The best Indian restaurant hands down. The food is fresh, authentic and delicious. The staff are polite, patient and well behaved. Water is always served which is beautiful about the Indian culture. The QR system works well. The place is clean and hygienic. No wonder the queues are ridiculous. More success to you. They now serve alcohol , sweets and fresh juices too. A whole rounder food joint.

Worst South Indian food you will find in Melbourne. Overly priced. Bad food. Looks like this joint is run by North Indian hospitality students. Not a single dish tasted authentic. Very poor customer service. Staff member’s family and friends get preferential treatment- shouldn't it be first come first serve? There are better places out there who serve better quality South Indian food. You have been consistently letting us down. HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED. P.S- Can you come up with a better response than the below if you really value your customers. We completely understand the experience you had with us. We are taking your review very seriously and we have rolled up our sleeves to resolve it. Think of a solution to make this a better joint for Melburnians!!!!

We dined here on all three days we were in Melbourne and they were excellent! Fantastic customer service by all waiters, food served on all the days was consistent and exceeded expectations. Don't be complaining about the long queues because it's worth the wait. We didn't mind the waiting afterall the food is top-notch. I have nothing but praise for this restaurant - highly recommended and coming back here again in the future!

One of the few good Indian restaurants in the city. Particularly for South Indian food, so give them a try. Online ordering makes service a lot easier now and the offers re thalis etc are decent.

The dosas were good. The Mehndi vada was not my favourite. I feel like flavour-wise, the spices are dulled down a bit - probably too Cater to all tastes. I’d recommend the ghee rava dosa.

Good Southern Indian vegetarian food, but the service is very slow. Only two waiters working. They forgot to bring utensils, glass, and plates.

Make sure you book a table before you go for dine in specially at the weekends. We did walk in and the restaurant was fully booked. There was a queue. Had to wait. Luckily we got our table early. The restaurant got renovated recently with new furniture and more sitting capacity. Staff was really nice and accomodating. Despite being the restaurant super busy, staff was trying their best to help and serve customers. Coming on to the food. The quality of food has lowered down. That’s the only reason for not giving five stars. Please get back the old food quality. It’s a 100% pure vegetarian restaurant with both South Indian and North Indian options. Kids combo is pretty good. Thali combos are available too. Nice place to try South Indian food.

The best place in Melbourne CBD for South Indian food. Idly was really soft & mouth-wateringly delicious. Felt like it melted in my mouth. Highly recommended Cheese dosa was to die for! Highly recommended. Masala dosa was good. The flavour of spices were very much felt. Recommended. Chana bhatura was okay. That could have been a bit better. The bhatura was very oily. The taste of Chana wasn’t up to the mark either. Not recommended The restaurant is a bit over priced for the quantity being served

ORDERED: 🥖 Masala Dosa: Rice crepe stuffed with potato masala served with sambar & 3 varieties of chutneys (sauces/dips) ($14.90) 🧆 Chaat platter ($25.00) 🥤 Mango lassi ($5.00) I spent $24.95 here! REVIEW: I don't have authentic Indian food often, so dining at Saravanna Bhavan was a real treat. 😊 ❤ Fully vegetarian, we opted for a Masala Dosa, and my friend mentioned this was one of the best Dosa's she's ever had! The variety of chutneys kept things interesting (coconut based, very refreshing!), with the potato masala a big chunk within the middle. Even though the rice crepe it looks deceptively thin, it was very filling and crispy. ♥ Especially when it's paired with the chaat platter, we had a variety to choose from. It ranged from the pani puri to the smashed samosa! It was more heavily flavoured and seasoned than the masala dosa, so it was nice going in between the two dishes. 📲 You order through a QR code, pay through the app and it comes to your table. There's minimal conversation had, and I would've loved to confirm the chutneys we had. Luckily my friend was able to advise, but the experience is not Indian cuisine beginner friendly. 📑 The menu is one of the largest I've seen and it can get overwhelming! That being said, there's so much to try which is very exciting in itself.

Loved everything about this place, from the traditional cozy ambiance to the taste of authentic Indian food, I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for richness in flavors, enlightenment of tastebuds or simply finger licking good delight. Highly recommend as the covid regulations were followed strictly, no entry without vaccination certificate. Found the first Indian restaurant with high level of hygiene and cleaniness. The staff was friendly, supportive and had all food-related knowledge. I think i have found my everyday-go place for lunch. Highly recommended to everyone!! Well done guys!! Cheers!!🥂 Keep the good work up!!

