Priya Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Melbourne

TLDR: Food is good, worth your money.

Another long review, let’s go and don’t tell me I’m giving out 5 ⭐️ to everyone, read the whole review coz good deeds deserve 5 stars.

It’s a (kinda) fine dining experience. Why kinda you ask? Let me explain. The decor and atmosphere is definitely fine dining and the staff has been trained well; to smile, act in a professional manner and take care of your needs. They change plates between courses and tables are always set up when you arrive nice and fancy. But couple of things that stood out making it not so fine dining, and those were the fine details (no pun intended). So the cutlery is all the same, they don’t have entrees, main and dessert cutleries and I’m not saying they don’t change them, I’m saying it’s all genetic and same sized ones. Also they forgot to give us spoons for rice, we ate with forks and knives only. Not complaining, the prices are reasonable and I’d rather pay reasonable price for a good dining experience than outrageous price for a so called “fine dining” experience. Let’s get on with the review shall we…

Food: I’ve been here couple of times already, and I drove all the way from Southbank, so that should tell you something. The food is always great and perfectly hits the spot. The spices are not overpowering and each dish has a unique flavour. It’s not a one sauce for all dishes kinda joint. Cooked well, presented nicely and given to you warm and fresh. Kudos to the chef

Staff: The staff here are trained well and very friendly. They take good care of their patrons and strive to give us an exceptional experience. They are helpful in explaining the dishes and even making recommendations. Also to note they ask the right questions like how would you like me to bring out the food, all together or entree and mains separate? These small details make a big difference

Ambiance: Very beautiful and welcoming. Love the decor, designs and art work on the wall. Also I should mention the place is very clean! Like very clean and that’s always appreciated.

Story time: There was this lovely staff member at the counter on 26/08/2023 with the most wonderful smile and perfect customer service. My friend forgot her bag inside when we left and they found it a few minutes later, by then we were a few blocks away from the shop already. So what did this staff do? Usually when this happens a normal business would keep it in the list and found section and wait for us to come back. But no, not here. The staff RAN to us, not walk she came to us running to return the bag. And did I mention we were outside and walked for a couple of minutes already? Now that is what I call going over and above for their customers. Lovely lady, you are a local hero...

I've always had a very good experience at this restaurant but after this experience I am never going again. I've been a regular customer (3 times a month) here both online and off-line. The staff has always been courteous and professional. Yesterday I placed an order requesting for Dal Masala and would have repeated that to the staff member thrice. The staff member repeated Dal Masala back to me. I have dairy allergy so Dal Masala was the item I picked to best suit my dietary requirements.

When the order arrived, it looked like I had been served Dal Makhni instead of Dal Masala. I asked the staff member repeatedly if the order was Dal Masala to which they confirmed it was.

I asked them to confirm again because I could see cream on top of the Dal and it was brown in colour. Upon confirmation it was clarified that it was Dal Masala and not Dal Makhni. The staff then called the staff member that took our order.

To my horror, whilst I'm eating, 3- 4 staff members stood over our table and the staff member that took our order started arguing with me. They said- "I repeated your order to you twice and you ordered Dal Makhni. I said- " I have dairy allergy, I could not have ordered Dal Makhni." The staff member rolled her eyes and said- "let's go check the order docket." I was mortified. I could not believe I was being confronted on my diatery requirements while I was eating!!!!!!!!!! This is horrible training and horrible customer service and it absolutely ruined my dinner date. The other staff around this person then calmed them down and immediately replaced the Dal, but honestly, the damage was done.

Food is sacred to me. I work very hard and pay for a good service when I go out to eat. I have never experienced such humiliation at any restaurant. I have nothing against the staff member; I remember the days I worked in restaurants and cafes myself and have a lot of empathy and respect for the role. But this is no way to treat someone who is in the middle of their meal. I could have been confrontational and disrespectful, and I chose not to. So you always have a choice and when you're in a uniform, you must remember that dignity.

This is a note to the manager to please be more vigilant. You've lost a...

Having been to Priya many times over the years, we decided to go again on Saturday 13th September 2025 after not being there for about 18 months. Still the same owners, manager and decor but the thing that has changed is the food. For the prices they charge, to serve up sloppy unattractive dishes is just not on….. Tandoori mushrooms used to come in a nice liquid sauce, now it was served as a congealed mess with obviously too much thickener used. On to the entree’s which was the tandoori lamb cutlets. They were fatty and clearly overcooked, dry and chewy as rubber, so we didn’t finish them. On to our mains where we chose the curry chilli beef with pilao rice. Again overcooked, chewy meat that definitely had not been marinated and slowly cooked enough and reeks of cheap meat and rushed cooking. Pilao rice was nice, but at $25 so it should be. Service was prompt, but the young Indian girl struggled with her understanding of English, but was very polite and tried hard. In the early days the owner was the chef, he’s not anymore and it shows. Quality of the dishes has dropped considerably, but prices have risen. I’d not be going back. There’s too many other good restaurants doing the same food better or alternative restaurants offering better meals cheaper. It’s just not what it used to be and perhaps the owner needs to get back in the kitchen to save it….. To sum it up….. Lazy, arrogant, overpriced and below standard.

Update……

I think the owners reply below says it all.

No accountability, no contrition, no acceptance of what was served up, considering he’d not cooked it, not viewed it, nor served it to our table. We told our waitress that the chops were very fatty and well over cooked and in fact we sent half back uneaten as we did with the main. Unfair ? It’s a diners right to critique food they pay for provided there’s not an agenda and your being balanced and fair, which there isn’t for me, just disappointment about the food served.

I stand by my review, and following their reply, I’d definitely not be going back. There’s plenty of restaurants out there trying to improve. This owner clearly believes they don’t need...