Best authentic Indian restaurant near Crown Melbourne, Southbank and South Wharf — Masti Fitzroy, 15 minutes from the Yarra

Masti is an authentic Indian restaurant at 354–356 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne VIC 3065. 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. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm, serving authentic North Indian cuisine, an Indian cocktail bar pouring all three premium Indian single malts, and Melbourne's only freshly baked vegan naan. 15 minutes from Crown Casino, Southbank Promenade and South Wharf.

Southbank and South Wharf have outstanding Indian dining inside Crown Casino — Bengali-inspired, hatted, genuinely celebrated. The promenade has the Yarra views. DFO South Wharf has a new Yarra-side Indian venue. What the precinct does not have is a nationally press-featured North Indian chef with verified five-star Punjab training, serving the authentic original rather than a contemporary interpretation. That is Masti. The alternative to the casino. Fifteen minutes north on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.

📍 354–356 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065 — 15 min from Crown Casino and Southbank
📞 (03) 9427 2121
🕔 Tue–Thu 5pm–9:30pm · Fri–Sat 5pm–10pm · Sun 5pm–9:30pm · Mon closed

Book your table now — walk-ins welcome.

Near Crown Melbourne — the authentic alternative 15 minutes from Whiteman Street

Crown Casino at 8 Whiteman Street is one of the world's great entertainment complexes — restaurants, bars, gaming, cinemas, luxury retail. Its Indian dining is genuinely excellent: a hatted, Bengali-inspired kitchen inside the casino complex, celebrated by Australia's food press and worth its accolades.

But Crown is Crown. The scale, the lights, the casino energy. There are Southbank evenings when you want something different — a neighbourhood restaurant with a live clay tandoor visible from the dining room, a chef who built her reputation over twenty years in Punjab before opening in a Fitzroy terrace, and Indian single malts you cannot find anywhere else in Melbourne's inner south. Masti is that restaurant. Fifteen minutes from Crown by Uber. Authentically North Indian from Punjab rather than Bengali or pan-Indian. A completely different experience for a different kind of evening. Read Chef Manpreet's story here.

Bengali and pan-Indian vs authentic North Indian — the distinction Southbank deserves in 2026

Southbank's most celebrated Indian dining is inspired by Bengali cuisine — the food of Kolkata and West Bengal, with pan-Indian crowd-pleasers alongside regional Bengali dishes. It is a distinct and proud regional tradition, and when executed at the highest level it is extraordinary.

North Indian cuisine from Punjab is a different regional tradition entirely. The butter chicken, dal makhani, Amritsari fish and live tandoor naan that Chef Manpreet Sekhon cooks at Masti are not Bengali adaptations — they are the Punjab originals, made with whole spices ground that morning, tomatoes charred over open flame, twenty years of five-star hotel training behind every dish. Southbank visitors who have tried the Bengali interpretation and want to understand the North Indian original now have fifteen minutes standing between them and Masti. See our full menu here.

After the NGV and Arts Centre Melbourne — the Indian dinner the arts precinct is missing

The National Gallery of Victoria on St Kilda Road is Australia's most visited gallery. Arts Centre Melbourne — Hamer Hall, the State Theatre — hosts the MSO, Opera Australia and the Australian Ballet. The new Fox: NGV Contemporary opens in 2026 as Australia's largest gallery dedicated to contemporary art and design, transforming the Melbourne Arts Precinct into the country's most significant cultural destination.

After an evening at the NGV or Hamer Hall — an opening night, a blockbuster exhibition, a symphony performance — the precinct's dining options are well-established. What none of them offer is authentic North Indian from Punjab led by a chef recognised by Sanjeev Kapoor and Jiggs Kalra, with an Indian cocktail bar pouring all three premium Indian single malts. Masti is 15 minutes from the NGV by tram or Uber. The trip from the arts precinct to Brunswick Street is worth making. Explore our menu here.

South Wharf Promenade — beyond the DFO, beyond the precinct

South Wharf stretches west from Crown along the Yarra River — the South Wharf Promenade, DFO South Wharf with over 120 brands, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, the historic Polly Woodside tall ship, Webb Bridge connecting to Docklands. It is a precinct in its own right with its own Yarra-side dining culture.

South Wharf's new Indian venue on the Yarra promenade serves the precinct well for a casual riverside dinner. What it cannot offer is what Masti offers: twenty years of verifiable Punjab five-star hotel training, national press coverage in Time Out, Broadsheet and Good Food, and an Indian cocktail bar that pours Rampur, Amrut and Indri — the trifecta of premium Indian single malts unavailable anywhere else in the precinct. Fifteen minutes from South Wharf to Brunswick Street. The trip separates a convenient dinner from a genuinely memorable one. See our full menu here.

The Curry Queen — the credentials Southbank's sophisticated visitors understand

Southbank attracts Melbourne's most culturally engaged visitors — arts patrons, international tourists, Crown's dining crowd, conference delegates from across Australia. These are people who have eaten well across the city and hold high standards for what exceptional cooking means.

Chef Manpreet Sekhon trained in Punjab five-star hotels 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. Founder of Eastern Spice in Geelong and Elchi in Melbourne's CBD before opening Masti in Fitzroy in 2020. No Indian restaurant on the Southbank promenade, inside Crown Casino or on South Wharf can point to this body of work.

