Aroy Thai Eatery on Queens Drive brings authentic, affordable Thai food to the heart of Hutt Central in Lower Hutt. It belongs to the AROY family of eateries, a New Zealand family business whose roots reach back to 1998, when the family opened their first Thai restaurant in Palmerston North. The first AROY restaurant opened on Cuba Street in Wellington in 2008, born of a simple vision: authentic, fresh and healthy Thai cuisine at a price everyone could afford.
The menu is built on recipes handed down through generations, cooked by Thai chefs who hail from a number of different regions of Thailand. Fresh herbs and vegetables, sourced locally as much as possible, meet quick, intense hot-wok cooking that seals in flavour and freshness: creamy curries, laab (a traditional warm salad) and stir fries sit alongside noodles, appetisers, house-made Thai desserts and beverages like fragrant Thai milk tea. A range of selected wines and both local and imported beers rounds things out.
The setting is hip and trendy yet casual, priced for value and built for busy lives. Dine in, order online for pickup, or get Aroy delivered through DoorDash, Delivereasy and Uber Eats — and regulars can earn rewards through the Aroy loyalty program. Bookings are taken by phone only, so call the restaurant directly to reserve a table.
On Queens Drive in the heart of Hutt Central, Aroy Thai Eatery serves honest, affordable Thai cooking to Lower Hutt. It is part of a family food story that stretches back more than two decades — a story that began not with a restaurant group, but with one family determined to make the food of their home country accessible to everyday New Zealanders.
The family opened their first Thai restaurant in Palmerston North in 1998, and the first restaurant to carry the AROY name followed in 2008 on Cuba Street in Wellington. The idea came from a familiar frustration. When the founder arrived in Wellington as a student in 2005, good, authentic Thai food was hard to find — and what did exist tended to be expensive. Thai restaurants in the 1990s had largely been fine-dining experiences with prices to match, and with Asian ingredients difficult to source, many simply left traditional dishes off the menu altogether. The founder's mother and grandmother insisted those traditional meals stay available, tweaking them as best they could with the ingredients on hand.
That instinct — real Thai food, made properly, without the fine-dining price tag — became AROY's founding vision: authentic, fresh and healthy Thai cuisine at an affordable price. It has guided the brand ever since, as it has grown from that first Cuba Street eatery to locations across New Zealand, including this one in Lower Hutt.
The cooking at Aroy is grounded in authentic recipes passed down through the family for generations. The kitchen's Thai chefs come from a number of different regions of Thailand, and their varied dishes and culinary knowledge come together on one menu — appetisers, noodles, classic Thai dishes, and house-made Thai desserts and beverages.
Freshness is the through-line. Aroy uses fresh herbs and vegetables, sourced locally as much as possible, and leans on quick, intense cooking methods — the hot wok fire — to seal in flavour and freshness. The result is food fast enough for a busy lifestyle but cooked with real care: creamy curries, laab (a traditional warm salad) and stir fries are all part of the repertoire.
Curries are a house strength — creamy and built on fresh herbs and spices. The laab offers a brighter take on Thai flavours, while the stir fries showcase what a hot wok does best. Noodle dishes sit alongside classic Thai favourites, and a range of appetisers makes it easy to turn a quick meal into a proper feast.
Save room for the sweet side of the menu: Thai desserts are made in house, and the drinks list includes creamy, fragrant Thai milk tea — the inspiration for Aroy's Thai Milk Tea Creamsicle. There is also a small selection of wines, along with local and imported beers, for those who want a drink with dinner.
Aroy describes itself as a hip and trendy yet casual local eatery, and that is the experience: relaxed enough for a weeknight dinner, lively enough to feel like a treat. Everything is priced for value, in keeping with the brand's founding promise that Thai food — fresh, healthy and full of flavour — should not be reserved for special occasions.
Ordering is easy. You can eat in, order online for pickup, or get Aroy delivered through DoorDash, Delivereasy and Uber Eats. Regulars can join the Aroy loyalty program, and the team runs online promotions from time to time, with terms and codes published on the website. The full menu is available to download from the Aroy site, so you can decide what you're having before you arrive.
Planning to dine in? Note that Aroy does not accept email bookings — to reserve a table, call the restaurant directly. Feedback and enquiries can be sent through the contact page on the website.
Whether you're grabbing a fast, wok-fired lunch on Queens Drive or settling in for curries and noodles with friends, Aroy Thai Eatery Lower Hutt serves the same thing the family has stood behind since 1998: authentic Thai food, made with fresh ingredients and passed-down recipes, at a price that welcomes everyone back.