Indian Restaurant Kensington — Bellair Street's Missing Cuisine Is at Elchi, 9 Minutes by Train
Kensington Eats Well on Bellair Street. For Indian, It Needs to Take the Train.
Kensington is a suburb that has quietly become one of Melbourne's most food-serious inner neighbourhoods. The Bellair Street strip — outdoor dining precinct, heritage shopfronts, weekend crowds — covers the full range of what a food-literate community demands. Arnold's for natural wine and small plates. Pimm Thai for consistent neighbourhood Thai. The Kensington Hotel for pub dining that goes well beyond the standard. The warehouse conversions off the main street housing some of Melbourne's more interesting seasonal menus. The cafes on Macaulay Road that shift to dinner service on weeknights. The sourcing culture that comes from living four kilometres from the Queen Victoria Market.
What Bellair Street does not have — on its own strip, in its own postcode — is a single Indian restaurant. Not one. The Australian Good Food Guide lists zero Indian restaurants in Kensington VIC. Zero.
That gap is 9 minutes east by train. Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD — Melbourne's most press-covered, most celebrated modern Indian restaurant. Thirteen independent publications. Official catering partner of W Melbourne. Private dining for 50 guests exclusively. Chef Manpreet Sekhon — Melbourne's Curry Queen — in the kitchen every service. Walk-ins welcome Tuesday to Sunday.
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 Kensington: 9 minutes by train from South Kensington Station to Flinders Street Station Distance from Bellair Street: 9 minutes by train, 15 minutes by tram 57
Distance from Flemington Racecourse: On the direct tram 57 line — board at Flemington Drive, alight at Elizabeth Street and Flinders Street
Distance from Kensington Station: 8 minutes by train to Flinders Street Station
Distance from South Kensington Station: 9 minutes by train to Flinders Street Station
Distance from Macaulay Station: 10 minutes by train to Flinders Street Station
Private dining near Kensington: Up to 50 guests exclusively
Indian catering Kensington: Official catering partner of W Melbourne
As featured in:Broadsheet · Good Food · Time Out · Herald Sun · Urban List · Delicious · What's On Melbourne · and more
Indian Restaurant Near Flemington Racecourse — The Spring Racing Carnival's Finest Indian on Tram 57
Flemington Racecourse is Melbourne's most iconic sporting venue for four days every spring. The Melbourne Cup Carnival — Victoria Derby Day, Melbourne Cup Day, Oaks Day, Champions Stakes Day — draws 300,000 visitors over four days and generates some of the largest restaurant search volumes of any annual Melbourne event. On Melbourne Cup Day alone, 100,000 people pass through Flemington.
Kensington sits directly between Flemington Racecourse and Melbourne's CBD. Tram 57 runs along Racecourse Road and Epsom Road through the heart of Kensington — and that same tram 57 runs directly from Flemington Drive, right outside the main gate of Flemington Racecourse, all the way to the corner of Elizabeth Street and Flinders Street in the CBD. Elchi is at 72 Flinders Street — steps from that tram stop.
For the best Indian restaurant near Flemington Racecourse Melbourne — the Spring Racing Carnival dinner, the Melbourne Cup Day celebration, the corporate hospitality group heading into the city after the last race — board tram 57 eastbound from Flemington Drive. Alight at Elizabeth Street and Flinders Street. Elchi is steps from the stop.
No Indian restaurant on the tram 57 route between Flemington Racecourse and the CBD holds thirteen major Melbourne press features. No Indian restaurant near Flemington Racecourse offers private dining for 50 guests exclusively. No Indian restaurant near the Spring Racing Carnival carries a W Melbourne catering credential. Elchi does — at the end of tram 57.
For Spring Racing Carnival corporate groups requiring a private room — Elchi's private dining room seats 50 guests exclusively in the former Press Club building at 72 Flinders Street. The gold ceiling, curved leather booths and Curry Queen's kitchen make it the finest private Indian dining room for Spring Racing Carnival entertaining in Melbourne.
Book your Spring Racing Carnival Indian dinner at Elchi or enquire about private dining at goodtimes@elchirestaurant.com.au
Thirteen Melbourne Publications Reviewed Melbourne's Indian Restaurants. All Thirteen Found Elchi.
Kensington's dining community reads Broadsheet before booking. They follow Arnold's on Instagram. They know what good food looks like and they know the difference between a restaurant that has earned its reputation through independent editorial review and one that has simply been there long enough.
Thirteen independent publications have covered Elchi's kitchen — without a single paid placement among them. Here is what they found.
Broadsheet called Elchi a restaurant that walks the line between classic and contemporary — praising the extravagant chicken mussalam topped with 24-carat gold leaf as the kind of dish that defines a kitchen's ambition.
