The best Indian restaurants in Melbourne

For the uninitiated, Aangan is a 19-year-old, well-oiled machine serving multiregional Indian cuisine with chaat and biryani from the North, dosa, idli and sambar from the South, plus a range of fried noodles and rice, reflective of the neighbouring influences from further East. Footscray may be known as one of Melbourne’s main Vietnamese hubs, but if you keep heading west, you’ll find yourself in Little India. Against regular restaurant logic of shorter menus equating to all-around, excellent food, Aangan manages an 11-page tome where everything is cooked with precision and glancing over at your neighbour’s table could inspire food envy. Standouts include the chicken 65, the seekh kebab, any item from the chaat counter, the fish masala and the butter chicken.

Ever since it started operating out of Rathdowne Street, Khabbay has gained a devoted following for its large range of marinated meats cooked over hot charcoal – from its grilled fish and chicken seekh kebab to its six different varieties of chicken boti kebab, soaked in a mixture of yogurt, aromatics and spices before they’re skewered and grilled to perfection. Its move to larger premises on Lygon Street has made it even more central for those who may find themselves dodging the advances of enthusiastic Italian restauranteurs on the way to a film at Nova or an ice cream at Pidapipo. If charcoal-grilled meats aren’t to your liking, there are plenty of other dishes you won’t typically find in Indian restaurants around Melbourne, from the cheesy handi (sliced strips of chicken cooked in a creamy, cheesy, spiced sauce) and beef nihari (a slow-cooked meat stew made with bones and marrow) to the lahori channe (a thick, flavour-filled chickpea curry hailing from the Pakistani city of Lahore). 

Daughter in Law is part of restaurateur Jessi Singh’s conglomerate of Indian restaurants, building on Horn Please and Babu Ji. The only difference between this and his previous restaurants is that Daughter in Law is not steeped in any sense of authenticity; this restaurant is meant to break the rules and dabble in fusion. Reinvention and fusion can be dirty words, especially if the person reinventing and fusing has no foundations in the cuisine they’re playing with. But Singh was born in Punjab, raised in Australia and lived in America, and influences from his entire life can be seen in the food at Daughter in Law. There are ‘pots’ of curries, including a butterless butter chicken, half-lobsters baked in the tandoor, and snacks that would go great with a drink, like the Indian fried chicken dipped in mustard mayonnaise and the sticky-sweet-glazed and fried Colonel Tso’s cauliflower.

The Parliament end of Bourke Street has seen some changes in recent years and not all of them good – gone is Red Pepper’s sister restaurant Green Pepper and the beloved Palace Theatre has since given way to a hotel – but Red Pepper, established in 2006, continues to endure, though its 3am closing time is no longer. Familiar dishes like palak paneer, lamb rogan josh and garlic naan sit alongside less encountered ones like Red Pepper’s signature dish of sarhoin da saag, a North Indian vegetable curry made with mustard leaves and spinach, and nimbu dhaniya mirch ka murgh, a boneless chicken curry steeped in the flavours of lemon, coriander and green chillies. Enjoy Indian spins on classic cocktails, like the Bombay Negroni that has the tantalising addition of masala bitters and the Chai Cocktail served warm with the additions of Jagermeister and Baileys.

While Indian food in Melbourne is typically synonymous with North Indian food, the expansive, heat-filled dishes of South India are beginning to become more recognisable to the average Melburnian. Take Sri Ananda Bhavan in Narre Warren, for instance. You’ll find vada (a savoury fried snack similar in appearance to a donut), idli (steamed discs of fermented black lentils and rice), rasam (a spiced tamarind soup that is the South Indian elixir against colds and other ailments), and bisibelebath (a Karnataka hot lentil rice dish). Sri Ananda Bhavan also serves up thalis with up to nine side dishes, Indo-Chinese offerings ranging from gobi manchurian to Szechuan noodles – a delightful amalgamation of influences if you haven’t ever dabbled in the confluence of Indian and Chinese food – and South Indian filter coffee, an incredibly aromatic riposte to Melbourne coffee.

This hot Prahran newcomer arguably joins the ranks of the city's best fried chicken. Free-range Maryland fillets, drums and wingettes come piping hot and fried in a perfectly seasoned, crunchy gold batter with slaw and your choice of sauces. You can pick from original, butter chicken, tangy clarified butter and cream, Desi’s special spicy date or the jaggery and tamarind sauce. When it comes to burgers, you’ve got spicy lamb mince in a sloppy joe-style, masala beef chopped cheese, a 'super smashed' samosa patty, fried chicken and more. It's Indian comfort food at its most creative and better yet, it hits the spot. 

