Review Lakshmi Vilas - Dandenong

The food was good and tasted like homemade food. The staff are also friendly and courteous. The price is also reasonable and worth the money. The menu mostly has the vegetarian dishes from Southern India. So for any vegetarian lover who wants to enjoy the taste of Southern Indian dishes, then I would recommend this place.

If you want to enjoy genuine South Indian cuisine like masalah dossa and other delicious dishes, must visit Lakshmi Villas. Lakshmi is goddess of wealth.

If you want to enjoy homely south Indian feeling taste please visit this place. Never expect a posh experience but you can enjoy more than that from this nice and small restaurant. Very friendly staff and they serve lots of pure vegetarian foods. Lots of parking area and easy access to restaurant.

Ordered a RAVA masala dosa for take out. It was tasty. Despite being told by few people that lakshmi villas is not good I still went ahead and tried it out. I enjoyed it this time. Unfortunately forgot to take a photo but it was packed with foil wrap as a proper circular masala dosa. Tasty sambar and chutney too. I didn’t give 5 star cos the filling could’ve been a bit more. It was in only half the dosa. Overall, tasty!!

Worst experience in a veg restaurant. Ordered masala dosa and vada. They served no chutney and when asked, they said its over. Instead they served watery mint chutney straight from fridge. Vada too is very cold and atleast 2 days old..

Highly Recommended! Food tastes like home cooked meals. Staffs are friendly. Always follows special instructions. Fair price, good portion. Thank you.

I really cannot recommend this place enough. This is my go to South Indian restaurant. Great cheap vegetarian South Indian food with excellent service.

Best vegetarian healthy food,,Malini is always helpful and kind... reasonable prices...home cooked taste

Lakshmi Vilas<br/>4.9/5<br/>Homely food<br/>Great value for money<br/>Vegetarian<br/>If you are too hungry and not in a mood to cook, make a quick run and come back home. Worth the money. Must try.<br/>Will go there again. 😊

Located in Dandenong near the plaza, this modest eatery us plenty of parking available for patrons. <br/><br/>We tried Mysore masala dosa, Medhu wada sambar and filter coffee.<br/><br/>The Mysore masala was slight disappointment given it was soggy and not the quite Mysore masala one often eats in India.<br/><br/>Medhu wada was good, crispy, sambar was well spiced and serving was sumptuous.<br/><br/>Filter coffee was good.<br/><br/>Revisit: May be

Discovered this thanks to Zomato. While the restaurant may look a little unassuming and could use a makeover, the food was an absolute delight and was priced very reasonably. I enjoyed the masala dosa in particular, crispy with a potatoey filling packed with flavours. If you love Indian vegetarian food, this place is certainly worth a visit. I will definitely come back again!

The shop is very simple. The food was excellent. <br/><br/>I had their special for the day which is the Veg briyani and I was pleasantly surprised. It was full of flavor and just the right amount of spicy-ness. Presentation wise, it could be better but I was just blown away with how good it tasted that I did not even mind. <br/><br/>I usually don’t finish my food but I devoured this dish. So happy I decided on this place. Good job team! 👏🏽

Delicious meals.. nicely served on the plate 😊 little bit busy in the weekend. Foods are worth for the money that you spend. Bt the service is bit poor.

friendly staffs! this place reminds me of South India...great quality food for decent price! love it ..ordered thali food was hot and delicious...payasam was very nice! I felt like I was in India ❤️

Good South Indian Vegetarian Food. Pleasant staff adds value to the taste. Recommended for Vegetarians if you are in the area. I ordered 3 types of dosa and liked the Podi Masala Dosa most.

Delicious authentic Indian cuisine! I ordered the combo special for $12. Great price for the amount of food I got, very filling. I fell in love with the coconut chutney, it was delicious. The service was quick and the staff were pleasant. Would definitely visit this place again if I'm ever over that side of Melbourne again.

Outstanding masala dosas. Lovely staff great price...…

Best Dosa this side of Chennai. The mysore masala Dosa is the go to, however, the thali is also a good choice. Accompanying your meal could be a mango lassi or chai.

Beautiful authentic Indian food. Good for value too. Friendly service. Love the spice. Unexpectedly clean environment. Very family friendly. 5 stars

Amazing food! The dosa, poori and pongal tasted authentic. And what's more - you get coconut chutney which is kind of a rarity. Will definitely revisit.

