Great place. Lovely service and some of the best Indian in Melbourne. I've ordered delivery a dozen…read moretimes then just visited last night. Never had a bad food item. Curries are so fresh and light you always feel good after. The place/decor is modern but quite basic, everything else easily makes up for that. Highly recommended.

Delicious! Had the butternut squash masala and palek paneer and both were absolutely delicious…read more Naan was also tasty. My only small complaint is the amount of chutney given with the pappadams and samosas is minuscule.

In the heart of Chinatown is the Daughter in Law restaurant. Brought and colorful and billed as…read more'the unauthorized Australian Chinese restaurant'. We had the great lamb chops as well as delicious garlic naan. You've got to try the Ball of Happiness - a hollow shell that you pour mint, yogurt and tamarind sauces into and eat it in one bite. Excellent!

As a Indian food lover I had to absolutely try some in Melbourne while I'm here. Went to Daughter…read morein law last night. Now not your typical Indian restaurant. This was kinda upbeat, trendy hipster a little bit. I did enjoy the music very much while there. Service was good. I would say it was a very solid 4 stars . More closure to 4.5 Just not the insane depth of flavors like I've had in many other places but good non the less. Had the lamb Rojan Josh. And we did the naan Bread and condiments sampler.

I've never been a huge fan of Indian food and have been put off from some horror stories of having…read morea funny belly for days. I've had to change my attitude, as now I can't say that due to Bala Da Dhaba being an exceptionally good restaurant. The food is truly amazing and I was surprised at how much I could eat. I don't know a lot about Indian cuisine but I was very impressed with the vegetarian dishes such as the Muttar Paneer and the Malai Kofta. The waiters are very friendly there where it is a great place to go with a few people to share some of the delectable dishes with a BYO beer or wine. My only criticism is that the setting is very formal and when I'm not in that mood I now get the food to go and head next door to the Lyrebird Lounge, where I can sit in the courtyard on a balmy night and listen to some live music. Either way, the food is where Bala is a winner and will most definitely satisfy the curry lovers but may turn a few, just like it did with me.

I'm a little sad that the old Bala Da Dhaba burned down. I had some good memories of that joint;…read moregood curry, good friends, awful Indian covers of old Eagles songs. But it's the same management and the same menu, so it's not like it's a total loss. And it's a good menu. Actually, it's a pretty average menu - standard Indian food, more or less. But it's done really well. Seriously, it's the best Indian I've had in Melbourne. Only complaint I can raise about them is that the in-house portions tend to be a bit smaller than the takeaway.

Fantastic Indian cuisine at a great affordable price. The meals a well sized and packed full of…read moreflavor, the meat dishes were perfectly cooked and the staff very helpful and friendly. Highly recommended.

Ordered delivery through Delivery Hero. Delivered quickly & absolutely delicious!! The vegetable…read morekorma was full of vegetables (not just potato & carrot like some versions) & sweet without being too sugary. The vegetarian kofta was fluffy & the sauce again was just sweet enough without being overpowering. The use of spices was very pleasant & both dishes were mild with a tiny hint of spice, which was just what I was after. I ordered a selection of breads & all of them were wonderful. All the dishes were actually quite light in comparison to versions of the same I've had elsewhere. Best Indian food I've had in a long time. The man who delivered my food was very nice too. I will definitely be going back.

Highly recommend for good Indian food in Melbourne. We ordered a variety of food and everything…read moretasted extremely well and fresh. We did order mango lassi as well. It tasted way better than many other Indian restaurants. Mango lassi is a must try here. Super thick. We didn't like the music in the background, but the waitress was sweet enough to let us play our own music. Over all it's a good restaurant for good Indian food

My Nieghbour hood curry spot. It's ok for such a small spot it gets busy. All the normal Indian…read moremenu.