👍🏻🤩 This place is generally full because they serve some of the best food around! Quick service with a homely feeling and flavour, if you're in the mood for some South Indian, vegetarian or Indian in general, you must visit this place! 🍛🥘 The food is phenomenal: excellent flavours, traditional way of plating, and all at fair prices make eating here an enjoyable experience. (Below are my reviews when I ordered via Uber Eats) Fantastic Idly Vada ($15.5) from this authentic Indian restaurant is something one needs to try. This is a popular place, and it rightly deserves it. The chutneys and sambhar were on point, the idlys were perfect and the vada was fresh and delicious. Highly recommended! Delicious Pav Bhaji ($19.80) that unmistakably brings back memories of India.

For such a busy day, the staff handled everything very well, we interacted with 4 different staff members-all very friendly and helpful, the food was perfect! Even the covid precautions taken was done very well! We absolutely enjoyed the food and customer service and will be back for more!!! Thank you for a wonderful experience 😊

Lunch for 2 Order- Mysore Masala, Masala dosa and vada Food quality - Good. Their Dosa are yummy, replicating the same taste from India. Love it. I am a regular now, every fortnight. Just on last visit ordered Onion dosa, turned out to be disaster. Onions were not uniformily chopped and dosa was sticking on the plate. One suggestion for mgmt the bowl size and spoon size don't compliment, either serve sambhar in big bowl or arrange small size spoon. Service - Good. Humble. But, two staff attending to serve even a fully booked restaurant is a little unjustice to them though. Fab job they are doing. Ambience - Good. Play some light music might just pull the ambience more. Cost - $$ for 2 Remark - Good quality Indian food Must visit for dosas

Reliable. Delicious. Impeccable service. Not your usual Indian. Vegetarian. The menu is extensive and though you can browse and order online whilst seated on your table, not all dishes have photos so ask. The names for those of us not too familiar with Indian regional cuisines are unusual. The staff are very friendly and attentive and the manger took all needed time to explain the dishes we asked about. I go there very often.

The food was great and delicious. It was my first time to have such properly made Indian cuisine outside of India. You have to place the order via the mobile web browser. Placing the order and making the payment was super quick and easy. The food even arrived within a reasonable time. Even though it was a weekday evening, I can’t say it wasn’t busy. The price is reasonable. I actually tried many different varieties. Hence why I spent around $40 per person. I love their food.

I thinks its bit over rated. Food is okay. Rava masala dosa was very oily and not nicely presented. So, disappointed as I had great expectations with considering the reviews by people. Mini tiffin deal is good and can tried but bit expensive.

Pros: 1. Yummy south indian food ❤️ 2. Dosai is served with varieties of chatni and sambar. 3. Gobi 65 tasted really good with extra seasoning of lime and pepper just like we used to get in India. 4. Restaurant staff were very friendly and exceptional :) They were smiling when they were moving around and it truly made a difference. 5. Eating food listening to Tamil songs was truly something I missed and it was a great experience 😍 Cons: 1. Long waiting time both in line and to get food. We had to wait more than 30 minutes to get our food after placing order. 2. I was eagerly waiting to try authentic filter coffee but I was sadly let down!! The coffee was cold and though, the restaurant graciously served me a second cup of coffee once I notified them, it was still cold! I was expecting a steaming cup of filter coffee but instead I got a coffee that we literally chugged down to get it over with soon!!! Reducing one star because of the wait time and coffee!!

Food was very very good, and service was even better. On some days the wait was crazy as we went during the cricket world cup and there were a lot of Hungry Indians just like us. But the food was so good we went to eat 4-5 times in the 7-8 days we were there.

A new ordering function at the cafeteria style restaurant. It appears to be styled on least human contact. The system is as follows. Wait to be seated, scan QR code to bring up a detailed menu on your phone Scroll thru the menu selecting the dishes you want the next step is to receive a bill on the restaurant site, on your phone or device. Pay the bill with your card and the order is only then completed and sent to the kitchen. One plus point is that you can leave as soon as you finish eating or anytime you want. The specialties are authentic Dosai. My rava dosai was excellent, with 3 chutneys. I also ordered battered cauliflower. The overall experience was a little unusual but nothing to criticise. Helpful & pleasant wait staff too. Pure vegetarian.

This is my go to place whenever I have a hankering for south indian food. Just like any other Saravana Bhavan. You take your seat and scan a QR code to place your order. All the food was great. However the filter coffee left a bit more to be desired. Otherwise it's my go-to off late as I miss my mom's cooking. While it's not the same, it's not too bad either.