Highly recommend! Everything is fresh and delicious- so reasonably priced too. Very friendly staff and quick service. Masala dosa is super tasty and the thali of the day looked amazing. Will come back for sure.

Stumbled upon this gem with my boyfriend and was beyond blown away by the authentic and homey flavours present in the food (even my meat-loving boyfriend was satisfied and pleasantly surprised by the wonderful tastes of Indian vegetarian cuisine) , was extremely reasonably priced for the amount of food we received, tucked away and private, wish it was more popular! Definitely would recommend, looking forward to the next time I can drop by.

Lakshmi Vilas has been our favourite dosa restaurant for many years. It is in the heart of 'little india' ie Dandenong. Catered totally for Indians and not us Westerners. It is a perfect South Indian veg restaurant. Don't expect sweet creamy butter paneer here. Everything is spicy sour salty and full of coconut. Just as it should be. It even has the 'hand wash' basin right next to the eating tables. You really feel like you are in India!!<br/><br/>Dosas are perfect as are the wadas which are super light and crisp on the outside. <br/><br/>Run all by women it has a beautiful relaxed and clean atmosphere.

Good value of meal.... $12 a combo meal.... cannot ask for more. It's one of the best vegetarian restaurant I knew so far. I 100% coming back for a delicious meal 👍👍👍👍👍

Really good Vegetarian food so Authentic its like mums cooking because its made with love and its home style. The thali is the stand out as well as the dosas so good!

Really authentic dosas. The ladies cooking the food are cooking it with love and feels like you're eating at a mothers home rather than a restaurant . Keep up the great work!

Best place to o have vegetarian food with good value....<br/><br/>Love to go there again and again and again.....<br/><br/>Strongly recommend to everyone especially those who love vegetarian food....

Looks South Indian and they serve AVERAGE South Indian.<br/><br/>On the day I went in, the chef was a Gujrati woman and SERIOUSLY, SHE WAS DAY DREAMING while cooking. The dosa was pathetic and the lady, I hope no longer is there. <br/><br/>Avoid this place if they serve this CRAP. Not worth the $$, unless they seriously improve.

One word: DELICIOUS!! We could not believe how cheap this place was, yet portion sizes were HUGE! We got the masala dosa meal that came with a vada (lentil fritter), idli, a dosa filled with creamy potato curry, a chutney, rasam (south indian soup like gravy) and a mango lassi for $11. We also got the punjabi thali for $12 (came with this beautiful chickpea curry accompanied with fluffy bread, potato curry, mung bean curry, 2 dahi vadas (lentil fritters with yoghurt sauce), rice and a sweet(best gulab jamun we've had btw!) Highly recommend this little gem of a place to everyone. The food was so amazing that even one of the strictly non-vegetarian frugal cats enjoyed it immensely :3

The best curries I have ever had and such friendly staff, and amazing prices! Definitely worth checking out, they are not nearly busy enough for how good their food is.

Oh my god. This is the best vegetarian ever the potato curry is incredible. I love this place. I literally couldn't stop smiling because this place made my belly so happy... Amazing 10/10, will definitely return.

Excellent South Indian (plus a few North Indian e.g. samosas) food. Friendly staff, good lassi and masala dosa. Prices are very reasonable too. Very clean kitchen also. The lime rice with cashews is highly recommended.

Lakshmi Villas is somewhat of an institution in Dandenong and has been lauded for years for its cheap and authentic South Indian cuisine. At any given time in the day, it appears that this alcove of vegetarian cuisine is bustling with people of all walks of life and the kitchen is working like a production line pushing out dish after dish.The food here is consistent, affordable and authentic which guarantees a steady stream of patrons and the large contingent of Indian diners indicates that the food must be spot-on. (Pro-tip: If there is a large crowd of people of the same nationality as the restaurant's cuisine then the food's authenticity is likely to be fairly accurate).We didn't have much time to dawdle so we opted for the trusted Thali Special ($10) and the Lunch/Dinner Special ($8) with steamed rice, papadum and a selection of three vegetarian curies each, while the Thali came with an additional chappathi, yoghurt and...

Really tasty food, especially the dosa. I love that restaurant. It's full of locals and you can taste the real Indian flavor. The staff was really polite.

