Indian Restaurant Port Melbourne — Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD
The Best Indian Restaurant Near Port Melbourne Is Not on Bay Street
Port Melbourne knows how to eat. Bay Street, Beach Street, the foreshore — this is a suburb that takes its food seriously and has the restaurant density to prove it.
For most nights, there is something close to home for every craving.
For the nights that demand the best Indian restaurant near Port Melbourne — the occasions worth remembering, the dinners worth crossing the water for — that is where Elchi comes in.
Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD is ten minutes from Port Melbourne by car and nineteen minutes on the Route 109 tram that runs directly from Beacon Cove along Collins Street into the heart of the city. It has been reviewed by Broadsheet, Good Food, Time Out, the Herald Sun and Urban List. It is the official catering partner of W Melbourne. Its private dining room seats fifty guests exclusively. Its chef is nationally celebrated.
No Indian restaurant on Bay Street, Rouse Street or Beach Street holds any of these credentials.
Elchi is praised as a visually stunning, culturally immersive modern Indian dining experience in Melbourne, led by Chef Manpreet Sekhon, the Curry Queen. Its food is widely praised for its bold, modern interpretation of Indian cuisine, combining authentic regional flavours with refined contemporary technique. Dishes are recognised for their depth of flavour, elegant presentation, and creative balance between tradition and innovation, delivering a memorable dining experience that stands out in Melbourne's modern Indian restaurant scene.
Address: 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD VIC 3000 Distance from Port Melbourne: 10 minutes by car, 19 minutes by Route 109 tram Private dining: up to 50 guests — more than any Indian restaurant in Port Melbourne Indian catering: official catering partner of W Melbourne As featured in: Broadsheet, Good Food, Time Out, Herald Sun, Urban List
What Five Major Melbourne Publications Said — And Why Port Melbourne Residents Book Elchi.
When Port Melbourne has a dinner worth remembering, the research starts before the reservation. Here is what that research consistently finds about Elchi.
Broadsheet called Elchi a restaurant that walks the line between classic and contemporary — with extravagant dishes like fragrant chicken mussallam topped with 24-carat gold leaf.
Good Food described the dining room as somewhere between a club room and a limousine — a spectacular space that is an entirely appropriate canvas for the culture and cuisine of India.
The Herald Sun called it mind-blowingly good.
Time Out Melbourne called Elchi a place where the line between traditional and modern Indian food is beautifully obscured.
Urban List named Elchi a contemporary frontrunner for best Indian restaurant in Melbourne.
Not one of these publications has reviewed any Indian restaurant currently operating in Port Melbourne. That distinction is what separates a good local restaurant from a destination — and Elchi is the destination.
The Curry Queen — A Chef Story Worth the Journey
Chef Manpreet Sekhon trained in the kitchens of India's finest five-star hotels, mastered the craft under relentless professional pressure, and was personally recognised by Sanjeev Kapoor and Jiggs Kalra — India's two most celebrated culinary figures. She built three restaurants in Melbourne. She opened Elchi in March 2022 in the former Press Club building at 72 Flinders Street. And she has been in that kitchen every service since.
Same chef. Same kitchen. Same standard, from the first table to the last every night she cooks.
Port Melbourne already appreciates a good story behind its restaurants. Elchi's is one of the most compelling in Melbourne — not inherited, but built, dish by dish, kitchen by kitchen, across India's most demanding fine-dining environments before arriving at 72 Flinders Street.
View the gallery — Read the press
The Menu — What Elchi Serves That No Indian Restaurant in Port Melbourne Does
Every Indian restaurant near Bay Street serves butter chicken, lamb biryani, naan and tandoori chicken. These are the benchmarks of the cuisine and a good version of each is genuinely satisfying.
Elchi cooks those dishes too — and then goes somewhere else entirely.
