The Maharaja Palace Bairnsdale — Restaurant in Victoria

We were travelling through Lakes Entrance for business meetings when we stumbled upon Maharaja Indian Restaurant—and I can confidently say this turned out to be one of the best food experiences we’ve had in any country town across Australia.

From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere was warm, welcoming, and beautifully traditional. The décor gave a real Indian cultural vibe, and the soft background music created a peaceful, inviting setting for dinner. The staff were polite, professional, and attentive from start to finish.

Now, let’s talk about the food—absolutely outstanding! We ordered a variety of dishes, but one stood out above all: the Dal Makhani. It was hands down the best dal we’ve ever had in a country town—creamy, rich in flavour, perfectly spiced, and served piping hot with fluffy roti. Every bite was comforting and authentic, just like home-cooked Indian food.

After dinner, I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely couple who own the restaurant. Their warmth, hospitality, and passion for food were inspiring. They shared their journey about moving to this town and how much they love serving the local community with genuine Indian flavours.

You can tell that they put their heart into every dish—and it shows.

If you’re anywhere near Lakes Entrance or travelling through Gippsland, I highly recommend stopping by. And if you do—don’t miss the dal makhani. It’s a dish worth travelling for!

Thank you, Maharaja Indian Restaurant, for a truly memorable meal and...

We went in and the first impression was that they hadn't swept or mopped the floor for several days or even weeks, there was dust, food and cutlery under the table and throughout the restaurant. I dread to think what the kitchen is like when you walk in and see what the room is like. We stayed because we love Indian food. They made a mistake with the rice we ordered, the vegetarian main had no sauce, maybe the potatoes absorbed everything, who knows, it was dry. At no time did they pick up our plates from the table, we were piling them up on one side of the table. They also didn't ask if we wanted more water or if we wanted desserts. With the people that were working, they could have had a better service, it is true that there were people, but they walked around the room without even looking at the tables, at no time did I see anyone stressed. They didn't even give us the bill, they gave me the dataphone to pay directly, when we did the calculations they had charged us more, they took the tip on their own. The food was acceptable, the dessert and naan...

We were in the middle of a road trip from Sydney to Lakes Entrance. This place stays open until 10 PM, but the kitchen's last order is at 9:30 PM.

I called the restaurant to book a table for 8 adults and 6 children at 9:00 PM. However, the road trip didn't go smoothly, and we were running late. At 9:00 PM, I called the restaurant again, and they kindly offered us the option to pre-order our meals so that we could still eat when we arrived, which we estimated would be at 9:30 PM.

We arrived at Maharaja at 9:30 PM, and they had everything ready for us. They even gave us an extra 30 minutes to add more orders and take away food. Their service was exceptional—they were very accommodating.

Highly recommended!

The butter chicken was amazing, the garlic naan was exceptional, and the lamb and chicken biryani were absolutely delicious.

We were so hungry and enjoyed the food so much that we forgot to take...