Cafe Southall is worth the drive to St Kilda, most definitely the best Indian food in Melbourne, excellent quality ingredients lovingly prepared by the Ghandi Family. We devoured a take away feast with butter chicken and garlic naan (always requested with extra garlic as I love it) a favourite with the teens. Such a relief also not to have to worry about our severe peanut allergy as Cafe Southall doesn't have any peanuts or peanut oil in any of their delectable dishes. We cannot recommend this gem of a restaurant highly enough, Cafe Southall is something quite special, outstanding service and food that exceeds expectation 👌
Our usual Indian place has closed and we have now found a new favourite! The food is packed with flavour and lots of variety especially with a vegetarian daughter. We look forward to our next order!
Can’t wait for iso to be over so we can dine in! So glad we found this little gem it is now our family’s favourite. Thank you Cafe Southall for our amazing Friday night dinners 😋
I loved this place as did my Indian work colleague visiting from Bombay.
I will be back sooner rather than later.
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I really enjoyed my visit here to Southall. I'd heard about it from various people and love trying new (to me) Indian restaurants, so I found myself coming here not long ago when the craving hit.
It's small inside, and I imagine when full, it could get quite loud. The tables are tiny and that gets awkward and cramped when placing everything down on the table during the meal.
The food came out in a timely manner, and it was really delicious. They are the ex owners of Bombay By Night, and the food is as equally good now as it was then in their former restaurant. We ordered Butter Chicken, rice and garlic naan. I know it's hard to go wrong with the basics, any they didn't prove me wrong. The food was great and though the service is spotty (the older gentleman who works there is a bit curt/rude at times), it's really worth a visit.
I found Southall to be good value, and parking isn't too difficult and may become a regular to me I'm sure. I would recommend coming here for sure, as you're bound to get a great meal in a nice casual environment.
A great value informal place. The restaurant heritage of the family is Bombay By Night where the family operated for at least 20 years and saw it become a highly rated upmarket restaurant. Southall is operated by the son of the BBBN owners and is less formal but features much the same dishes as the original, including an absolutely stunning Tandoor Lamb cutlets. It’s a standard Northern Indian menu full of the normal dishes. But with a very nice Goan fish curry. And at least 10 vegetarian dishes. Good wine list but you can BYO wine for $12 corkage per bottle.
Southall is our absolute favourite local restaurant. The food never disappoints - it is fresh, amazingly tasty and not too heavy. The service is perfect and we love to BYO a bottle of wine!
Had a beautiful dinner here this week with a great variety of delicious dishes, onion bajhi, Dahl, 2 different fish curries of fresh delicate local seafood and great service in a lovely ambience. Would have liked to give 5 stars but the only negative was that the bathroom/toilet & sink was in need of a good clean, a minor but important detail in any restaurant. Had to ask for soap to be supplied. Apart from that we’ll definitely be back for your authentic Indian dishes.
If you ever go for one curry whether or not you are from Melbourne or elsewhere this place is amazing. Probably the best curry outside of India or the Punjab.
Enjoyed a lovely evening at Southall last Tuesday night. Only small, but tastefully decorated, it had an immediate comfortable feel. We shared 3 different curries an 2 appetisers. All were beautifully aromatic and delicious. Special shout out to the Naan bread! Some of the best I’ve had. Service was friendly and efficient and the drinks list was eclectic and well chosen. Enjoyed a red from Austria ( a first) which paired well with our meal. Will be back!
Southall Cafe resonates a familiar name that takes us back to Delhi and even further, to #London . Within the tastefully done, very simple interiors, food served was nothing less than awesomeness.
Subtle hints of flavors oozing from melange of spices is unique, tasteful and befitting ode to London's famous ' South Hall reminding you of Mughlai and Punjabi cuisine, just one of the many cuisines India has offered to the world. They do have serve some odds like Onion Pakodas, Rogan Josh, etc which is now synonymous to every region of India, but stuck to what we yearned to eat, which also were our favorites Lamb Do Pyasa and the Khema Naan.
Cafe Southall has managed to retain the rich flavors instead of giving in to suit the foreign palate, and results are 'Always Packed with Guests' that the first time we couldn't get a table as they were all booked. Definitely, one of the two best Punjabi / Indian Food we have eaten in Melbourne..... The most suited Word being 'Authentic'
First time here and it was delicious! I’m not usually a lover of spicy food but the flavors in most dishes were so unique I kept eating.
Will def go back
Visited Southall with my family last night.. I was too exhausted to cook by myself, but I wanted to eat something that feels like home, and apparently we made the right choice. The appetizer we had was chicken tikka and we swooned over this. For the main course, I'd suggest you try Saag paneer, chicken korma with butter naan. The spice levels and flavors are just fine to satisy your taste buds, and the ambience with warm lights was an icing on the cake.
So head out to this place if you want to taste something this homely!
Good job you guys! :)
I was delighted to hear that the former owners of Bombay by Night — the Gandhi family — were back with a new restaurant venture!  I was a loyal customer of Bombay by Night for more than 10 years, and I felt their cuisine was superb — not your typical cheap and nasty Indian restaurant, but a place that prided itself in really flavoursome meals, courteous service and sophisticated decor.  They have outdone themselves this time after setting up Southall — none of the qualities they had in their old restaurant are diminished, and now they have a very stylish and modern premises in St Kilda, with an improved and polished menu. Â
I had a variety of chicken, vegetarian and seafood curries here on my first expedition recently — all cooked to perfection, with subtle and exquisite flavours and spices that really showcase the true flavours of India.
