Dawat Indian Restaurant & Bar has been serving Bell Block and greater New Plymouth since 1998, with a simple ethos: food, harmony and laughter. The team treats customers as invited guests to a party they're hosting — and describes its daily job as making every important aspect of that experience a little bit better.
The cooking has Himalayan roots, with bold, vibrant dishes such as Dum ka Ghost Lamb, the kitchen's special Himalayan Chicken Masala and Saag Paneer sitting alongside house favourites like Butter Chicken (Kiwi Style) — a top seller — Dal Makhani and Palak Paneer. The menu stretches well beyond mains: veg, non-veg and seafood entrees, biryani, an Indo-Chinese section, a dedicated kids menu, rice and a tandoor bread list running from Garlic Naan to Dawat's Special Naan.
It's a restaurant and bar, so the food comes with a carefully crafted drinks menu, in a room built around the idea of igniting your passion for food. Lunch runs Monday to Saturday, dinner is served every evening, and online reservations plus takeaway and delivery options make Dawat easy to enjoy in or out.
Dawat has been part of life in Bell Block since 1998 — nearly three decades of curries, tandoor breads and, in the restaurant's own words, food, harmony and laughter. Set on Bell Block Court just outside central New Plymouth, it operates as both a restaurant and a bar, pairing the kitchen with a carefully crafted drinks list, and it has grown into a reliable spot for date nights, family dinners and order-in evenings across Taranaki.
The team's philosophy is disarmingly simple. 'We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts,' the site explains — and the everyday job is making every important aspect of that experience a little bit better. It's a framing that shapes the whole visit, from the welcome at the door to the way the meal unfolds.
Dawat's food originates from the Himalayas, and the menu leans into bold, vibrant flavour rather than playing it safe. The kitchen points to Dum ka Ghost Lamb, its special Himalayan Chicken Masala, and Saag Paneer — delicious spinach with cottage cheese — as touchstones of that style.
Even the branding tells the story. The logo combines a dawat, which symbolises the warmth of the Dawat experience, with a twist representing the restaurant's modern approach to international cuisine. The yellow, orange and red palette stands for energy, warmth, spice, heat, passion and love, and the tagline — 'ignite your passion for food' — is an invitation to renew your connection with food, love and life.
The menu is organised into veg, non-veg and seafood entrees, veg and non-veg mains, seafood mains, Indo-Chinese dishes, a kids menu, biryani, rice, breads and accompaniments — one of the broader Indian menus in the region. Because each lane gets its own section, mixed groups are easy to cater for, and vegetarians can order a proper multi-course meal rather than settling for a side.
Among the vegetarian entrees, the Tandoori Mushroom (marinated in spiced yoghurt and grilled), Soya Chaap in masala or malai form, the Kali Mirch Paneer Lasooni Kebab — garlicky paneer lavishly sprinkled with black pepper — and Achari Paneer Tikka give the meat-free half of the table real depth. Non-veg starters include Achari Chicken Tikka, Amritsari Fish, Lamb Seekh Kebab and the Maharaja Platter, a sharing platter built for groups.
The mains run from restaurant classics — Dal Makhani, Butter Paneer (Mild), Palak Paneer, Malai Kofta — to the house's most popular product, Butter Chicken (Kiwi Style), which tops the site's best-selling list. Bread is treated seriously too: Garlic Naan and Plain Naan are best sellers in their own right, and the tandoor also turns out Dawat's Special Naan, Amritsari Kulcha, Churi Koloji Naan and a Garlic & Cheese / Garlic & Chilli option.
Lunch is served Monday to Saturday from 11:30am to 2:00pm, and dinner runs every evening from 4:00pm to 10:00pm — Sunday is dinner service only. Tables can be booked through the online reservation system on the website or by calling 06 755 4910. For nights in, there's online ordering for pickup, with Uber Eats and delivery listed among the options, and the bar's drinks list is built to sit alongside the food. Families are covered by the dedicated kids menu.
Whether you settle in for a long dinner over the Maharaja Platter and a drink, duck in for a quick weekday lunch, or order butter chicken and garlic naan for the couch, the hosting ethos stays the same: you're a guest at the party, and the team is there to look after you.