Review Magic Mint Cafe - Moonee Ponds

I've been going to Magic for about 10 years. Literally every time it has been amazing. The staff are super lovely and the food is delicious. Everything tastes the same as it did when I first started going. Amazingly consistently tasty. My favourite indian in Melbourne.

Great place for lunch with good deals. Very tasty Indian dishes and the naan bread is fresh out of the oven. I had the chicken and and lamb curry, both very delicious and filling with the naan. Bring an Indian friend and they can tell you about each dish as I didn’t know anything going by the names or just google it.

One word to describe magic mint, "consistency". Great service, clean & pleasant ambience, good food that tastes ever consistent over the years. I'm emphasizing so much because consistency is very rare when it comes to indian restaurants. I'll bet on that.

Came here for dinner on the day I was vegetarian. We ordered the Samosa chat which was ok. A bit dry to my liking. As mains was Kadai Paneer which was tasty. Ordered two types of bread which was soft and nice. Order another curry if there two people. Portions are small. Would be back for their non vegetarian stuff. 6/10.

Got take away here on a weekday. Ordered the chicken vindaloo and the Kashmiri naan. The curry was good with more chicken than expected. The naan bread was however a bit of surprise as it’s quite different to what I used to have. Not sure what the bright red thing is and the naan lacks the fluffiness I was looking for in naan bread. I might go back but not for the naan bread.

Authentic Indian food set in a relaxing atmosphere. Waitress was very polite. Had a Korma with rice it was superb. Dishes fill you up. I would recommend this restaurant

Magic Mint has been closed at least since April 2022 according to the notices on the shopfront. The premises are up for lease, so do not attempt to come to the physical store.

Enjoyed a wonderful set menu for lunch for $29. Three entrees followed by butter chicken and a lamb curry with rice and garlic naan. We couldn’t fit in dessert despite it being included in the price.

My score 3.75 stars. J and I had lunch here on Tue 16th of July. Woman serving us was nice - interior was ok, pretty dark – dark tables, etc (it was a wet dim day). We asked for water which was brought to the table.<br/><br/>We both had their Lunch special. I had Fish curry ($15.90) - standard was mild-med (at the mild end). I should have asked for medium+ (but forgot). The fish was moist and tender – very good. Curry was good, but next time I would get it spicier. <br/><br/>J had Aloo Matter Paneer ($14.90) - Potato, peas and cottage cheese (also pretty mild). Cheese was nice and soft, peas good, even spud was pretty good. Sauce was drier than the fish curry but it was tasty. We both preferred the fish dish.<br/><br/>Presentation of both was quite nice! They came with a papadum – nice, much thicker than I’m used to and I liked that! <br/>A reasonable sized, soft and fluffy naan, which had nice butter on it – one of the better one’s we’ve had in quite a while. <br/>A yellow Dhal soup – very nice, dunked my naan into it. <br/>Plus rice, which was ok - not the longest grained basmati we’ve have had (but at least it wasn’t dry like some places). <br/>Lastly a drink was also included (alc or non-alc) - we opted for a glass of the house white each (unwooded Chard – which was passable and went ok with the food)… <br/><br/>When shopping up this way again, we’ll return sometime for a spicier version of the Fish Curry…

Being the last customer of the day and still we were served with lots of love. I must definitely mention they have wonderful staffs. I called up and booked table for 4, 1 infant and 1 toddler. <br/>We had chicken Momo: I felt the dough to be thick and not happy with chutney served. I’m happy with the roti, garlic naan with chicken tikka Masala. My friends did enjoy the chicken biriyani, spinach chicken & roti. Beautiful calm decor, friendly staffs and good food. I’m definitely coming back when someone requests indian food..

Quiet atmosphere, clean restaurant. Delicious food! Value for money and quality of food is brilliant. Indian food in our local town doesn’t compare so we travel here !

Excellent food and always excellent service! <br/><br/>The menu is extensive and we have never had a bad meal here over the last four years of regular visits.<br/><br/>I just wish they did delivery!!! :)

Ordered takeaway last night. Butter chicken, lamb Rohan josh, saffron rice, garlic naan & chicken tikka. All were delicious, generous amount of protein. The butter chicken was very delicious! Will definitely be back!