This Sarvanaa Bhavan in Melbourne is the best I guess. Everything was so fresh and yummy. Service was also good. They have option for unlimited thali with scrumptious options. I tried veg Uttapa, it was also quite tasty. If I visit Melbourne again, I would definitely visit this.

Best Gobi 65 I've ever had.9/10 Madras coffee is good.7/10 Wada was average/ Size of the wada is small. 5/10 Aloo paratha 8/10

Excellent food. We were ordered the Sarvanan thaali and the onion utthapam, along with some rasam as entree and ended it with filter coffee. The food was delicious and just hit the spot. Perhaps the best south Indian food in Melbourne. The staff were very friendly too. We were with our 19 month toddler and they made sure that she was looked after too! Highly recommended. Update: we came here today coz of more dosa cravings. The food is absolutely amazing. Stuff those Dosa Huts and Dosa Plazas. This here is authentic south Indian food! The only thing I'd like is physical menus. Please bring back those things. QR codes are so 2020 - the pandemic is now over! Highly recommended!

One of my Favourite Restaurants to eat in Melbourne ! Love it 🌸

Ate here twice while we were in Melbourne. Both times different menu items and all were gorgeous. All ordering done online with QR code. Take your time, there's hundreds of choices. Staff very helpful explaining dishes where necessary.

Very tasty food. Friendly staff. Great touch less Ordering system .Let's us order thru app, which is easier. Milagaipodi Dosa and Medhu vada was delicious.On the other side, Chilli 🌶 bhaji was not fry properly that was unexpected. When it comes to cost, not very affordable for everyone, bit overpriced.. Overall ,a very good South Indian cuisine .

Only place we could get delicious south Indian food in Melbourne CBD. Place has good ambiance but peaks times have a long wait to get a table and food but definitely it's a worth waiting. Ordering from the table using qr code is a good idea.

I love Indian cuisine hands down! Decided to go with my wife and my best friends. Great vegetarian place and wasn’t disappointed. The best thing on a cold winter day is a hot filter coffee and a plate of steaming sambar vadda but the coffee is nothing like Indian filter coffee. I’d rate everything as 7.5 on the menu. A definite try is the mini Tiffin and sambar vadda. The staff is very good and friendly. Bon appetite. Enjoy!

So glad to have found this popular Indian restaurant on the streets of Melbourne! Went in for a business lunch and enjoyed the all vegetarian fare. The different types of rice served were amazing. Conveniently located on the busy King Street, this place is always busy. Looking forward to my next visit to Melbourne and the next lunch here.

My wife and I stumbled upon this place and had an amazing meal. Both my wife and I are vegan and while the menu does not clearly label what menu items are vegan the staff especially Meg went above and beyond to help guide us through the menu and we were left very satisfied with what we ordered. We will definitely be going back!

Taste as always, ordering via QR Code, thats how you pay as well; very smart system. Delicious and tasty food, great service and no long waiting time. Simple Ambiente, but at the end, food is most important

Take Away Ordered food from Saravana Bhavan First of all who handles Catering Orders it is appalling to see the quality of packing it absolutely does no justice to protect food. Masala Dosa Was soggy, Chole Bhatura was hard as cardboard and icing on top of this ordered Rasmalai and was delivered Gulab Jamoons, it is like going to a premium charged restaurant asking for a nice Cappa and getting milk instead. Absolutely horrible service, once used to be the Jewel of the Indian food now it is having serious serving issues

I had breakfast at the establishment and it has a very pleasant atmosphere. The food is also very delicious. Additionally, I used their restrooms and found them to be very clean and well-maintained. The establishment is an excellent place to enjoy South Indian cuisine. I highly recommend it.

Authentic Indian cuisine. Love the garlic naan and masala tea. Went before busy hour, but still pack with tourists. Good environment, just a bit warm as the air-conditioner wasn’t working well. Waiters are helpful, just that only 4 of us, cant try more dishes. Love to visit again.

Saravanaa Bhavan's food truck catered our wedding, and they were absolutely fantastic! Their dosa is the best in town, and our guests couldn't get enough of it. Highly recommend them for any event!

Execellent and friendly service ,fantastic restaurant that offers a truly authentic and flavoursome dining experience. The Chana Bhatura and north India thali were standout dishes. Amazing service and good atmosphere !! Thanks Ali chef for looking after us. I highly recommend.

This is really a good Indian restaurant. They have maintained the flavor and taste of India. You must try the 2 foot long family-size dosa for memorable experience. Other dishes are also yummy. They have many options on sweets. The staff is very friendly. Food is not very spicy.

