Welcome to Mela Indian Sweets & Eats

Wonderful food! We always go for the Talis, and as long as Butter Chicken is there and that wonderful desert, we're happy. After the meal there's rarely any room left for their cakes, but I always make sure to take a few home! Reasonably priced as well.

The quality of service varies, but we haven't had any serious problems there, they're usually nice and quick.

The ambiance is simple, but with a few lovely details.

Overall, one of the best Indian restaurants in Perth and highly recommended.

The food was delicious, Everything was fairly spicy though. We had the Paneer Dosa which was a homemade ricotta in a dosa pacake, an aloo paratha which was also yummy and the vegetarian Thali. There was alot of condiments with the Thali and not enough rice and bread though i think. The sweets...are AMAZING! never had better Indian desserts anywhere. The Gulab Jumas was sooo delicious! They have all different shapes, sizes, colours and textures of it.

Ok, was slowish. The staff didn't seem to have a great deal of knowledge which takes away from the ambience a bit.

The restaurant is largish and fairly spacious, gets very very busy though so bookings would be advised for a large group unless you go early. We were there at 5:30 and most of the tables were reserved. The general ambience is nothing special, not very cosy, just very open and light, relaxed.

I loved this restaurant and have already returned twice. Definitely a must try if you love Indian, or just try the desserts anyway they are amazing.

Its one of the best indian restaurants i ever been to. The curries are the best, i have been to almost all the indian restaurants in perth but i find mela is the best as far as food goes and great sweets. Its all perfect, keep up the good work..

Its too slow, it seems like some people don't know how to communicate with customers, they don't recommend any specials (food).Got to do hard work on the service.

Its beautiful, the lights, the posters, its just like u r sitting in a cinema and watching a bollywood movie.

If anyone wants to go for some Indian food u should try mela and pls do try the sweets. Overall its one of the best restaurants. Cheers.

I am a regular at this restaurant from the day it opened I have been going there and I know the service can get bad at times but the food is the best Indian I have ever eaten anywhere in the world..and the prices are very affordable because nowhere in Perth would you get such good quality Indian food for these prices...the kheema dosa and the thalis are fabulous and now there is a new Friday fish special which is also fantastic the flavours in this fish are so prominent and it is served on a sizzling platter with the mint and coriander chutney.

Well done Mela for the fantastic food and service.

We have been to Mela about 3 times in the last 6 months, and the food is always good. We usually have the seafood and non-vegetarian thali, and the lamb/goat biriyani is also good.

We haven't found the service to be too bad, maybe it gets worse when it is busy, but most times we have been, the restaurant hasn't been that busy.

Yes, there seems to be "travellers/backpackers' working there, but the only time that service has been an issue, is when you go to pay, then stand around while the person behind the cash register answers phonecalls.

I think it is a well priced for Indian food, and I always get some sweets to take home. YUMM!

Look I have to say that after a friends highly recommendation, we thought we would try this establishment out. Especially that her BF's background/heritage is from this region.

So last night, we decided to try it out. We arrived at 18:30 Wednesday night and found parking right at the front, perhaps it was a sign for a great night out!

We found the decor/ambience great, more than I expected!

The service was attentive, helpful and understood the items on the menu, with their recommendation from the menu.

The food was FAB-O! The takeaway sweets were a treat in themselves.

We had the Chicken Dosa and Seafood Thali as our mains, whilst trying the Onion Baji as the starter.

Overall, our experience at this establishment was brilliant and we are sure we will recommend and re-visit this establishment again and again.

The prices I felt, were very reasonable, considering we walked away feeling very delight and contented. All up it came just a tad over $50, inc the 3 takeaway sweets.

We noticed the other diners were ordering items that had us wondering, "oh what's that, yumm that looks good". So be prepared to return!

So give it a go, I would be surprised if you found your overall expectation to be average.

Thanks for Vasilia/Clay for your constant recommendation! :^)

Well done Mela for providing Perth-ites with authentic and quality Indian food!

I think the good thing about Mela is that they have wide variety of food options from dosa, thali, to special kinds of bread. I'm quite happy with their food quality and their price.