Butter chicken that was excellent and well balanced which I would definitely return for, the tandoori chicken was very disappointingly dry and the beef vindaloo was dry, had plenty of spice but lacked depth of flavour that you would expect from a great curry. The Naan was quite oily but tasty nonetheless. Sides of mixed pickle were on the softer side but they had this incredible tamarind chutney which was to die for ! Service was lovely however not convinced I will return.

Loved this place when I was working in the area. Friendly staff, nice spot for lunch or dinner. The lunch special was especially god value and tasty to boot. No hesitations in recommending this place.

I've been frequenting this excellent eatery for more than two years and have always been very pleased with the quality of both food and service here.

Magic mint is one of the good Indian restaurants around Moonee Ponds area - the atmosphere is good. Biriyani and Prawn dishes are specially enjoyable.

It's been a long time since we have been here with our friends simply because we live on the other side of the city from it but I remember it being great value for money and very yummy.

One of the best curry place around the area. Very good food. Atmosphere of the restaurant itself is average, but we had reasonable service. The butter chicken was very nice, flavor was tangy which I liked in a butter chicken. Perhaps a little bit much for some. Strangely the poppadom itself was not quite as flavorsome as expected. Price is ok, perhaps slightly on the pricy side.<br/><br/>Mukka at Fitzroy is my favorite Indian place in Melbourne, it still is. But this is good enough for me to when I want something closer to home.

DINNER <br/><br/>Great Indian food, crap waitress. Not ideal for big groups and kids, more couples and smaller groups of adults. Loved all the food, it's the best in Moonee Ponds for Indian cuisine. Glad we went here and would go back again.

Loved this place. The food was simply delicious and inexpensive. The ambience was not a highlight but if you're after a quick evening meal that delights try this place. BYO wine always helps and a small corkage fee applies. Highly recommended.

Lamb Vindaloo has good portions of meat which are tasty and tender. The spice of the dish is very balanced while having enough kick. Worth a try if you haven't already

It's a quaint little restaurant on Hall street in Moonee Ponds. It's our go-to place on weekends after grocery shopping. A little pricey compared to other Indian restaurants but the lunch special for 15$ is worth it.<br/><br/>You get amazingly light and soft nan, rice, a hearty simple dal as accompaniments with a choice of a veg/ non-veg curry. And both of these are pretty good. I generally order the aloo matar paneer and my husband orders the chicken curry. Really tasty!<br/>Homely food, good staff and good, clean decor as well.<br/>They do have biryani lunch specials as well for those who crave rice :)

The place is good with very friendly staff but taste of food is average. We had ordered for butter chicken along with a large rice for two. The quantity of rice was not sufficient for us and we had to order another plate if rice. The butter chicken had a dominant sweet and sour flavour which if a bit less would have improved the taste greatly.

Lovely customer service and the food was ready in no time! Samosas, garlic naan & the Malai Kofta were absolutely delicious! The Chicken Tikka Masala sauce was very different than expected but still enjoyed the taste.

Quick takeaway, full of flavour. Good service. Expect a lot of sauce. Would go back again. Friendly people. No delivery as per the zomato app

Great little restaurant with high quality Indian food. The lunch menu is great value and decent quantity. The staff are friendly and service is prompt. Usually get the butter chicken or fish curry which is never a let down.

It's a nice Indian Resturant, staff very hospitable. Seekh kabab was tasty , tried standard Butter chicken ( asked for a bit spicy - turned out pretty Hot 🌶). Indian style Chicken Dimsums were yummy too .

Ordered some take away from Magic mint. Had to wait for more than expected😡. <br/>Naan was burnt and butter chicken sauce was watery had more sauce than chicken pieces. Will never come back🙄🙄

Ordered takeaway from here and was not disappointed! The food was some of the best curry I've ever tasted, and I've been to India! Butter chicken was creamy and flavoursome, with perfectly cooked chicken! Lamb rogan josh was packed full of flavour. Service was friendly and prompt. Only downside is the price was quite high considering the serving size, but the taste almost makes up for this! Delicious!

We are new to the area and this is the first Indian restaurant we have tried. We ordered what we would normally order which was the chicken jalfrezi, chilli chicken and dhal makhani. Dhal was pretty tasty but the jalfrezi was nothing special and the chilli chicken was terrible. It was in some weird sweet Chinese sauce. I guess we will keep hunting until we find a good Indian restaurant in the local area.

