Awards
Twice Hatted Chef's Hat Winners, The Age Good Food Guide 2025
HATTED INDIAN RESTAURANT NOW IN THE YARRA VALLEY
We're so proud of our new Warburton restaurant for winning a prestigious Chef's Hat in our first year!
It's been a wild year, full of fear, stubborness and 'what have we done moments', starting a new restaurant in a regional town is not for the faint hearted!
We've taught our new Yarra Valley Community the difference between South and North Indian food.
We've fine tuned our juniors pronounciation of a Malayalam menu.
We've prayed for snow to bring MORE visitors in the quiet season. We've prayed for LESS visitors on weather perfect crazy public holidays! The first year of Babajis Warburton has been quite the adventure.
Thank you Warburton and the Yarra Valley for your support and warm welcome to your community.
See What The Age Good Food Guide says about us here.
Winners of 'One Hat', The Age Good Food Guide 2024
The Dandenong Ranges very own Hatted South Indian Restaurant!
With our humble food, warm service and unusual spot in the Dandenong Ranges, we're so proud of our team for doing things a little differently.
Our journey began with just one tava from Kerala and a dodgy marquee - cooking dosa to a community very unfamiliar with South Indian and Kerala cuisine.
It's been a long journey, with twists, turns, tears and so much laughter. From cooking in the rain and lightning, to the intensity of cooking at the Queen Victoria Night Market - to opening our first small 'take away' shop in our home town of Belgrave before adding a dine in restaurant.
From our 'mish mash' team, made up of home taught Indian cooks and Hills locals (many who are under 18 in their first job), to being recognised by Victoria's prestigious food awards - 'The Age Good Food Awards' is just a huge WOW for us!
To our Hills community, for seeing us survive the trauma of running a small restaurant during Covid & storms ... and always 'having our back'. Thank you.
May we all recognise that not all good food comes from fine dining and that you don't need to leave the mountain to get it!
May regional Indian food and its complexities be better understood and valued by us all.
May we all help and not hinder each other to prosper.
x Babajis
Find out more about our journey here.