Authentic south indian food. Very happy with the taste. Biryani was good but could have been a bit more flavourful. But I'd definitely go back when in mood for South indian cuisine

Best vegetarían Indian restaurant! Top 🔝 we love love being here 🌟

Most authentic South Indian food I’ve had in Melbourne, feels like I’m back at my grandmas in Hyderabad. Have eaten here plus had Uber eats here, both awesome. They even do tasty North Indian dishes.

Had visited restaurant yesterday night with my friends. we were a group of 3 people. Despite Monday evening restaurant was full as its currently running with reduced seating because of covid restrictions. After a wait of nearly 10-15 minutes we got seated around 09:30 pm. we were greeted upon arrival & offered complementary coffee while waiting. They are Covid safe as we are required to scan QR code for check-in. Also for ordering its a contact less ordering really good & really easy to operate. Customer service was excellent by the girl as she helped us with couple of queries. Even the manager was helpful as upon his suggestion we tried thali meal & that was excellent with many curries in a plate with rice & bread, totally different from regular curries available in indian food outlets. Overall experience was good & will visit again to try other items in the menu. Cheers !!

Ordering food is a breeze with online app. Food is fresh, very tasty and fast service . App is really Good idea. Ordering was easy. Very kind good service. Will go Back again.

Must try mysore dosa from here. It was soo tasty and full of flavours. Thank you sarvana bhavan team for the birthday wishes and goodies. It truly made my day 🙂❤.

Best Indian food outside of India (and I mean it as we are visiting from a different country) ! This is the best restaurant in Melborne for Indian food in terms of service, staff, food quality, taste and cleanliness! In 5 days we have come here more than 7 times and tried different dishes. The awesome taste, customer service, quality of food and the friendliness of staff are consistent every single time! There are so many varieties of vegetarian food options available from North Indian, South Indian to snacks. I highly recommend this and you won’t regret!

Amazing authentic Indian food. South Indian dosa is very delicious, customer service is very good and all staff members are very friendly and helpful, the food was perfect! Even the covid precautions taken was done very well! We absolutely enjoyed the food and customer service and will be back for more, the best point noted was the level of hygiene maintained. Well done guys and cheers!!!!Thank you for a wonderful experience 😊!!! I come back here again and again. One of the best places in Melbourne!!!

All vegetarian place with numerous options. Did find the dosa to be salty as mentioned by a few reviewers so don’t expect super tasty treats but overall for the cost and a convenient location close to southern cross station makes it a frugal and filling option

Pros: 1. Food is good as usual 2. Special thali is a great option and had nice collection of drinks too. Cons: 1. Worst booking system I ever seen in any restaurant. While starting from tarneit we rung in advance to book a table, lady told there is a 40min waiting. Upon arrival, we again rang to ask whether we can enter she again mentioned that there is 35-40mins more waiting. After 30mins I went to ask in person for wait times, then she told again 30mins. More worse is she then told that we need to write down phone number and then only they will call us to confirm a table. It took another 40mins after showing up several times. The lady even tried to argue with us that their system is great. They literally wasted our time with a stupid booking procedure. 1pm lunch we had at 4pm. 2. Water tumblers and plates are not at all clean. Felt like the standards of this restaurant has dropped significantly. 3. There is a IBIS hotel next to it, many people in PPE gear were moving in and out of that hotel. And Sarvanabhavan customers had to wait outside next to it. I personally scared to death that I might catch covid. Only visit this restaurant if it's not busy. Otherwise I highly recommend not to visit. Not worth waiting in such unhygienic conditions. My 2 star rating is just for food. Management should seriously get back to drawing board in resolving such poor booking procedures.

Awesome South Indian food! Definitely recommend it.

Best place in Melbourne for authentic south Indian cuisines. Also they prepare decent north Indian cuisines too. Best part I like is hygiene and fast service. Usually it difficult to get table on busy hours.

