Desi Dhaba Tarneit — Restaurant in Melbourne

The most unsatisfied meal I have ever had...

I visited Desi Dhaba today for the first time today, and I had high expectations about it since I always visit the Coles in Tarneit and see this Restaurant every time.

I ordered via the phone, and I was greeted with the most unenthusiastic, hasty voice and I placed my order of Garlic Naan and Butter chicken. Though the person picking up the call was being very hasty and not listening to my orders and was hesitant to tell me the price of the dish, before I had to ask twice. I thought its okay, and went to the restaurant to collect my order, and while on the phoen I made sure to ask twice to confirm my order.

When I went to the store for pickup, which they needed 30 mins for 3 Naans and a Butter Chicken, I was very shocked to see that they got my order wrong, though I clearly repeated myself twice and confirmed with the person on the phone. They had packed chicken tikka masala, instead of the Butter Chicken I actually asked for, and it was very spicy, so my children could not bear to eat it. And to make matters worse, the Garlic Naan was disgusting, it was fully burnt and barely edible, and the garlic gave me digestion problems, due to being overly burnt and drenched with oil.

I said this to the employes there that they had gotten the orders wrong, but it was the least of their concerns, they did not give a single hint of care, or neither did they apologise, and rudely said, "Sir this is what you had ordered, and we gave you".

Most horrible experience in a hotel ever, the meal was unedible, hugely overpriced, with the smallest container of gravy costing $20, with naan $7 each. This Desi Dhaba place was more like a day-light robbery, the worst service and rude staff, could not even care to apologise for their appalling service. More interested in ripping money of people than serving good quality food.

I am never visiting this horrific place again, I not only had to pay for the rubbish food, but ended up costing me a hospital...

I’m genuinely shocked at how bad the butter chicken was from Desi Dhaba. Given the reputation of the place, I was expecting at least a decent meal, but this was the worst butter chicken I’ve ever tasted. To start with, the sauce was a complete disaster. Butter chicken is known for its rich, creamy, and slightly tangy gravy, but what I received was a thin, watery mess. The flavor was overwhelmingly sweet, like someone dumped sugar into a basic tomato sauce. There was no balance, no depth of flavor, and absolutely none of the aromatic spices that make butter chicken such a standout dish in Indian cuisine. It felt like they completely missed the point of the dish.

The chicken was no better. It was dry, overcooked, and tough. Butter chicken should have tender, succulent pieces of chicken that melt in your mouth, but here it felt like I was chewing on rubber. It was obvious that the chicken had either been sitting around for too long or had been reheated multiple times, making it lose all its juiciness. The chicken didn’t absorb any flavor from the sauce, leaving it bland and unseasoned. It was almost as if the chicken and sauce were prepared separately and thrown together at the last minute.

Portion size was another issue. For the price I paid, I expected a hearty meal, but I was left with a small, unappetizing portion. It was barely enough for one person, let alone a full meal

Overall, Desi Dhaba’s butter chicken was a complete fail on every level: flavorless sauce, overcooked chicken, poor portion size, and no value for money. I honestly regret ordering from here and would not recommend it to anyone. Save your money and find a place that knows how to make butter chicken properly because...

Was visiting from Epping and went to the place after high recommendation from my friends who are a big fan of Desi Dhaba. It was a weekend evening and the dining area was full of people. We were warmly greeted by the staff and was asked about our reservation which unfortunately we didn’t do. But then also they arranged a table for us and we were served with a smile. In food we ordered their Chaat platter and Tandoori meat platter and both of them were amazing. My friend specially liked their seekh kebab. In main course on their suggestion we ordered Desi kukkad and Methi chicken. Dhaba kukkad was amazing we didn’t had a dish like this in our years of melbourne stay. The naan and lachha paratha were hot and fresh and it was freshly coming out of the kitchen post order. The server also suggested us to try their Kaka butter chicken next time which is already in our list of food to try next visit. Was also delighted to hear from them that they have one branch in city also; unfortunately we couldn’t notice that prior. The paan kulfi was also outstanding. Staff was also very polite and were working efficiently inspite of the busy restaurant was. Thanks to the team for providing excellent hospitality and great food and high appreciation for going beyond to accommodate us even in the busy time without booking. It will be our go to place whenever in the west and will love to visit again. Just a recommendation to all to make a booking prior visit in the weekends as it gets...