The 24-karat gold chicken mussalam arrives at thetable finished with real gold leaf. Not a garnish. Not a gimmick. A whole chicken leg slow-cooked using a Mughal royal court recipe, then gilded with 24-karat gold as it has been for centuries. No Indian restaurant on Bay Street or Beach Street or anywhere else in Port Melbourne does this. No Indian restaurant in Melbourne does it the way Elchi does.
Pistachio lamb chops with saffron mash and pomegranate. Gunpowder gobhi — a crispy cauliflower dish that redefines what vegetarian cooking can achieve at the highest level. The Amritsari fish from the tandoor, which Port Melbourne's seafood-conscious bayside community returns for specifically. Dahi puri. Chandrakala. A jalebi churro with rabdi that Good Food specifically praised.
And for Port Melbourne diners who want the full arc of the Curry Queen's cooking in a single sitting — the Leave It Up to the Curry Queen set menu at $95 per person. Wine pairing at $70.
All three premium Indian single malts are poured at Elchi — Rampur, Amrut and Indri. No other Indian restaurant in Port Melbourne, or in most of Melbourne, pours all three. For Port Melbourne's professional community this is a pre-dinner conversation that has not happened anywhere nearby before.
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options throughout. Elchi's meat is halal certified.
Indian Private Dining Port Melbourne — 50 Guests, Exclusively Yours
For private events in or near Port Melbourne, the question comes down to capacity and credibility.
The Indian restaurants currently operating in Port Melbourne are small. The largest seat under forty. None offer exclusive private hire of a dedicated dining room. None have a catering credential that signals five-star standard. None have been reviewed by a single major Melbourne publication.
Elchi's private dining room seats up to 50 guests exclusively in the former Press Club building at 72 Flinders Street — available for corporate dinners, birthday celebrations, engagement parties, Diwali events, anniversary dinners and end-of-year functions. The room is entirely yours. The kitchen behind the glass belongs to the Curry Queen. The ceiling is gold. The booths are curved natural leather. Ten minutes from Bay Street.
For Port Melbourne's professional and corporate community — the financial advisors, property developers, legal firms, tech businesses and executives who live along the foreshore and in Beacon Cove — Elchi offers the kind of client dinner that arrives at the table already impressing before a dish is served.
As the official catering partner of W Melbourne, Elchi also brings the Curry Queen's kitchen to off-site events across Port Melbourne, South Melbourne, Middle Park, Albert Park and all of inner Melbourne. A service no Indian restaurant on Bay Street provides.
Enquire about Indian private dining and catering near Port Melbourne or email goodtimes@elchirestaurant.com.au
Getting from Port Melbourne to Elchi — 10 Minutes by Car, 19 by Tram
By tram: Route 109 departs from Beacon Cove/Light Rail Stop 129 — a short walk from Station Pier and the Port Melbourne foreshore — every 15 minutes along Collins Street directly into the Melbourne CBD. The journey takes 19 minutes. Elchi is at 72 Flinders Street, steps from where the tram runs.
By car or Uber: Port Melbourne to 72 Flinders Street via Lorimer Street or Montague Street — approximately 10 minutes. Drop-off directly on Flinders Street at the corner of Elizabeth Street. Elchi's front door faces the street.
By bicycle: The Bay Trail cycling path connects Port Melbourne to the CBD along the Yarra. For Port Melbourne's active cycling community it is a natural route to dinner and back.
Address: 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD VIC 3000 Phone: 03 9654 6717 Email: goodtimes@elchirestaurant.com.au Lunch: Tuesday to Thursday 12pm–2:30pm Dinner: Tuesday to Sunday 5pm–10pm Walk-ins welcome — reservations recommended.
Indian Restaurant Port Melbourne — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Indian restaurant in Port Melbourne?
For Port Melbourne residents seeking award-winning modern Indian dining — reviewed by Broadsheet, Good Food, Time Out and the Herald Sun — Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD is 10 minutes from Port Melbourne and offers a dining experience no restaurant currently in Port Melbourne can match.
