We’d been talking about going to this restaurant for months, as it sounded really awesome. We weren’t disappointed!!! It was Sunday night, easy parking, easy to get a table.
The waitress was wonderful – so bubbly and chatty, but at the same time respecting our “date”.
I got the bottomless butter chicken, which was a generous serving and more than I could eat – so she brought a refill out for my husband, who had also ordered the spicy chicken strips (which were SUPER spicy!). The waitress certainly checked with him that he liked hot food when he ordered that!
The food was divine – I don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat food court indian again. I loved the mocktails as I can’t drink right now, but the wine list was extensive.
The atmosphere was great there – lovely decor, really well done and thought out. Lovely to be right on the waterfront. We’ll definitely be back.

Well after a longtime we had the best Indian food, with exact indian taste and excellent service. First we entered and got greeted well, then the service was good and fast.
The wine list is good as well and what I loved was the Indian cocktails that they make. Well done guys keep it up

Urban turban, a fantastic menu, but boy were we disappointed. Our starter was like a breakfast cereal, sugar puffs with spice. Our garlic bread had so much garlic on we couldn’t eat it. The lamb curry was tough and sad in a watery grave. The only thing I can say good about the place was that the German waitress was great. I told her when I left it was the worst Indian meal I had ever had and she said they like to put a twist on things. This restaurant should take the twist out and serve real Indian food. They need a make over by Gordon Ramsey. Never again.

Its not easy to find a great restaurant that makes you want to go back for more and more. We have been on several occasions now and absolutely love the food and service. We have taken our special friends whom are chefs and real foodies and they can’t stop raving out the delicious food and amazing service. We are going again next weekend and can’t wait. Great prices, we have had the bottomless curry and have never been told that you can’t have anymore, the pieces of chicken are generous. Thanks for making the Urban Turban our favourite restaurant

Went to this place as a friend recommended it.
Impressed with the overall ambiance and the layout of the restaurant – 5 out of 5 for that.

However, expected more in terms of food and service.

Firstly, when we entered it was super silent with no one to greet. No music throughout the evening.

Secondly, the Bombay vegetarian pizza was dry and we just couldn’t eat anything after that – that pizza needs to be looked at – probably a sauce on top or something. Paneer tikka masala was great – recommend that to all. We asked the waiter whats the special – to which he had no answer.

Thirdly the wine list, where are all the New Zealand wines and why is there dominance of so many international wines?

Lastly, when the waiter came and asked ‘hows the food’ we did tell him that the pizza isn’t good enough and very dry – he just smiled and walked away – just expected something more than that.

Again great concept – but bit ore training and attentiveness needed. Food menu definitely needs to be looked at and staff should have a complete understanding of the menu especially due to the premium menu pricing.

Regards

My friend and I had dinner here on Sunday 11 March 2012 and thought we would try the “world-famous” bottomless butter chicken advertised on the menu. Before we decided to eat there, we first specifically asked a waitress if (a) we could share one order of the bottomless butter chicken between two people, and (b) if there were any special T&Cs in that case. The waitress assured us that it was fine to share, and the only thing she mentioned was that only the chicken was unlimited, not the rice/bread/sides that came with the dish. It sounded like a pretty good deal, so we decided to give it a go later that night. It was fairly quiet when we returned to the restaurant around 7pm, but service was still extremely slow. Most of the staff were fairly polite and friendly when we actually got their attention, but one waiter let the entire crew down with his surly attitude and grumpy face. He avoided eye contact and gave the impression that he would rather be anywhere else than at the restaurant. The butter chicken we ordered was not too bad flavour-wise, but the chicken portions were miniscule. It was a mission trying to get refills, and after 4 refills, Mr. Grumpy informed us that as we were sharing, we had reached the maximum number of refills. He explained that the limit was put in place to avoid excessive sharing of one order between a large number of people. Fair enough, but it seems highly unethical to me to advertise something as “bottomless” yet not have the T&Cs printed anywhere on the menu, and also to have staff who fail to explain the T&Cs when specifically asked about sharing the dish. The food is certainly not good enough to convince me to return to Urban Turban, when there are better and cheaper Indian restaurants in Auckland. And to the grouchy waiter: Give smiling a go, Sunshine. If you don’t want to serve people, don’t work as a waiter.

Our first visit was on the RWC finals and did I not think we would get a table to eat as we had not booked and and were planning to wing it.

There was a not a place anywhere on the North wharf and having spotted a small space in the restaurant, I cheekily asked if we could sit at the corner, which was a tight squeeze, to my surprise they agreed and I thought it would be ages before somebody took our order, in-spite of the rush we were served drinks and our meal in record time… very impressed considering how busy they were..

