Review Nelayan Indonesian Restaurant - Hawthorn

Good portion and good taste, authenthic Indonesian. I got mine ( choose your own ) for like 13$ and very full. If you like sambal you can take as much as you want. My partner get bakmi ayam also very good. We are happy customer!

Small place. Serves authentic Indonesian food. Mostly we eat choices from the bainmarie; rice with veg and/or meats. Staff friendly. Good serving size.

Their fresh meal selection is almost never a disappointment although I have had better Indonesian food in Melbourne. Not sure why, but their ala carte menu like their noodles, chicken, fried fish, etc is not up to my Indonesian taste standards. I had their Mie Ayam which was a disappointment tbh. But as I said, their homemade fresh dishes makes up for it. However, their Es Campur is definitely 5/5 though. Especially if you’re craving for some! As an Indonesian, I’m not too impressed with the quality of their food considering the chefs are Indonesian themselves. It lacks that true Indonesian taste, at least in my opinion. Overall a 4/5.

Super cheap food. $$/5 Reasonably good quality food. 🍲🍲🍲🍲/5 Service is not rude, but casual. 👨🏼‍💼👨🏼‍💼👨🏼‍💼/5 Establishment is needing a little maintenance. 🏢🏢🏢/5

The place is so much cleaner and newer, the food also delicious, fried chicken and rendang are a little tough tho.. but taste wise is yum! Always come back here from time to time..

Why do you keep increasing the price so much in short a period of time. I understand the inflation everywhere, however I will go find elsewhere. You have lost one good customer.

Curry chicken was quite nice.

Food was so good. Their Hawthorn location has been around for years, it's always been a reliable spot for a good Rendang.

3.5: Have been frequenting the hawthorn joint as well as the one in the city for many years. Flavours are good and the portions are generous. However, I’ve noticed that the food has been becoming increasingly salty, so much so that it’s overshadowing the flavours. Hope they address this.

I have loved Nelayan for years! Their bain marie is filled with eye popping authentic Indonesian dishes. They have the best rendang in town - always tender with melt in your mouth deliciousness. <br/>Always ask for the sambal on the side to ignite your taste buds and endorphins. <br/>On the weekend, they have a nice range of buns and cakes which are made with care and taste of home. My fave is their chocolate banana bun - real bananas are used, none of the fake stuff. <br/>The interior of the restaurant is starting to show its age but the food and always friendly top notch service make up for any negatives!

Dishes to try: Rendang<br/><br/>If you're Indonesian, you definitely know about this place. The rendang here is extremely delicious here. A must try. Rendang is Indonesian style beef stew in curry sauce. If you haven't tried rendang before, the rendang here is a good place to start. Unfortunately, the other dishes here is nothing special.<br/><br/>In addition, they do giblet dishes on most Sundays.

Taste wise this one is much better than the one in the cbd, and they have a lot of cakes, donuts and traditional indonesian cakes available, which i love!<br/>The food on the bain marie usually are similar they have fried chicken, stir fried veg and sometimes yellow rice. I enjoyed their food and their spacious dining place, the service are always fast and friendly, so def my to go place when i miss indonesian food.

Stumbled upon here while on our first date a few years ago. While the deco did not appear too appealing, I enjoyed what felt like authentic Indonesian food. Good economical option for those on the go. Been together with my date since

Use to frequent this eatery when I was a student as it was affordable. At one point the food got pretty bad as they started to slack off on flavours and got stingy with the portion. But it's not the case now, the flavours are good and the price are decent. Self-serve jugs of water ready to put out the fire with the spicy dishes. :) Beef Rendang...done in the way I like. Most places are too dry/too tough/too spicy. This rendang is spot on. I will be back for more rendang. And it would be nice if they just give a little more than a tiny scoop when it's good. :)

Need your fix of rice and rendang or ayam chicken- simple no frills hunger buster and comfort food. Simple seating but clean. Grab your food at the counter ordering the dishes on Bain Maries. If you are from Malaysia or Indonesia and you want a home cooked meal- this is as close as it gets.

