BYO Indian restaurant Melbourne — Masti's Wednesday night on Brunswick Street Fitzroy
Melbourne has a proud BYO culture. The inner north has built its dining identity around it — small neighbourhood restaurants where the food is serious, the atmosphere is warm and the drink markups are someone else's problem. It is one of the reasons Fitzroy, Carlton and Collingwood eat so well. The best meals happen when great food and your own carefully chosen bottle sit on the same table.
Every Wednesday from 5pm, Masti on Brunswick Street is Melbourne's best BYO Indian restaurant. Bring your own wine, beer or spirits. Authentic North Indian from Punjab, cooked fresh from scratch by Curry Queen Chef Manpreet Sekhon — live clay tandoor running at 480 degrees, whole spices ground that morning, twenty years of Punjab five-star hotel training behind every dish.
"The best Indian food in Melbourne. Bring your favourite bottle and let the kitchen do the rest."
📍 354–356 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065 — open every Wednesday from 5pm 📞 (03) 9427 2121 🕔 Wednesday 5pm–9:30pm — walk-ins welcome, bookings recommended
Masti Wednesday BYO night — Brunswick Street Fitzroy, wine bottles on table, warm dining room atmosphere
What BYO means at Masti — and why Wednesday is the night to do it
BYO at Masti is exactly what it sounds like. Bring whatever you want to drink. Wine, beer, spirits, natural wine, cider, kombucha, sparkling water. No restrictions. No corkage questions. Just your bottle on the table alongside some of the most authentic North Indian cooking in Melbourne.
Wednesday is the right night for BYO because it is the most relaxed night of the week. The room is unhurried. The kitchen is not stretched across three hundred weekend covers. The service is attentive. You have space to eat slowly, refill your glass and actually taste what is on the plate — which at Masti is worth tasting slowly.
The combination of BYO and authentic North Indian cooking is one of Melbourne's great understated pleasures. The right bottle of wine with a proper butter chicken — one built from tomatoes charred over an open flame, not a pre-made sauce — is a genuinely different experience from the same dish with a restaurant-marked-up glass of something anonymous. Bring what you love to drink. The kitchen will give it something worth drinking alongside.
Wine and Indian food at Masti Fitzroy — butter chicken, naan, wine glasses, Wednesday evening atmosphere.
What to bring to Masti's Wednesday BYO night
Wine
Pinot Noir is the best wine match for North Indian food. Light enough not to overwhelm the spicing, complex enough to complement the depth of a long-cooked dal or a charred butter chicken. A Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula Pinot from a bottle shop on Smith Street or Brunswick Street is the right call.
Off-dry Riesling — particularly Clare Valley or Eden Valley. The slight sweetness counterbalances chilli heat and the high acidity cuts through the richness of Dal Makhani and paneer dishes. One of the best-kept secrets of Indian food and wine pairing in Melbourne.
Rosé — a dry Provençal-style rosé works beautifully with tandoori dishes and seekh kebabs. Light, refreshing, versatile across the whole Masti menu.
Natural wine — Fitzroy's wine community has embraced natural wine deeply. A skin-contact orange wine or a lightly chilled Gamay works surprisingly well with Masti's spiced dishes. Bring whatever your favourite natural wine merchant has recommended recently.
Beer
IPA — the bitterness of a well-made India Pale Ale complements cumin and coriander in the tandoori marinades. A local Melbourne craft IPA from the bottle shop on Johnston Street is the right call for a kebab-heavy meal.
Lager — a cold, clean lager alongside seekh kebabs is one of the most satisfying combinations in Indian food culture. Bring a six-pack of something interesting rather than the supermarket default.
Spirits
Bring whatever you would normally drink. A bottle of gin for G&Ts throughout the meal. A good bourbon. Masti's bar is also fully licensed with Indian cocktails, wines, beers and all three premium Indian single malts — Rampur, Amrut and Indri — if anyone at the table wants something from the bar alongside their BYO.
What the kitchen is cooking every Wednesday
BYO Wednesday is not a reduced menu. The full Masti menu is available every Wednesday — the same menu that Time Out, Broadsheet and Good Food have featured, the same kitchen that has been cooking authentic North Indian food in Fitzroy since 2020.
The dishes Wednesday BYO regulars order
Amritsari fish — crispy, spiced, pulled from the live clay tandoor, served with mint chutney. Named after Amritsar — the spiritual heart of Punjab where this dish originated. The dish that prompted a verified reviewer to call it "a dish fit for royals."
Dal Makhani — the black dal that has been cooking since the previous evening. Twenty-four hours of slow cooking with whole spices bloomed in ghee. Rich, dark, deeply flavoured. Nothing like the dal served at Melbourne's average Indian restaurants.
Butter chicken — built from tomatoes charred over an open flame before the sauce begins. This is the step that separates Masti's version from every pre-made, packet-based butter chicken in Melbourne. Order it with a garlic naan and your best bottle of Pinot and you will understand why Wednesday regulars come back every week.
Seekh kebabs — minced spiced lamb pressed onto flat skewers and cooked at 480 degrees in the live clay tandoor. The exterior chars in seconds. The interior stays perfectly tender. The right way to start any BYO Wednesday at Masti.
Melbourne's only freshly baked vegan naan — baked in the same live clay tandoor as everything else. Same char, same texture, same 90-second bake. The full vegan menu is available every Wednesday alongside the regular menu. See the full menu here.
