The best takeaway shops in Whanganui cover a lot of ground, from a late pizza run on Victoria Avenue to a butter chicken and garlic naan collected on the way home through Springvale. Most takeaways in Whanganui now run on online ordering, so you can pick a combo, pay for it and either collect it hot or have it brought to the door. Pizzicato keeps its kitchens going until midnight, while Jeet’s Indian Takeaway cooks lunch and dinner on Victoria Avenue.
1Pizzicato
Pizzicato is a pizza shop with two Whanganui kitchens, one in the city centre on Victoria Avenue and one in Whanganui East. The menu starts at classic cheese, ham and Hawaiian pizzas and works up through the creamy magical range to chicken, meat and seafood pizzas, with pasta, nachos and sides alongside. It suits families ordering for the table and anyone wanting hot food late in the evening.
Services
- Classic pizzas including Hawaiian, margherita and cheesy garlic
- Chicken, meat and seafood pizza ranges, from butter chicken to garlic prawn
- Vegetarian and vegan pizzas, including a butter paneer and a spicy paneer passanda
- Pasta dishes such as creamy chicken and bacon or garlic chicken and mushroom
- Nachos, sides and desserts including churros and lava cake
Highlights
- Two Whanganui shops, covering the city centre and Whanganui East
- Open 11.30am to midnight, seven days a week
- Free delivery on orders over $50 within a 4km radius
- Vegan pizza built on a tomato garlic base with vegan cheese
- Dine in as well as pickup and delivery
Location & Contact
Name: Pizzicato
Address: 151 Victoria Avenue, Whanganui Central, Whanganui 4500
Phone: 06 222 8211
Website: www.pizzicato.co.nz
2Jeet’s Indian Takeaway
Jeet’s Indian Takeaway sits on Victoria Avenue in central Whanganui and cooks traditional Indian food to order for pickup or delivery. The menu is built around curries served with basmati rice, a tandoori bread list and a short run of fried entrees such as samosa, pakora and bread pakora. A lunch combo pairs a half curry, half rice, a plain naan and a can of drink.
Services
- Chicken curries including butter chicken, chicken tikka masala and chicken korma
- Lamb curries such as rogan josh, saag gosht and lamb madras
- Prawn curries and biryani, including prawn jalfrezi and lamb biryani
- Paneer and vegetable mains, from palak paneer to daal makhani
- Tandoori breads including garlic, cheese, peshwari naan and aloo paratha
Highlights
- Lunch combo of half curry, half rice, plain naan and a can of drink at $16.99
- Seventeen paneer, lentil and vegetable mains in the vegetarian section
- Kids meals of chicken nuggets and chips, wedges and hash bites
- Ben & Jerry’s ice cream sold by the shorty and the pint
- Open for both a lunch and a dinner service, Monday to Saturday
Location & Contact
Name: Jeet’s Indian Takeaway
Address: 40 Victoria Avenue, Whanganui 4500
Phone: 06 927 5388
Website: www.jeetsindiantakeaway.co.nz
3Curry To Go
Curry To Go cooks Indian food from the Springvale Shopping Centre on Fitzherbert Avenue, on the western side of Whanganui. The menu is a long one: chef special curries such as bhuna, achari and lababdar sit alongside butter chicken and rogan josh, with an Indo Chinese section, biryanis and a full breads list. Orders are taken online for pickup or delivery, and the combo deals scale from a single half curry up to a triple curry pack for a table.
Services
- Chicken, lamb and beef curries, including kadai chicken and lamb do piazza
- Chef special curries such as bhuna, achari and lababdar
- Paneer, lentil and vegetable mains, from malai kofta to dal makhani
- Seafood dishes including butter prawn, prawn malbari and scallop masala
- Biryani and tandoori breads, including lamb keema naan and lachhaa paratha
Highlights
- Indo Chinese section with chilli paneer, garlic chilli chicken and vegetable manchurian
- Combo deals running from a half butter chicken pack to a triple curry pack
- Lunch items including a butter chicken wrap and a chicken tikka roll
- Gluten free and dairy free dishes marked on the menu
- Kids butter chicken, mango chicken and korma at dinner
Location & Contact
Name: Curry To Go
Address: 42C Fitzherbert Avenue, Springvale, Whanganui 4501
Phone: 06 344 6134
Website: www.currytogo.nz
4Thai Express
Thai Express is a pickup takeaway on Victoria Avenue in central Whanganui, cooking to order from a numbered menu of sixty-five dishes. Stir fries, curries and noodle soups make up most of it, with satay, roti, curry puffs and spring rolls as entrees. The shop opens for a lunch run and again in the evening, every day of the week.
Services
- Thai curries including red, green, panang and massaman
- Stir fries such as basil chicken, black pepper beef and chicken with cashew nut
- Noodle soups including tom yum, Thai laksa and duck noodle soup
- Pad thai, spicy fried noodles and crispy noodles with gravy sauce
- Entrees of spring rolls, curry puffs, roti with satay sauce and satay chicken kebabs
Highlights
- A numbered menu of sixty-five dishes, ordered by number
- Open seven days for both lunch and dinner
- Duck dishes including roast duck with rice, duck noodle soup and laab duck
- Online ordering for pickup
Location & Contact
Name: Thai Express
Address: 194 Victoria Avenue, Whanganui 4500
Phone: 06 345 8989
Website: www.thaiexpresswhanganui.co.nz
5Delicious North Indian Whanganui
Delicious North Indian Whanganui is a takeaway on Abbot Street in Gonville, serving both North Indian and South Indian dishes. Butter chicken, lamb korma, chicken tikka masala and fish curry anchor the menu, with paneer tikka, chana masala and aloo gobi among the vegetarian choices. The kitchen runs straight through from late morning to evening, so it covers a Gonville lunch as well as dinner.
