Babaji's Kerala Kitchen Belgrave

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Belgrave, VIC
Babaji's Kerala Kitchen Belgrave

🌴 Authentic Kerala cuisine. Dandenong Ranges, Melbourne.
🥥 ONAM '26 tx on sale now! Be quick!
⏰ Lunch & dinner every day. Available for wedding & event catering.

(Closed Wed)
🥥 Vegan friendly.
🐕 Pup friendly.
👯‍♂️ Sister to Babajis Yarra Valley, Warburton.
🎉 Event & Wedding caterers. We take you on a journey to a land of palms & spice, tropical Kerala South India.

'Home-style' cooks, our restaurant, based in the lush forest of Melbourne's Dandenong Ranges, serves hearty Kerala favourites including Sadya (banana leaf plates), dosa, Malabar biryani, parot

ta, South Indian filter coffee & craft beer every day. Find us a 5 minute walk from Puffing Billy & the Dandenong Ranges National Park and a 5 minute drive from the 1000 steps. See our website for more information.

21/08/2026

Some thing never change.
Across the decades and globe.

It’s a quiet Friday afternoon and in walk these two - Owen & Braden - their backpacks laden with heavy school books and homework. They’d come to Babajis ALL the way from Glen Waverley - after school.

If it had been Kerala, a 16 year old Chef Jithin (pictured) and his friends looking for an after school treat - would have been patiently waiting for the ‘egg puff’ delivery man - with his fresh out of the oven steaming hot egg puffs destined to reach Joys Bakery in Kaipuzha.

These - with a fresh lime soda - was the taste of a Kerala childhood.

And 16 year old Billy - she’d be heading to the blue stone chippy in Emerald (where Woolies now lies), ordering a steaming hot bag of potato cakes drowned in vinegar. The taste of being a teenager in the Hills in the 90s.

But these two, as they walked in - we clocked them - for it’s unusual to see two young people of Chinese heritage at Babajis.

Studying the menu - they both confidently ordered vegetarian thalis - a dish that gave them a little taste of Kerala.

… and when their food arrived, in hushed tones Owen explained all the elements of a Kerala thali to his mate Braden. (But not quite hushed enough for us not to hear his perfect explanations)...

… ’this is moru, save it till the end. It’s great for digestion’.

Of course - we were surprised and curious.

Who were these two Chinese Aussie boys and what were they doing at Babajis on a Friday afternoon in Glen Waverley school uniforms?

(‘They must actually be Malaysian and not Chinese’ - we thought as Malaysian cuisine is so heavily influenced by South India).

But no - it turns out - these two are Chinese Aussie and it’s their ’thing’ to watch food vids on YouTube and travel across Melbourne after school trying different food.

Even if that food is a 90 + minute train trip from Glen Waverley to Belgrave!

😊 These two just made our day.

🌼 It’s Onam at Babajis Belgrave this weekend - we’ll be taking a break from our usual menu and instead serving our Onam Sadya all weekend.

The chefs have been preparing all week for this very special occasion to us. Tickets still available and we will be able to manage some walk ins.

19/08/2026

A message straight from our Head Chef Jithin to our Mallu community x x x ...

‘We know that you are all busy with celebrating different community Onam celebrations, with hundreds of community celebrations happening’...

If you are after a good, wonderful and handmade onam sadya -

- NOT factory made - everything cooked traditionally - cooked in big pots - a very homely sadya

- If you want to enjoy with your family & friends in a QUIET atmosphere a traditionally served sadya

- If you are interested in having a TRADITIONAL Onam sadya - you know where to come!

Babaji’s Kerala Kitchen presents you Melbourne’s BEST Onam Sadya in both our restaurants - Belgrave & Warburton

Tickets available this weekend at Babajis Belgrave!

SAT 22nd August
12.30 pm - almost booked out!
2.30 pm - spots left!
6.30 pm - spots left!

SUN 23rd August
12.30 pm - almost booked out!
2.30 pm - spots left!

Head online to book -
https://www.babajiskitchen.com.au/more/about-us/news-and-events/onam-sadya.html

(Limited tickets available at Babajis Warburton Sat / Sun 29-30 August)

(Everyone 🇦🇺, of course, welcome).