Really good Indian food! I normally get the lamb korma as the curry has a nice taste filled with lovely spices and the meat can sometimes be tender and sometimes can be tough. Staff are nice and atmosphere is welcoming. Also the garlic naan is delicious.

Best Indian in the area by far. Would be great if they delivered via MenuLog like their competitors. It's the only time I cheat on them. Big thumbs up

Good food, great sauces. No more free delivery which sucks but worth the drive there. Best Indian around by far. Never go elsewhere. Service is good too.

We nearly missed this place due to the unexpected signage - but the aroma......Mmmmmmm...<br/><br/>The staff were really friendly and showed us to our seats. The menu, water and papadams arrived a few moments later. We opted for the tandoori platter (lamb kebab, lamb cutlet, tandoori chicken, chicken tikka) for entree and the chicken tikka, hot beef traditional curry and chicken tikka for main with a serve or saffron rice and coconut rice. Oh - and a pear cider.<br/><br/>The entree came out in minutes on a sizzle plate! So fast!! Food was faultless!!<br/><br/>The mains came out 30min later. Chicken was great. Beef packed some real punch!!! Yummo! And rice was great too.<br/><br/>We were the 3rd diners there. By the time we left there were no free tables. Great food - bit the time between meals was a tad a long.<br/><br/>Thanks Magic Mint! :-)

The worst indian ever, specially the Buter Chicken. There was no taste it was totally bland 🙄🙄 which made its tastes really different. Naan bread was soggy. At last not going back there.

Very good local place for Indian food.<br/>Service is fantastic. Beautiful food presentation.<br/>Grill cheese was nice and special. Never try this dish in any Indian restaurant.<br/>Will come back for sure.

Great place for a casual, quick Indian fix. Love how caring the staff were, and the curry was amazing!

Disappointing. 3 of us went to MMC on Saturday night. Our table was around the corner behind the bar. Unfortunately, there was a storage cupboard and fridge which could only be accessed by the staff continually moving behind our chairs. The service was very, very slow. It took almost an hour to get our main courses. At one stage the police arrived and asked for a copy of the liquor licence and the staff were running around madly looking for it - in the storage cupboard behind our table!! The food itself was quite good, but the atmosphere was terrible.

Their lunch special is unbeatable! Never had a bad meal here - it's always been tasty with generous servings (especially for the price). Service is fantastic.

Magic Mint was extremely good. We went on a Friday night and it was full by 7 so you may want to book. Butter chicken and Daal were excellent. Good atmosphere with great service. Definitely worth a try.

Always very friendly and welcoming when we have been here. The appetisers are great and the butter chicken is one of the best going around!! <br/>

Sean. What a rubbish.. disappointed with food and service.

Very nice Indian food. I have been looking for a long time throughout Melbourne for a good butter chicken and I have found it at Magic Mint! The quality of the chicken and the flavour of the sauce were excellent. I will be back. Thank you!

LOVED IT. I have never eaten Indian before... We absolute loved it all! the food was delicious and not to spicy. the staff were also very nice. we will be back for sure.

ut the food was great and reasonably priced, and most likely we will be back. After all, it’s in Moonee Ponds. Waaahoooooooo!!!

Magic Is a good Indian located in monnee ponds. One of the better value establishments at the ponds and that doesn't say much for the rest, who are overpriced and to be honest not very nice. No complaints about this place, food is nice, sauces are flavoured, portions apart from the meat itself( bit on the small side) are good. Probably one of the best restaurants in the area. Been living in this area for a number of yrs and all the rest are overpriced and don't offer value for money. E.g why would you pay 22 dollars for a Vietnamese that costs 12 on sydney road?

Lamb bhuna takeaway. Bought a lamb bhuna with saffron rice and a garlic nan tonight for dinner. Lamb bhuna very very bland, no real flavour, disappointed

Excellent vegetarian. Good variety of vegetarian indian and fairly reasonable in price. Onion baji is delicious but try their vegetable pakoras too, breads tasty and fresh, complementary papadams and relishes are beautiful and the vegetarian curries exceptional.

Great food - ok service. The service can be slow at times, but the food is absolutely beautiful - my favourite Indian in Melbourne.