Masti Wednesday dishes — butter chicken, dal makhani, seekh kebabs, garlic naan from tandoor Fitzroy
The Curry Queen — who is cooking your BYO Wednesday dinner
Every Wednesday at Masti, Chef Manpreet Sekhon is in the kitchen. The same chef who trained in Punjab's five-star hotel kitchens for twenty years. Recognised by Sanjeev Kapoor — India's most celebrated chef — and the late Jiggs Kalra, who brought Indian fine dining to the world stage. Featured in Time Out, Broadsheet, Good Food, Urban List and Eatability.
Every spice ground fresh that morning. Every sauce made from primary ingredients. Every naan baked in the live clay tandoor at 480 degrees. This is not a quiet mid-week service staffed by a junior kitchen. This is the full Masti experience — food, chef, kitchen — on the most relaxed and unhurried night of the week.
"Hands down one of the best Indian restaurants in Australia. We have been to many top-rated Indian restaurants and Masti is one of the finest by far." — Verified Tripadvisor reviewer
Chef Manpreet Sekhon — Curry Queen — in the Masti kitchen Fitzroy Melbourne
BYO Indian food near Fitzroy, Carlton, Collingwood and Melbourne CBD
Masti is on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy — five minutes from Carlton and Lygon Street by Uber or a short walk through Edinburgh Gardens. Five minutes from Collingwood by Uber. Ten minutes from Melbourne CBD by Uber or direct tram on Routes 11 and 96. Street parking available on Brunswick Street and surrounding streets from 6pm.
For Melbourne diners looking for a BYO Indian restaurant — whether you are coming from Carlton, Fitzroy North, Collingwood, Richmond, Brunswick or the CBD — Masti's Wednesday BYO night is the right answer. Not a takeaway. Not a delivery app. A 80-seat Fitzroy restaurant with a live clay tandoor, a fully licensed Indian cocktail bar and a kitchen that takes Wednesday as seriously as Saturday.
Brunswick Street Fitzroy Melbourne evening — Masti location, inner north dining street
Other nights at Masti — when Wednesday does not work
Wednesday BYO is Masti's most relaxed night. But every night has its own experience.
Tuesday — Vegan Curry Night $28pp and Thali Night $28–$30pp. The complete Indian meal experience rotating weekly. Thursday — Unlimited Kebabs and Beer $59pp for 90 minutes. Weekly-changing menu from the live clay tandoor. Books out by Tuesday — reserve ahead. Friday and Saturday — Full menu, full bar, peak Masti energy. Book at least 3–4 days ahead. Sunday — Amritsariya Affair $25pp. Unlimited Chole Bhature and lassi. Melbourne's best value Sunday dinner.
How to book Wednesday BYO at Masti Fitzroy
Wednesday generally has more availability than Thursday, Friday and Saturday — but bookings are recommended, particularly for groups of 4 or more. Walk-ins are always welcome if the kitchen has capacity.
📍 354–356 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065 — 10 minutes from Melbourne CBD 📞 (03) 9427 2121 ✉ hello@eatdrinkmasti.com 🕔 Wednesday 5pm–9:30pm
Book your Wednesday BYO table →
[Insert image: Masti BYO group dinner Wednesday — friends at table with wine, Brunswick Street Fitzroy warm atmosphere]
Frequently asked questions — BYO Indian restaurant Melbourne
Is there a BYO Indian restaurant in Melbourne?
Yes — Masti Fitzroy runs BYO every Wednesday from 5pm. Bring your own wine, beer or spirits. Authentic North Indian from Punjab, live clay tandoor, full menu available. 354–356 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Book here.
Is there a BYO Indian restaurant in Fitzroy?
Yes — Masti on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy runs BYO every Wednesday from 5pm. Ten minutes from Melbourne CBD by Uber or Tram 11 and 96. Book here.
What wine goes best with Indian food?
Pinot Noir, off-dry Riesling and dry rosé are the three best wine matches for North Indian food. Pinot Noir pairs with richer curries like butter chicken and lamb rogan josh. Riesling pairs with spiced dishes and dal. Rosé pairs with tandoori meats and seekh kebabs. Bring your preference to Masti's Wednesday BYO night.
Is there a BYO Indian restaurant near Carlton Melbourne?
Yes — Masti is five minutes from Carlton and Lygon Street by Uber or a short walk through Edinburgh Gardens. BYO every Wednesday from 5pm. Book here.
Is there a BYO Indian restaurant near Collingwood Melbourne?
Yes — Masti is five minutes from Collingwood by Uber. BYO every Wednesday from 5pm at 354–356 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Book here.
Can I bring spirits to Masti's BYO night?
Yes — you can bring wine, beer, spirits or any other drinks to Masti's Wednesday BYO night. No restrictions on what you bring. Masti's bar is also fully licensed for those at the table who want drinks from the menu alongside. Book here.
How do I book a BYO table at Masti?
Book online at eatdrinkmasti.com/book-online or call (03) 9427 2121. Wednesday BYO is every week from 5pm. Walk-ins welcome but bookings recommended for groups of 4 or more.
Is Masti's BYO night only on Wednesdays?
Yes — BYO is available at Masti every Wednesday. On other nights Masti is fully licensed with an Indian cocktail bar, all three premium Indian single malts, wines and beers. See all weekly specials here.