Bhoj Restaurant — Restaurant in Melbourne

At the start i would like to specially thanks to Priya who served us with her beautiful smile and great hospitality.

I recently visited Bhoj Restaurant at 54 NewQuay Promenade, Docklands, Melbourne, with my family and we chose the vegetarian three-course meal. The location is hard to beat—right on the waterfront with sweeping views of the Melbourne skyline, Victoria Harbour, and the Bolte Bridge. It’s a spot that feels equally suited for a family outing or a special dinner.

Bhoj has been part of Docklands since 2003, making it one of the long-standing restaurants that witnessed the area’s growth from an industrial zone into a bustling dining and lifestyle hub. Inside, the décor sets the tone beautifully. The restaurant features authentic Indian stone sculptures and historical statues, giving the space a strong cultural character. Adding to the charm, there’s also a flower wall designed for photos and selfies, which my family loved—it’s a fun, modern touch that balances the traditional atmosphere.

The vegetarian three-course set menu was excellent. The entrée was fresh and beautifully presented, the main course hearty and full of flavor, and the dessert provided a light yet satisfying finish. Portion sizes were just right, and every dish felt carefully prepared.

Service was warm and attentive, making us feel genuinely welcome throughout the evening. With its waterfront location, rich cultural décor, photo-friendly flower wall, and consistently high-quality food, Bhoj is a standout choice for anyone wanting a memorable dining experience in Docklands. We’ll definitely return. I have marked 4 star for atmosphere not because the atmosphere at sitting area but there washroom needs a uplift to match it with the level of...

Extremely disappointing experience. We've been to Bhoj a number of times previously, but today was the worst experience we've had there. Poor service and food was below average. There was a group of about 30 people in the restaurant for a birthday - no-one else. It is clear the chef and staff cannot handle many customers, because my wife and I had to wait for an hour for our meals. We asked after 30 minutes how long our meals would be, to which the waitress indicated approximately 5 minutes. Another 10-15 minutes later we ask the waitress what's happening with the food. She indicated she would speak to the chef. She may well have done, but she never came back to us with an update. So another 10 minutes later, I walk up to the chef and ask how long for our meals. And you guessed it - another 10 minutes or so! If it wasn't for the fact that we were so hungry, and that it was about 2pm, we waited. You'd also think that the waitress knowing we were waiting so long, would offer us something whilst we waited - some pappadums, some form of entree - nothing! All we were given was water - and the drinks we ordered. By the time the food arrived, it was clear to us that the priority was the large group booking, as the food was rather tasteless and was well below average. We ate, only because we were hungry. Not going to go back in a hurry - and if we ever do, will certainly check if they have many people in the restaurant as they clearly cannot...

Our group of nine dined here on Sunday evening. Despite several vacant tables, we waited over 30 minutes to be seated. It was evident the restaurant was understaffed and unprepared for the crowd from the Fire Light Festival.

The service felt disorganised; wait staff members came to take our order twice after we had already placed an order, which left us unsure whether our original order had even been passed on to the kitchen.

The food took more than 50 minutes to arrive, and unfortunately, the quality did not meet expectations. We ordered a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, but portion sizes were small for the price, and several items were disappointing. The coconut rice had an odd smell, the paneer 65 was overly dry, the masalas in the veg curry were raw and the lamb biryani was dry and much spicier than the medium level we had requested.

While the wait staff were clearly doing their best, they appeared overwhelmed and exhausted.

Meanwhile, the owner stood at the service counter without offering any value assistance to his staff nor managing the guests/billing counter. Additionally, he appeared unreceptive to feedback and responded dismissively when one of us mentioned about the lack of flavour and overall poor quality of the food.

The overall atmosphere was further dampened by the music, which added to the already lacklustre experience.

Overall, a...