

Come on a journey to a
land of coconut palms & spice.

From tropical Kerala, South India
...to the forests of Melbourne's
Dandenong Ranges & the Yarra Valley

You’ll find the home cooked style dishes
you miss from Kerala
and a dash of India’s favourite street foods.

Welcome to
Babajis Kerala Kitchen
Bringing our communities together with homely South Indian cooking
&
a warm Aussie country welcome.
Melbourne's best South Indian restaurant
We do Kerala!
Kerala, a little Southern state of India ... tropical, spice laden and with its own unique cuisine & culture.
... and whilst we've got butter chicken on the menu to keep the Aussies happy, it's far from 'our food'. That's the thing less known about India - travel the country and you'll feast on regional delights. For us, that's 'lighter' dishes, coconut infused, lentils, crispy dosa, soft idli and a surprise to some - our Kerala beef curry is our Aussie equivalent of a parma!
Visit Babajis with no expectations.
With our Kerala specialities, picturesque locations & friendly Aussie service
... we're far from typical.
Visit us to try our...
Sadya - Our banana leaf feast!
Served on fresh banana leaf, this is a feast that truly takes you to Kerala. We hope you'll use your fingers to truly appreciate each of the 13 dishes ~ their textures and own distinct flavours.
-
Beef fry & Kerala Parotta
-
Fish Fry
-
Mutton Curry
-
Kerala Biryani
FIND US IN THE MOUNTAINS ...
The beautiful mountain drive to Babaji’s is just as much part of the experience as our Kerala cooking and our friendly Aussie welcome.
BABAJIS BELGRAVE, DANDENONG RANGES
Is just 50 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD at the start of the Dandenong Ranges National Park, a 5 minute drive from the 1000 Steps, Puffing Billy Steam Railway and 15 minutes from the Tesselaar Tulip Festival.
Come for a hearty feed and hot chai, stay longer for a forest walk and to breathe the mountain air.
📍 1/1644 Burwood Hwy, Belgrave, 3160
☎️ Book here. We only take bookings on line and not by phone.
📸 Explore our favourite local spots to visit in the Dandenong Ranges.
BABAJIS WARBURTON, YARRA VALLEY
You’ll find us 90 minutes from Melbourne.
Nestled at the start of the Yarra River | Birrarung in picturesque Warburton.
We’re 10 minutes from the majestic Redwood Forest and 20 minutes from Mount Donna Buang where you’ll find the closest snow to Melbourne in winter.
Set in a 1930s cabaret dance hall, with open fires, a beer garden on the river and surrounding mountain views, Babajis Warburton oozes romance and Munaar vibes.
📍 3305 Warburton Highway, Warburton, 3799
☎️ Book here. We only take bookings on-line and not by phone.
🎁 Venue hire available for groups of 60-200.
📸 Explore our favourite local spots to visit in the Yarra Valley.
Opening Hours
⏰ Mon, Thurs, Sun 12-8pm, Fri & Sat 12-9pm. Open public holidays. Check our Google listings for unplanned closures.
🐕 Outside dog friendly dining available.
Belgrave Restaurant Info | Warburton Restaurant Info
You say …
"We were swept off to Kerala for lunch. Decor is so vibrant that you can't help but smile from the moment you walk in'. Ria, Google, 2023"
"I had a nostalgic evening, eating dishes by mum and grandma used to cook when we were young'. Shena, Google, 2022"
"Amazing place. With such ambience. Purely South Indian feels'. Maverick, Google, 2022 "
Supporting Our Community
PAYING IT FORWARD AT BABAJIS
2025 and many of us are feeling stretched... for some of us, every $ counts and a Babajis treat isn't an option.
That's why, we regularly cook for our local food bank 'Community Casseroles'... making sure that everyone in our community gets some Babajis love.
You can help us do this by donating to our 'pay it forward' fund, either in our restaurant or when ordering take away online.
To date (June '25), with your help, we have raised $8000 - which has directly helped us to cook over 1000 meals.
COMMUNITY DAYS AT BABAJIS
It's our favourite day of the month when we come together to raise some much needed funds for a local cause.
Our Community Days see us donating 10% of our total sales - dine in and take away - directly to a local not for profit group.
Over the years we've helped preschools build playgrounds, the local scouts send their members to camps, and local artists rebuild after an arson attack on their studios.
Are you a local community group looking for support? We'd love to help. Please send us an email to
2025 - WARBURTON BABAJIS COMMUNITY DAYS
$450 - Gladysdale Primary School to help them raise funds for their school kitchen
$400 - Upper Yarra Garden Club to raise funds to help with marketing their events.
$330 - Body of Wellbeing to help support body positivity in our community.
$330 - Wesburn & District Dog Obedience Club to help pay for Trainer training.
$350 - Upper Yarra SES to go towards helping them buy a new truck.
COMMUNITY DAYS COMING UP AT WARBY...
Thurs 7 Aug ' 25 - Milwarra Primary School
Thurs 16 Oct '25- Warburton Junior Netball Club
2025 COMMUNITY DAYS AT BELGRAVE
$350 - Belgrave Lantern Parade
COMMUNITY DAYS COMING UP AT BELGRAVE ...
Thurs 25 June '25 - Sherbrooke Little Athletics Club
Thurs 7 Aug '25 - Selby Community House
Thurs 11 Sep ' 25 - Belgrave South Scouts
Thurs 16 Oct '25 - Sassafras Pre School
Thurs 13 Nov ' 25 - 3MDR Community Radio
EVENTS & NEWS
We are grateful to be able to cook and live on the lands of the
Wurundjeri & Boon Wurring people of the Kulin nation.