Bikaner is a pure-vegetarian restaurant on Petone's Jackson Street, built for diners who want breadth rather than a narrow meat-free substitute menu. Its cooking draws from North India, South India and Indo-Chinese traditions, and the warm dining-room approach encourages families and friends to order across sections and share. Takeaway remains available, but the size and structure of the menu make a seated meal especially rewarding.
The chaat section brings the most immediate play of texture and temperature. Pani puri, dahi puri, sev puri and papdi chaat layer crisp pastry with potato, pulses, yoghurt and contrasting mint or tamarind chutneys. Samosa chaat and aloo tikki chaat add chickpeas to the mix, while vada pav, dabeli and dhokla move beyond the familiar puri format. A mixed chaat platter is useful when a table wants to compare several styles at once.
North Indian dishes provide the deeper, slower part of the meal. Paneer can arrive in butter masala, kadai, palak or cashew-rich shahi preparations, alongside dal makhani, dal tadka, channa masala and vegetable curries. Naan, roti, kulcha and layered paratha cover the bread side, while complete thalis assemble curries, rice, breads, raita, pickle and sweets into structured meals. South Indian dosa, uttapam, idli and vada platters add an entirely different grain-and-lentil tradition.
Indo-Chinese choices, traditional drinks and sweets give the menu another change of pace. Schezwan paneer rolls, chow mein and Manchurian-style dishes can be followed by masala chai, lassi, faluda or carrot halwa. Bikaner also publishes separate vegan and Jain menus; the latter clearly identifies dishes prepared without onion and garlic. Those dedicated lists make it easier to navigate specific requirements without flattening the restaurant's unusually diverse vegetarian cooking.
Address: Unit 1, 313 Jackson Street, Petone, Lower Hutt 5012, New Zealand
Been to Bikaner? Be one of the first to rate it.
+ Log your visit