It’s been more than a year since we last visited Nelayan Indonesian restaurant. We were a party of ten and granted it was Boxing Day (day after Christmas Day) the main cook maybe on holiday break. Most of us ordered nasi campur or Padang where you select 2-3 dishes from the spread available. Rice was soggy and most of the dishes had no flavour taste except too salty. Empet empet (fish cake dish) was the worst. Fried Fish cake was supposed to be spongy was very soft. the sauce which should be sweet, sour n tangy was just blend and sweet, no flavour at all. The sambal was the only saving grace. It was very disappointing because we love Indonesian food. Hope they will improve soon.

This was a suspiciously quiet place for Friday lunchtime but I tried it out anyway. The food here was good and reasonably priced. There's a good selection of meals you can order off the menu, or you can simply choose a rice with several pre-cooked meat or vegetable dishes.

Good for a quick fix of indo food but they are very tight on the beef rendang. And pretty much everything thing else except for the rice come to think of it. Taste wise 7/10. Usually we get the yellow rice with beef rendang, chicken currry, eggplant, egg and anchovies.

Im a regular customer of this restaurant because I love the beef and some of the food in the counter. I always order rice disk with 3 sides but I feel like Im being cheated. I just have really small serve for each side that make whole disk look less than even the dish with 2 sides. I really enjoy their dried beef so I order a box of dried beef for 7$ but as the same, the staff never take me a full box. This situation happen every single time when I was served by a lady with black glass with plaited hair. She mostly works on the weekends.

i am not indo but really love the food here. i took away different types of food and all of them are good especially kwetiau goreng and beef rendang, very authentic.Highly recomend for casual dinner. If $10 three dishes are not enough，recommending to order other dishes as well.

One of the longest standing Glenferrie Rd restaurants, Nelayan has consistently delivered tasty home style Indonesian dishes in a Bain Marie, or to be ordered separately. <br/>Good food in a plain atmosphere and perhaps the only place to get lunch under $10 left on Glenferrie Rd.

Good solid indonesian/indo-chinese food here with nice indonesian snacks on sale also here. Some dishes already on display canteen-style, so can come in for a quick meal. The tofu dish was nice as well as the veggie fritter. Wife had the vermicelli with meatball which was also nice.

Food at counter looks good, and for affordable price. I guess you can ask for as much rice as you want, don't forget they have the yellow rice option 😉. I ordered batagor too, fishball was okay but I wish they didn't fry the fried tofu to crisp. They're generous with the peanut sauce though!

Had a great night out here with friends. Staff were very friendly and spoke to us in Indonesian once they knew that we had been learning Indonesian recently. They accommodated our large-ish group by putting some tables together for us in the upper level of the split level dining room.<br/><br/>We all enjoyed our meals. I had the ‘kwetiau goreng’ with seafood (aka fried kwai teow) for $10 and it was freshly prepared and served piping hot. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also tasted the gadogado which was spicy, and the chicken satay skewers were nice too.<br/><br/>It’s definitely not a fancy place, it's like a take-away place with dine-in facilities, but it does have a little bit of added ambience with some cultural pictures/objects on the walls.

I went here with my family for my sister's birthday 🎉. We all got the rice with 3 dishes for $10. I got the eggplant, the spicy tofu and beef Randang. At first I thought they were a bit tight with the servings but I found it was more then it looked like. The eggplant and randang were both delicious but the tofu was the best of the 3. I was especially happy that the eggplant was the consistency I like, I like my eggplant really soft. As much as we enjoyed the food, there were quite a few small complaints that added up that made eating here a bit less enjoyable. For a start it was a warmish day but it was very stuffy inside, they just needed the air con on low for a bit. A lot of the tables weren't wiped properly. When we ordered I saw ox tongue satay skewers advertised on the wall, I told Dad to order them and somehow they got confused and gave us ox tail soup, when I said we ordered satay ox tongue skewers the man brought the lady over and I explained to her what we ordered. She came back with satay chicken skewers, at this point we couldn't be bothered explaining about the ox tongue so we ate the chicken ones, they tasted very nice but the chicken was a bit dry. I saw in photos that they had a large array of Indonesian sweets and I was excited about having some Indonesian sweets but the sweet section had nothing. As much as we enjoyed the food some people might complain that's it's not spicy enough, I'm not meant to be eating really spicy food so I didn't mind. Despite the stuff up with the skewers the staff were nice enough. I'd probably come back with friends or family for a cheap feed.