This place is really strange. Apparently it's been around forever (used to be on Chapel and then…read moremoved down here) yet it consistently receives some of the most mixed reviews I've ever come across on Zomato/Google/TA/Yelp. We live nearby, so wanted to get to the bottom of it. It's a small, BYOW, seemingly family run Indian restaurant in an accessible but unremarkable part of town, which is good because you can find parking outside easily. Right off the bat, I just want to say, that the curries here are really yummy. Not the best in the world, and it doesn't REALLY stand out above others like Indian on High or Yarra Indian, but the curries were definitely good and above average. We had pappadums, mint/yoghurt/chutney, samosas, lamb vindaloo, and paneek butter masala, which we ate half of and finished the rest at home. Loved it. So the two stars here are 100% SOLELY for food. Now, everything else. It is expensive. About $35+ per person for a very basic meal. The lamb vindaloo was an average to below average sized portion, and it's $23.50. That is pricey. Yarra Indian does the same one for about $13.50, arguably better and they have delivery, for example. Although a lot of people were getting take away, so there may be something special about their food. However the worst most unforgivable part, hands down, is the service/dine-in experience. It is completely non-existent. I cannot stress this enough. You literally are sitting alone with NOBODY in the room in dead silence the entire time. And the back doors are all open so the place is freeeeezing. We could've just walked out at any moment and nobody would've noticed. They should shut down the restaurant. And just make the food at home as a takeout/delivery service. However we would never come back here OR order because of the prices. Here's our experience (and I'm making it detailed due to the shortage of clear reviews for this place): We walked in, and an older guy/younger girl (who were sitting palm on face in the restaurant) came and gave us wine glasses and water and then headed out back, I suppose to fire up the pots and get started (we didn't see them again until the end). We drank wine. And talked. And talked. And talked. Thank god it's BYOW because there's nothing else to do. 30min later, this oafy guy comes barging in from the street all manically. We thought he was a take away customer or as he headed out back, robbing the place. Turns out he was our waiter! He went the counter then came to us with a pen + paper and lifted his head a bit to say "What you having?" .. straight from the street lol.. we were caught a bit off guard, but went with it. We have had Indian hundreds of times, so we asked if there was anything he could recommend. Anything. Something that perhaps they specialised at, or preferred making, or HAD already on the pot, or something. And this guy just had no opinions on anything. "Everything good. Anything. Whatever you want. Anything. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Anything." etc etc etc. These were his recommendations. Also, the menu only had like 12 curries. Beef vindaloo, for example (but not lamb/chicken/vegetarian). When we asked, he said he could make lamb vindaloo. We got excited and said "Oh great!" what else can you make that isn't on the menu. He was "everything" we said "like what? ANY examples of something?" .... nada.. so we said we needed a few minutes. Also, they have NO SALADS. No kachumber (seriously? you don't have tomatoes/onions/cucumbers?) Anyway, we eventually made our order. 30min later. Pappadums come out. On their own. And sit there for about 20min. We started to eat them on their own cuz we were so bored. Eventually I went out back to find the guy in the kitchen for condiments like chutney. And he brought those reluctantly. And everything afterwards was the same / just like pulling teeth. A tissue? 15min wait. Glass? 15min wait. We gave up eventually. Like... what is going on back there? We are slow eaters, but we were there for over 2 hours, and we probably saw the staff for about 5minutes in total. Curries took over an hour. Even paying the check I had to go out back to get the older guy and younger girl again. We wanted to just leave our phone numbers/walk out to make a point but felt bad. $70+. Seriously? After we paid the older guy and younger girl then came back into the restaurant and sat down, seemingly sweaty and stressed and tired from having had to make our food from scratch single handedly out back (I assumed!? Where else could they have been!?). We felt bad. But honestly they should just shut down the joint and work out of their houses. There's no point to have a venue really. I'd never return. There's just SO MANY better and cheaper and more fun options right down the road. But other people seemed to like their take out. So try it for yourself to see if their curry is worth twice the price as anywhere else. For us, it wasn't.

Holy god and lakshmi!…read more The food at this joint was absolutely delicious. The best Indian food I have had in ages. The food was beautifully presented in elegant little dishes. Super fresh, every bite better than the last, moist meats, moist rice, delicious sauces, the best samosa I have ever had. Really awesome food. A great discovery (yes, my partner told me about it and should take the credit!) It is BYO and there is a wine store right next door. A couple things might make it even better - the ambiance is nothing great. Bright lights and no music. Candles, less light, and some mood music would be awesome. Also, maybe the server could wear server clothes instead of street clothes - like all black or something. Just a few tips... But food was awesome. We were only one of two tables at peak hour on a Friday. I think they do more take away and delivery. But if the ambiance was improved that could change. We will found our new addiction

Food incredible. Best samosas and tandoori chicken. Decor, staff and BYO with cheap corkage is all…read morefantastic.

Hands down the best Indian food I have ever had in my GD life. We came on international women's day…read moreand we're given a free glass of champagne to celebrate, the tasting menu we ordered included two apps, three curries, rice, yogurt sauce and a side of Nan each. The meal was ended with a refreshing homemade icecream pop Each and every component was delicious and uniquely flavorful. The service was some of the best I've ever had , such kind and caring staff. I would come back to Melbourne solely to eat here

Our favourite curry place. Love railway lamb and butter chicken. Saffron rice, papadums with a…read moredelicious twist. We come here often and its consistently great. Dahl is also fantastic. Yum!!!

Definitely one of the best things to order here is the Railway Lamb curry. It is delicious and can…read morepack a spicy punch. I also rate the chicken skewers as being quite tasty. While I have never been to the restaurant, the home delivery service is good.

Great food, fair prices, Very friendly staff! We had a Thali with three curries and chicken tikka…read more All was fantastic, especially the garlic naan!

Blown away by this place. Killer Indian street food. Never had anything like it in the US. Flavor…read moreturned up to 11.

Discovering Ziyka few years ago was heavenly. This was one of the first places in Melbourne that…read moresatisfied my curry needs. They do set specials - rice and choice of 2 curries for $7.50 (or $7.80? Less than $8). At one point, they seem to have toned down on the spicy-ness of some of my favourite curries, much to my disappointment. However, when we went back recently, they were back to how we like it - strong flavours with that spicy kick. Love the chickpea curry paired with the lamb briyani- highly recommended. Tastes even better the day after (as with most curries). Portions are huge, which is a plus point for me as I takeaway what's leftover for my lunch/dinner the next day . Hey! Won't say 'no' to curry two days in a row. Great garlic naan too.

Looking for a no frills cheap place with quick service, satisfying food at affordable prices - look…read moreno further. Ziyka serves both Pakistani and Indian food but as the owners are Pakistani it makes no sense to order the usual indian dishes. The menu is extensive with so many to choose from that you must try some Pakistani cuisine. My friend and I ordered the chicken bharta which was large pieces of chicken in a peppery yoghurt gravy with fresh capsicum and onion Very peppery and mild. But delicious. The lamb saag with its creaminess and peppery flavour was definitely a winner. The garlic naan were super buttery with a massive helping of fresh mince garlic. So many strong flavours Table service is provided. Take away options available too.