Very good. Special meals and dosas were great

I recently dined at this restaurant during my trip to Melbourne with my family, and I must say, the food was exceptional. My parents, who are particularly fond of South Indian flavors that remind them of home, were absolutely delighted. We couldn't help but appreciate the talented chef behind these mouthwatering dishes. The food and service were impeccable in every way. The ambiance of the restaurant added to the overall experience. We visited on a weekday, so it wasn't too crowded, allowing us to enjoy a peaceful meal. It was a memorable dining experience, and I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for delicious South Indian cuisine served in a great atmosphere :)

I took my family for lunch to Saravana Bhavan during our trip to Melbourne as we couldn't get in for dinner the previous evening. Since it was a working day, we didn't have to wait and were seated quickly. The online ordering process was easy and the food was delivered fresh and hot with very little wait time. The food tasted really good and I felt it was way better than the Saravana Bhavan at Paramatta, Sydney. The staff were very friendly too. We will be back next time we are in Melbourne

Once upon a time used to be our Go to restaurant for South Indian food. We recently visited after almost a year or lockdown, disappointed is an understatement. Food was below average, most staff are doing you a favour serving food( no greeting, no smiles!) Toilet facilities definitely needs attention, place is disgusting. Asked for a toilet roll, took 4 people to discuss among themselves but still could not find any! Restaurant can absolutely use some TLC and staff that are courteous & helpful. Won't be visiting again

I was going for dinner with my friends. We order onion masala which was so oily . And paneer butter masala was very sweet . No taste in the food. No spice at all. It’s the waste of money and worst Indian testament ever .

No booking taken. This place is always busy. Food is good with good portions sizes. Ambience is plain, noisy, rushed and impersonal. It’s a busy place so would be hard to keep up. Not throughly impressed with the service but would go back for the food.

Being from south India and also lived in Chennai, Saravana Bhavan is nostalgic and hitting home run kind of feel. Samabar is the one item I like the most there, with rice or with idly dosha vada or even just by itself. Can have as many bowls of sambar as I can. Better than having HSB’s business lunch , you could have the meals and have a happy tummy. Sambar vada is always a goto snack meal. Definitely try the samabar vada.

The best in South Indian hospitality for those that crave South Indian food.

Best Indian food in Melbourne. Nice and clean restaurant. Nice staff and service as well. Must Try once at least. Keep in mind, you’ll have to wait for dine in here, the only bad part is they don’t accept bookings. You just have to wait.

Amazing experience everytime we visit. Authentic Indian vegetarian cuisine. Even my 10 month old daughter loves being there.

We came here for breakfast on the weekend. The place wasn't very packed, and we were taken to the table quickly. We ordered the following: Mini Tiffin - Mini Dosa, a vada, Pongal, Kesari, Sambar, 5 Pcs Mini ghee Idly sambar & one Chutney ($20.90) Masala Dosa - Rice crepe stuffed with potato masala served with sambar & 3 varieties of chutneys ($13.90) Channa Batura - Big fluffy fried bread served with channa masala ($14.90) Plantain Bajji - Two thick green banana slices coated with chickpea batter deep fried, served with chutney & sambar ($10.90) Masala Tea ($5.00) We loved everything served on the table, but we had to remind the staff several times to get us the tea. By the time the tea came, we were almost done with the food, which didn't really serve the purpose of enjoying the tea with breakfast. The Mini Tiffin wasn't very mini as I felt the portion was huge and could be enough for two people.

Would have given it 5 stars if not for the online ordering system which was a slight hassle. When dining in, would prefer to just see a menu and place order at the counter. Apart from that, food was good value for money with big serving sizes. The taste was delicious especially the chutneys and sambhar. Chefs are happy to accommodate to any requests Unlimited chutney and sambhar Standout was definitely the idli dosa and utthapam

Good vegetarian indian food, but was a little hard to know what to order if you’re not used to the name of the dishes

Firstly can say, restaurant should allow to book tables to save time, as orders are taken online if possible while booking or in wait time if order can be taken so once customers gets table he can start eating food. We ordered chana (chole) bhatura which was very tasty, Mysore masala dosa was good, but in thali masala rice was different in taste normal. Overall can say one of good restaurants for vegetarians if they work on service and little on quality it can be best in cbd.

This place has the best Dosa in Australia.. n even better than India.. Places like this double your experience with awesome service from staff like Raj.. Awesome staff awesome service and double awesome food.. Love it..

Very conveniently located close to a lot of offices in CBD this place is my go to when I have a craving for Indian food. The Puri was amazing and the dosas were crisp and tasted just like home. Although don't expect any spicy hot food since it was mild for my palette. But still I absolutely love this place.

Amazing Indian food at a reasonable price. You need to place the order via a QR code placed on each table using your own mobile device, which I find easy and quick. This place wasn’t busy given it was an evening during the week. However, the story is different if it’s the weekend. They are quick at serving the ordered food too. Most of the dishes can be shared by two people. They portions are big and of generous size.

Very tasty plain dosa & sambar. Fried banana was just OK. Vada was good. Wouldn't say it's the best Indian food I've had, but for Melbourne, it's great. Vegans make sure you ask them not to use ghee.