Services
- North Indian chicken curries including butter chicken and chicken tikka masala
- Lamb curries such as lamb korma
- Fish curry and other seafood dishes
- Paneer dishes including paneer tikka
- Vegetable and chickpea mains such as chana masala and aloo gobi
Highlights
- Open seven days, 11.30am to 9pm, with no afternoon break
- Gluten free options listed on the menu
- Both North Indian and South Indian dishes on one menu
- Online ordering through an app on Google Play and the App Store
Location & Contact
Name: Delicious North Indian Whanganui
Address: F/51 Abbot Street, Gonville, Whanganui 4501
Phone: 06 344 7838
Website: deliciousnorthindiantakeaway.co.nz
Takeaway Shops in Whanganui at a Glance
| Business | Highlight |
|---|---|
| Pizzicato | Two Whanganui shops, covering the city centre and Whanganui East |
| Jeet's Indian Takeaway | Lunch combo of half curry, half rice, plain naan and a can of drink a... |
| Curry To Go | Indo Chinese section with chilli paneer, garlic chilli chicken and ve... |
| Thai Express | A numbered menu of sixty-five dishes, ordered by number |
| Delicious North Indian Whanganui | Open seven days, 11.30am to 9pm, with no afternoon break |
How to Choose the Right Takeaway Shop in Whanganui
- Match the shop to the trip: a Victoria Avenue kitchen suits a walk from town, while Springvale, Gonville and Whanganui East shops are easier if you are already heading that way.
- Check whether the shop delivers or is pickup only, and what the minimum order and delivery radius are before you build a basket.
- Look at the closing time rather than the opening time. Some kitchens stop at 9pm, others run to midnight, and a few close between lunch and dinner.
- Read the menu for dietary labelling. Gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian and vegan dishes are flagged on some menus and not on others.
- Compare combos rather than single dishes. A curry or pizza combo with rice, bread and a drink is often where the real price difference sits.
Frequently Asked Questions About Whanganui Takeaway Shops
What kinds of takeaway food can you get in Whanganui?
Indian takeaways are well represented, with kitchens cooking curries, biryani and tandoori breads to order across several suburbs. Pizza and Thai are both covered too, so an order can run from a Hawaiian pizza and garlic bread through to pad thai, panang curry or lamb rogan josh with naan.
Which Whanganui takeaways deliver, and which are pickup only?
It varies shop by shop, so check before you order. Pizza and Indian kitchens in the city tend to offer both pickup and delivery through their own online ordering, often with a minimum spend and a radius limit, while some smaller kitchens take pickup orders only.
How late do takeaways in Whanganui stay open?
Most kitchens finish around 9pm on a weeknight. A pizza shop will usually be the latest option, running to around midnight, so if you are ordering after nine your choice narrows considerably.
Where do I find a takeaway near my part of Whanganui?
Victoria Avenue through the city centre carries the densest run of takeaway shops, so that is the obvious start if you are in or near town. If you are further out, Springvale has an Indian kitchen at the shopping centre on Fitzherbert Avenue, Gonville has one on Abbot Street, and Whanganui East is covered for pizza. Working outward from your own suburb is usually faster than driving into town.
How much does a takeaway meal cost in Whanganui?
A classic pizza starts at around $8 and a loaded one runs to about $20. An Indian main served with rice generally sits between $18 and $25 depending on whether you choose vegetarian, chicken, lamb or seafood, and Thai mains are mostly in the $19.50 to $22 band. Combo deals that bundle rice, bread and a drink are usually the cheaper way to feed more than one person.
Can I get vegetarian, vegan or gluten free takeaways in Whanganui?
Yes. Indian menus carry the deepest vegetarian sections, with paneer, lentil and vegetable curries as standard, and some mark dishes gluten free or dairy free. Vegan pizza made with vegan cheese is available too, and it is worth ringing ahead if you need a dish adjusted rather than assuming a substitution can be made at the counter.
Do Whanganui takeaway shops take online orders?
Most of them do. Several run their own ordering site where you choose the dish, pay and select a pickup time, and a couple also have an app. Ordering ahead is the simplest way to avoid waiting in a small shop at the busiest part of the evening.
How can I check a takeaway shop’s food safety?
Every food business in New Zealand has to operate under a registered food control plan, and premises in the district are registered and verified through Whanganui District Council at whanganui.govt.nz. The rules those plans are built on, including what a shop must do about allergens and food handling, are published by the Ministry for Primary Industries at mpi.govt.nz.
How We Chose the Best Takeaway Shops in Whanganui
Every business in this guide was found by searching for takeaway shops in Whanganui, then checked against what the business publishes itself: its own website, or where it has none, its official social or booking page. Names, addresses and phone numbers come from those pages rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what the business says about itself. We also check that each one is still trading and is actually based in or genuinely serving Whanganui, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business we can’t confirm from its own pages is not listed.