Superb food. No matter how many times we have been there, we have got the awesomely tasting food. We have tried biryani at so many places and chefs only know how to cook hydrabadi dum biryani, but at this place the taste was a lot different. Although a bit expensive but worth it.

Great food and service.. Have been twice and both times the food and service were great. This is my favourite Indian restaurant in Melbourne. No MSG added which is great for those of us with sensitivities.

Shame. Service 0 food tasteless .. what else to say ...not going back again ..

Shocking experience! Had dinner here and have to say worst Indian food I have had. Curry was sauce with small fat cut offs. Don't fancy a mouthful of bones with the first bite. Bread was tasteless and looked old. We left half the meal there and when complained still got charged full amount. Should of left when we got there. Service was horrible! Will not be back!

Service is really pathetic!!!. It was one of an out of the box experience for us which we have never faced in any hotel so far. I took my friend from Dubai as well as my friend after checking out reviews on Urban spoon. We were greeted and offered a table with complimentary papads. Then we had the pretty much confusing menu which listed two similar models of Veg Banquet one on the first page and one on the last page. The menu clearly listed that Veg Banquet is to be ordered as minimum two numbers which we clearly understood.<br/><br/>Then came the girl ready to take the order and the moment my finger pointed to the VEG BANQUET, she said that this is not to be shared. I mentioned that when I have not asked anything, why should I be given an information not to share the food. Then came a guy who replaced the girl to take the order. We decided to order two veg banquet for two people and the other left person decided to order an bread with mushrooms. The ordering person wanted to know if the third person will still share the food which really made us embarrassed.<br/><br/>When the banquet is basically a limited menu and has fixed quantities with the third person already ordering some other food, we were continuously asked if the third person is going to share the food. We decided enough is enough and decided to walk out. Then came the surprise, we were offered a good bye and no regrets.<br/><br/>I believe that the hotel intends not to welcome Indian people who know about the food being served and my advice to Asians and Indians not to visit this hotel for the confusing menu cards and unfriendly people.<br/><br/>Kind Regards,<br/><br/>Dhinesh

It used to be a more hospitable. After driving there because they no longer deliver, spent $60 to received 1 complimentary papadam. Wasn't sure if we should cut it up? Haha Went back they then tried to sell us more, has become more about the money. Massive shame.

Best in Indian food in Melbourne. I went there quite often.<br/>Everything is yummy.<br/>Definitely, love all the dishes.

Had the #1 banquet last night. Was so yummy and so much food! Will definitely be going back again.

Magic Mint is a personal favourite for Indian in Moonee Ponds. The food is consistently great and the banquets are great value and plentiful for groups.<br/><br/>The service here is variable. The owners and some of their staff are attentive, welcoming and helpful. In contrast, some of the waiting staff are inattentive and don't really seem interested in customer service.<br/><br/>For those who are after a more interesting (and perhaps, authentic) experience, go right past the typical butter chicken and korma section, and have a look at some of the vegetarian dishes. They are great.

We have eaten several times and can only offer words of commendation about the delicious flavours, quality and lovely customer service offered. The Butter Chicken & Malay Kofta is a hit with my fiancé and I. The service is also very prompt and prices very affordable. We keep going back!

I've bees here quite a few times now and it's always been great. Love the Samosa Chaat and the tandoori platter is always good. The flavours in the curries are spot on too. Try having an ice cold Kingfisher beer too!

Best Indian!! Very Impressed. Dinner was amazing, food was high quality and service was friendly and responsive. What more could you ask for!<br/>One of the best Indian restaurants we have experienced and we will be back again.<br/>Thank you

Fantastic!. Went here for dinner last night and it was fantastic! The staff were very friendly and the food was delicious!! . Shared a banquet and can't fault any of the dishes! Will definitely go again

This place is excellent! The staff are lovely and the food was really fantastic. We'll be regulars here for sure.

So yummy. I come here almost once a week, being chinese i hardly eat at many indian resturants, but this place is great. Lunch is good value, the naan bread is delicious (can be a bit oily thou) the curries are delicious (not very generous with the meats thou) and the service is friendly and food is quick.

Great little curry place! The korma and a naan is a favourite!

One of the finest!. I have been here a few times. The food and service have always been good. Their entree's are amazing.

