Star of India is an Indian restaurant and takeaway at 1012 Karamu Road North in Mayfair, Hastings. A second restaurant is in Taradale. The tandoor oven is central to the kitchen. Boneless chicken, lamb and prawns are marinated, often overnight, and roasted in it. Entrées include onion bhajis, samosas, cottage cheese fried in chickpea batter, and fish and prawns coated in mildly spiced chickpea flour. Entrées come with mint or tamarind sauce. Dishes are made to order, and staff explain each dish and how hot it is.
Dinner is served from 4.30pm. The restaurant is BYO wine only, with a $5 per bottle corkage as at 2026. The website says the owner-chef came to New Zealand in 2004 and moved to Hawke's Bay in 2011, and that local suppliers provide fresh herbs, vegetables and seafood at any time of year. Our pick in Hastings for a tandoor-cooked dinner with your own wine.