Stepping into the premises of a former Melbourne institution, The Press Club, Elchi had some rather large shoes to fill.  But with executive chef Manpreet Sekhon’s experience and determination, those shoes are not only filled but overflowing, with glorious and alluring Indian fare. Sekhon has evolved her family recipes into modern masterpieces, such as the 24-karat gold chicken mussalam, and the crisp whole Amritsari fish – worth the splurge, and the photo opportunity. 

Saravanaa Bhavan is a restaurant that’s instantly recognisable to every Indian, be they from the subcontinent or part of the diaspora. Founded in 1981, the global restaurant chain has nearly 100 outlets spread across India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and now Australia. Melbourne alone has three branches, but the King Street one may be the most central. Saravanaa Bhavan is strictly vegetarian and its menu is a tome, so plant eaters can leave their memories of limited ordering options at the door. The fare is South Indian, so expect idli, dosa, and uthappam alongside roti, naan, and a plethora of vegetable-forward curries. 

Punjabi Curry Café has been satisfying the Indian cravings of Abbotsford and Collingwood residents alike for more than a decade, specialising in North Indian dishes. Operated by husband-wife team Raj and Krystle, the restaurant prides itself on its tandoor-grilled lamb cutlets, kebabs, prawns, chicken and naan as well as an expansive menu boasting a healthy selection of vegetarian and meat dishes. Our favourites are the palak paneer, the chicken madras, and the malai kofta. With a roaring takeaway trade, Punjabi Curry Café is here to stay if its past ten years of service is anything to go by. 

Tucked away in between Spencer and Flinders Streets and perennially packed, Delhi Streets may be named in honour of India’s capital, but its menu crisscrosses the subcontinent. South India is represented by the dosas (thin crisp pancakes made from fermented batter), while Mumbai’s famed pav bhaji (vegetable curry served with soft bread rolls) makes an appearance. Fusion dishes marry Western and Eastern influences, with the paneer pizza using India’s version of cottage cheese instead of mozzarella, and the chicken frankie wrap swapping the wheat tortillas of a classic burrito with naan. Either make a booking or show up early – the restaurant’s narrow confines is bustling any which day you visit it.

Malaysian Indian cuisine is a fine thing, and Fitzroy North’s Zafeera's knows how to dish it up perfectly every time. Think chicken on the bone marinated in a heady blend of caramelised onions, yogurt and aromatics in the chicken biryani; potatoes and peas cooked in a coconut-rich reduction in the aviyal; deep-fried, boneless nuggets of chicken tossed with spices in a chicken 65; and prawns served in a semi-dry concoction of shrimp paste, dried chillies and tomatoes in the prawn sambal. Because Zafeera’s is a Malaysian Indian restaurant rather than a straight-out Indian one, expect Mamak (Indian-Muslim) specialties too, ranging from roti canai and rendang to mee goreng and murtabak. Like Roti Bar, it also serves up banana leaf rice every weekend.

Roti Bar is one of the few places in Melbourne where every Saturday you can get banana leaf rice – a traditional method of enjoying rice in Malaysia and Singapore, where rice is served atop a banana leaf alongside a basic spread of dhal, vegetables, dried chilli, pickles and pappadums. But it doesn’t stop there. You can then choose to augment your basic spread with a selection of extra dishes – think fried fish, chicken 65, dry curry dishes like chicken varuval, more gravy-heavy delicacies like mutton curry, fish head curry, crab curry, and vegetarian-forward supplements like tofu sambal. The sides change every week at Roti Bar but what doesn’t is its immense popularity – the restaurant is always packed to the rafters and recognising this, the owners are opening up a second branch on Bourke Street.

From pop-up to fully fledged restaurant, Enter Via Laundry is kicking some serious subcontinental goals. Spoiler alert: you don’t enter via the laundry anymore. The success of Helly Raichura’s tiny at-home Box Hill restaurant has precipitated her move to more serious Carlton North digs, although the laneway entrance retains the enticing air of mystery (as does finding out the actual address only after booking). Boasting one of Melbourne’s most singular degustations, the focus changes seasonally – from seafood-centric Bengal to the cuisine of Kashmir, the meat-heavy northern region. As an added curveball, Raichura’s menu flirts with Australian native ingredients. 