Bad taste and service. I went to there and had bad experience and worse food ever I had.<br/>I found that this restaurant doesn't chef or knowledge of real Indian food they treat us like unwanted guest <br/>instead of serving food to us they throw the food to us and staffs are not Indian friendly <br/>they spoiled my girl friend birthday I never suggest anyone to visit this worse restaurant <br/>nothing there to visit neither taste or service <br/>please never visit this restaurant, i had low grade service and tasteless food

I would recommend MMC. I enjoyed the best Palak Paneer I've ever tried. Service was friendly although a little slow. Plain Naan was also perfect. We'll be back.

Fantastic food, brilliant service all in a relaxed environment. By far the best Indian around!

They manipulate your bill. I was in Magic Mint last night. The food was passable but they manipulate your bill. I ordered an entree size paneer tikka that was four small pieces of paneer (cottage cheese). I paid my bill, without checking for the items charged for, in good faith. This morning when I looked at my receipt for that paneer tikka, I was charged $17.50 and it is counted as a tandoori platter!!! On top of that there is a corkage charge of $4.00, though it no where says that such a charge is applicable and the restaurant is a BYO (wines). <br/>So be sure you check your bills before you pay.

Crap to the CORE. Dear All,<br/>Just Beware of this so called Indian eat outs...They are not owned by Indians but few Nepali's who call themselves a part of INDIA.<br/>The food we had ordered was Mushroom Tikka (Not cooked), Fish with gravy my roommate would have done a better job, returned the Chilli Chicken as we wanted dry as a starter and were served a So called Dry but it was Watery!! We would never suggest anyone to this place and ourselves would Never step IN...The Staff esp the Owner is a Smart Ass...<br/>The Rotis were like Hand Towels!!! Take UR call now

Chicken tikka-fail. Oooh what a disappointment. In fairness I had a truly excellent chicken tikka at another Indian place in the area (I have reviewed) so the benchmark was pretty high, but I received 4 lukewarm pieces of chewy chicken in a mediocre marinade that was so underwhelming. On the plus side the restaurant itself is very nice, and given the positive reviews on this site perhaps I ordered the wrong thing...but I know where I will be going when my next chicken tikka craving strikes.

Magic Mint serves delicious Indian. The staff are very friendly and welcoming and the restaurant is always very clean. The lamb cutlets are great so too is the Tandoori Platter. Oh and the Vindaloo is also a favourite. BYO wine is one other great aspect!!!

Often have dinner there with my family when they come to visit.. My sisters, mum and I love it so much delicious food, friendly service and very clean and inviting restaurant.

Often get magic mint for takeaway and always satisfied!

Neat place awesome food. The lunch special is wonderful, and so is everything else on their menu i have tried, really nice authentic indian, eaten here heaps now always good so we keep going back when we are in that part of town.

Will just keep coming.... Often have dinner here with the family. it is quite reasonably priced and the staff are very friendly, service is commendable.<br/> Although i love Indian food i can't take much heat the chefs are accommodating in dialling down the spicyness. my favourite dish would have to be the chicken korma with side dishes raita and keema naan Yum >

We had lunch there while the food was lovely the menu was a bit lacking with no real entree items, we also got there an hour before closing and were made to feel like we needed to race through our food. Overall though the service was friendly the food came quite quickly and love the complimentary glass of wine with lunch. Would definitely give it another try!

Was ok but I have had better ok value & service wouldn't go back in a hurry

Wow- everything was lovely and quite reasonably priced, very impressed!

Great food and very friendly staff - we love having lunch or dinner here

Magic Mushrooms. Have eaten at Magic Mint on a number of ocassions for both lunch & dinner, and have often taken advantage of their delivery service when working back late at the office.<br/><br/>My favourite menu item is the Tandoori Mushrooms, which pack a tonne of flavour and are only briefly roasted in the tandoor, resulting in a still virtually fresh mushroom with this amazing taste.<br/><br/>I quite like their Chicken Biryani and the breads I've sampled, however I've found the curries a little variable, but then again I do eat a tonne of Indian and can be somewhat fussy....to say the least.<br/><br/>In any event, friendly people, decent food, not overly expensive and definitely the best Indian I've tasted to date in the Moonee Ponds neighbourhood.