Ask a table of first-timers what they're ordering and at least one of them will say butter chicken. Ask our regulars and you'll hear the same thing. At Eastern Spice on the Geelong waterfront, butter chicken is our signature: boneless chicken charred in a live clay tandoor, then folded through a rich, creamy sauce. It has been on our table since we opened in September 2015.
If you've been searching for the best butter chicken in Geelong, here's what makes ours worth the trip to Eastern Beach, what to order with it, and how to get it for dinner, for takeaway or for a crowd.
Where butter chicken comes from
Butter chicken has a short history for such a famous dish. It's usually traced to Delhi in the years after 1947, when tandoor cooks with Punjabi roots found a way to keep leftover tandoori chicken moist: simmer it in a gravy of tomatoes, butter and cream. The result, murgh makhani, travelled the world and became the dish many people meet Indian food through.
That origin is the clue to a good one. Butter chicken isn't a stew of raw chicken in sauce. It starts with chicken that has been marinated and cooked over real heat, so you get a little smoke and char in every piece before the sauce ever touches it.
What makes our butter chicken different
On our menu it's listed simply: boneless charred chicken, rich, creamy, unforgettable. Here's what sits behind those words.
The tandoor does the first half of the work. We cook over a live clay tandoor every night, the same oven that turns out our chicken tikka, tandoori chicken and naan. That charring is what gives our butter chicken its depth.
The sauce is slow-cooked, not rushed. Like our 24-hour black daal, our curries are built slowly. The sauce should be silky and balanced, gently sweet and tangy, never cloying.
It's naturally gluten-free. Our butter chicken is marked GF on the menu, so it suits gluten-free diners. Pair it with our gluten-free roti, made from rice and lentil flour.
You choose the heat. Butter chicken is mild by nature, but you can ask us to make any curry mild, medium or hot.
Meat from halal suppliers. Every chicken, lamb and beef dish at Eastern Spice uses meat from halal suppliers. Read more on our halal food page.
What to order with butter chicken
Butter chicken is a sauce lover's dish, so plan for something to mop it up with. Here's how we'd build a table around it.
Naan, fresh from the tandoor. Butter naan or garlic naan is the classic. For something a little special, try the Kashmiri naan, stuffed with almond, raisin and coconut, which plays beautifully against the creamy sauce.
Rice. Our premium aged basmati is the simple choice, or go for the fragrant coconut pulao.
A contrast curry. Order something deeper or sharper alongside it: our house black daal, lamb rogan josh or a vindaloo if someone at the table likes heat.
Something fresh. Raita (yoghurt with gram pearls) or a masala onion salad cuts through the richness.
A starter to begin. Samosas, our best seller, or paneer tikka from the tandoor.
Something sweet. Warm gulab jamun, mango kulfi or a saffron mango and cardamom lassi.
Prices change from time to time, so check the menu before you come. See the full menu and current prices →
Butter chicken or chicken tikka masala?
It's a question we hear all the time. Both start with chicken from the tandoor, and both are on our menu. Butter chicken is the richer, creamier, milder of the two, with a smooth tomato-and-butter sauce. Chicken tikka masala has a more robust, spiced sauce with more texture from onion and tomato. If you're new to Indian food or ordering for kids, start with butter chicken. If you want a little more spice, go tikka masala. If you can't decide, order both and share. That's how Indian food is meant to be eaten anyway.
Prefer even milder? Our korma is mild and creamy (note that it contains nuts).
Butter chicken with a view of Corio Bay
There's something about a bowl of butter chicken and a basket of hot naan at a window table over Corio Bay. Eastern Spice sits at 1 Bellerine Street, right on the Eastern Beach waterfront, and on a warm evening the bay turns gold as the sun goes down. Ask for a window table when you book, and read more about dining on the waterfront.
We're BYO wine for $5 a person, and a fruity white, a rosé or a soft red sits well with butter chicken. We're open Monday and Wednesday to Sunday from 5:00pm to 9:30pm, closed Tuesdays.
Coming as a group of four or more? The Chef's Table Banquet ($69 a person, minimum four guests) brings butter chicken to the table along with samosa, chicken tikka, papadum, daal, palak paneer, rice, naan and gulab jamun, with a vegetarian or vegan option available.
Butter chicken takeaway in Geelong
Butter chicken travels well, which is why it tops our list of Indian takeaway favourites. Call (03) 5221 9544 from 5pm, order, and collect from Eastern Beach. Phone-ordered pickup gets 10% off on Mondays and Wednesday to Saturday (not Sundays, Tuesdays or public holidays). Delivery is available through the delivery apps.
A tip from the kitchen: reheat butter chicken gently on the stove with a splash of water, rather than blasting it in the microwave, and it's just as good the next day.
Butter chicken for parties and events
Feeding a crowd? Butter chicken is the dish nobody leaves on the table. Order it in party trays for a backyard gathering or birthday, or book Curry Queen Catering Co. for a hot buffet, with catering packages from $29 a person for 25 or more guests, plus live food stations for weddings and corporate events.
Butter chicken in Geelong: FAQ
Where can I get good butter chicken in Geelong?
Eastern Spice, at 1 Bellerine Street on the Eastern Beach waterfront, has served butter chicken as its signature dish since 2015. Dine in, call (03) 5221 9544 for pickup, or order for a party.
Is your butter chicken gluten-free?
Yes, our butter chicken is marked gluten-free on the menu. Pair it with rice or our gluten-free roti rather than naan, and tell us about any allergies when you order.
Is butter chicken spicy?
No, butter chicken is one of the mildest curries on the menu, which makes it a favourite with kids. You can ask for it mild, medium or hot.
Is the chicken halal?
All our chicken, lamb and beef comes from halal suppliers.
Can I get butter chicken for takeaway with a discount?
Yes. Order pickup by phone on (03) 5221 9544 and get 10% off on Mondays and Wednesday to Saturday (excluding Sundays, Tuesdays and public holidays).
Plan your visit to Eastern Spice
Book a table · Order pickup by phone (10% off) · Catering · Party trays · See the full menu and current prices →
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