Curry by the coast
Torquay has at least four Indian restaurants, which is a lot for a surf town, and they're all in or close to the town centre, about five minutes' drive from north Torquay. Two are proper sit-down restaurants for a night out, one is a small family place on the highway, and one is a takeaway shop that's open from lunchtime.
All of them do takeaway, and the curry for a houseful is one of the easiest dinners on a beach holiday. Prices and hours below are from each restaurant's own ordering page or listing in October 2026.
At a glance
| Restaurant | Where | Style | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jashn | 24 Bell Street | Sit-down, licensed, 120 seats | Mon-Fri from 4pm, Sat-Sun from 12pm |
| Lentils Indian Cuisine | 1 Cliff Street | Sit-down and takeaway | Dinner; bookings on OpenTable |
| Malta Indian Restaurant | Unit 1, 136 Geelong Road | Small, family-run | Dinner from 5pm |
| Taj Express | Unit 1, 21 Bristol Road | Takeaway and delivery | Daily 11am-9pm |
The restaurants
Jashn
The big one, at 24 Bell Street, with about 120 seats, a bar, a fireplace and tables outside. Jashn means "celebration", and the menu travels around India, from the rich curries of the Punjab to the milder dishes of Kashmir, with seafood and plenty for vegetarians. The Good Food Guide listing has it best known for its butter chicken and gobi 65 (spiced fried cauliflower). It's open every day, from 4pm on weekdays and midday on weekends, until 9.30pm, which is handy for an early dinner with small kids. It does gluten-free, vegan and halal options, and takeaway and delivery too.
Lentils Indian Cuisine
At 1 Cliff Street, in the town centre, started by chef Ajay Kumar. The menu is long, with the curries and biryanis you'd expect plus a run of tandoori dishes (lamb cutlets, $29.99, Afghani chicken tikka and Amritsari fish tikka), momos, and an Indo-Chinese section with chilli paneer and vegetable manchurian ($23.99). Butter chicken is $25.99, and samosas are $12 for two. For something hot, the chilli bombs are battered stuffed chillies, which the menu calls "super duper hot". You can book a table through OpenTable from the restaurant's website, or order online for pickup or delivery. Phone (03) 5209 2258.
Malta Indian Restaurant
A small family-friendly restaurant at Unit 1, 136 Geelong Road, on the highway on the way into town. It used to trade as Vineet's Indian Tandoori, and listings show it open for dinner from 5pm. Reviewers single out the lamb chops, the samosas and the garlic naan. It's on Uber Eats if you'd rather it came to you.
Taj Express
A family-owned takeaway shop at Unit 1, 21 Bristol Road, from the people behind Cafe Taj Express in Belmont, with Indian and Nepalese cooking. It's open every day from 11am to 9pm, so it's the easy one for an Indian lunch. The menu is short and cheap: one curry with rice is $13.40, and two curries with rice and a naan or roti paratha are $17.90. The full-size curries are $22.35 (vegetable) and $24.60 (butter chicken, rogan josh, beef korma), and there are Indian curry pies too ($15.65). Order through its website for pickup, or for delivery to Jan Juc, Bellbrae, Bells Beach, Breamlea and Mount Duneed as well as Torquay.
Which one?
For a night out with a drink, Jashn on Bell Street is the most restaurant-like, and it's big enough for a group. Lentils has the most adventurous menu, with the tandoori, the Indo-Chinese dishes and momos, and it takes bookings online.
For takeaway on a budget, Taj Express's curry and rice deals are the cheapest feed in town, and they're there from 11am if you want curry for lunch. Malta is the small, quiet option, and the closest to the highway if you're coming back into town. If you're mixing meat-eaters and vegetarians, any of the four will keep everyone happy, and every menu has a paneer dish.
A few dishes to look out for
Gobi 65
Cauliflower fried in a spiced batter, a South Indian bar snack. It's what Jashn is known for alongside the butter chicken.
Momos
Nepalese and Himalayan dumplings. Lentils does chicken momos fried or steamed, four for $18.
Indo-Chinese
The Indian take on Chinese takeaway: chilli paneer, chilli chicken and manchurian, sweet, sour and hot. Lentils has a whole section of it.
Amritsari fish
Fish in a spiced chickpea batter, from Amritsar in the Punjab. Lentils does it as a tikka ($24).
Ordering for a group
A rough rule for a houseful: one curry per person, a rice for every two or three, a naan each and something from the tandoor or a plate of samosas to start. Butter chicken, a dal and a korma are the safe bets for kids, and Taj Express's two-curry meals are an easy way to feed teenagers.
On a summer Saturday, order ahead. Pickup is a few minutes' drive from anywhere in town, and usually quicker than waiting for a delivery driver.
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free
Indian is one of the easiest cuisines in town for vegetarians. Every menu has paneer and vegetable curries, and Taj Express's dal tadka uses five kinds of lentils. Jashn lists vegan and gluten-free options, Lentils marks its gluten-free dishes (most of the tandoori is), and Taj Express marks gluten free, vegetarian, dairy free and sugar free on its menu. The naan isn't gluten free, so swap it for rice.
Indian restaurants in Torquay FAQ
What's the best Indian restaurant in Torquay?
For a sit-down dinner, Jashn on Bell Street or Lentils on Cliff Street. For takeaway, Taj Express on Bristol Road is the cheapest.
Can I get Indian for lunch in Torquay?
Yes. Taj Express is open from 11am every day, and Jashn opens at midday on Saturdays and Sundays.
Which Indian restaurant opens earliest for dinner?
Jashn, from 4pm on weekdays. At weekends it opens at midday, so it does lunch too.
Do they deliver?
Yes. All four deliver, through their own ordering pages or Uber Eats, and Taj Express delivers as far as Jan Juc, Bellbrae and Bells Beach.
Can I book a table?
Lentils takes bookings through OpenTable. Jashn takes booking requests through its Good Food Guide listing. For the others, ring ahead.
For more nights off cooking, see our Thai restaurants guide, restaurants in Torquay and fish and chips. Staying in north Torquay? Check dates at Holyday House.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 21 October 2026. Opening hours, patrols, rules and closures change — check with the source before you go.
- Jashn Courtyard — Jashn Courtyard (official)
- Jashn Torquay — Australian Good Food Guide
- Jashn — First Table
- About — Lentils Indian Cuisine (official)
- Online ordering — Lentils Indian Cuisine (official)
- Malta Indian Restaurant Torquay Victoria — Wanderlog
- Taj Express — Taj Express (official ordering)
- Taj Express: bringing authentic Indian and Nepalese flavours to Torquay — Search Surf Coast
- Indian food delivery in Torquay - Jan Juc — Uber Eats