Went there this evening to try and really wish I hadn't.<br/><br/>I told the serving girls i was really hungry and needed a large serving. She explained i can get it. I wanted the rice with four dishes. She said not a problem.<br/><br/>She then ask which rice i would like. I asked what is the difference. She explain yellow had got coconut. So i chose that. <br/><br/>Nice trick because now i can only have three of the four dishes i had already agreed to order. She did not mention. She then proceed to serve stingy serves on a plate of rice. So, stupidly i paid for the extra dish now no longer included and ate the food only to feel slightly full.<br/><br/>At this point i look up the restaurant. Arijit Das recommended to try the chicken with fresh green chilies.<br/><br/>So i take his advice and order this dish. I even showed the serving girl Arijits review on this site. The chicken came out. Nothing special. But there is no fresh chilli. Just some generic chilie sauce.<br/><br/>At this point i should have just asked for my money back. In total i ended up paying nearly $30 for this pathetic barely warm food. On top of it all i find a black hair. Disgusting! <br/><br/>The staff smiled over the rice trick. They smile about the serving sizes. They smile about the chilie sauce in place of the fresh green chilies. They smile about the hair in the food. Will not be back any time.<br/><br/>If you like indonesian food i recommend Dapur Indo Indonesian restaurant in Clayton. 10 times better food quality and 1000 times better service.

I used to be a regular Nelayan visitor a few years ago when I lived at Hawthorn. While some dishes might not suit all taste buds - I must say the king of the dishes is the Ayam Bakr (grilled chicken) with lots of green chillies! A burst full of flavour in your mouth! It's an enormous favourite with Indonesian students - apparently its closest to home cooked meals! Well worth a try!

Stopped by for lunch as saw a crowd and thought that it must be good. I ordered the 3 combination as thought that was the best deal for 10 dollars however I feel cheated. All I had was a huge plate of rice, some tofu, one piece of chicken and one egg. Pretty expensive and not that great tasting.

Last month for a serve of meatball noodles we got 4 meatballs, this week we were served 2. Asked the lady at counter and shown a photo of last month's meal there. She proceed to borrow the friend's phone to show kitchen. An older lady came out and said discrepancy was caused by different chefs working (original had gone for holiday) AND said we usually serve 3 meatballs with noodles. Um what?? I'm sorry but this is a business, you take customers' money then you should be able to provide consistency in your dishes. 2 normal size meatballs and clear noodles for $10 is a rip off. Broth tasted really bland, it was like hot water, oil, pinch of salt no beef flavours coming through. We should've gone to a pho joint :/ 2 stars instead of 1 for the front of house, the young lady at cashier was apologetic and friendly.

I like Indonesian foods, and Nelayan always be my choice whenever I'm craving for Indonesian foods.. It is shame that the staff is lack of training because when I decide to buy take away for $6 box she only give me a little portion and compare to the $3 one it does not have any difference.. I can say this because I used to go to the Nelayan city so compare to City Store (swanston street), this store is bad.. Just go at Swanston Street.. Much More Convenience

Quick and easy ....<br/><br/>It's more like a quick journey back home to Indonesia without that 7 hr flight to Jakarta and harandous airport parking charges. Although parking can be difficult along Glenferrie Road.<br/><br/>Good clean interior, nothing fancy, semi Take Away style and pleasant service.<br/><br/>Foodwise, check out the Bain Marie, around $10/meal or order from the Kitchen.<br/>Always enjoyed their Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice), Ketoprak (Jakarta style Gado-Gado) or Sate Ayam (Chicken Satay)<br/><br/>Enjoy ....