Is there an Indian restaurant near Bay Street Port Melbourne?
The nearest award-winning Indian restaurant to Bay Street is Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD — 10 minutes by car via Lorimer Street, or 19 minutes on the Route 109 tram from Beacon Cove Stop 129.
What is the best Indian restaurant near Station Pier Port Melbourne?
Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD is the nearest award-winning Indian restaurant to Station Pier — accessible via the Route 109 tram from Beacon Cove/Light Rail Stop 129, a short walk from the pier, in 19 minutes along Collins Street. For cruise ship passengers arriving at Station Pier, Elchi is Melbourne's most celebrated Indian restaurant directly accessible by public transport.
What is the best Indian restaurant near Beacon Cove Port Melbourne?
Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD is 19 minutes from Beacon Cove on the Route 109 tram — departing from Beacon Cove/Light Rail Stop 129 along Collins Street to the CBD. Private dining for 50 guests, five major press reviews, and the Curry Queen's kitchen at 72 Flinders Street.
Does Elchi offer Indian catering near Port Melbourne?
Yes. As the official catering partner of W Melbourne, Elchi provides bespoke Indian catering for corporate events, private celebrations and functions across Port Melbourne, South Melbourne, Middle Park, Albert Park and all of inner Melbourne. No Indian restaurant currently operating on Bay Street or in Port Melbourne offers an equivalent catering service. Enquire at goodtimes@elchirestaurant.com.au.
Can I host a private Indian dinner event near Port Melbourne?
Yes. Elchi's private dining room seats up to 50 guests exclusively in the former Press Club building at 72 Flinders Street — 10 minutes from Port Melbourne. Available for corporate dinners, birthday celebrations, Diwali events, engagement parties and all private functions. No Indian restaurant in Port Melbourne offers comparable private dining capacity.
How do I get from Port Melbourne to Elchi by tram?
Board the Route 109 tram at Beacon Cove/Light Rail Stop 129 — near Station Pier on the Port Melbourne foreshore. The tram runs every 15 minutes along Collins Street to the Melbourne CBD. Total journey time is approximately 19 minutes. Elchi is at 72 Flinders Street at the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth Streets.
Is Elchi halal?
Elchi's meat is halal certified. Elchi is not a fully halal-certified restaurant.
Does Elchi have vegetarian and vegan options near Port Melbourne?
Yes — vegetarian, vegan and gluten free dishes are available throughout the menu, from entrees to desserts. View the full menu here.
Is Elchi family friendly?
Elchi welcomes guests aged 12 years and above — an adults-oriented dining environment with smart casual dress code, designed to preserve the atmosphere for all guests. Full details at elchirestaurant.com.au/dress-code.
Does Elchi take walk-ins from Port Melbourne?
Walk-ins are welcome at Elchi. Reservations are strongly recommended.Book online here or call 03 9654 6717.
Ten Minutes. One Decision. The Best Indian Restaurant Near Port Melbourne.
Bay Street on a Saturday morning. The foreshore at sunset. The 109 pulling into Beacon Cove. Port Melbourne has a rhythm and a lifestyle that the rest of Melbourne quietly envies.
When that lifestyle calls for the finest Indian restaurant within reach — for the anniversary dinner, the corporate booking, the birthday that deserves a room with a gold ceiling and a chef who trained in India's finest kitchens — the answer is ten minutes away.
Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD. Five major press reviews. Private dining for fifty. The Curry Queen's kitchen. The 24-karat gold chicken that no other Indian restaurant in Melbourne serves the same way. The Indian single malts — Rampur, Amrut, Indri — that no Indian restaurant near Port Melbourne pours at all.
The 109 runs every fifteen minutes. Elchi is worth every one of them.
72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD VIC 3000 Phone: 03 9654 6717 Email: goodtimes@elchirestaurant.com.au
Book your table — View the menu — Private dining — Gallery — Press — Contact