I look forward to enjoying many years more of Southall’s cuisine!
Finally a good indian restaurant that is nice to dine in! Nice ambience, perfect for a date. Amazing menu, dishes full of flavour. Can't wait to go back
Fantastic restaurant. Curries were perfectly balanced and unlike most curries didn't leave us feeling like we had consumed a tub of ghee. Will most certainly be returning !
I visited Southall on Friday night with my boyfriend. It’s a really nice casual atmosphere, very welcoming. We decided to BYO a bottle of wine. We ordered the beef skewers to share to start which were really delicious and came with a lovely slaw. We then had the Chicken Masala and Lamb Biriani, with naan. Everything we had was delicious (I’m from England so like to think I know a bit about good Indian food). Can’t wait to go back and try more from the menu.
Went for a quiet dinner with my partner and we were both very impressed with both the food and the service. The vegetarian curry I ordered was light and the flavor balance was perfect.
Best quality Indian food in Melbourne Ive eaten, just like their last place (Bombay by Night) and nice twist of proper Indian brunch foods not just the standard curries usually offered around town.
Brilliant restaurant. St Kilda needs more like this. Tasty, delicious curries, great service. Highly recommended. Try the lamb chops. Desserts are also Morrish.
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Used to work in Southall, London and it remains my all time favourite place to join friends and family to eat. A thousand and twenty flavour memories came rushing back when I saw the Carlisle St. namesake. By great contrast this cafe hosts a thoughtfully sparse menu, everything is pared back compared to a Lahori banquet! (Bombay is a different city to Lahore.) For this first experience it seems that everything is measured, certainly contemporary, and cool. Confess was looking for a bit of Punjabi warmth (over-enthusiastic probably) ; this could be detected through an olfactory channel. Hospitality luke-warm but polite, chai a modest, tame encounter without the ginger notes I was anticipating, and to be honest, a genteel pot of chai would have been a more generous offering. Biryani delicately delicious and Onion Uthappa perfect. All beautifully presented. Look forward to trying out curries, but this is not the ebullient, noisy, tandoor oven leaping flames clamour of the Southall I love. It's like Southall's studious, temperate, poised and careful cousin.
Really lovely food expertly cooked with great detail of flavour. My tastebuds were dancing after having a simple lunch (the Onion Uthappa). I didn't want a big lunch so it was perfect. But then the lovely elder gave me two extra samples, a semolina vegie dish, and a chicken biryani - which were incredible, plus he was so engaging after I mentioned my failed chicken biryani at home. I can't wait to return to try the bigger curries.
Great new cafe with authentic South Indian dishes and flavours. Great minimalist fit out compliments friendly staff and great food, which is fragrant, fresh, spicy and tasty. Need to come back and try more!
Delicious food and great, friendly service. As good, if not better, than any Indian curry from its namesake location. A brilliant addition to St Kilda and will be a weekly staple.
After reading about this cafe opening for a dinner menu, the BF and I went on their second night dinner service. A few tables were full, but not overly so, so we walked in without a booking. I tried the lamb Biriyani and partner had Chicken Tikka. (Rice was a separate purchase) My Biriyani was very good and a bit spicy, but not overwhelmingly. The garlic naan was amazing and piping hot. Liquor licence was not in place yet, but there were mineral waters from Hepburn Springs to try. Would definitely recommend and I will have to return for breakfast menu sometime. A welcome Indian eatery addition to Carlisle street.
Southall is my new favourite restaurant in Melbourne. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or just a coffee or chai tea- they've got you covered. Coffee is consistently good and the food is so fresh and has a beautiful depth of flavour and texture. Highly recommend.
Fabulous early dinner with kids who loved Bombay by night. Satisfied the Chaat Papdi urge of the older child and chicken tikka of the younger conservative eater. Great quiet ambience of a cosy wine bar ( be perfect once licensed) with the warming smells of spices on a cold winters night - not what you would expect of an Indian restaurant. We loved our mains of aloo bengan, lamb do piaza and chicken tikka masala . Look forward to trying the rest of the menu.
Very cool fit out, great coffee, nice soft music and atmosphere, friendly staff ... loved the uttapam with fried egg and the lamb kebab. Looking forward to trying the dinner menu.
Beautiful, serene, cool place. Lovely view of Town Hall Gardens. Coffee is consistently good. Great breakfast options. Looking forward to trying dinner here. I'm excited that this cafe is in my neighborhood.
What a gem! I love Southall, the food is modern and innovative, a breath of fresh air for lovers of Indian food. Clean and cool with great coffee Southall is definitely worth a visit!
Came in for lunch today with my girlfriend and we had Akuri , the indian style scrambled eggs , it was fab , with some indian flat bread . My girlfriend had the batata wada which was nice and spicy , can't go wrong with potatoes in a brioche  . And love the cool fit out . be back again for sure .
We love Cafe Southall! Rav and his father welcomed us warmly into their beautiful space. We tried a gorgeously fragrant Persian love cake; light but full of flavour. We'll be back to try some of their signature regional Indian snack food, such as Uthapam and Wada Pau. Cafe Southall's menu is a breath of fresh air from the usual generic Indian fare, and their space is light filled and stylish. A new favourite!
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