Best Indian restaurant near Melbourne Museum, Carlton Gardens and the University of Melbourne — Masti Fitzroy

You've just spent the morning at Melbourne Museum or an afternoon walking through Carlton Gardens. Or you've finished a long day of lectures at the University of Melbourne and you need something extraordinary for dinner. Either way, the search is the same: the best Indian restaurant nearby.

The answer is Masti. Ten minutes from Melbourne Museum. Twelve minutes from the University of Melbourne main campus. Led by Curry Queen Chef Manpreet Sekhon — trained in five-star hotel kitchens across Punjab for two decades, recognised by Sanjeev Kapoor and the late Jiggs Kalra, the Czar of Indian Cuisine. Featured in Time Out, Broadsheet, Good Food and Urban List.

This is not the closest Indian restaurant to Melbourne Museum. It is the best one.

📍 354–356 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
⏱ 10 minutes from Melbourne Museum · 12 minutes from University of Melbourne
📞 (03) 9427 2121
🕔 Tue–Thu 5pm–9:30pm · Fri–Sat 5pm–10pm · Sun 5pm–9:30pm · Mon closed

Book your table now — or walk in. We'll seat you.

Why Melbourne Museum visitors choose Masti for dinner

Melbourne Museum sits at the heart of one of the world's great cultural precincts — Carlton Gardens, the Royal Exhibition Building, the University of Melbourne, the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Over a million people visit this precinct every year. Most of them want dinner afterwards. Most of them open Google and search.

What they find on Lygon Street is almost entirely Italian — pizza, pasta, gelato. Excellent, but not what everyone wants. When Melbourne Museum visitors specifically want Indian food, they are searching for something that most restaurants in this area simply don't offer. Masti, 10 minutes away on Brunswick Street, is the answer they keep finding.

Our North Indian menu was built for exactly this kind of evening — after a day of museums and culture, you want food that's equally compelling. Our butter chicken is made from whole spices ground fresh every morning. Our 24-hour Black Dal starts cooking the night before you arrive. Our naan bakes in a live tandoor while you watch. Every dish is made entirely from scratch by a chef whose credentials match the precinct she serves.

The Curry Queen — Manpreet Sekhon's credentials

The University of Melbourne is ranked #19 in the world. Its 65,000 students and 8,000 staff include some of the most discerning diners in Melbourne — people who have eaten in London, New York, Mumbai and Singapore. They know the difference between authentic and approximate.

Chef Manpreet Sekhon trained in five-star hotel kitchens across Punjab before founding Eastern Spice in Geelong and Elchi in Melbourne's CBD. Her cooking was recognised by Sanjeev Kapoor — India's most celebrated chef with over 60 million social media followers — and by the late Jiggs Kalra, the man widely credited with bringing Indian cuisine to the world stage. These are not marketing claims. These are credentials that place Manpreet among the most recognised Indian chefs in Australia.

Masti has been featured in Time Out, Broadsheet, Good Food, Urban List and Concrete Playground. If you are visiting Melbourne Museum and you want the best Indian food in the area — this is where you go. Book here.

For University of Melbourne students — the best Indian food near campus

The University of Melbourne has 65,000 students — including 30,000 international students from 130+ countries, many of them from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and South Asia. These students know Indian food. They know what authentic tastes like. And they know the difference between a jar of paste and whole spices ground fresh every morning.

Masti is 12 minutes from the main Parkville campus. We are open Tuesday through Sunday from 5pm. Our weekly specials are designed for student budgets and student appetites:

• Tuesday Thali night — veg thali $28, non-veg $30. A complete Indian meal. The best value dinner near the University of Melbourne

• Wednesday BYO — bring your own wine or beer, corkage-free. Our bar is fully stocked every other night but Wednesdays are for those who want to bring a bottle

• Thursday unlimited kebabs + beer — $59pp, 90 minutes, tandoor-cooked. The best Thursday night out near UniMelb

• Sunday Amritsariya Affair — Chole Bhature + unlimited lassi $25. The Punjabi Sunday your study week deserves

Groups of 6 receive a free cocktail pitcher. Groups of 10 receive a free sharing platter. For university department dinners, faculty events and group celebrations, call us on (03) 9427 2121 or contact our catering team.

The most unique Indian dining experience near Carlton Gardens

Carlton Gardens is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Royal Exhibition Building standing within it is one of Melbourne's most breathtaking buildings. The people who walk these gardens are people who appreciate beauty, craft and authenticity.

Masti's atmosphere matches that standard. Walk in to a massive hand-painted mural covering the entire back wall. Moody pendant lights casting gold across exposed brick. The sizzle and smoke of the open kitchen. House beats setting the tempo for the night. New York loft meets modern India — dramatic, vibrant, and entirely unlike anything on Lygon Street.

Our Indian cocktail bar is where we pull furthest ahead. Turmeric Tommy's, the Pink City, Mango Margarita — every cocktail built around Indian flavours by mixologists who understand the cuisine. And we're one of the only venues in Melbourne pouring all three premium Indian single malts — Rampur from the Himalayas, Amrut from Bangalore, Indri from Haryana. Ask for a tasting flight. Urban List called every corner of Masti "Instagram-worthy." Eatability called it "one of the city's best cocktail bars."

After Carlton Gardens, you deserve Masti. Book your table here.

