The best Indian restaurants in Melbourne – The Full List
Melbourne has one of Australia’s most exciting Indian and Pakistani dining scenes, with strong options across the CBD and Carlton. The best Indian restaurants in Melbourne are not all built around the same kind of meal. Some are made for rich curries and tandoori-style dishes, others for Pakistani barbecue, biryani, street snacks, vegetarian Maharashtrian food or late-night group dinners.
This guide focuses on five Indian and Pakistani restaurants in Melbourne worth knowing: Ziyka Pakistani Indian Restaurant, Aroma Restaurant, Chilli India, Khabbay Restaurant and Chai N Chilli. Together, they cover Lygon Street feasts, CBD curries, halal-friendly dining, vegetarian regional food and casual meals that work for lunch, dinner and groups.
1. Ziyka Pakistani Indian Restaurant
Ziyka Pakistani Indian Restaurant is one of Carlton’s standout choices for desi dining. Located on Lygon Street, it gives the area a strong Pakistani and Indian option among a strip better known historically for Italian food. That makes it especially useful for diners looking for spice, grilled meats, curries, biryani, naan and a fuller group-style meal.
The food direction is generous and flavour-heavy. Ziyka is the kind of restaurant where the best meal is built across the table: kebabs, curries, rice dishes, breads, barbecue items and something rich and saucy to share. It works particularly well for families and groups because Pakistani and Indian food naturally suits communal ordering.
The restaurant is also a strong pick for halal-friendly dining in Carlton. Whether you are planning a casual dinner, late meal, family night or birthday catch-up, Ziyka has the kind of menu that lets people order according to appetite: light starters, big mains, rice, breads and shared plates.
Ziyka is best for Pakistani and Indian food, halal-friendly dining, biryani, kebabs, curries, family meals, group dinners and anyone looking for bold flavours on Lygon Street.
Address: 234–236 Lygon Street, Carlton
Menu: View the Ziyka Pakistani Indian Restaurant menu on Happy Menu
2. Aroma Restaurant, Melbourne
Aroma Restaurant is a strong Melbourne CBD choice for Pakistani, Indian and Middle Eastern-influenced food. Located on Little Collins Street, it is especially useful for diners looking for a central halal-friendly restaurant with big flavours, late dinners and generous dishes designed for sharing.
The menu style is hearty and comforting. Aroma is the kind of place where karahi, biryani, barbecue meats, kebabs, curries, naan and rice make sense as the centre of the meal. A good order usually includes something from the grill, something rich and saucy, bread, rice and a few starters so the table gets a fuller sense of the kitchen.
This is not a quiet fine-dining restaurant, and it does not need to be. Aroma’s strength is in satisfying food, familiar South Asian flavours and a CBD location that works for casual dinners, after-work meals, late eating and group catch-ups.
Aroma Restaurant is best for Pakistani food, halal-friendly dining, curries, biryani, grilled meats, casual dinners, late meals and anyone looking for a filling Indian and Pakistani restaurant in Melbourne CBD.
Address: Shop 2 & 3, 540 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Menu: View the Aroma Restaurant, Melbourne menu on Happy Menu
3. Chilli India
Chilli India is one of the most convenient Indian restaurants in Melbourne CBD, located inside Melbourne Central. It is a practical choice for shoppers, office workers, students, commuters and anyone looking for a quick but satisfying Indian meal around La Trobe Street.
The appeal is range and convenience. Chilli India covers many of the Indian dishes people look for in the city: curries, biryani, dosa, uttapam, rice dishes, breads, vegetarian options, meat curries and spice-forward comfort food. That makes it useful for lunch breaks, pre-movie meals, shopping-day dinners and casual CBD eating.
Chilli India works well when you want Indian food without making the meal too formal. It is more of a high-convenience city restaurant than a hidden destination dining room, but that is exactly why it belongs on this list. Melbourne CBD needs places where you can get dependable Indian food quickly, and Chilli India fills that role well.
Chilli India is best for quick Indian meals, casual dinners, vegetarian-friendly choices, biryani, dosa, curries, Melbourne Central lunches and anyone who wants Indian food in a very central location.
Address: Shop GD086, 211 La Trobe Street, Melbourne
Menu: View the Chilli India menu on Happy Menu
4. Khabbay Restaurant
Khabbay Restaurant brings another strong Pakistani and Indian option to Carlton’s Lygon Street. It is a good choice when you want a generous, casual meal built around barbecue, curries, rice, breads and the kind of dishes that suit families and groups.
The food direction is hearty and traditional. Khabbay is especially useful when the table wants grilled meats, biryani, rich curries, naan and shareable dishes with plenty of spice and comfort. It is the type of restaurant where ordering several plates is usually better than ordering one dish each, because the variety is part of the experience.
Khabbay works well for family dinners, group meals, casual celebrations and late dinners around Carlton. It also gives diners another halal-friendly Lygon Street choice, which is helpful for groups looking beyond the suburb’s more familiar Italian restaurants.
Khabbay Restaurant is best for Pakistani food, Indian food, halal-friendly dining, barbecue platters, biryani, curries, family meals and relaxed group dinners in Carlton.
Address: 140–146 Lygon Street, Carlton
Menu: View the Khabbay Restaurant menu on Happy Menu
5. Chai N Chilli
Chai N Chilli gives Melbourne CBD a more regional Indian food experience. Located on King Street, it is especially known for vegetarian Maharashtrian and Mumbai-style food, which makes it different from broader curry houses and North Indian restaurants.
This is the place to think about when you want Indian snacks, street-food energy and vegetarian comfort dishes. The menu direction includes dishes such as vada pav, misal pav, thalipeeth, poori bhaji, puran poli, chaat and masala chai. These are the kinds of dishes that give the restaurant a clear identity rather than making it feel like a generic Indian menu.
Chai N Chilli is especially useful for vegetarian diners because vegetarian food is not treated as a side category. It is central to the restaurant’s purpose. That makes it a strong choice for casual lunches, quick dinners, Indian snack cravings, chai breaks and anyone interested in Maharashtrian flavours in the CBD.
Chai N Chilli is best for vegetarian Indian food, Maharashtrian dishes, vada pav, misal pav, masala chai, casual lunches, quick dinners and diners looking for a more regional Indian restaurant in Melbourne.
Address: 181/183 King Street, Melbourne
Menu: View the Chai N Chilli menu on Happy Menu
Final word
The best Indian restaurants in Melbourne cover a useful mix of regions, styles and occasions. Ziyka Pakistani Indian Restaurant is the Carlton pick for Pakistani and Indian feasts on Lygon Street. Aroma Restaurant is the CBD halal-friendly choice for Pakistani curries, barbecue and biryani. Chilli India is the Melbourne Central option for convenient Indian meals, dosa, curries and quick dinners. Khabbay Restaurant is the Lygon Street favourite for Pakistani barbecue, curries and group dining. Chai N Chilli is the King Street vegetarian restaurant for Maharashtrian dishes, Mumbai snacks and masala chai.
Together, they show why Melbourne’s Indian and Pakistani dining scene is so strong: generous, regional, halal-friendly, vegetarian-friendly and varied enough to suit everything from quick city lunches to big family dinners.