the menu there are more than 50 signature dishes to work through.
If one dish put Indian House on the Christchurch map, it is the Tandoori Wings. They're marinated in a secret blend of more than 12 spices, then slow-cooked in the clay tandoor at extreme heat, producing a perfectly charred exterior around a juicy, flavour-packed interior. They come out with house-made mint chutney and thinly sliced onions, and the restaurant itself will tell you what regulars already know: this is a dish you simply cannot miss.
Beyond the wings, the menu leans into the classics. Butter chicken features among the house's signature dishes, and the broader range of slow-simmered curries is what reviewers point to when they talk about real Indian cuisine in Christchurch. The cooking philosophy is deliberate: authentic spices, time-honoured techniques and methods passed down through generations, so each plate is a small celebration of India's culinary heritage rather than a shortcut meal. Freshness is treated as non-negotiable too — local produce wherever possible, imported spices for authenticity — and the team describes cooking as art rather than a job.
Come the weekend, the restaurant shifts gears. The Saturday buffet is a local favourite, praised for its unlimited, tasty variety of dishes; the Sunday buffet draws similar applause for authentic flavours, consistent quality and staff who make guests feel at home. Regulars describe the whole thing as a piece of India right here in Sydenham. There's a sweeter footnote too: the bakery section, where freshly baked treats have been rated by one reviewer as highly as the curries themselves.
Inside, the feel is homely rather than formal. Hospitality is treated as a core value — in the team's phrasing, in Indian culture a guest is God, so customers are welcomed like family with warmth and generosity. Recent visitors have noticed the refreshed branding, which brings a refined vibe to the room without changing the flavours people have always loved.
It's a flexible spot as well. The team suggests it for romantic dinners, family celebrations or a simple midweek craving. Lunch and dinner are served at the Sydenham restaurant; you can reserve a table online, which is wise on buffet weekends, or order the full menu online for delivery to your door. One practical note: opening hours may vary on public holidays, so it's worth calling +64221540044 to confirm times before you set out.
For Sydenham, Indian House has become exactly what it set out to be — a place where the tandoor smokes, the curries simmer low, and every dish is meant to tell a story of tradition and passion. Start with the wings, work through the curries, and if it's a weekend, let the buffet take over.