The quality never wavers. Favourites are the Masala Dosa, Samosa, Lassi, Lunch Thali and the Lemon Rice. Reasonable prices and ever-friendly staff too. A consistent winner for us.

this is an authentic south indian cafe, delicious food with all the quality ingredients and all cooking are from the scratch! different curries everyday, particular special menu for the weekend such as Chat, Panjabi Thali or occasional special combo such as Channa Betura, Kalyana Thali, and etc.<br/>this cafe is fairly small, it can be very crowded when it busy. but, to have all the delicious food it worth for a wait. usually won't be too long as its a fast-pace cafe.<br/><br/>at this coming 7th Nov 15, on sat, they are going to have 'The Good Food' festival at the shop. its a privilege for the people who booked online with bringing ticket/s. <br/>four session from 11am-7pm, 2 hours/session and all you can eat!<br/>its a good chance to experience their Indian wedding feast,if you have not been experienced before.  dress up like you are attending to an indian wedding and have your beautiful Kalyana Thali.<br/><br/>check it out from they Facebook page. and book it now before too late :)

Was very busy when we got there and seemed like the staff were a bit confused about what was going on. However the food came out quickly and was tasty. The food was 7/10 - I would like it a bit more aromatic and spicy. Would highly recommend nevertheless. Great Indian food.

Been going to Lakshmi Vilas for around 15 years (including the Glen Waverley and Preston outlets which are now closed). Ultra-tasty South Indian food, really can't praise it enough. Good prices. It's very casual dining, but if that suits the occasion, no problems.

This is the cheapest lunch you will ever have! Usually cheap = nasty but this is not the case. Everything was good. Brilliant Indian food at a really good price.

Had heard of this place and decided to stop here for lunch while we were in Dandenong. Great decision. It was the best South Indian food I have had in Melbourne. It's honest and down to earth with even more honest prices, even after being in existence for 18 years. . $9 for a wholesome and tasty vegetarian Thali. <br/>This restaurant is leagues better than most of the Indian restaurants out here, serving their fake versions of Indian food. The dosas and idlis and fresh and the sambhar and chutneys are excellent, a great indicator of a good South Indian restaurant. <br/>Would travel to Dandenong just for a meal here. <br/>

Simple yet delicious food. Authentic home style cooking. Simple, uncluttered menu that does not want to bring the whole of India to Dandenong! Intelligently, the restaurant brings s few key dishes from both the north and South India. This may not be a fine dining restaurant but if anyone wants a basic tutorial on simple home cooked food, you can't go wrong. I like it and will be back again.

Definitely the lovely lady that took the trouble to advise which dishes has no onion garlic and she made up a set dinner on the spot giving us a special price. Feel like I have come home to have dinner. Definitely will come back for the dosa, it's yummy.

For a simple, affordable, tasty lunch I was happy. Service was friendly and when I said I was vegan, the woman there told me what my options were. The cafe was very busy as it was lunch hour but I didn’t have to wait long at all. Lots of people were coming in to pick up take away orders. Although it is unlikely I will visit Dandenong again (I don’t have friends or family around there and it is an hour drive from where I live), I would happily head back to Lakshmi Vilas if I was in that part of town. I’m very much looking forward to eating more leftovers tomorrow.

Great Value for great tasting Indian food. I have been going to this restaurant for over 10 years and have never been disappointed.

YUM! and so well priced. Found this little treasure today traipsing through Dandenong. Stopped for lunch - so delicious. Dahl was my favourite. Will be back!

Hjkl. Went to Lakshmi with some friends to try out some south indian veg - really nice food at a good price, would go again

Delicious food and lovely people!. Hubby had the Punjabi thali while I had the rawa masala dosa. <br/><br/>Both were delicious, and they were so kind and accommodating.<br/><br/>Definitely the place to go when you feel like going meatless.<br/><br/>Great value for money too!

Great value and amazing food!!!! Love the masala dosa

YUM. Such a great place for vegetarian and i think meat eaters will love it too hehe! They were very helpful as i didnt know what all the menu items were. I ended up getting a dosa (which looks like crepe), the coconut sauce it came with and chutney! cant wait to go back

Authentic & Delicious. Fantastic value traditional South Indian fare. Friendly staff and quick service. The dosas and samosas are our favourites, but the lassi (yoghurt drink) is very good too (just the right amount of sweetness).

