Bombay House 39 Restaurant and Bar sits at 39 Main Street in the heart of Upper Hutt — and the street number is baked right into the name. It is a family business operated by husband-and-wife team Pyar Singh Rana and Sushila Rana, who opened the restaurant on 21 November 2018 on a site long known to locals as Manos. Their aim from the start has been to offer the best quality food in Upper Hutt with a wide variety all at one place.
What sets this kitchen apart is the range it covers under a single roof: Bombay Chinese — the much-loved combination of Indian and Chinese cooking — alongside South Indian, North Indian and Malaysian food. The house specials have become firm favourites: Chicken Tikka marinated in tandoori masala and roasted in a charcoal tandoor, Butter Chicken in cashew gravy with cream and a light tomato flavour, Chilli Chicken sautéed with soy, vinegar and aromatics, and the must-try Chicken Bhuna. The team prepares its own special sauces and cooks from the heart, which they believe is what makes the food addictive to the palate.
There is also a distinct Malaysian thread the restaurant treats as its most unique work — Dhansak Lamb, Lamb Rendang and Chicken Curry Laksa. Operating as both a restaurant and bar, Bombay House 39 offers dine-in, a dedicated takeaway menu and online ordering, with table bookings available through the website. With friendly, hardworking staff and what the owners call the perfect balance of flavour, spice and price, it invites Upper Hutt to its 'ultimate food experience' — variety, quality and flavour under one roof.
Bombay House 39 sits at 39 Main Street, Upper Hutt, and the address is baked right into the name — the 39 is simply where you'll find it. It is a restaurant and bar run as a family business by husband-and-wife team Pyar Singh Rana and Sushila Rana, who opened their doors on 21 November 2018 on a site many Upper Hutt locals will remember as Manos.
From day one the couple's aim has been simple: offer the best quality food in Upper Hutt, with a genuinely wide variety gathered at one place. Where most restaurants pick a lane, Bombay House deliberately crosses several, and that breadth is the whole point of the name — Bombay House stands for a variety of food under one roof, with the best taste, aroma and flavour.
The menu ranges across Bombay Chinese — the much-loved combination of Indian and Chinese cooking — alongside South Indian, North Indian and Malaysian food. It is an unusual spread for one kitchen, and it means a table of four can order tandoori, a curry, an Indo-Chinese wok dish and a coconut-rich Malaysian special without anyone compromising.
The house specials have become the anchors of the menu. Chicken Tikka is boneless chicken marinated and seasoned with tandoori masala, skewered and roasted in a charcoal tandoor, and served with mint chutney. Butter Chicken needs little introduction — a world-famous Indian delicacy cooked here in a cashew gravy with cream and a light tomato flavour. Chilli Chicken covers the Bombay Chinese side of the menu, with boneless pieces deep fried and sautéed with onion, garlic, capsicum, soy sauce and vinegar. And Chicken Bhuna is the dish the team flags as a must try, cooked with onion, garlic, capsicum and spices.
There is a distinct Malaysian thread too, and the restaurant treats these as its most unique dishes. Dhansak Lamb pairs lamb with vegetables and lentils in a sauce tempered with coriander seeds, ginger and garlic. Lamb Rendang cooks the meat in ground spices and coconut cream. Chicken Curry Laksa is a spicy noodle soup — noodles and chicken stewed in a spicy soup base, enriched with a rich and spicy curry coconut milk.
Behind all of it is a house philosophy: the team prepares its own special sauces and cooks from the heart, which they believe is what makes the food addictive to the palate. The staff are friendly and hardworking, striving to keep serving foodies the best, and the restaurant aims for what it calls the perfect balance of flavour, spice and price.
Bombay House 39 works as a full restaurant and bar, with a drinks menu alongside its dine-in and takeaway menus. If you'd rather eat at home, orders can be placed through the online ordering system on the website, and tables can be booked online for a sit-down visit.
You'll find them at 39 Main Street, Upper Hutt. Lunch is served Monday to Saturday from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm, and dinner runs every day of the week from 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Questions can be directed to the team by phone or email, both listed on their site. The family signs off on their website with thanks for the support and belief of their customers — a nod to the locals who have embraced the restaurant since 2018. Whether you come for a tikka fresh off the charcoal, a laksa on a cold Upper Hutt evening, or a takeaway butter chicken on the way home, the promise is the same one the family set out with — variety, quality and flavour, all under one roof.