However, after I visited Mela for 6 times already, it was only ONCE that I got good service. Every time I go there, they always have new staff. And these new staff look like they don't really understand what to do, and they are not friendly or efficient either. Most of the time I go there, I have to wait for at least 20 minutes for someone to take my order, and wait another 20 minutes until my food comes out and usually the wrong food ends up on my table.

If I can suggest the manager of Mela, please train your staff properly, and try to reduce your staff turnover. If service is improving, I'd love to be a weekly regular customer and promote your restaurant to my friends.

Came here on Saturday night to try the "5 star" food and try not to be too fussed about the possibility of "2 star" service.

Arrived with a party of 4 at 8pm to a packed, hot restaurant. We were seated right near the door at a tiny table with 3 chairs. We decided to just think about how good the food was going to be. Hmmm was going to be an interesting night.

Then all of a sudden....the waitress appeared and advised us that a booth was available as a party had not shown up and it was right near a window, hadn't the night just taken a turn for the better, beautiful!!

So now seated in a booth with a couple of bottles of white we got to the business of food.

We went for the Lamb Vindaloo, Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Saag Gosht, Butter Chicken , Garlic and Plain Naan and Rice. For dessert we took home a box of mixed sweets.

I thought every dish was lovely and the Vindaloo had a really nice kick to it but all in all I don't think it will be my new favorite Indian.

This is the second time I've been to Mela and this time we arrived for a late lunch ready to try something new. Although the decor is simple and modern I love the Bollywood style wall mural which is always a talking point.

After being seated quite promptly we had some difficulty getting a waiter's attention to ask about the weekend Chaat menu. Although is wasn't busy and there were plenty of waiters, it seemed that they were short staffed and some of the waiters were new and unable to describe dishes we asked about. After a few questions we were recommended and decided on the Samosa Chaat and the Bhel Puri to share between the two of us.

The samosa chaat was a vegetarian samosa buried under a delicious spicy chick pea sauce whereas the Bhel Puri was a very unusual puffed rice salad. Both serves were very generous and with 2 mango lassi and a thick and creamy Kulfi (Indian ice-cream) to finish we were stuffed!

I really enjoyed the food here and with the whole meal priced at under $25 we were very impressed with the quality and the value. They also have a huge range of Indian sweets which all look delicious and home-made. The problem is though, when it comes to the end of a meal I can never fit them in!

This was my 3rd visit to Mela, the food is always very good. We went along for a late breakfast & shared one paneer dosa and one kema (lamb) dosa. On previous visit's apart from the naan bread all the food we had was also excellent.

But where this place excels in food its service is so poor, don't get me wrong I love eating in grungy Northbridge places where the food is good, the service is lousy but at least there is an atmosphere in the place. Mela is devoid of any atmosphere.
The 1st time we went here they forgot the bulk of our order, which we ended up canceling because it was so late. The second time we went for lunch, again great food but what should have been an hour turned into well over 2 hours.

This time we arrived to Mela and after getting someone’s attention were told "sit where yous want", a waitress came by to drop off some water, no menus, then someone came to take our order realised we had no menus left and came back with the menus, we pretty much knew what we wanted so we ordered straight away, then the first person came back to take our order she was visibly annoyed the other person who got our order and ran off to remonstrate with her.

It was pretty hot yesterday so we were drinking our water quite quickly but for some reason the waiter took the half full bottle away, then one dosa arrived and we asked for more water, then the other dosa came , then a new person brought some water back to us.
Then the power went out, ok not their fault these things happen. But the chef comes out to the dining area to look in the fuse box, which is behind our table, so he just pushes chairs out of the way rearranges our table and proceeds to shout at his electrician while staring into the fuse box. Not good. They also got the bill wrong considering there were only 2 of us and we had three items it could not have been that hard.

I think the poor acoustics in the place contributes to such poor atmosphere, the staff do appear to work hard but they are not in anyway engaging and the layout & seating is not conducive to a relaxed dinner.

The food is good though, if you want my advice get a take away and then go sit in Hyde Park with a nice bottle of rose, much better.

We've been to Mela a few times now and the food is always excellent. We're vegetarians, so this review will be from that perspective.

There's a good selection of vegetarian food on the menu and it's all tasty, varied and authentic.

The Dosa are really special - light, crispy and delicious. Both the aloo (potato) and paneer (curd-cheese) are great.

