Maya's South Indian Bistro

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Reviews

1. Joanie Badenhorst-Awasthi ★★★★☆

   Chaat is a savoury, tangy, and crunchy category of Indian street food snacks, bursting with all the flavour elements like sweet, sour, spicy, and salty flavours. Originating in Uttar Pradesh, it's a vibrant, textural experience enjoyed across India, known for its chaotic mix of ingredients and bold taste like like crispy dough or puffed rice filled with potatoes, chickpeas, chutneys (tamarind, mint), yogurt, and spices. Some of the most famous chaat is: Pani puri (crispy hollow puris filled with spiced water, potatoes, and/or chickpeas); Samosa chaat (crushed samosas loaded with yogurt, chutneys, and spices); Dahi puri (small puris filled with potatoes, chickpeas, sweet yogurt, and chutneys); Pav bhaji (spicy, thick vegetable mash, served with soft, buttered bread rolls); Chole bathure (chickpea curry with deep fried bread). Chaat is one of my favourite types of Indian food, especially pani puri. So of course when I heard there was an Indian vegetarian restaurant offering a chaat buffet, I jumped on it. I had a lot of pani puri filled with fluffy potato, onion, coriander chutney, and spicy water. Then I also had dahi puri, chole bathure (another favourite), chow mein, and samosa chaat. Naturally I had a glass of garam chai. It was all delicious! The down side of this is that it is not for the cuisine curious, it seems to be specifically only for Indians or people very familiar with chaat. I'm married to an Indian and lived in Lucknow for a few years, so had some confidence to go and assemble it myself, but my other friends probably won't. Everything is displayed as a buffet, that you pick for yourself and you must know how to assemble the chaat to get the maximum impact and pleasure of the item/dish. You have to know which spice or chutney compliments which other ingredient. If you don't know how to assemble it, then the taste and satisfaction will be completely lost. Another problem is that the buffet queue builds up and completely slows down, because people are building/assembling their dish. Some of the things you can't just put on your plate and combine at your table. I was the first person there, so I had almost finished eating by the time the queue started building. Some of the chaat I also didn't know exactly what to do with, and although tasty, that whole umami experience was lacking with some. It was tasty, I'm glad I went, but this was a one and done for me.

   almost 3 months ago
2. Vidhi dave ★★★★★

   We had a great time at the chaat buffet. The food was absolutely amazing—fresh and full of flavor. What really stood out was the staff; they were so friendly and went the extra mile by showing us how to make delicious chaat and serving us on the table. Highly recommend for a fantastic experience ❣️❣️

   almost 3 months ago
3. jaffer ali ★★★★★

   today I went to Maya’s restaurant my review is, The food was absolutely amazing, the ambiance was delightful, and the service was top-notch. The staff, especially the owner, were incredibly friendly and attentive, we try South Indian chart buffet. It was incredible and superb.

   almost 3 months ago

1. Vikas Kapoor ★★★★★

   I recently visited this Mayas restaurant and was blown away by how authentic and flavorful the food was. Every dish tasted like it was made with real care, traditional spices, and genuine Indian cooking techniques. The aromas, the presentation, and the flavours all reminded me of home. The service was friendly and welcoming, and the staff made sure we were comfortable throughout. The menu had a great variety and everything we tried was fresh and delicious. If you’re looking for true Indian taste and a warm dining experience, this place is a must-visit. Highly recommend

   almost 4 months ago
2. RUCHI GUPTA ★★★★★

   Maya bistro chaat buffet/eat all you can I recently tried the chaat buffet at Maya’s South Bistro in Auckland, and what an experience it was! The variety alone is worth talking about—from pani puri to chole, and from pav bhaji to chowmein, every single item was impressive. It wasn’t just the quality that stood out, but the taste was absolutely spot-on. Even though it was a Thursday evening and the place was packed to the brim, the manager still managed to attend to every table personally. His service was truly world-class. The perfect balance of sweetness, spice, and tanginess in every dish made the whole experience unforgettable. Refills were incredibly quick—nothing ever felt like it was running out. You could make your own chaat or let the staff prepare some of their specialties like dahi bhalle, tikki chaat, or Bombay bhel, all of which were exceptional. For just 20 NZD, it’s value for every single cent—forget dollar! I’m honestly running out of words to describe how good the experience was. Peeps, please don’t miss this! The buffet runs from 6 PM to 9 PM, and it’s absolutely worth it.

   almost 4 months ago
3. Nidhir Bhatt ★☆☆☆☆

   Never ever had this sort of experience in a Indian restaurant. Even if a small scale business setup gives their best to their customers. The food was too oily and raw ( Naan Bread ). The service was alright as they told me to pickup the food with 10-15 minutes. I called the restaurant on the mentioned number as they were not at all interested to listen and the staff or the manager was asking silly questions that what food was oily? I’ll never go back again. Just wasted money over it.

   almost 2 years ago

1. Saras Chand ★★★★★

   Definitely one of the best indian restaurants in Auckland right now, it's a hidden gem. I have been here multiple times and each time the food has been amazing. I have been to many Indian restaurants in Auckland and most drop their standards after a while but Maya's has been consistent.

   almost 2 years ago
2. S Kay ★★★★★

   Great food, good service, Bit more cleaningness will make it best for family buffet. Keep up

   almost 2 years ago
3. Jeewon Kim ★★★★☆

   Good experience, food was okay. I prefer thick curry, so I don’t think I would grab curry. I still would love to try something else.

   almost 2 years ago

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