We have been back a few times, Last week took MUM (84 years old) with us, who is pure vegetarian and a fussy eater, She had the Paneer and wife had the gun powder prawns, they both loved it , I had the Soli Boti (Lamb) and it just melted in my mouth..

The food presentation, decor and the ambiance is just great.. Well done Urban Turban… keep it up

I simply love this place.. Good place to have a Business Lunch, take a date for diner, corporate diner( we have our Xmas Function here) or simply have couple of drinks with friends.
The food is amazing especially the “Hot-Six”. Himalayan Chicken is a must. It also have a good selection of wine.

A modern theme, mixed with traditional Bombay street food, the place just make you feel like you have to be back…. The view too..

Lastly my thanks to the Urban Turban Team that provide us the best service, best food recommendation each time we are there. The Head Chief have passion, the manager have passion, the team have passion.. all this equal to great place, great food, great experience.

We normally do not reviews but what a great experience! Indian cuisine with a new style of service and presentation.

The tastes were fabulous, the service outstanding and the atmosphere superb. Well priced and lovely ambiance.

Perhaps a wider selection of choices is the only only improvement. We will be back with bells on.

My experience at Urban Turban (UT) is as you see it, friendly staff, great food, great atmosphere, great wine & beer selections. Have visited three times.

1st time was with a team of 4 and OK they needed polishing but that is to be expected everyone wants to try a new place. You need to get the feelers out and try it again and as it is a new place, new restaurant food, entertainment bar in a great location great layout, great atmosphere. Beautiful and relaxing at the waterfront.
“Yes I’ll be back”.

Second time I came with a party of suppliers and what a change in the menu and the food was great try the pita and roti what a difference wow I could eat that all night.
The lamb curry was divine and I am telling you if you have not tried the Gunpowder Prawns this is a classic you place it in your mouth and its like having fireworks exploding mouth watering. Its a bit of a teaser actually because the taste climax’s to your pallet and just when you think its over you end up getting a mouthful explosion.
Tried it the first visit it was a “tom thumb” now you have the fireworks of flavours great Urban Turban great.

Third time we went staff were more friendlier sharper and ready to provide assistance you know what I mean that customer care with the great smiles and friendliness that it is just what you need a bit of pampering, going the extra mile..
The atmosphere is always at its best and you have a wide range to choose inside, outside, long cosy sittings or the stool area. Don’t forget the large kauri sitting, its so beautifully shaped and comfy to sit.

The food has sharpen its edge again with more to come try “The Hot-six” you want hot, you want a kick to your pallet this is the one to go for it is a plate that you will not forget. “Care to try”? and with my all time favourites gunpowder prawns and pita selection this is an experience
Hey enjoyed the lamb curry, the taste, the flavour, the sauce, great with the pita and why not use your fingers its a great way to eat and experience taste. Selection of wines and beers to dress the occasion of the night.

The meal comes and it was worthwhile the wait.
Chef and team it was a great evening with associates, the entertainment fitted around the atmosphere of the evening. Impressive menu, Impressive night.

DS

Really impressed! The staff were great, food tasty and location brilliant. Big fan of the bottomless curries and well impressed they called early in the week to ensure our booking was still confirmed…..really rate this place!

We had our staff Christmas lunch at Urban Turban and enjoyed great service, delicious food, and sunshine. We couldn’t ask for more.

Callum was an attentive and friendly host and it was nice to have Mac the chef come out and talk with us.

We had a good range of tapas to share for our entrees, including gun powder prawns and yummy chicken tikka bites, followed by a selection of delicious curries. The wine was excellent, especially the Amisfield pinot noir and Pegasus Bay riesling.

I want to go back and have the extremely yummy Himalayan chicken curry again!

Awesome place! Would recommend to anyone and everyone. Service was great and the staff were really friendly, happy to help and be of service and good looking. Although, i wish they told me how hot the gun powder prawns were – my fault, the name says it all. This place is the best as it’s so modern and stylish in today’s times but the food is still very much India.

Came in for a work lunch. Host was friendly and helpful. Food was delicious! It was really nice to sit there all afternoon and enjoy the food and the view. A good selection of beverages. A lovely way to spend a Friday afternoon. Thanks Urban Turban, see you soon!

