Ambarsariya Cafe & Restaurant — Restaurant in Ōtara-Papatoetoe

I recently visited this restaurant and was thoroughly impressed by the overall experience. I have dined here on two occasions, and both times the service and food quality were outstanding.

The restaurant is well organized and offers ample parking. However, please note that the parking lines are marked closely together, which may make it a bit challenging to open your door. Additionally, there is a handwashing area located in a small pathway connected to another hotel.

On my first visit, I was attended by a courteous and professional staff member who kindly explained the Punjabi menu, as I was not very familiar with it. I ordered kulcha and chole bhature, accompanied by a cold coffee and mango shake. Every dish was delightful—the taste, quality, and portion sizes were all impressive.

During my second visit with my wife, child, and a friend’s family, we ordered two sets of chole bhature, which were excellent, especially when paired with curd and achar. We also tried cheese corn noodles, which were so delicious that they quickly disappeared from our table. The paneer vegetable noodles were particularly memorable; their taste, presentation, and quality of ingredients were exceptional, making me eager to order them again.

I also enjoyed both a masala lassi and a sweet lassi. The sweet lassi was especially popular with the children, and the masala tea—presented in a gold pot reminiscent of a traditional tea shop—was prepared with the perfect blend of spices. I have rarely experienced a masala tea as delightful as this one.

This restaurant is truly a gem for those who appreciate vegetarian North Indian cuisine, and it offers excellent value for money. Our meal for six people cost less than 100 dollars, and every dish, including the dhai puri and pani puri, was both delicious and beautifully presented.

In conclusion, I rate this restaurant 5 out of 5 and consider it my go-to dining destination whenever I am near Manukavu. I highly recommend it for its exceptional food and...

If you're craving authentic North Indian flavours right here in the neighbourhood, Ambarsariya Café and Restaurant is the place to be. I’ve visited a few times now, and every visit leaves me wanting to come back again.

The absolute highlight for me is their crunchy, crispy kulcha—it’s nothing short of outstanding. The outer layer is golden and crisp, but once you bite in, the soft, flavourful filling hits just right. It's a nostalgic burst of Punjab in every bite!

This time, I tried their patty kulcha, and wow—next level delicious. It's creamy, crunchy, spicy, with perfectly balanced masalas layered inside. You don’t just taste it—you feel it. The flavours stay with you, like a warm memory from home.

They also serve hot, crunchy samosas—served fresh, with just the right amount of kick. Paired with their chutneys, it’s hard to stop at one.

And don’t miss their hot chocolate—surprisingly smooth and rich, it’s a perfect sweet ending to the meal, especially on a cold Papatoetoe day.

Yes, the food takes a little time to arrive, but that’s only because they make everything fresh to order. And honestly? It’s so worth the wait. When the food hits the table, hot and fragrant, you’ll know you made the right choice.

Every dish brings you closer to the streets of Hindustan—you’ll be reminded of roadside dhabas, home kitchens, and late-night snacks from back in the day.

The vibe is simple and casual, and the team always greets you with a smile. The owners clearly take pride in delivering authentic taste with heart.

Whether you’re stopping by for a quick bite or sitting down for a full meal, you’ll leave with a happy belly and warm memories.

Highly recommend it to anyone in South Auckland looking for a true Punjabi food experience.

Try it once—you’ll be...

I usually won't add a review until, I try twice. Our most new start ups are excellent in first two weeks, then the real downhill starts, then they can't handle influx and start mucking up with quality and service terribly. Food quality for all items we tried - Kulcha 70%, to authentic because they roll the kulcha with roller, to speed up. However it is always spread with hand. That quality kulcha, price for one piece is bit higher side. Matthi chhole overpriced but good. Chhole Bhature - not good as they are using same chhole recipe on every fish, which is incorrect way. Tried samosa and their aalu kulcha, the stuffing shockingly is same, who adds tonnes of kasuri Methi in samosa, tasted all like Methi samosa. Panipuri not with pudina water (which is soul), but is tolerable. Tea was good. The worst complaint on both experiences is that as per thumb rule, the priority is always customers who are dining in, but here we and others waited for 55 minutes and had to cancel, but asked them to pack it as didn't have time, that too was wrong kulcha. Their main focus is just just Uber eats, and they all busy in filling Uber, no one cares about you not people who have come with family drove kilometers, to have that experience, which is really disappointing. Other items are really not worth it. Will try now after few months, to see if they have improved, and that will be last visit, if bad honestly. They need to do something about rowdy screaming yelling customers in group, taking away peace from all other groups and their...