Correction (1 October 2026): an earlier version of this page listed twelve “Indian food” venues in Pakenham whose names, street addresses, prices, seat counts and tips were machine-generated rather than checked, all under a postcode (3801) that is not Pakenham’s (3810), and it claimed visits that never happened. It has been rewritten from scratch. Every place below was checked against its own current website or ordering page and a second, independent listing on 1 October 2026, and every price was copied from the venue’s own menu that day.
Food travels with people, and the Census gives a rough sense of who is cooking and eating in Pakenham. At the 2021 count the suburb had 54,118 people; 6.0 per cent were born in India, and Punjabi was the most common language used at home other than English, at 4.6 per cent. The menus below cover a lot of ground, from tandoor breads and North Indian curries to South Indian dosa, Mumbai-style street snacks and a biryani truck its host venue describes as Pakistani.
This guide sticks to six kitchens inside Pakenham itself whose menus you can read online, so every dish below has a price you can check before you leave the house. A quick primer for anyone reading the board for the first time: North Indian cooking leans on wheat breads and the tandoor (naan, tandoori chicken, butter chicken); South Indian is built on rice and lentils (dosa, idli, vada, sambar); and chaat is the umbrella word for India’s salty, sweet and sour street snacks. Menus move, so give them a squiz before you head out.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Start with | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A South Indian dosa | Dosa Hut Pakenham | Masala dosa | $16.99 |
| Vegetarian street food | Jay Bhavani Pakenham | Butter pav bhaji | $14.99 |
| A sit-down dinner or a family feed | Shavan’s @ Pakenham | Family Pack (takeaway deal) | $82.00 |
| Chaat with a cocktail list | Sec 13 | Paani puri, 6 pcs | $9.90 |
| A John Street curry house | Chilli Lounge | Butter chicken | $20 |
| Biryani from a food truck | Biryani Buzz | Chicken biryani | $15.99 |
Dosa Hut Pakenham — Shop 13 & 14, 9 Village Way, Pakenham VIC 3810
The Pakenham branch of the national dosa chain sits in the Lakeside Square Shopping Centre, and its own branch page lists it open from 11am to 10pm every day. On the menu: the masala dosa ($16.99), a crisp crepe of fermented rice and lentil batter folded around spiced potato, served with sambar, a tangy lentil and vegetable broth. The plain dosa is $11.99, idly and vada with sambar (one steamed rice cake, one lentil doughnut) is $10.99, and the North Indian side of the menu runs to a Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani at $21.99.
Start with: masala dosa, $16.99.
Jay Bhavani Pakenham — 18 Station St, Pakenham VIC 3810
A branch of a vegetarian chain that calls this site its “Indian Vegetarian Restaurant Pakenham”, and the menu keys dishes with “NOG: NO ONION GARLIC” for diners who avoid both. On the menu: butter pav bhaji ($14.99), a buttery mash of spiced vegetables eaten with soft toasted bread rolls, a Mumbai street classic. The Bombay vadapav, a fried potato dumpling in a bun, is $7.99, panipuri (8 pieces), crisp hollow shells you fill with spiced water, is $7.99, and the South Indian corner has a masala dosa at $16.99.
Start with: butter pav bhaji, $14.99.
Shavan’s @ Pakenham — 12/18-36 Lakeside Blvd, Pakenham VIC 3810
The North Indian restaurant on Lakeside Boulevard, which says on its own site it was “Established in 2008” and hosts private functions and themed nights. Note it is closed on Tuesdays and opens for lunch on Fridays only. Butter chicken is $22.50 for the standard size, and the takeaway deals are built for a household: the Family Pack ($82.00) is four samosas, four pieces of tandoori chicken, a chicken curry, a lamb or beef curry, two naan, two rice and raita, and the Veggie Family Pack is $75.00. For a crowd, the Mega Family Pack is $160.00.
Start with: the Family Pack, $82.00.
Sec 13 — 825 Princes Hwy, Pakenham VIC 3810
The Princes Highway option calls itself an “Indian Restaurant & Bar” with a fully licensed bar. On the menu: paani puri, 6 pcs ($9.90), “puffed crispy wheat balls stuffed with potato, onion and chickpeas served with flavoured water”, which you eat in one bite before they go soft. Butter chicken is $22.90 on its own, and “Deal 5” adds rice for the same $22.90; the chicken biryani is $19.90, and the Family Deal ($85.00) bundles samosas, chicken tikka, three curries, naan, rice and gulab jamun.
