Nevedya - Masala Spice Kitchen & Tapas

Nevedya is an organic Indian and world-fusion restaurant on Upwey's Main Street in the Dandenong Ranges, building its menu around house spice blends, tapas-style small plates, dosas, masala chai and sacred cacao elixirs. It made OpenTable's Top 50 Restaurants in Australia for 2024, and the kitchen leans vegan and vegetarian. Dogs are explicitly welcome: the restaurant's own posts tell diners to book a table in the dog-friendly outdoor area.

The dog setup

Your dog joins you in the courtyard and on the heated outdoor deck, not in the main dining room. Water bowls are typically available, and the plant-filled garden setting gives a settled dog room to lie out. Book ahead and say you are bringing a dog so staff hold an outdoor table: on weekends the courtyard fills fast once the walking crowd rolls in off the ranges.

Pepsi: the heated deck keeps this a cold-morning option too, so a frosty Dandenongs walk does not rule out a courtyard lunch.

Worth knowing

Hours sit in two sittings: Thursday and Friday run 11am to 3pm with a second dinner service from 5:30pm to 8pm, Saturday and Sunday trade 10:30am to 3pm, and Monday to Wednesday are closed. The kitchen winds up at 2:30pm for lunch and 7:30pm for dinner. The venue was also named in The Age Good Food's Sunday Best for 2024, so expect a queue for tables in leaf season.

Getting there and parking

The address is 52 Main Street, Upwey. A carpark sits behind the restaurant through the red arched gates, and the Upwey train station is an easy walk if you are coming up the line without a car. Street parking along Main Street fills on fine weekends.

Close by with the dogs

For a walk before your table, the Glenfern Valley Bushlands tracks are minutes away and welcome dogs on lead, with the Glenfern Valley Bushland Loop as the fuller circuit. The Belgrave Lake Park Dog Off Leash Area is one ridge over for an off-lead run first. More options sit on the Victoria dog friendly restaurants guide and the Upwey destination page.

Walk the bushlands in the morning, book the courtyard for a late lunch, and let the chai do the rest.