Office workers in and around Melbourne Central are spoilt for choice when it comes to their daily lunch offerings, but Chilli India has been sating their appetites since 2008, having since expanded to Docklands, Epping and Preston. Tables packed into the unobtrusive laneway, Menzies Place, are filled with patrons come midday every weekday and though you’ll find the usual suspects on Chilli India’s menu, it has a far more expansive South Indian repertoire than your average Melbourne Indian restaurant. Expect to find close to 20 varieties of dosa, a range of uthappams – thicker than the lacy, crepe-like dosa with toppings fried straight into the batter – and murtabaks and stuffed rotis. 

Fitzroy’s Gertrude Street has welcomed this slick subcontinental restaurant. Dubbed Ish (a play on the descriptors of it being Indian-ish yet also Australian modern-ish) you can expect flavours directly from owner Ganeev Bains' Northern Indian hometown of Chandigarh, cooked up with some modern and familiar techniques. Chef Michael Stolley is firing up the likes of sambar arancini with tempered coconut; spiced roti duck tacos with crispy skin; and tandoori lamb cutlets. A little more luxe than your average neighbourhood Indian restaurant, this mod Indian diner is worth considering for your next special occasion or family gathering. 

If you find yourself down Ripponlea way, Noor Curry Club is a must-try. A favourite among locals in the area with takeaway the popular option in an otherwise unassuming restaurant, crowd favourites include the garlic naan, fish tikka masala, palak paneer, goat curry and aloo paratha. For more unusual offerings, try the vodka-infused pani puri, the chef’s special soya kebab – a sure-fire hit among vegetarians – and the Mughal dish of kofta do piyaza, where croquettes are cooked in a cashew-rich gravy. 

Prior to Mukka's arrival on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy's choice of Indian restaurants tended towards the North Indian style, with long menus offering crowd favourites from butter chicken and palak paneer to the spicy rogan josh. There's nothing wrong with this, but it does mean that Mukka's arrival in 2018 brought along with it new flavours to this side of town. Highlights include the dosa, which are a little smaller and a few dollars dearer than the ones you might have come across in Footscray's Dosa Hut, but the crispy edges, coconut chutney and spicy dhal more than makeup for the lack of size with flavour. You can also find thali plates that offer diners a taste of everything and dum biryanis of Hyderabad renown.

By all reports it’s been a tough year in the Melbourne restaurant industry. A slow winter, thinning crowds and increasing competition have taken the wind out of plenty of sails. But then you front up at 6.30pm on a Tuesday to a restaurant that opened in the dark distant past (2013, to be exact), where tables are packed with glossy young things on what feels like the world’s biggest Tinder date, and realise you’ve found an exception to the rule.

Welcome to the alternate reality of Tonka, where chef Adam D’Sylva and partners have conclusively proven Indian food was ready for its fine dining close-up. Like thinking back to a pre-marriage equality Australia, it’s almost quaint to remember that when Tonka opened there were mutterings about the upwardly mobile aspirations of a cuisine beset by curry house sameness. But hey, Melbourne’s always quick to catch on to what the rest of the world is rolling its eyes about, and others have arrived in its wake. Babu Ji in St Kilda, Piquancy in Hawthorn, the Rochester Castle Hotel and newcomer ISH in Fitzroy have shown that people are receptive to tarted-up Indian street food delivered with a bit of style, yet Tonka remains in a league of its own in going for the high-end jugular, showing no mercy in its $40-plus curries and winning the love of a city by making it worth the splash-out.

In the half-decade since opening D’Sylva and co have added a more casual cocktails-and-fried-cauliflower thali bar – imaginatively called Thali Bar – but otherwise Tonka remains the same, sporting the mullet effect of a kitchen at the front and dining room at the back where puffball netting clouds from designer Naomi Troski continue to give life and lift to a fairly utilitarian fit-out of beige and grey.

It no longer sports conversation-starters like the burrata, roti and coriander relish entree but nonetheless Tonka remains dedicated to its mission to show there’s more to Indian menus than butter chicken (incidentally, it’s unblushingly featured on the mains list – one of a handful of dishes that can be ordered as a half serve to spread the love more effectively around the broad menu).

