Some restaurants get one visit. Others become the place you take visiting family, book for birthdays and ring on a Friday night when nobody wants to cook. Since opening on the Geelong waterfront in September 2015, Eastern Spice has become that place for a lot of locals. If you're looking for an Indian restaurant in Geelong, here's why so many people keep coming back to ours.
The Curry Queen in the kitchen
Eastern Spice is run by chef Manpreet Sekhon, known around town as Geelong's Curry Queen. Manpreet trained at the five-star Park Plaza Hotel in Punjab and has been recognised by two of India's best-known culinary names, Jiggs Kalra and Sanjeev Kapoor.
She still leads the kitchen and the catering team herself. That's why regulars find the butter chicken tastes the same every visit, the black daal is still slow-cooked for 24 hours, and the samosas are still made in our own kitchen.
Ten years of awards, voted by diners and judges
Locals don't need an award to tell them where to eat, but the recognition has been steady since we opened:
- Australian Good Food Guide Readers' Choice: Best Indian, 2024, and Indian Restaurants, Geelong & the Bellarine, 2016.
- Voted No.1 Indian restaurant in the Geelong Foodie Poll.
- TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for 10 consecutive years.
- R&CA Awards for Excellence: finalist, Indian / Sub-continent Restaurant, Victoria 2018.
- Golden Plate Awards 2016: Highly Commended, Best Value for Money.
See the full list on our press and awards page.
Eastern Spice reviews
The best way to judge a restaurant is to read what real guests say. Our Google and TripAdvisor reviews go back to 2015 and cover everything from date nights by the bay to big family dinners and catered weddings. Have a read, then come and make up your own mind.
Indian food with no shortcuts
Our menu draws on cooking from right across India: creamy curries, tandoor dishes from the clay oven, kacchi-style biryani, coastal seafood and street-food starters, all made from scratch in our kitchen.
Vegetarians and vegans get just as much choice as meat-eaters, and many dishes are gluten-free (see our vegan and gluten-free guide). All the meat we use comes from halal suppliers (the restaurant itself is not halal-certified).
A table by the bay
We're at 1 Bellerine Street, right on the Eastern Beach foreshore. In summer, regulars time dinner with the sunset over Corio Bay; in winter it's a warm room with the water lights outside. You can bring your own wine, and Monday is Thali Night. More on our waterfront restaurant page.
Catering, party trays and takeaway
A lot of locals first meet us at a wedding, office lunch or family party. Manpreet's team runs Indian catering for events across Geelong and the Bellarine, and party trays make it easy to feed a crowd at home. For a night in, call us for Indian takeaway in Geelong with 10% off phone pickup orders.
Opening hours and bookings
Eastern Spice is open for dinner Monday and Wednesday to Sunday from 5pm (closed Tuesdays). Weekends fill up, so it's best to book a table. Guests drive in from all over the region, including Belmont, Waurn Ponds, Torquay and Ocean Grove.
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 →
Indian restaurant for all of Geelong: Armstrong Creek · Barwon Heads · Bell Park · Bell Post Hill · Belmont · Charlemont · Clifton Springs · Curlewis · Drumcondra · Drysdale · East Geelong · Geelong West · Grovedale · Hamlyn Heights · Herne Hill · Highton · Lara · Leopold · Manifold Heights · Marshall · Newcomb · Newtown · North Geelong · Ocean Grove · Rippleside · South Geelong · St Albans Park · Thomson · Torquay · Waurn Ponds · Whittington · All areas we serve