What Masti offers that Southbank and South Wharf Indian dining currently doesn't

Authentic North Indian from Punjab — the original, not the interpretation

Every spice ground fresh that morning. Butter chicken tomatoes charred over open flame. 24-hour black dal. Amritsari fish. Live clay tandoor at 480 degrees. Not Bengali, not pan-Indian, not fusion. The cuisine of Punjab as it has been cooked in Punjab's finest hotels for generations. See our full menu here.

All three premium Indian single malts — Southbank cannot match this

Rampur from the Himalayas. Amrut from Bangalore. Indri from Haryana. Masti's Indian cocktail bar pours all three — a tasting experience unavailable inside Crown or on South Wharf's promenade. Ask for the flight. Original Indian-spiced cocktails alongside: Turmeric Tommy's, Pink City, Mango Margarita.

Melbourne's only freshly baked vegan naan

Same live clay tandoor. Same char. Same texture as the original. A full vegan menu: Soya Chaap, Honey Chilli Cauliflower, Chickpea Vindaloo, Dal Tadka. Every Tuesday is our vegan curry night — $28 for rotating plant-based curries with vegan naan. 15 minutes from Southbank.

A neighbourhood restaurant — not a precinct, not a casino

Masti is a 70-seat Fitzroy restaurant on Brunswick Street. A live clay tandoor visible from the dining room. A chef who is present in the kitchen. A room where the food is the entertainment. For Southbank and South Wharf visitors who want to leave the precinct behind for the evening — this is where to go. Book your table here.

Getting from Southbank and South Wharf to Masti

• By Uber from Crown Casino: 12–15 minutes direct to 354 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

• By Uber from South Wharf Promenade: 12 minutes direct to Brunswick Street

• By Uber from the NGV or Arts Centre: 12 minutes direct to Brunswick Street

• By tram from Southbank: Tram 1 or 96 northbound from St Kilda Road to Brunswick Street. 15–18 minutes total

• By tram from South Wharf: Tram 96 northbound from Clarendon Street to Brunswick Street. 18 minutes total

• By car from Crown Casino: North on Kings Way to Alexandra Parade, east to Brunswick Street. 12 minutes

• By car from South Wharf: North on Montague Street to City Road, north to Alexandra Parade, east to Brunswick Street. 12 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions — Southbank and South Wharf visitors ask

What is the best Indian restaurant near Crown Melbourne?

Crown Casino has its own acclaimed Bengali and pan-Indian restaurant. For authentic North Indian from Punjab — a different regional tradition entirely — Masti on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy is 15 minutes from Crown by Uber. Led by Curry Queen Chef Manpreet Sekhon, featured in Time Out, Broadsheet and Good Food. Book here.

What is the best Indian restaurant near Southbank Melbourne?

Southbank has Indian dining inside Crown Casino. The best nationally press-featured authentic North Indian near Southbank is Masti — 15 minutes away on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Authentic Punjab cooking, Indian single malt bar, live tandoor, open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm. Book here.

Is there Indian food near South Wharf Melbourne?

Yes — South Wharf has a new Yarra-side Indian venue on the promenade. The best press-featured, credentialled authentic North Indian near South Wharf is Masti — 12 minutes from the promenade by Uber. Book here.

Is there Indian food near the NGV Melbourne?

Yes — Masti is 12 minutes from the National Gallery of Victoria by Uber or tram along St Kilda Road to Brunswick Street. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm. Book here.

Is there Indian food near Arts Centre Melbourne?

Yes — Masti is 12 minutes from Arts Centre Melbourne by Uber. Authentic North Indian, live tandoor, Indian cocktail bar, open Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm. Perfect before or after a performance. Book here.

What is the difference between the Indian dining at Crown and Masti?

Crown's Indian restaurant is Bengali and pan-Indian — a distinct regional cuisine from West Bengal, executed at the highest level inside the casino complex. Masti serves North Indian from Punjab — a different regional tradition, the original these dishes draw from, cooked by a chef with twenty years of Punjab five-star hotel training. Different cuisines, different atmospheres, different evenings. See Masti's menu here.

Is Masti open on Sundays near Southbank?

Yes — Masti is open every Sunday from 5pm to 9:30pm. Our Sunday Amritsariya Affair — Chole Bhature with unlimited lassi for $25 — is one of our most popular nights of the week. Book here.

Is there vegan Indian food near Southbank and South Wharf?

Yes — Masti has Melbourne's only freshly baked vegan naan plus a full vegan menu. Every Tuesday is our vegan curry night at $28. 15 minutes from Crown Casino and South Wharf.

Can Masti cater for events near Southbank and South Wharf?

Yes — our catering team handles corporate functions and private dinners for 20 to 200+ guests, live tandoor available. Email hello@eatdrinkmasti.com or call (03) 9427 2121.

The best authentic North Indian near Crown Melbourne and Southbank in 2026 — book Masti tonight

📍 354–356 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065 — 15 min from Crown Casino, Southbank Promenade, South Wharf, NGV and Arts Centre Melbourne
📞 (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. The authentic North Indian alternative to Crown is 15 minutes away on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.