Part of D’Sylva’s secret lies in Indian-ising the common tropes of modern Australian dining. Oysters? Try briny-fresh Port Douglas Pacifics with tomato achar bearing witness to the cleanly astringent intrusion of finely chopped Chinese celery and white onion. Steak tartare? Try the vindaloo version, the ruggedly chopped meat just managing to hold its own in a vivid red sauce dotted with fenugreek raita, saltbush and pickled daikon to scoop up with mathri, thick North Indian-style chickpea wafers. Like many things coming from the Tonka kitchen it thrums with residual heat without going the full-blown spice onslaught.

That’s left to the subtler tools in the kit, like the aromatic Sri Lankan-style curry sauce with soft-shell crab fried in a lace of turmeric-stained batter; or the cardamom and white poppy seeds infusing the gravy of the deservedly signature lamb curry. Underscored by coconut richness, it’s the sort of thing that demands a double-carb fix of rice and roti along with a spoon. It’s a very good lamb curry, eclipsed only by a fat fillet of ocean trout roasted in the tandoor, so charry-blistered on the outside with flashes of bright orange that it could be a sweet potato in witness protection. Under the grunt of the char it’s so smoky-sweet all it needs is the refreshing hit of a finely shaved kohlrabi salad.

The dessert meringue orb spilling basil sorbet, fresh strawberries and pine nut crumble, one of five from a list that’s acutety Euro-centric, is testament to the ongoing resistance to any kulfi -fingered embrace of the sweet end of the Indian dining deal. You can get gulab jamun (fried milk balls in syrup) for $7 but make no mistake: Tonka remains a capitalist Valhalla where the sting in the tail can come from add-ons (it’s $7 for a smallish bowl of rice; $6 a pop for roti and naan) as much as from the adventurous wine list with equally adventurous prices. No, we’re not in the curry house any more, Toto. But save your rupees for Tonka’s Bollywood food extravaganza. Everyone else seems to be.

One of the most beloved restaurants near Edinburgh Gardens, Horn Please brings to the table a fun and refreshing contemporary take on Indian food. Expect big, big flavour, colourful Instagrammable plates (the samosas are huge), and a generous selection of international beers to wash it all down. The restaurant manages to avoid being gimmicky thanks to owner Jessi Singh's serious culinary chops, and the food is so interesting you'll want to return again and again to try the whole menu. And how about this for value? On weekends, the restaurant offers the most popular bottomless brunch offer in Fitzroy North, which includes the chef's tasting menu and unlimited cocktails for just $69 a head.

3 Idiots on Bridge Road is named as such because people thought husband and wife team Prathamesh ‘Pratt’ Bhoir and Satham ‘Satt’ Makkad were foolhardy to leave their comfortable careers to pursue their dream of opening a restaurant. Several years on, it seems as though they weren’t that foolhardy after all. 3 Idiots’ menu is expansive, eclectic and experimental. Forget chicken tandoori, meet TFC – tandoori fried chicken tossed with housemade Indian dukkah. The lightly spiced minced meat dish of kheema is rolled into golden rolls of pastry in a subcontinental twist on Moroccan cigars. Cheese naan gets the addition of basil pesto. This is not to say you won’t find your favourites as well. Butter chicken is 3 Idiots’ signature dish and Kashmiri shank is a 3 Idiots iteration of lamb rogan josh, with a six-hour braised lamb shank taking centre stage. Service is attentive and convivial, and the colourful, elegant décor is warm and inviting.

If 3 Idiots is an exercise in fusion, Burger Shurger in Elsternwick and Williamstown turn the dial right up. Started up by couple Payal Bisht and Prasuk Jain who moved from New Delhi to Melbourne in 2008, Burger Shurger was conceived out of a desire to feed their parents a burger they would actually eat: enter Indian burgers. Choose from patties such as paneer tossed in a buttery sauce and topped with raita and mint chutney in the Say Cheese Burger to curried mashed potato in a tamarind sauce in the Vada Pav Burger. Entrees are equally inventive with the chicken Chettinad bao, butter chicken fries and lamb keema bolognese complemented by cocktails that have an Indian twist, like the Masala Chai Whisky Sour and the Aam Panna (raw mango) Margarita. Colourful murals of Indian gods and goddesses are the backdrop to the diners’ voyage through the experimental menu.