Review Lavendra - North Sydney

A must try culinary experience amongst a magical backdrop of the harbour view. The harmonious blend of authentic recipes and expert wine pairings facilitated the perfect night out. You will be treated with phenomenal service, all whilst discovering that there isn’t a bad dish on the menu. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

Best experience ever. Lovely service and best atmosphere. We will return for sure. This restaurant has become our top 10 favourite restaurants in Sydney. We really enjoyed our dinner tonight. Thank you 😊

A great northern Indian dining experience for me and my friends. The ambience was lovely and so are the harbour view which was a bonus. We particularly enjoyed our fried kale, spinach and pomegranate starters. Recommend this hidden gem for sure.

We had a wonderful evening at Lavendra for our anniversary. The staff were lovely and made our night so special. We had a variety of vegetarian dishes (our favourite of the night the Momos and spinach chaat) and truly enjoyed the mix of flavours and warming spice. The room is intimate and view iconic. A little stroll down to the water to complete a fantastic evening. Thank you for having us!

Our experience was a dinner. The service was lovely and the food was delicious. We organised to have the experience of wine and scents, however there were no scents involved and the price difference between the dining experience and the dining with wine pairing is quite significant. I suggest just take your own wine for the $7 corkage fee. As much as the food was delicious and the service was lovely, we left feeling that we had paid far too much.

The best Indian restaurant I have ever been to!! Food is delicious and presented beautifully. Lamb cutlets cooked perfectly (must try starter) The owner is lovely and the staff are so polite and attentive. Only unfortunate thing we couldn’t find and Indian wine or beer. Highly recommend in Sydney.

Great spot for a quiet and intimate night, the atmosphere was set very well by the lighting with enough light to see your food. The meat and vegetarian curries were equally as good, you can't really go wrong with what your order. The menu changes regions each season which gives great variety and shows you what people eat at home in India! Might have over ordered so would have liked to know size of dishes before ordering.

Incredible food! Every dish we tasted was flavourful and left us wanting to get seconds every time. Amazing staff that were extremely caring and polite. Located at such a great location, the views at dinner time are unmatched to any other restaurant I’ve been to. Couldn’t recommend this place more!

Walked in to the most magical view of the Sydney Bridge and Luna Park. The food was absolutely amazing and it was not like any restaurant I have been before. The dishes were unique with beautiful flavours and presented magnificently. Save room for dessert as it was incredible. Absolutely loved this wonderful place. Highly recommend it.

Wow! Have eaten here many times before when it was the old management. It was good then. Now...Amazing! Don't expect the usual Indian dishes, everything was unique in both flavour and presentation. What was really nice is that the menu is quite small, you'd think that would make the choice easier, it didn't. We wanted it all. We will certainly be back soon to try the rest of the menu soon! Added to the food was the service, 5 star! Make sure you try this place. It's a hidden gem.

Talk about a meal with a view. Beautiful location, topped by delicious food. The vindaloo is incredibly flavorful and the paneer main was delicious too. Excellent options for vegetarians as well! Would definitely recommend, especially for a special occasion treat.

This new restaurant in Lavender Bay is owned and operated by the owners of Grace of India. It offers a menu of carefully designed recipes that are unique and exciting. Don't expect traditional Indian food; instead be ready for a creative fusion of Indian spices and fresh herbs in contemporary dishes. Wonderful dining experience.

Incredible we loved everything about this quaint little restaurant with a view to die for!

With no shadow of a doubt the best Indian food I have ever tasted

We had a banquet, the food was sensational but it is the first time I have ever had an Indian banquet and left feeling hungry.... Service was excellent and of course the view is superb, with a bonus of Deepwali (sp) fireworks all in all a great night out

From the awesome views of the city, harbour and bridge, to the suburb Indian food and the fabulous service. A romantic gem

Fabulous food, lovely staff and an amazing view - highly recommended

Great ambience, great food and best service with breathtaking views.

