Kake Di Hatti

Been coming here for years with my husband and we typically order 3 curries + 1 rice and 2 naan breads. Very delicious flavored curries, each with its own distinct flavor. Always have some left overs. Would give a 5 star if only it was a bit better decorated. Husband argues though that the 7 year old posters is what gives it it’s charm…

I had their ‘signature dish’ Patiala with lamb, accompanied by the staples of Indian delights, samosa, and garlic naan as a take away. A genuine and refreshing Change from the usual rogan josh or korma. The restaurant was moderately busy with locals and the service speedy. Highly regarded.

We were in the neighborhood to visit another Indian restaurant that has apparently closed down. Thankfully Unilocal came to the rescue and we were able to wander up just a few doors and still have our Indian craving satisfied.
The restaurant itself is nothing much to rave about but it was soon very obvious that the food is what keeps the regulars coming back in droves.
Dishes were fresh and spicy with just enough kick (we ordered medium). The garlic naan was not short of garlic so maybe not the best venue for a first date, or you might want to have some mints available for after.
Food came out relatively quickly however once we had finished eating we had to grab the attention of wait staff to ask for our bill.

Kake Di Hatti is absolutely the best Indian restaurant in Melbourne. Situated in a perfect location in the heart of Lygon Street in Brunswick East, Kake Di Hatti consistently serves up amazingly delicious food. It’s also cheap and has great veggie options. With BYO and dinner for two with three courses costs less than $ 40 total. An absolute must.

Favourite Indian place ever. The vegetarian meals are so delicious (and ridiculously cheap) and I order kulfi every time I visit.

As constantly disappointed by Melbourne Indian food Indian food lover I was pleasantly surprised to see that this dingy little place actually does great and super cheap and tasty food.
Love the country captain — super tender lamb.
Great for a group dinner as its byo as long as your group aren’t too bothered by the setting! Super fast for take away too.

Contender for Cheap Eats 2012 — Kake Di Hatti, Brunswick
The night didn’t start out well. That’s for sure. Let me set the scene…
@GumboKitchen food truck advertised a New Orleans-​style evening do behind Melbourne Cemetery on Twitter, where they would have a live band and serve gumbo and po boys from 5−10pm. I was reluctant to head along. Not due to any misgivings about the event — more concerned whether they could pull off the amount of cooking that would be needed. I had previously visited Gumbo Kitchen on a quiet strip of road in Northcote where there was around 10 people to serve and I only had to wait about 10 mins for the food. Happy with that.
Now multiply that amount of people by 30 and I have a right to be worried. There was a long snaking line of people waiting to place their order and/​or debating whether to leave. We stood in the line for 15 mins. It didn’t move.
This was a perfect opportunity for them to reach out to Melbourne’s other food trucks — Beatbox Kitchen, Taco Truck, Señor BBQ et all — to assist them. They knew a shed-​load of people would turn up so why not be prepared? This would have shown the solidarity they had for each other and in turn they would get our support. It also would have shown the Sydney-​Food-​Truck-​Marketing-​Machine that down south, we didn’t need the government to help get an initiative off the ground, ours is more organic and for the people. And not a tourism stunt.
Anyway, with a ravenous and grumpy girlfriend to feed, we left and decided upon sharing-​plate-​Sicilian at Bar Idda a little further up Lygon Street. We tried it last year very soon after we touched down in Melbourne and enjoyed it even though we were skint and could only manage three guilt-​ridden dishes. We perused the menu and decided upon our food and drinks. And then we waited. And waited. We made eye contact numerous times with various waitresses and were ignored. Half an hour later and no drink order taken, we upped and left. Again.
Only one thing could help us now — curry. But Melbourne seems to have a knack of failing us in the Indian stakes. That was until we stumbled into Kake Di Hatti, with its many Age Good Food Guide recommendations from over the years pasted in the window. We started off with a serve of onion bhaji — good, not stand-​out, but satisfyingly crunchy and not dripping with fat, a thumbs up for now, but we were keen to get to the main event.
WordMonkey, having recently visited Kuala Lumpur, has been hankering for a cottage cheese curry ever side she encountered one at a hawker stall there, so she was ecstatic at finding Muttar Paneer — fresh homemade cottage cheese and green peas cooked in spicy capsicum and tomato sauce. Conversation stopped after the first mouthful and she can now die happy.
I went for a Chicken Cashew Curry, which was one of a few daily specials that you had to search out yourself. Look for both the handwritten piece of butchers paper sitting in a picture frame and also the blackboard above the cash register — the staff don’t seem inclined to mention them. The curry was thick, nutty, with moist chicken and a slight kick. Most importantly plenty of sauce to drench the mountain of rice you get. The garlic naan — we had two each — were thin, crispy and gorgeously pungent. I might have preferred to have them on a plate as opposed to served in a scuzzy basket, but it’s a minor niggle.
Upon the dishes being placed on the table I was transported back to a presentation that was given by @Squeewubs (Ashley from I’m So Hungree) to a group of aspiring bloggers. She was discussing things she found difficult to photograph — and curry was top of the list. Her issue was there was no angle that would present the brown soupy mixture in a positive light. I had the same issue and can feel her pain. But I did my best, and at the end of the day, that’s all anyone can ask.
Kake Di Hatti is super-​affordable — pretty much everything is under $ 12. And it was BYO — 99 cents per person. Make full use of the Blackhearts & Sparrows bottle shop across the road as you very rarely get to have your own choice of craft beer with your curry.
This may well make our Cheap Eats 2012 list and eclipsed our previously favourite go-​to Indian place — Curry Leaf in Elwood.
In light of this, what is your favourite curry house in Melbourne?
*Note: Licensed & BYO
*Note: Order only one serve of rice as it will be able to feed 4 people