Just yum!. We went to Lakshmi in Glen Waverley for years and then it vanished. After all this time we remembered hearing about the one in Dandenong and made the trip out there, so glad we did. The food was every bit as good, was served fast by friendly lady and was plentiful and tasty. We both had the special thali meals and lassis, and next time want to try the iddli and some other tasty bits. Fantastic value for money and eating with our hands feels so right! Good work Lakshmi people and thank you!

This place my be little but the food is big. Big in flavor and portion size. Went there to day with husband and 20 month old son. We love everything about the whole experience. We were the only westerners there , it was great. Can't wait to head back there.

Nice Indian food from down South. Visit sometimes with family. <br/>Tasty food, kids like it too. Sometimes the place can be very busy and wait too long - it's a shame they do not reserve tables over phone !<br/>None the less, the wait is worth the experience.<br/>Off we go again . .

The best south Indian food in Melbourne. Even better taste than Banyan tree... Must go place to have authentic chennai taste...

Masala Me!. I remember this place when it was in a side-street somewhere in Glen Waverley and I went there with a mentor who had been a doctor in Fiji in the seventies.....surely this can't be the same place? They added meat to the menu then it went awry. <br/><br/>Anyhow. What a Dhosa! Makes me wonder why we don't eat all food with our hands. This is superb. Then next door for a bit of shopping and some Bollywood film. Melbourne isn't such a bad place.

Best masala dosa I've had in Melbourne- fresh, not too oily and TASTY!

Maybe better than ever. I want to preface this review by saying I used to eat at Lakshmi Vilas regularly in the late nineties with a friend who was going through a 4 year vego stage. It was great back then very filling and interesting flavours. We always had the masala dosa.<br/>On Saturday I went back with the fam for (you guessed it) a masala dosa. It is slightly different, but I think even better. The pancake has more potato filling and is cooked up with heaps of onions. The dips are a thin dahl gravy and a coconut dahl. And instead of a thicker dahl they now give you a steamed dumpling to dip in the gravy. The savoury donut is still a winner too. It still comes served with a lassi too.<br/>One cool thing is that you eat with your hands and are somewhat encouraged to. There is even a place to wash up before and after the meal. We are by no means expert at eating with our hands and sometimes had to bring to spoon in for tricky parts, but it is fun and makes the whole experience seem cultural. We were the only westerners in the restaurant.<br/>Anyway the family loved it too and we may become semi regulars again.<br/>It was super busy too, when we ordered I thought we might have to eat standing up. Luckily the lady who clears the tables saved one for us as another group left.

$6 for a masala dosa mmmmmhhhhmmmm. Was very happy. Coconut chutney was my favorite but the sambal and iddlys were nothing special. All the curries were tasty, had to take some home too. I'm not vegetarian and still enjoyed all the food washed down with a lassi just lovely. Atmosphere was very casual but the friendly service made up for the less than perfect decor. Will definatly be back when I'm on that side of town :)

Ace!. I have no real reason to go to Dandenong anymore, as it's a bit out of my way, but if I I did I would have to go back here. Really tasty food and excellent value for money. Hm, getting hungry...

Tiffins & Thalis. Lakshmi Vilas is a casual eatery dishing up vegetarian Indian fare hailing from both the North & South. The menu includes thalis, which are literally plates laden with rice, various vegetable based curries, dhal & accompaniments such as rasam (a South Indian soup) as well as yoghurt & chapathi. There are also combination meals built around dosas (a thin crispy crepe made using a fermented batter of rice flour and ground black lentils) or you can simply order any of the various elements individually.<br/><br/>The combination meal I selected included a masala dosa, an iddli, vada & a drink all for $9.50. The masala dosa was pretty good, with a generous filling of spiced potato and the iddli was particularly light with a wonderful coconut taste. The vada on the other hand, was a bit of a letdown, lacking the requisite crisp exterior. I'm fairly sure the vada are prepared in advance & held in the bain-marie, hence they lack that freshly fried crunch. Nevertheless, the accompanying sambar was amongst the tastiest I've encountered, and the coconut based chutney was also respectable.<br/><br/>Don't be discouraged by the vegetarian factor, as there's a nice assortment of tasty options on offer, and you're likely to depart with change from $10.