Perfection! Exquisite Food, Amazing Location, Staff are Exceptional! Even more amazing whilst Vivid is on, you can see all the lights - beyond incredible! I highly recommend the Batakh Samosa for entree and the Nehari Lamb Shank for main! Great starting location if you are setting out to see the lights of vivid, enjoy an amazing dinner here and then walk down the stairs to the water along to Luna Park and jump on a ferry into the city to see more of the lights! Can’t wait to go back and try the winter menu!

Absolutely delicious with wonderful service! Recommend the zucchini flowers and lamb cutlets

The food was absolutely exceptional. So full of flavour.

Your vegan beetroot curry �� DELISH ��

Dining at Lavendra has left a bad taste in my mouth. Not so much the food or the service, rather, it was the misleading and deceptive practices of the owner of Lavendra. If he did not wish to honor the 50% discount promotion, he simply should not participate or advertise on the Fork offering this deal. Instead, he chose to lure customers to his door and only tell them the discount does not apply only when the bill is received. <br/>We were overcharged by around $60 as a result of their failure to disclose.<br/><br/>It was not until the end of the night when we asked for the bill, the waiter informed us that the 50% discount does not apply to the banquet option. Apparently the owner had changed his mind and only prepared to give us $20 off the banquet price. We were shocked that we were not informed of this before we ordered. Because we would have ordered differently had we been told the truth. <br/><br/>We confirmed the Fork 50% discount when we booked so we find this practice deceptive and we will not be returning and will warn our friends about the misleading promotions.<br/><br/>No consumer likes to be misled or lied to. It is also against the law.

This is a stylish and classy Indian restaurant, but unfortunately, its housed in a noisy and rather cramped venue. <br/><br/>We dined here on a tues night in mid December. When we arrived at 6.30pm, there was only a smattering of other diners, but this place is clearly popular with the locals because within an hour it was packed. I don’t think there was one spare seat in the house. Unfortunately, the result of this was that it became hellishly noisy, so it turned out to be not exactly, the relaxed and laid back evening that I was expecting. <br/><br/>The problem, of course, is the venue. Although it’s superbly located on the corner of Walker and Lavender Streets, in North Sydney, with expansive views of the harbour and the bridge, the building looks to me like it was once a residence, perhaps built many decades ago, and is not really well suited for a modern restaurant. There are no carpets or other noise absorbers, the floors are tiled and the tables are packed close together. All this makes for a very loud space, which spoiled what would otherwise have been a first class dining experience. If it’s full house on a Tuesday, I’m assuming it would be full every night of the week, not only on weekends.<br/><br/>Service was a tad slow on account of the large turnout, but that didn’t really bother us, because the maitre d’ and his assistant were so pleasant, friendly and polite. They greeted us warmly, made us feel welcome the moment we walked in, and throughout the evening, they were attentive and helpful, going about their business in a discreet, unhurried, and professional way.<br/><br/>The food was fresh and tasty, and neatly served to the table on stylish round bowls.<br/><br/>Three of us dined, and as it’s an expensive place, we limited ourselves to two starters; the paneer peri peri ($23) and the bhaji chaat ($20); two mains; the butter chicken ($29) and diced lamb ($33), two serves of naan bread (garlic $6, and plain $4), a large serving of rice ($5), and to wash all that down, a couple of Kingfisher lager schooners. The bhaji chaat was a delicious, crunchy dish, with it’s sauces and dried fruit. The meats were tender and succulent. But all the dishes were outstanding, made clearly with only the best quality ingredients, and infused with those aromatic, fragrant and spicy Indian flavours that we love so much. Serving sizes were just right: not too much or too little, and for the three of us, two starters and two mains, with rice and naan bread, was sufficient.<br/><br/>The place has been tastefully decked out in plain white and beige colours, with comfy wooden furniture. The tables are neatly laid with crisp white napery and stainless steel cutlery. The owners have done the best they could with the limited space, it’s just a pity that they can’t do anything to keep the noise levels down.<br/><br/>There is a single unisex toilet down a flight of stairs. It’s a large, clean and well provisioned toilet, but one isn’t enough.<br/><br/>Parking isn’t a problem on the upper part of Walker Street directly up the road from the restaurant, or nearby Arthur Street, where restrictions end at 6.00pm.<br/><br/>Our bill came to $141, for the two beers, one soft drink, two starters, two mains, two serves of garlic bread and a large rice. That’s a tad on the high side, but luckily for us, we came armed with a $50 voucher from TheFork, so we ended up paying exactly $100, with the tip. <br/><br/>As this is clearly a popular place, booking any night of the week is recommended.<br/><br/>The group that runs this place also run two other Indian restaurants: WaazWaan in Crows Nest and Grace of India in nearby Milsons Point. All excellent and well run establishments.