I’m a big fan of Indian food but have found it difficult to find a restaurant I can really rely on in Melbourne. I love that this place has absolutely no tickets on itself and that (look at the photos) it’s about as laid back and basic as you could ever imagine.
The food here has been a bit of a mixed bag in my experiences, which have been many. What we’ve found is that sticking to the vegetarian food is the way to go. They have all the usual classic Indian fodder — dahls, curries, breads etc — and the flavours are good, if not great.
On occasion, the meaty curries have been a bit dry here, so it pays to ask whether bread or rice is required before diving in. The best thing here though is that they are really happy for people to share meals and they are honest about serve size and never push you too hard to order too much.
It’s the kind of Indian I’ll eat twice a year rather than once a fortnight, which is a shame. But it’s a handy arrow in the ‘random meal out’ quiver.

Much of life is about the simple pleasures; good food and good company. Kake Di Hatti can provide the former, though it’s up to you to source the latter.
A simple but superb menu, I’ve yet to taste anything that could be described as anything less than delicious. The service is prompt and friendly, and it’s great place to enjoy a leisurely shared meal. There are spicy and non-​spicy dishes alike, so both adventurous and conservative eaters will leave satisfied.
The atmosphere is relaxed, although the décor is certainly nothing special. If anything it’s exceptionally bland, but at the end of the day you’re there for the food, not the visuals.
The best thing about Kake Di Hatti is the cost, which has been seemingly unaffected by the hike in food prices that have taken place in the last few years. The most expensive dish on the menu is a mere $ 13.50, significantly cheaper than your average meal out. The servings are the generous side of moderate, so there’s no way you’ll go home hungry.

Self advertised as an Indian country and street eatery, this Indian restaurant likes to keep things simple.
The menu is classic Indian with a mix of dahls and marsalas and the extra spicy vindaloo. And if the curries aren’t hot enough then the staff are more than happy to bring a little bowl of fiery chopped up red chillies to the table as an extra condiment.
The food is super cheap too, which also helps bring people in the door. You leave this place with an expanded belly easily for under $ 10.
I have been coming here for years, and it seems like every other food reviewer in the city has as well. The front window is plastered with print reviews all raving about Kake di Hatti.
This is a fantastic venue for a gathering or party, yet no so great for the romantic dinner date. The vibe in here is friendly, but as like most simple Indian eateries the décor is bland and basic.

Apparently, Kake Di Hatti means ‘country-​style restaurant’, and that’s how this Indian restaurant sets itself apart from other Indian eateries. The food here is reflective of the flavours and cooking methods of home cooking in the Indian countryside. How this translates in the restaurant’s kitchen is less cream, less oil and a cooking technique that’s water-​based.
Being quite health-​conscious, this is fantastic news. And the news gets even better. The food here also tastes delicious. I would go so far as to say that this is my favourite Indian restaurant in this area. The flavours are authentic, the portions are satisfying, the staff are very pleasant, and you can walk out afterwards feeling full but still light enough on your feet to consider going out for a little dance. That’s a nice feeling.
The restaurant itself is nothing to look at; everything about it says ‘simple’. I really like that. In fact, it adds an extra layer of authenticity to the whole experience of eating here. Having been to India earlier this year, this eatery really reminds me of some of the eateries I visited in north India. Seeing that it might be some time before my wallet is fat enough to go back to India, I reckon I’ll be happy enough in the meantime to get my fix of India right here at Kake Di Hatti.

Coming from what many others and I consider the curry capital of the UK — Leicester — for so long I was really disappointed by the standard of Indian food in Melbourne. Kaki Di Hatti was the first place that made me change my opinion somewhat. Located in Brunswick East on Lygon Street this very unassuming restaurant is a cracking cheap eat.
The entrees aren’t great and probably worth avoiding but the curries are just delicious. The chicken Makhiani is the standout by far if you want their ultimate sensory experience. The Naan breads are the perfect fodder to dip in your curry gravy. Go for the garlic ones!
The service is good and the place is often buzzing. It is far from the greatest Indian food in Melbourne but nevertheless a good haunt if you’re craving that kind of cuisine.
I’ve hardly come here since discovering Indian Tukka (the best Indian IMO) though.
btw: it is BYO and there is a good wine shop across the road…

Located on the northern side of Lygon Street away from Little Italy, Kake Di Hatti is one of the few restaurants that have done well in Brunswick East. Three years ago you would be hard pressed to find good restaurants on this side of Lygon Street. Even as the options are growing Kake Di Hatti continues to do well.
If you hop onto their website it says, «‘Kake Di Hatti’ means ‘country-​style-​restaurant’». The restaurant provides homemade food from India’s countryside. Although I have no idea what ‘homemade Indian countryside’ food tastes like, what is on offer at Kake Di Hatti is delicious.
The curries are full of spicy flavours. Perhaps I’m boring, but my favourite is the chicken tikka masal ($ 12). The tandoor chicken ($ 13.50 for 8 pieces) is one the most succulent tandoor chicken I’ve had in Melbourne. And it’s BYO so you can bring your own wine or if you haven’t the time, just buy a bottle of the Kingfisher beer off the menu.
If you’re looking for a quick bite to eat for cheap, definitely check this place out.