I've had the vegetarian Thali on two occasions and both times it was a really good variety of dishes - and very different each time. A good way to sample their curries. Usually I don't like Dahl as I find it bland and floury, but once the veg Thali included two types of Dahl and both were so delicious I've ordered them as main courses when I've returned. The black dahl is rich and almost creamy, whereas the yellow dahl was light and refreshing.

On one occasion I went with a bunch of people don't usually eat Indian food, and a number of them complained that everything was too hot - including dishes I thought were actually pretty mild. But then they also insisted on trying to peel the 'alfoil' off the sweets and wouldn't listen when I told them it was edible silver leaf. Was fun to watch, anyway ;)

If you don't like the noisy, bustling cafe ambience, get take-away. We arrived just before closing one night and ordered take-away. It was prepared quickly and the serves were generously sized.

You can't go wrong with the Samosas - they're HUGE and only $2 each. Not being fans of sweets, we always order a few Samosas to take home and eat them the next day. One of their Samosas is a good-sized lunch! They ARE pretty hot compared to some places - but friends who've lived in India say they taste 'just like the real thing from a Delhi street stall'.

It's not on the menu, but their Mango Lassi ($5) is one of the best I've had in Australia.

Today, we went for weekend Chaat for the first time. Almost all of those dishes are vegetarian, and there were about 20 to choose from.

The staff do vary in helpfulness, but I suppose that's true of anywhere. The good ones, who know the menu and are keen to explain and help you to try new things, are great. I always ask staff what their personal favourite dish is, hence why we visited on a weekend to try the Egg Paratha from the Chaat menu, recommended by one waitress. She was right - it was SO nice.

We were first told about Mela by a couple who go there every week - and I can see why. I'm certainly recommending it to everyone I know - or at least, the ones that can tell alfoil from silver leaf ;)

Went to Mela on a Saturday night with a few friends.

Made a reservation - just in case. Upon arriving, wasn't too impressed by the waitstaff's "joke" that there wasn't a reservation.

Fortunately, we received another waiter for the actual duration of our meal who was great. Very helpful with choosing the dishes.

Food was great - good variety and tasted authentic.

The setup is quite simple and nothing flash. Not a fine dining restaurant. Was quite busy when we were there. It sort of had a diner-type feel to it.

All in all, great place for a meal out but not for a special occasion if you're looking for somewhere with a classy setup.

Also... it's BYO

This is my favourite Indian restaurant in Perth. The food is outstanding and great value.

Everything I have ordered in the three times I have visited has been delicious and fresh. In particular I would recommend trying the Thali. The portions are generous and the food is piping hot.

As the name suggests, they also stock a big range of Indian desserts which are interesting. It's worth chatting to the man at the counter, who can tell you all about them.

Book ahead, as this place gets packed out quickly.

The seats and tables were comfortable. I particularly like the booth seating, if you can get it.

It's a loud, bustling place, but I don't mind this. You can still hold a conversation.

Most of the staff are very polite and helpful. However, I have had two bad experiences with one particular waitresses there. Judging from the way she throws her (considerable) weight around, I believe she may be the head waitress. Yes, this review is going to be bitchy.

On our first visit, after seating us at a table, she asked to take our order after giving us less than a minute to read the menu. When we said that we weren't ready she looked exasperated and said that they were very busy. Dirty looks were exchanged. Soon afterwards, she came back to take the orders again. We each placed our orders, which the waitress took down on a palm computer.

This waitress was about to leave when one of my friends changed her mind about what she would like for a main course. Again we got the exasperated look, and this time she had the gall to tell us that we couldn't change the order! I was flabbergasted by her rudeness. I think she saw our facial expressions and agreed to change the order.

Fortunately she didn't wait on us for the rest of the evening, and the waiters who did were very polite and efficient.

Next time we came, she was again in charge of the seating arrangements. I don't know if she recognized us from the last time, but after reaching the front of the line (there usually seems to be a queue of people without bookings), she told us she would find us a place soon, and to please stand to one side.

Ten minutes later, and after seeing many other people being seated, also without bookings, I reminded her that we were still waiting for a seat. She barely acknowledged me before rushing off to order the other waiters to shift furniture around for no good reason that we could see. If it wasn't for the excellent food we had tried before, and could now smell, we would have left. About five minutes later, we were finally seated.