Really shocked by waitress emptying baskets for bread into bin with everything touch bin including serviette which was smoothed out and stacked for reuse.

Woweee what a view! If wasn’t for the view we wouldn’t be here. They were nice enough to give us the best seat in the restaurant keep in mind there is only one with the best view on the corner table. We came here following the special fork festival the lady was nice enough to explain the history of the food for the season but felt more it was more like a pressure to up sell their tasting menu which we didn’t have. The gentleman also asked if we wanted some crackers papad which we said yes as we thought it was complementary but was whacked with a $14.90 extra for a plate of 4 crackers and condiment which is a rip off. Felt like we got tricked but none the less please be careful for future reference if they ask, unless you don’t mind haha. None the less the food is okay i wouldn’t say its the best indian nor worse. The atmosphere is superb as long as you get the good seat by the windows with the best views of sydney.

We came here almost randomly after a meeting. It was a hidden gem. The food was good. The chicken legs are full of flavor. The waiting staffs are very friendly. What is more, the view is stunning. This is not a big venue and it does not easily get noisy. Enjoyed it.

If you have a window table the view is very good as is the service.<br/>The food is good but VERY EXPENSIVE. By way of example an entre of 2 chops was $19.50. <br/>The dishes were small and in our opinion very poor value for money.<br/>We trod our own wine and the bill for 2 of us was $150.00.<br/>We won’t be hurrying back.

Lavendra is a beautiful traditional, modern yet exciting venue with a very intimate atmosphere. With Sydney’s Iconic backdrop, the Harbour Bridge it really is a special slice of Sydney’s beautiful suburbs. I would happily return here not only for the views, but the amazing dishes which have been designed by the owner himself. A very fancy venue, making it perfect for client lunches/dinners or date night.

Lavendra is small restaurant tucked away in North Sydney with a spectacular view of Sydney Harbour. The service is amazing and the food is to die for! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a romantic evening or to someone looking for a great food experience!

Enjoy one of the best views in Sydney whilst eating an excellent meal. Have experienced both Grace Of India and now Lavendra, and both of them were just outstanding. The dishes were unique, presented beautifully and so flavoursome. The staff were accomodating and really friendly. Best Indian food I’ve ever eaten !!

Really delicious indian at decent prices. Great for a date night or semi formal meal. Try the barramundi with veges if you like something a little spicy but not over powering

I'm a long-time fan of Grace Of India in Milsons Point, and I was keen to try Lavendra as it is owned by the same guys. They're trying a different thing here - going upmarket with a nicer environment and a fancier menu. Service was attentive and friendly, so no problems there. However, I was disappointed with the food. I had a chilli chicken dish which was available in an entree for around $20 or a main for around $30. I went for the main and I was really surprised at how small it was - I have a suspicion that I got the entree, even though the bill clearly showed that I had ordered the main. Our party ordered 3 Naans but we only got 2. The size/quantity of the poppadoms that we had for starter wasn't great either. It came in at around $50 per head for popadoms + main + 1 beer or wine. I'd go back to Grace Of India in a flash, but I won't go back to Lavendra in a hurry.