Start with: paani puri, $9.90.
Chilli Lounge — Shop 7/33-35 John St, Pakenham VIC 3810
A John Street restaurant whose own site says it has served the community “for over 10 years”, open Tuesday to Sunday from 4pm and closed Mondays. On the menu: butter chicken ($20), described as chicken roasted in the tandoor, then cooked in tomato, butter, cream and mild spices. Add a garlic naan at $4.50 and you have the classic order. The Australian Good Food Guide’s listing names its cheese and chive naan, butter chicken and lamb saag as what it is best known for.
Start with: butter chicken, $20.
Biryani Buzz — 7 Station St, Pakenham VIC 3810
A food truck at Chuck Wagon Food Village, which describes Biryani Buzz as bringing “Pakistani flavours, including their signature biryanis” and says the village is open Thursday to Sunday. There are two biryanis, chicken at $15.99 and goat pulao at $17.99, and haleem with naan ($17.99) is listed as weekends only. Haleem is a slow-cooked stew of wheat, lentils and meat, cooked down until thick and almost porridge-like.
Start with: chicken biryani, $15.99.
Quick answers
Where can I get Indian takeaway in Pakenham?
All six places on this list take takeaway or pickup orders. For a family, the bundled deals are the easiest to compare: the Family Pack at Shavan’s @ Pakenham is $82.00, and the Family Deal at Sec 13 is $85.00. Prices are from each venue’s own menu on 1 October 2026.
Where can I get South Indian food or a dosa in Pakenham?
Dosa Hut Pakenham, Shop 13 & 14, 9 Village Way, lists a masala dosa at $16.99 and a plain dosa at $11.99. Jay Bhavani Pakenham, 18 Station Street, also has a masala dosa at $16.99 on its vegetarian menu.
Where can I get biryani in Pakenham?
Biryani Buzz, a food truck at Chuck Wagon Food Village, 7 Station Street, sells chicken biryani for $15.99 and goat pulao biryani for $17.99. Sec 13 lists chicken biryani at $19.90, and Dosa Hut Pakenham a Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani at $21.99.
Which Indian restaurants in Pakenham do catering or functions?
Shavan’s @ Pakenham advertises wedding catering and private functions on its own website, and its Mega Family Pack is $160.00. Sec 13 takes event and function bookings. Dosa Hut’s website has a catering section, and its Pakenham menu lists takeaway-only Potluck Deals such as the Family Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani at $75.00. Ask each venue for a catering quote.
Is there a vegetarian Indian restaurant in Pakenham?
Yes. Jay Bhavani Pakenham at 18 Station Street describes itself as an Indian vegetarian restaurant, and its menu marks dishes with no onion or garlic. Butter pav bhaji is $14.99 and panipuri (8 pieces) is $7.99.
Which Indian restaurants are near Lakeside in Pakenham?
Shavan’s @ Pakenham is at 12/18-36 Lakeside Boulevard, and Dosa Hut Pakenham is in the Lakeside Square Shopping Centre at 9 Village Way.
How we checked
On 1 October 2026 we read each venue’s own website or online ordering menu and copied every item and price exactly as printed: Shavan’s and Chilli Lounge from their own ordering sites, Sec 13 and Biryani Buzz from their own online order pages, and Dosa Hut and Jay Bhavani from their Pakenham menu pages. We confirmed each address at a second, independent source: the Australian Good Food Guide or DoorDash’s store listing. Census figures are from the ABS 2021 QuickStats for Pakenham. Online ordering prices can differ from counter prices, deals come and go, and a few addresses are written slightly differently from one listing to the next. The photos are illustrative, from Unsplash: they show the kind of dish, not the venue’s own food.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- Dosa Hut Pakenham: branch page and menu; address also at AGFG
- Jay Bhavani Pakenham: Pakenham menu and store locator; address also at AGFG
- Shavan’s @ Pakenham: shavansatpakenham.com.au, takeaway deals and butter chicken; address also at AGFG
- Sec 13: sec13.com.au and its online order menu; address also at AGFG
- Chilli Lounge: chillilounge.com.au, butter chicken and garlic naan; address also at AGFG
- Biryani Buzz: online menu and Chuck Wagon Food Village; address also at DoorDash
- Pakenham population, birthplace and language: ABS 2021 Census QuickStats