Hi
Was at Urban Turban last night with my office buddies.
After work drinks – really cool place, the staff were great and truly enjoyed the Garlic prawns n Chicken Tikka.
Never had a Indian eatery serve garlic prawns – apparently they do like it is in Mumbai (charcoal BBQ) – it was the really super – great taste
Lastly, great wine list – the chardonnay range is great
thanks guys
we will be back
cheers
Matt

Excellent Food, beautiful ambience, Good service and recommending to be there on any occassion!!
Would love to go there again.

We booked a dinner for 30 of us for a staff Christmas do and were all very impressed. Glen and his team offered us impeccable service throughout the night and really looked after us. To top this off the food was out promptly and tasted fantastic. Will definitely be back for more!

This place is a real paradox and is Indian by food, not by nature. The restaurant environment and service is very European (and the beers).

We had a great night and they seemed to be actively wanting to improve their service as we found it very good and the “review us on MenuMania’ cards were prominently displayed. The four of us dinned and shared from a complete range of dishes on the menu. They were all ok and the gunpowder prawns were a hit for one of our team.

Don’t go to the waterfront if you want a cheap meal.

Very disappointed. Will not go back.
Went for a snack and a drink on a weekend afternoon.
Ordered prawns and got 6 prawns for a token small salad on the side for $16!!
I do not know how you can justify that sort of price.

Service was slow and we had to try for a while to get attention and ask for menus.

This place has a long long way to go!!
Needs to pick up its game if this is where our tourists are going!

Great to have such a restaurant in Auckland.Went with friends last Sunday and was really pleased by the service and quality of food provided.Great location with very authentic atmosphere.we ordered chicken tikka and garlic prawns with two butter chicken as mains believe me never had that taste before .Really amazing and most recommended place for food lovers with quality of service.

20/12/2011: After receiving an email from the Manager, I was still bit sceptical, but I am glad that I took the second chance along with my friends on Saturday and went again! What a change that was.

Firstly, I was surprised that the guys who were serving and I won’t call them waiters because they are not! They knew the menu inside out. And there are no tablets to send tickets to kitchen. You order, they repeat, and that is what I believe is said straight to the Chef, and by large, that is how Indian food or any food for that matter should be asked to cook.

Service was great, big change, Wine was good, so were the Mojitos.

It is good to see head chef seeing the tables that are being served and making sure that message is conveyed directly through the people that are being served to the people that serving and lastly to the people who are cooking your food. This is what a restaurant should be, and Urban Turban has come a long way in a very short time. I hope they keep it this way.

For: Those who love food and could be patient enough for good, quality meal.

Against: Who think that food should be as quick and as generic as McDonalds or any other fast food.

Must Try: Samosa Chat and Chocolate Samosa.

Well Done guys! Very Well Done!


20/10/2011: It does not even deserve a one star! We ordered 2 starters and both were awful. The Chicken Tikka was uncooked and Bhel was just bland.

Then came the mains, and no one asked us if we were done with the starters. If the waiters had there way, they would have just shoved in our mouths and done with it! I had to order extra salt to make it taste better.

The whole experience was awful. Zero from us!

Alarm bell #1 was when I asked the waitress what Indian beers they had and she replied “Sol”.

Hmm, Sol. Not my favourite Indian beer. I’d rather have Mumbai’s finest – Stella Artois.

Alarm bell #2 – “What’s the curry of the day?” Butter Chicken. Ok…

Wasn’t asked how spicy we wanted our curries – Mine had zero heat whatsoever. Pretty small portion, and each curry comes with a token bit of salad on the side as if it’s a cafe.

I’m not sure how anyone could describe the view as spectacular – most other parts of Auckland have a much more spectacular view.

This is not a restaurant which is finding it’s feet and isn’t quite hitting the mark yet – It is generic and failing from the ground up. Most staff not Indian (apart from the lady who told me about their Indian beers unfortunately!)

Literally the worst Indian restaurant I have ever been to, I cannot think of a single redeeming factor.

Very much setup for the tourist dollar.

Had a great experience. Location is brilliant. Very tastefully done. Tried new dishes, I was told, were introduced today – Prawn Bhel, Chocolate Samosa and Paan Ice Cream. Very innovative items – Modern Indian Cuisine!!!!. Service was with a smile, courteous and prompt. Great value for money. Definitely not to be missed as an experience. Well done for raising the bar for the Indian Food in New Zealand. keep it up! We definitely had a great time!

Went to Urban Turban today for a work lunch and was very impressed.

Yes, the service could be better – they were very friendly and attentive overall but our initial waiter never came back after we asked for 5 minutes to review the menu. Once we had a different one though, service was great.

