Jugnu's Little India is a Wellington-based Indian restaurant business with locations in Wellington city (Cuba Mall and Blair Street), Paraparaumu Beach, and inside the heritage Mungavin Homestead building in Porirua. The business traces its roots to Little India, founded by Sukhmohan (Sukhi) Gill in Dunedin in 1991, with Jugnu Gill opening the first Jugnu's restaurant in Wellington on 24 December 1997. The family's recipes come from the kitchen of their mother, Premjit Kaur Gill, and the food centres on legendary North Indian dishes from the Punjab, alongside a few signature dishes from Nepal, Goa, South India and elsewhere in Asia. Naans and meats are cooked in traditional charcoal-fired clay tandoors for authentic flavour.
Jugnu's also operates Jugnu's Duniya in central Wellington's Cuba Mall, a separate concept bringing together Indian, Asian and Western dishes under one roof, including dishes like pork belly, lamb shank, garlic butter beef steak, butter chicken, homemade burgers, South Indian dosas and idli, biryani, fried rice, and homemade pizza and pasta. Across its restaurants, Jugnu's offers dine-in, takeaway, delivery and function services, with the Porirua location noted as an ideal venue for weddings and functions. Jugnu's offers a 5% discount for Super Gold Card holders and student ID holders, and runs a loyalty app offering reward points, online ordering and monthly specials.
Jugnu's Little India brings North Indian, Punjabi cooking to Wellington, Porirua and Paraparaumu Beach, built on a family history that stretches back to 1991 and a recipe book passed down through generations. The business operates restaurants in Wellington city (Cuba Mall and Blair Street), Paraparaumu Beach, and inside the heritage Mungavin Homestead building in Porirua — each serving the same recipes rooted in the family's Punjabi kitchen.
The Jugnu's story begins with Little India, founded by Sukhmohan (Sukhi) Gill in Dunedin in 1991. Jugnu Gill, Sukhi's brother, arrived in New Zealand from New Jersey, USA, where he had worked as a Systems Engineer in Information Technology for two large corporations, first in London and then in the US. Despite a career in tech, Jugnu had long held a passion for food and hospitality, and once his siblings — Dame Sukhinder Turner, Shammi Sandhu and Sukhi Gill — were settled in Dunedin, he joined them in 1993. What followed was a natural progression into the family business: helping Sukhi, opening a restaurant in Queenstown with his siblings, and later owning and operating a bar and nightclub in Dunedin, before eventually striking out on his own in Wellington. Jugnu opened his first Wellington restaurant on 24 December 1997, laying the foundation for what has grown into today's multi-location business.
At the heart of Jugnu's menu are recipes passed down from the family's mother, Premjit Kaur Gill, rooted in the Punjab region of North India. The kitchens also feature a handful of signature dishes from Nepal, Goa, South India and elsewhere in Asia, broadening the menu beyond a single regional style. A defining detail of the cooking is the use of traditional tandoors — clay pots fired by charcoal — which give the naans and meats their distinctly authentic, smoky flavour.
In central Wellington's Cuba Mall, Jugnu's operates a separate concept called Jugnu's Duniya, meaning "world" — a menu that steps outside strictly Indian cooking to bring together Indian, Asian and Western dishes under one roof. Here diners will find classic pork belly, a lime and red grape lamb shank, garlic butter beef steak, and the ever-popular Indian style butter chicken, alongside comfort food like homemade burgers and fries. South Indian cooking gets its own spotlight with dosas and idli, while rice lovers can dig into biryani or fried rice, and those after something more Western can order homemade pizza and pasta. It's a menu built for variety, aimed at everything from a casual lunch to a relaxed dinner with friends.
Across its locations, Jugnu's offers dine-in, takeaway, delivery and function services, and the Porirua restaurant inside the Mungavin Homestead heritage building is positioned as an ideal venue for weddings and other functions. For regulars, the Jugnu's Little India app offers reward points on every order, table bookings, and monthly specials, while Super Gold Card holders and students with valid ID receive a 5% discount, terms and conditions applying.
With four locations across Wellington, Porirua and Paraparaumu Beach, Jugnu's Little India has built a reputation over decades for bringing genuine Punjabi hospitality to the region — whether that's a slow-cooked curry from a family recipe, fresh tandoori naan, or a plate from the more eclectic Duniya menu in the centre of the city.