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 — praising the samosa as one reason alone to make Elchi a priority.
Time Out Melbourne called Elchi a place where the line between traditional and modern Indian food is beautifully obscured — and praised the kitchen as glorious, alluring and overflowing with confidence.
Urban List named Elchi a contemporary frontrunner for the best Indian restaurant in Melbourne.
Delicious.com.au — Australia's national food magazine — described Elchi as bringing posh spice to Melbourne's former Press Club site.
What's On Melbourne — the official City of Melbourne dining platform — listed Elchi among Melbourne's best Indian restaurants, praising its fresh, contemporary Indian flavours in a sleek and captivating space.
Eat Drink Play called Chef Manpreet Sekhon's cooking outstanding Indian food with a contemporary and theatrical spin — praising the Curry Queen's passion for timeless Indian cuisine from the heart of the CBD.
The City Lane called the chicken tikka the highlight of the menu — wonderfully charred and succulent, served with an addictive tomato-chilli caramel.
Thrillist noted Chef Manpreet Sekhon — known as the Curry Queen — had quietly launched one of Melbourne's most exciting new restaurants at 72 Flinders Street.
3AW 693 — Melbourne's most listened-to radio station — with food broadcaster Sofia Levin reviewing Elchi before the word had leaked out.
The Indian Sun celebrated Chef Manpreet Sekhon's journey from the northern towns of India to Melbourne's CBD — calling her the Curry Queen who brought timeless Indian cuisine to Flinders Street.
Eatability called the dining room a stunner — praising the Curry Queen's seasonal menu and describing Elchi as doing a lot of things right.
Thirteen publications. Thirteen independent verdicts. All positive. All in print or broadcast. Not one Indian restaurant operating in Kensington has been covered by a single one of them — because not one Indian restaurant operates in Kensington.
Indian Restaurant Near Kensington Station, South Kensington Station and Macaulay Station — 9 Minutes to Melbourne's Best Indian
Kensington is one of Melbourne's best-connected inner suburbs — three train stations serving different lines, plus tram 57 along Racecourse Road. For Kensington residents heading to Elchi, every station delivers the same result — Melbourne's most press-covered modern Indian restaurant in under 10 minutes.
From Kensington Station — Craigieburn line, board southbound toward the CBD. Alight at Flinders Street Station. Elchi is at 72 Flinders Street steps from the exit. 8 minutes total.
From South Kensington Station — Werribee, Williamstown or Sunbury lines, board eastbound toward the CBD. Alight at Flinders Street Station. Elchi is at 72 Flinders Street steps from the exit. 9 minutes total.
From Macaulay Station — Upfield line, board southbound toward the CBD. Change at Flagstaff or continue to Flinders Street Station. Elchi is at 72 Flinders Street steps from the exit. 10 minutes total.
Three stations. Three lines. One destination — the former Press Club building at 72 Flinders Street. Thirteen Melbourne press features. The Curry Queen's modern Indian kitchen. Nine minutes from Kensington's front door.
Book your table at Elchi from Kensington
The Menu Kensington Has Been Taking the Train For
Kensington's food community is not looking for familiar. The residents who queue at the Macaulay Road bakeries before 8am, who fill Arnold's on a Tuesday night for natural wine and small plates, who know which warehouse conversion off Bellair Street is worth the walk — these are people who bring curiosity to a menu. The Elchi menu rewards that curiosity.
The 24-karat gold chicken mussalam — a whole chicken leg slow-cooked using a Mughal royal court recipe, finished with real gold leaf and presented at the table as a ceremony. The dish that Broadsheet wrote about, that Good Food praised and that Kensington's food community makes the 9-minute train journey for.
Pistachio lamb chops with saffron mash and pomegranate. Gunpowder gobhi — crispy cauliflower that makes the vegetarian choice feel like the most interesting decision on the table. The Amritsari fish from the tandoor. The jalebi churro with rabdi that Good Food called unexpectedly brilliant. The chicken tikka that The City Lane called wonderfully charred and succulent — served with an addictive tomato-chilli caramel.
For the complete Kensington Indian dinner — the Leave It Up to the Curry Queen set menu at $95 per person. Wine pairing at $70. For something more spontaneous — the full à la carte menu, walk-ins welcome, no months-long waitlist.
For Kensington's Indian and South Asian community — all three premium Indian single malts poured at Elchi: Rampur, Amrut and Indri. The only Indian restaurant within 9 minutes of Kensington offering all three at one table.
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options throughout. Elchi's meat is halal certified.