I was craving for food from the land where I came from, and after not visiting Nelayan CBD for a very long time I thought Id give this outlet a try. Had rice with curry chicken, sambal fish, and vegetable tofu. Love the sambal fish for its flavour, love the coriander seeds tinge on the curry, and love the tofu as it was cooked in soup that smells straight out of meatball pushcart in neighbourhood Jakarta. Had the Soto Babat, not as rich as back home but was really really happy with the comfort bowl of deliciousness I rarely find anywhere else. Fried noodles were decent but the chicken can be cooked a little better. Will come back for more!

My Indonesian friend took me here because the food is authentic and he said as delicious as back home. It needs some serious renovation and the staff are so nice I wish I could renovate it for them so they might attract more customers. <br/>This Nelayan is much better than the outlet with the same name in the city. It has a different menu and better flavours. <br/>If you order off the menu have a look at Sop Batat for something authentically Indo.

Had lunch here today; yellow rice, eggplant, dried beef, rendang, chicken loaf... wow so damn good. Very legit and authentic Indo food with homemade vibes. 7/10.

Good as a fast Asian restaurant. They don't have a lot of nice proper noodle or rice dishes but they do have a hot food section where you can get your food immediately. Not all are fried so that's good if you're in a rush and don't want to go maccas.

Cheap, real Indonesian food! Yes its in baine maries but I still love it even though its far from my styles of fine dining! Dont forget to ask for the Nasi Kuning on weekends :-)

It's cheap and real food<br/><br/>Nice staff but it's very simple and there isn't service<br/><br/>Enak bangat home style indo<br/><br/>Don't expect much and your going to be happy

Have found that their food quality has vastly improved. Where their rendang was chewy on occasions in the past, it's now always tender. There are also more varieties to be had and each of them are yumz. Moreover they also make great kueh and desserts. Very generous portions that always satisfies. Yellow rice available on Saturday and Sunday.

This doesnt represent the true Indonesian foods!!. As an Indonesian, the only good thing from this place is the chili paste. Other than that, their fried and grilled chicken are just okay, and I tried the satay which does not taste anything like satay in my country.

Had lunch there this arvo, ordered 2 combination - rice and 2 dishes. the size is getting smaller and smaller. It used to be more generous. Taste was ok. But it used to be better.

Great Indonesian Experience. Great Padang style Indonesian restaurant. Basic decor and setup like you would find in Indonesia.<br/><br/>Pros: Cheap meals, large Indonesian customer base, friendly staff and good menu.<br/><br/>Cons: Size of portions can vary depending on staff serving you. Padang "bain marie" dishes can slightly vary depending on day.

Food is much better here than the city shop. Great quality Indonesian meal for under $10. Portion sizes vary depending on how small the person is serving you, but still a big enough feed. Food can be a little too oily at times, but that is a very Indonesian way of having it. I'll be back.

Does Shappelle eat like this?. Friday! Long day, hungry. Where to go. Can't decide. Suggestion? Indonesian. Hmm, why not. So we walk in and I'm a little concerned about the bay marie. Let's not judge it too quickly. So, I walk up and the staff grab a plate of rice and ask me what I want. I chose the Chilli Eggplant, Chilli Beef and Beef Rendang. The bill for 2 people was $19 (NO that's not each, $19 in total) for a big dinner. The food was incredible! I will be back, probably very often.

I've been coming here consistency for 20 years. The serving size can be inconsistent. Combination is great value at $10. Very tasty good. Thank you.

Amazing. High quality food, very cheap and somewhat overly friendly staff

A little Salty for me. This place used to be good. But for some reason the quality has drop as the food is kinda salty and i needed to drink so much water after...

Tasteless. Nelayan has to review their taste, it was better couple years back.. now everything tasteless..

Canteen. Been there few times but never happy with the quality of dishes. Price was cheap and food presentation wasn't good enough. Feels like dinning in a canteen instead of restaurant.

Decent, cheap food. Does take away and eat in. Atmosphere not great.