The Black Prince - British Indian Restaurant — Restaurant in Melbourne

This is my first-ever negative review, and I’m writing it after reflecting for a few hours to ensure it’s not a knee-jerk reaction. I believe feedback—when shared constructively—can be a tool for growth. Unfortunately, my recent visit to Black Prince left little to praise and much to reflect on. Let’s start with the food. While the menu looked promising, the execution fell short. Most dishes we tried were bland and uninspired, lacking the flavor and freshness you’d expect, even at a casual dining spot. The ambience, unfortunately, compounded the disappointment. A live band was playing during our visit, and while live music can be a great touch, the volume was unbearably high. It wasn’t just loud—it was painful. Holding a conversation at our table was impossible, and several guests visibly winced or gave up trying to talk altogether. When multiple patrons look uncomfortable, it may be worth reconsidering the balance between entertainment and guest comfort. What’s more, the restaurant owner apparently replied to one of our friends saying that “it’s written on the website that the music will be loud.” This is both strange and misleading. The website mentions a “lively ambience” and “music nights,” but nowhere does it state that the volume would reach the point of being acutely uncomfortable and deafening—unless it’s buried somewhere in hidden fine print, which again would be unusual and concerning. Perhaps the most disappointing part of the evening was the attitude of the owner. When we politely mentioned the excessive volume, his response was defensive and dismissive, bordering on rude. Hospitality, at its core, is about welcoming people—not alienating them when they offer honest feedback. A simple “Thank you, we’ll try to adjust the volume” would have gone a long way. Suggestions for the Owner: Tone down the live music or invest in better acoustics and sound balance. Guests come to dine and enjoy—not to shout across the table. Listen to feedback without taking it personally. Even negative comments are an opportunity to improve. Work on customer engagement. A warm smile or a respectful tone costs nothing but leaves a lasting impression. Dining out is about more than food—it’s about the full experience. With a little attention to quality, atmosphere, and customer service, this place could improve. But until then, I can’t...

Came here with my son and business colleague. Upon arrival was treated with a warm welcome and friendly smile. Ordered drinks and sat down for some meal selection. Left our meal selection up to our amazing waiter who offered up a platter of their grill options, a curry that none of us had tried before. Some papadums, naan and ordered 2 x rice. Was promptly told that 1 should be enough which (tbh) I was a tad skeptical of.

Food came a short time later and had ALL of us immediately jaw-drop at its spectacular presentation and sheer size of all portions. Turns out waiter was spot on with rice recommendations! Not only were we all blown away by the complex flavours and clear outstanding chef abilities. But for 3 hungry people to be completely stuffed to the gills, the best part was we could even have leftovers to reminisce again later! I can testify that the leftovers did not disappoint!

Was constantly checked on to how we were enjoying our meal and drinks were promptly refilled when required. Went to pay our tab and immediately questioned our bill - for 3 ppl to be so full with drinks $120? Surely not? So very reasonable! My son and I stayed on for post meal negronis outside and boy were they truly amazing and unlike anything we had tried before. Not only is the Indian infusion in the food, but the drinks too. I’m not a regular negroni drinker, but it will be a non-negotiable on all future trips there. This will be a regular venue for us now and I’ve already initiated a business event for us coming in the next few months along with a family gathering soon.

If I could think of anything I would like improved (& I have to think pretty hard here) would be additional taps added to the bar for a bigger selection of tap beer.

Hats off to all the team. What a fantastic establishment you’ve created and curated staff who clearly have their service down pat. We have been raving to any and all since our visit and can’t wait to come back to explore more of the menu. Looking at the menu online when raving to find the platter suggested wasn’t even a menu inclusion but simply offered up was even more impressive (put it on the menu guys, EVERYONE should try this sampler!)

Look forward to seeing you...

I was looking forward to trying out the British Pub with Indian fusion foods, however it turn out to be a bit of a dud. We ate at the Black Prince as a group of 5, we all ordered a main and a drink each. Mine being a (lamb curry) cottage pie and everyone else ordered two vegetarian curries, one lamb and one goat curries. Drinks bring one tap beer, two mango lassies and two mocktails.

First and the biggest problem was the timing of the food and drinks. About 10-15 mins after ordering our food (drinks were ordered 5 mins prior), my shepherd's pie arrived, then only about 10 mins after the drinks arrived, all but the two lassies (they eventually showed up). About 30 mins after my main had been put on the table, was when everyone else's curry mains arrived. My food was stone cold by then. And only when everyone's food arrived were we told the dishes did not include rice. We all thought like a good old pub meal it comes with rice and the waitress failed to tell us this. We quickly ordered the rice hoping it should be ready to served to order. By the time everyone were pretty much done with their meal, the rice was still nowhere to be seen so we had to cancel them.

Next problem was the food. My cottage pie was far too salty and luke warm at best when it was served. The salad it came with was quite literally a small pile of lettuce and nothing else with it. My mango lassie when it eventually came, was a very small serving for $16, it was in a tall skinny glass with mostly ice. It usually takes me a long while finishing a drink, and that took me about 4 sips. Everyone's else curry were OK but no one really finished their food. My partner thought his lamb curry was way too salty also.

Something to note, it was about 7pm on a Sunday evening and the restaurant was not very busy. So it was quite disappointing where a lot problems arose when it typically doesn't happen to most restaurants even when they are new. I was so disappointed with the food I even forgot to take photos, and I take photos of quite literally everything, especially...