One thing that wasn’t pointed out – and would probably be why some of these reviews think that the curry is overpriced – is that the curry is BOTTOMLESS. Yes, that’s right, you can keep having it refilled as much as you want. We only found this out after we were a bit confused why the waiter was asking if we wanted more curry! So in this respect, I think the pricing is more than fair. This definitely should be advertised more on the menu etc.

The food itself was great – my colleagues had the butter chicken and found it delicious, I had a lamb madras and it was fantastic also. Meat very tender and the sauce was just right – not too heavy and flavoured well. The naan was a hit also.

I would definitely return here, a few service kinks to iron out, but they are new and the food is great.

Eight of us visited for lunch. I wish we hadn’t. Very poor service, with the waitress bringing out bottles of beer five times and asking ‘is this the one?’ Useless. The food was pretty appalling – one curry of the day on offer, and it was lukewarm and bland. I’ve never had to put salt on a curry before to give it some taste.

Great location, and I hope they sort themselves out before the rush of the RWC crowd. I won’t be back though.

REALLY expensive for what it is. Curry of the day (which appears to have been butter chicken for some time) was of average foodhall standards, however at 5star prices – $27 for a cheap curry and soft drink for lunch.
View was good, but that’s about it

Just got in from what was a beautiful- Saturday 20th we spent the entire day at the new North Wharf and all its glory finaly an exciting (not expensive place to bring the family) As promised i’m writing a review for Urban Turban – We all 7 of us had the greatest experience and the food was awesome – music was a bit loud at first but then was kindly lowered – the staff although rushed off their feet – made us feel special we are already planning another family outing next weekend

Pity there is no half star rating because that’s this restaurant really deserves.

Terrible service meant we didn’t even stay for the food.

After twenty five minutes of waiting for our food and noticing other tables that had ordered after us being served we asked the waitress to find out how far away our food was. After 10 minutes of watching her avoid our eye contact while working around us, we told the bar person to cancel our order and left.

We saw one other table walk out after 5 minutes without any staff attending to them.

So good to have a fantastic Indian Restaurant on the North Wharf. Service was quick and hospitable, food was delicious (loved the tapas options) and would surely recommend it to my friends.

So good to have Indian cuisine served in a way that’s never been introduced in NZ before.

Thanks guys – we had a great time on Sat night.

Bad food, amateur staff, rip-off prices. We were greeted by the manager and she said if we were lucky we might get a good waiter otherwise we should try to find her if we wanted anything! She left the menus and said she’d be back in a minute – we never saw her again. Curry of the day was ‘butter chicken’ ie cold tomato soup with a couple of small pieces of meat. Waiter was very casual and amateur. Prices were ridiculously expensive for mall-style food. Embarrassing to think that overseas visitors will be experiencing this!

We popped in for a drink on Sunday and the service was good but the pricing was high! $9 for a Heineken and $5 for a small hot choc is simply to much. Seemed to only have one till so paying when busy will take a while.

Good amount of people in the place but our friends all said the same, there are better places in that new area.

It was only the third day that the restaurant had been open, when Suz and I visited this brand spanking new establishment in the Wynyard Quarter to celebrate my birthday. Because they have only just opened, they only had a limited edition menu in operation, consisting of three tapa dishes, four mains courses and one dessert. In a couple of weeks time they hope to expand this considerably, but maintain a predominantly tapas style of dining. We shared a Chicken Tikka and Gun Powder Prawns to start with. Both were quite tasty. The prawns could have been a bit spicier to warrant the gunpowder name. We then shared a Sweet Tangy Dahl, Potato Bhaji and Curry of the Day (Butter Chicken). The first two were really tasty, but the chicken needed spicing up (as it usually always does). My favourite was the potato bahji and Suz’s was the dahl. They had some really yummy flavours. The accompanying naan bread was really good too and the aromatic rice was a further highlight. The mains, in keeping with the tapa theme, were quite small servings, especially considering the prices being charged. We still had room for dessert and decided (not much choice with only one option) to give the Pan Flavoured Ice Cream a try. We shared one serving between the two of us, which was a good quantity. One spoonful and I was immediately taken back to my trip to India four years ago. I was disappointed that Kingfisher beer wasn’t available. We both decided to have the house merlot which was nicely presented in a wine glass with a little more finesse than a normal pub glass. The dining environment is a little funky, with music to match. It wasn’t your normal Indian tunes but more like a Latin American beat. It is more geared up for drinking clients with bar-leaners outside and a sheltered area for smokers too. It was nice to have the opportunity to chat with the head chef and restaurant manager about the food and operations over the first days. They were interested in our feedback and we were the only customers by the end of our meal.