Highly recommended restaurant, but don't take any rubbish from the bad egg.

I'm a regular at Mela. The must try dishes are the Chicken Tikka, Prawn Dosa, and once I had the Goat Curry which was a special - this dish is VERY hot - but excellent!

Anyway, definitely one of the best restaurants in Perth :)

We love this place; we have only been twice but are anticipating our next visit. The food is delicious especially the entree mixed plate with Baji, Chicken Tikka etc. The Byriani, Egg Dosa and of course the ever sweet Indian sweets are fantastic.

This place is busy, with a high turn over of tables, and customers sometimes being turned away with the place being stretched to the seams, therefore the staff can sometimes seem to be run off their feet leading to late meals and forgotten requests. Overall we experienced only a little of this so have mostly enjoyed the experience. Try it out for yourself, if anything the food is definitely worth it.

When you have been back to a restaurant for the sixth time it is obviously good. The restaurant can be noisy, (though part of the ambience is the spontaneous applause when the wait-staff drop something). Although the service can be a little chaotic the staff are always cheerful and cooperative.

The reason you go to Mela though is for the food. The dosa are always good and if you have never tried these large crispy pancakes they are consistently good. I particularly like the chicken dosa, while a vegetarian friend swears by the masala dosa. The thalis are also good, served also with a rice pudding to die for (as opposed to those my mother used to make which nearly killed you).

When they are on the daily specials are always good, though we have been offered Wednesday specials on Tuesday when the Tuesday special (Rajma Aloo - kidneybean and potato curry - delicious) was unavailable.

Have seen notes in the window for goat curry, but have yet to get there on a night when it is on.

Prices are very reasonable with seafood dishes (between $16 and $17.50) the most expensive.

A word of warning - don't have a samosa as an entree if you want room to eat anything else.

Atmosphere at Mela is nothing special. It was busy and a little loud. Service is prompt and attentive.

The food is what really makes Mela special. We started with their large and tasty vegetarian samosa. They were larger than expected and came with a slightly spicy and sweet sauce. Delicious! Also had an order of Onion Baji. (There was only 2 of us but we were hungry.) These also were very good especially with the sauce from the samosas.

For mains we ordered Keema (lamb) Dosa. Their's is excellent. I'm a big Dosa fan and this was the best I've had. It came with 3 sauces. All were beautifully spiced (but not hot) and extremely fresh tasting. Also tried their Chicken Tikka. This had a great woodfired flavour and the chicken was moist and tender. We ordered some cucumber raita and rice to eat with it. Beautiful! I'm almost forgetting the garlic naan which actually was pretty forgettable. (I've had much, much better.)

We ordered pretty standard Indian dishes but the quality, freshness and seasoning was all excellent. Can't wait to return and try more from their menu.

Mela provides a unique Indian dining experience with excellent food and selection. The value for money here is incredible and my partner and I (who both love Indian food) were pleasantly surprised with the selection. We weren't as hungry as usual the night we went, so we only had the Lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken Tikka Masala, rice and plain Naan bread. They were the best curries we'd had in awhile with fresh ingredients and tender meats. The menu featured an array of starters such as samosas as well as dosas, which looked really good, thalis, saambas and biryanis. The ambience in here is fun and hip, with Bollywood features playing on a large television in the back. It was a cool experience overall and our server was friendly and attentive. Mela is BYO wine only so be sure to pick up a bottle of wine before you come. They have a giant case of interesting desserts you can eat there or take-away. We tried one of them and it was quite tasty. Overall, a fun and casual night out with great food and service.

Mela is probably the best Indian restaurant that I have eaten at in Perth, and over the years I have eaten at quite a few.

The food is good. I keep going back for the Dosa which is really great and of consistent quality. The rice is light and "fluffy" - not overcooked as is often the case in restaurants. The servings are more than generous and we have found that 5 adults only need 4 main courses plus 3 rice and two Naan, with no entrees required.

If you just want a light meal then try a samosa - $1.80 each and they are just about a meal in themselves.

Service is good with pleasant staff.

Ambience - well Mela is cafe style - 3 choices of seating - tables and chairs, benches and stools plus fixed "alcove" table and fixed bench seats with very high back. The Indian music can be a bit loud and when there is a game of cricket on expect it to be playing on the large flat screen TV.