18/08/2026

If you’ve been thinking ‘I NEED SADYA’ this weekend 👉🏽 Spots available at Melbourne’s best Onam feast at Babajis Belgrave:

SAT 22
12.30pm - almost sold out
2.30pm - enough spots for a big group
6.30pm - getting busier, spots available

SUN 23
12.30 - almost sold out
2.30 - few spots available

Head to https://www.babajiskitchen.com.au/more/about-us/news-and-events/onam-sadya.html

x Babajis

06/08/2026

It’s getting closer and we’re getting fuller!
Who’s coming to Melbourne’s BEST Onam Sadya at Babajis Kerala Kitchen?
Tickets on sale NOW.

Belgrave Babajis - 22/23rd August.
Sessions - 12.30, 3pm, 6pm (Sat only)

Warburton Babajis - 29/30th August.
Sessions - 12.30, 3pm.
(No evening sessions. Normal service resumes).

To book - https://www.babajiskitchen.com.au/more/about-us/news-and-events/onam-sadya.html

05/08/2026

4 years! It’s taken us 4 years to start selling our curries wholesale!
And without Jospehine from Kallista General Store & Cellars nagging - for 4 years - she’s a persistant one 😂 - we probably wouldn’t have got around to it!

Seriously - how can it take us that long? 🤔

For soooo many reasons:

- Staff shortages being the main one and waiting for sponsorship visas to be processed. The delays very real and debilitating for Babajis.

- Trying to get Warburton Babajis established (job achieved)

- Trying to make two restaurants survive in this climate (curry deliveries would have actually helped but when you’re struggling the smallest things are hard).

- Losing our main Indian grocery supplier thanks to whatever this s***storm is that we’re all going through now.

- Red tape being the latest ones - (but seriously do we reeeeeaaallly need to add that to a nutrition label Mr Health Officer and how the heck do we even work that out?)

But the IMPORTANT thing - we’ve done it and we drop off curries to Kallista General Store every Thursday.

Tomorrow’s drop off:
Palak paneer
Chicken chettinad
Butter chicken
Chickpea daal

… and when I come back from holiday in October - watch this space! We’ve got plans!

Feeling proud and strong today.

Billy
Babajis

Whilst we’re here! IMPORTANT NEWS!

🥥 ONAM TIX ON SALE NOW. Head to https://www.babajiskitchen.com.au/more/about-us/news-and-events/onam-sadya.html to book.

🐟 Last Pollichattu Fish cart this Sunday at Babajis Warburton - because we can’t get banana leaf and Onam is approaching!

20/07/2026

BOOM! Early Bird tickets for this year’s Onam at Babajis Belgrave & Warburton just dropped!
For all the info: https://www.babajiskitchen.com.au/more/about-us/news-and-events/onam-sadya.html

Limited tickets! This will sell out!
😊 We’ve been getting lots of emails!

Book your tickets now for Melbourne’s best Onam at
22-23 August - Babajis Belgrave
29-30 August - Babajis Warburton

15/07/2026

We wear our heart on our sleeve at Babajis. So it’s not surprising that our Lill … wanted a word with you all as she steps down from being our manager. To
~ Our beautiful Indian guests.
~ Our Belgrave locals.
~ Her team.
~ Her chefs.
umm... even her bosses got a look in!

We hope you’ll take the time to read it (and leave her a comment if you have ever had the privilege of being served by her).

If you ever doubted Gen Z and their capabilities - don’t!

If you worry about trusting your team when you aren’t there - don’t!

If you worry that Gen Z don’t value the same things as earlier generations - don’t!

If you are thinking about taking a risk on a young person in your business - do!

Lilly has taught us more than we have taught her.
The culture she has created at Babajis - many of us Gen X and Millennials could learn from.

We are so grateful that mid Covid, disillusioned in another hospo job - she was drawn to Babajis. Literally.

Thank you Lily.

x Billy & Max

Address

1/1644 Burwood Highway
Belgrave, VIC
3160

Website

https://www.babajiskitchen.com.au/

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