Indian Private Dining Kensington — 50 Guests, Exclusively, 9 Minutes by Train
Kensington's dining scene does not offer Indian private dining. It does not offer any Indian dining. For private Indian occasions near Kensington — the birthday celebration, the Diwali event for the suburb's Indian and South Asian community, the corporate dinner for the professional group, the Spring Racing Carnival private function — the answer is 9 minutes east by train.
Elchi's private dining room seats up to 50 guests exclusively in the former Press Club building at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD. Available for birthday celebrations, Diwali events, engagement parties, anniversary dinners, Spring Racing Carnival corporate functions, end-of-year celebrations and all private occasions near Kensington.
The room is entirely yours. Gold ceiling. Curved leather booths. The Curry Queen's kitchen visible through glass. Thirteen Melbourne press features as the credential. Adults-only 12+ for every guest.
The finest Indian private dining room within 9 minutes of Kensington — and there is no close second because there is no Indian restaurant in Kensington at all.
Enquire about Indian private dining near Kensington or email goodtimes@elchirestaurant.com.au
Indian Catering Kensington — The W Melbourne Standard, 9 Minutes Away
As the official catering partner of W Melbourne, Elchi provides bespoke Indian catering for events across Kensington and all of Melbourne's inner northwest.
For Kensington events — Diwali celebrations in the suburb's Indian and South Asian community, corporate functions in the Kensington Banks precinct, private gatherings in Kensington's Victorian cottages and warehouse conversions, Spring Racing Carnival hospitality events and end-of-year celebrations along Bellair Street — Elchi's Indian catering brings the Curry Queen's kitchen to your venue at a credential level no other Indian caterer near Kensington can match.
The W Melbourne partnership is the most prestigious Indian catering credential in Melbourne. No Indian restaurant operates in Kensington. No Indian caterer near Kensington holds an equivalent five-star hotel catering partnership.
For Indian catering near Kensington: goodtimes@elchirestaurant.com.au
Indian Restaurant Corporate Dinner Kensington — The Curry Queen for Your Client Table
Kensington's growing professional community — young executives, technology sector workers, creative industry professionals and the corporate firms that have followed the suburb's rapid residential growth — seeks corporate Indian dining that reflects the suburb's increasingly sophisticated food culture.
For the Kensington professional community seeking the finest Indian restaurant for a corporate dinner — Elchi at 72 Flinders Street is 9 minutes by train and Melbourne's most press-credentialed modern Indian restaurant.
Thirteen major press features. W Melbourne catering partnership. Private dining for 50 exclusively. Chef Manpreet Sekhon's modern Indian menu — the kind of kitchen that impresses clients who have dined everywhere and remembers every great meal.
For corporate bookings near Kensington: elchirestaurant.com.au/reservation or goodtimes@elchirestaurant.com.au
9 Minutes From Kensington. Every Route to Elchi.
By train from South Kensington Station: Board any Werribee, Williamstown or Sunbury line train eastbound toward the CBD. Alight at Flinders Street Station. Elchi is at 72 Flinders Street steps from the exit. 9 minutes total.
By train from Kensington Station: Board any Craigieburn line train southbound toward the CBD. Alight at Flinders Street Station. Elchi is at 72 Flinders Street steps from the exit. 8 minutes total.
By train from Macaulay Station: Board any Upfield line train southbound toward the CBD. Alight at Flagstaff or Flinders Street Station. Elchi is at 72 Flinders Street. 10 minutes total.
By tram 57 from Bellair Street or Racecourse Road: Board tram 57 eastbound from any Kensington stop along Racecourse Road or Epsom Road toward the CBD. Alight at Elizabeth Street and Flinders Street. Elchi is at 72 Flinders Street steps from the stop. 15 minutes total.
By tram 57 from Flemington Racecourse: Board tram 57 eastbound from Flemington Drive — right outside the Flemington Racecourse main gate. Alight at Elizabeth Street and Flinders Street. Elchi is at 72 Flinders Street steps from the stop. 20 minutes from Flemington Racecourse.
By car or Uber: Kensington to 72 Flinders Street is 10–12 minutes. Drop-off on Flinders Street at Elizabeth Street.
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 and all Spring Racing Carnival event days
What Kensington Diners Ask About Elchi
What is the best Indian restaurant in Kensington Melbourne?
There are no Indian restaurants currently operating in Kensington VIC. The best Indian restaurant within 9 minutes of Kensington is Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD — reviewed by Broadsheet, Good Food, Time Out, the Herald Sun, Urban List and eight more publications. 9 minutes by train. Private dining for 50. Adults-only 12+. W Melbourne catering partner. Book here.
What is the best Indian restaurant on Bellair Street Kensington?