Authentic Indian food — what sets Masti apart from every restaurant on Lygon Street

Lygon Street is famous for Italian. But Indian food near the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Museum deserves the same standard of authenticity that the best Italian restaurants on Lygon Street apply to their pasta. Masti applies that standard to North Indian cuisine from Punjab.

Every spice is ground fresh daily — not from a jar, not from a pre-mixed paste. Every sauce is made from scratch. The butter chicken's tomatoes are charred over an open flame before the sauce begins. The black dal cooks for 24 hours. The naan is baked in a live clay tandoor reaching 480 degrees. The chicken marinates overnight. This is the cooking that earned Chef Manpreet recognition from Jiggs Kalra — the man who defined what Indian fine dining means globally.

If you're searching for authentic Indian food near Melbourne Museum or Indian food near the University of Melbourne that genuinely reflects what Indian cuisine is — Masti is the only answer. Explore our full menu here.

Vegan Indian food near Carlton Gardens — Melbourne's best

The University of Melbourne precinct has one of Melbourne's highest concentrations of vegan diners — students, academics and researchers who have made conscious dietary choices and expect Indian restaurants to match them properly.

Masti serves the most comprehensive vegan Indian menu near Carlton Gardens. Freshly baked vegan naan in our live tandoor — not a substitute product, not a different process. The same tandoor, same clay wall, same char. Plus Soya Chaap, Honey Chilli Cauliflower, Chickpea Vindaloo, Dal Tadka, Bhindi Do Pyaza and Jeera Aloo. Every Tuesday is our vegan curry night — $28 for a rotating selection of plant-based curries with vegan naan. Melbourne's only freshly baked vegan naan. Full stop.

Indian catering near Melbourne Museum and the University of Melbourne

Planning a conference dinner, graduation celebration, department function, or private event near Melbourne Museum or the University of Melbourne? Masti's catering team brings the full restaurant experience to your venue — including our live tandoor, where guests watch naan and kebabs cooked fresh in front of them by Chef Manpreet Sekhon's team.

We cater for 20 through to 200+ guests. Fully customised menus with vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal-sourced options. For university department dinners, faculty events, graduation dinners, corporate catering near Carlton and conference catering near Melbourne Museum, contact us at hello@eatdrinkmasti.com or call (03) 9427 2121.

Getting from Melbourne Museum to Masti

• By tram from Melbourne Museum: Tram 96 from Nicholson Street south to Smith Street, then walk 5 minutes west to Brunswick Street. Or tram 11 from the CBD directly along Brunswick Street to our door. Total: 12 minutes

• By car from Melbourne Museum: Head south on Nicholson Street, turn onto Alexandra Parade, turn left onto Brunswick Street. 10 minutes. Street parking available on Brunswick Street and surrounding streets

• By car from University of Melbourne (Parkville): South on Royal Parade to Princes Street, across to Brunswick Street. 12 minutes

• By tram from UniMelb: Tram 19 from Sydney Road stop to Princes Street, then 5 minute walk east. Or tram 1/8 from Swanston Street to Brunswick Street. 15 minutes total

• By bike: Edinburgh Gardens path connects directly. 10 minutes from Melbourne Museum, 15 minutes from Parkville campus

We are at 354–356 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm. Monday closed. Walk-ins always welcome.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Indian restaurant near Melbourne Museum?

Masti on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy is the best Indian restaurant near Melbourne Museum — 10 minutes away, led by Curry Queen Chef Manpreet Sekhon, recognised by Sanjeev Kapoor and Jiggs Kalra. Featured in Time Out, Broadsheet, Good Food and Urban List. Book your table here.

Is there a good Indian restaurant near the University of Melbourne?

Yes — Masti is 12 minutes from the main Parkville campus. We have weekly specials from $25, group deals (free pitcher for 6, free platter for 10), BYO Wednesdays, and Melbourne's most authentic North Indian menu. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm. Walk-ins welcome.

Is there Indian food near Carlton Gardens Melbourne?

Lygon Street, immediately adjacent to Carlton Gardens, is predominantly Italian. The best Indian food near Carlton Gardens is Masti on Brunswick Street — 10 minutes away — with an Indian cocktail bar, freshly baked vegan naan, live tandoor and a Curry Queen chef trained in Punjab five-star hotel kitchens. Book here.

Does Masti serve halal food near Melbourne Museum?

All meat at Masti is sourced from halal-certified suppliers. The restaurant is not self-certified halal but all proteins are halal-sourced. Call (03) 9427 2121 with specific requirements.

What's the best Indian restaurant for University of Melbourne students?

Masti. Tuesday thali $28, Thursday unlimited kebabs + beer $59, Sunday Chole Bhature $25. Groups of 6 get a free cocktail pitcher. 12 minutes from Parkville campus, open 5 nights a week. See all weekly specials here.

Can Masti cater for university events or conference dinners near Carlton?

Yes — our catering team handles university functions, department dinners, graduation celebrations and conference catering for 20 to 200+ guests. Live tandoor available for events. Email hello@eatdrinkmasti.com or call (03) 9427 2121.

The best Indian restaurant near Melbourne Museum and the University of Melbourne — book Masti tonight

📍 354–356 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
⏱ 10 min from Melbourne Museum · 12 min from University of Melbourne · 10 min from Carlton Gardens
📞 (03) 9427 2121
✉ hello@eatdrinkmasti.com
🕔 Tue–Thu 5pm–9:30pm · Fri–Sat 5pm–10pm · Sun 5pm–9:30pm · Mon closed

Book your table online — or walk in. We cook for you tonight.