Nelayan Restaurant Swanston
Restaurant · Melbourne, Australia

About Nelayan Restaurant Swanston
Nelayan Group traces its presence in Australia back to 1997, when its first outlet opened on Glenferrie Road in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn, built around a single dish: nasi campur, a mound of fragrant rice surrounded by a selection of halal certified meats, vegetables, and condiments that diners choose to combine on one plate. The Swanston Street location in the Melbourne CBD came later, extending the same concept into the city centre, and has since become the group's more visible outpost given its position along one of Melbourne's busiest pedestrian corridors.
Unlike a conventional sit down restaurant, Nelayan positions itself around fast, halal express dining, aiming to serve the city's Indonesian migrant workers, international students, and tourists who want a taste of home style cooking without a long wait. The nasi campur format allows for a wide range of combinations: curries, beef rendang, fried tofu and tempeh, and vegetable dishes are all available at the counter, with the final plate priced according to what is selected, similar in spirit to nasi campur stalls found throughout Indonesia and Malaysia.
The Swanston Street restaurant is located at 265 Swanston Street, Melbourne, and is open daily, Monday through Sunday, from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM. It can be reached by phone at +61 3 9663 5886. There is no separate email address listed for the Swanston Street branch specifically; general enquiries for the Nelayan Group are handled through the company's shared website and social media channels, including its Instagram and Facebook pages.
Nelayan Group has since expanded beyond its original restaurant format to include Enak by Nelayan, a related venue, along with franchise operations, reflecting a broader push to grow the Nelayan name across Australia beyond its two original Melbourne locations.
Both Melbourne outlets, Hawthorn and Swanston Street, continue to operate under halal certification, a point the group highlights given the significant number of Indonesian Muslim students, temporary workers, and tourists who rely on certified options when eating out in Australia. The Swanston Street branch in particular benefits from its CBD location, drawing lunchtime custom from nearby offices and universities in addition to its regular Indonesian clientele.
Address
265 Swanston St, Melbourne, AustraliaOpening hours
- Daily
- 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Contact
Category
Indonesian Restaurant in Australia
Tags
Halal Indonesian places in Australia · Family-friendly Indonesian places in Australia
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