No Indian restaurant operates on Bellair Street Kensington. The best Indian restaurant within 9 minutes of Bellair Street is Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD — 9 minutes by train from South Kensington Station or 15 minutes by tram 57. Thirteen Melbourne press features. Full à la carte menu. Walk-ins welcome. Book here.
What is the best Indian restaurant near Flemington Racecourse Melbourne?
Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD is the best Indian restaurant near Flemington Racecourse — on the direct tram 57 line from Flemington Drive to Elizabeth Street and Flinders Street. 20 minutes by tram from the Flemington Racecourse main gate. Thirteen Melbourne press features. Private dining for 50 for Spring Racing Carnival corporate groups. Book here.
What is the best Indian restaurant near Melbourne Cup Carnival?
Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD — on the direct tram 57 line from Flemington Racecourse to the CBD. The most press-reviewed Indian restaurant accessible from the Melbourne Cup Carnival. Thirteen publications. Private dining for 50. W Melbourne catering partner. Book here.
What is the best Indian restaurant near South Kensington Station?
Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD — 9 minutes by train from South Kensington Station to Flinders Street Station. Thirteen Melbourne press features. Private dining for 50. Book here.
What is the best Indian restaurant near Kensington Station Melbourne?
Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD — 8 minutes by train from Kensington Station on the Craigieburn line to Flinders Street Station. Thirteen Melbourne press features. Private dining for 50. Walk-ins welcome. Book here.
What is the best Indian restaurant near Macaulay Station Melbourne?
Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD — 10 minutes by train from Macaulay Station on the Upfield line to Flinders Street Station. Thirteen Melbourne press features. Private dining for 50. Book here.
Is there Indian private dining near Kensington Melbourne?
Yes. Elchi's private dining room seats up to 50 guests exclusively at 72 Flinders Street — 9 minutes by train from Kensington. Available for Diwali events, Spring Racing Carnival corporate functions, birthday celebrations, engagement parties and all private occasions near Kensington. Enquire at goodtimes@elchirestaurant.com.au.
Is there Indian catering near Kensington Melbourne?
Yes. As the official catering partner of W Melbourne, Elchi provides bespoke Indian catering for events across Kensington and Melbourne's inner northwest. Enquire at goodtimes@elchirestaurant.com.au.
What are the best restaurants in Kensington Melbourne?
Kensington's dining scene is anchored by Bellair Street — Arnold's for natural wine and small plates, Pimm Thai for neighbourhood Thai, The Kensington Hotel for quality pub dining. For the finest modern Indian restaurant within 9 minutes of Kensington — thirteen Melbourne press features, private dining for 50 and a W Melbourne catering credential — Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD is the answer that Bellair Street does not yet have on its own strip. Book here.
What is the best Indian restaurant for a corporate dinner near Kensington?
Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD — 9 minutes by train from Kensington. Thirteen major press features. W Melbourne catering partnership. Private dining for 50 exclusively. Chef Manpreet Sekhon's modern Indian menu. Book here.
How do I get from Kensington to Elchi?
By train from South Kensington Station — 9 minutes to Flinders Street Station. By train from Kensington Station — 8 minutes. By train from Macaulay Station — 10 minutes. By tram 57 from Racecourse Road — 15 minutes to Elizabeth Street and Flinders Street. By car or Uber — 10–12 minutes to 72 Flinders Street.
Is Elchi halal near Kensington?
Elchi's meat is halal certified. Elchi is not a fully halal-certified restaurant. Full menu details at elchirestaurant.com.au/menu.
Bellair Street Has Everything. The Indian Restaurant Is 9 Minutes East.
Kensington has built one of Melbourne's most quietly impressive inner-suburb dining scenes. Arnold's. The Kensington Hotel. The weekend Bellair Street crowds. The warehouse conversions with their seasonal menus. The sourcing culture of a suburb four kilometres from the Queen Victoria Market.
What Bellair Street does not have — not one restaurant, not one delivery kitchen, not one listing on the Australian Good Food Guide — is Indian food. The gap is genuine, it is complete and it is 9 minutes east by train.
Elchi at 72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD. Thirteen Melbourne publications. The former Press Club building — gold ceiling, curved leather booths, the Curry Queen's glass-fronted kitchen. The 24-karat gold chicken mussalam. Three premium Indian single malts. Adults-only 12+. Private dining for 50 exclusively. The W Melbourne catering partnership. On the direct tram 57 line from Flemington Racecourse.
Bellair Street has everything Kensington needs. The Indian restaurant it is missing is 9 minutes east by train.
72 Flinders Street Melbourne CBD VIC 3000 Phone: 03 9654 6717 Email: goodtimes@elchirestaurant.com.au
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