Restaurants in Kerala
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Dal Roti
You’ll hear the buzz about this place before you even arrive in town – it’s the best food in Fort Cochin. Friendly and knowledgable owner Ramesh will hold your hand through his expansive North Indian menu, which even sports its own glossary, and help you dive in to his delicious range of vegetarian, eggetarian and nonvegetarian options. The setting is chic minimalist, with whitewashed walls and bench seating, helping you focus on the yummy dishes here.
reviewed
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Teapot
This stylish haunt is the perfect venue for ‘high tea’, with quality teas, sandwiches and full meals served in chic-minimalist, airy rooms. Witty tea-themed accents include loads of antique teapots, tea chests for tables and a gnarled, tea-tree based glass table. The death by chocolate here (Rs50) is truly cocoa homicide. Trust us.
reviewed
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C
Kashi Art Cafe
An institution in Fort Cochin, this place has a hip-but-casual vibe, along with hip-but-casual service. The coffee is as strong as it should be and the daily Western breakfast and lunch specials are excellent. A small gallery shows off local artists.
reviewed
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Thaff
An absurdly popular joint that has scrumptious Indian bites, with some Arabic flavours mixed in, to boot. It does succulent roast spit-chicken (Rs90), scrumptious shawarma (Rs25) and brain-freezing cold ice-cream shakes (Rs25).
reviewed
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D
Solar Cafe
This arty and funky cafe at Draavidia Gallery serves up organic breakfasts and lunches in a brightly coloured and friendly setting. There’s a fun open kitchen and the upstairs veranda seating overlooks the hubbub of the street below.
reviewed
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E
Frys Village Restaurant
This cavernous family restaurant is one of the best places in town for authentic Keralan food, especially for seafood like pollichathu (fish in banana leaves) or crab roast (Rs50 to Rs100 depending on size).
reviewed
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Pizza Corner
A bit of East meets West, with tasty pizza’s sporting everything from traditional toppings (margarita) to Indian twists on a theme (ie Punjabi chicken tikka).
reviewed
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Salt 'n' Pepper
Superbly average food, but the streetside tables bustle nightly with punters having a special-teapot tipple.
reviewed
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German Bakery (Waves)
In a swanky new location on an airy, sunburnt-orange balcony, this remains the most popular hang-out in town. Finger-licking pastries still take pride of place on the menu, as do a huge range of winning breakfasts, strong coffee and quiches. Nowadays it’s easy to spend the entire day relaxing here, with a varied selection of classy main courses featuring curries, seafood, tofu and pizzas taking you into your evening meal.
reviewed
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Casa Linda
This modern dining room above the hotel of the same name might not be much to look at, but it’s all about the food here. Chef Dipu once trained with a Frenchman and whips up delicious local Keralan dishes alongside French imports like Poisson de la Provencale (fish fried in oil and herbs, Provence style). The Keralan dry-fried coconut prawns (Rs140), made to a loving mother’s recipe, are scrumptious.
reviewed
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Oy’s Restaurant
This new addition to the dining scene is one of the hippest looking restaurants in Kochi. The setting is groovy lounge-like: with low-slung couches backed by bamboo; low glass-topped tables; and a bass-heavy chill-out soundtrack. The Southeast Asian–focused dishes are original and reasonably good – try the grilled prawns with crunchy vegetables (Rs145).
reviewed
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L
Fusion
This funky eatery has an inventive menu where dishes from the East meet dishes from the West – and it seems like they get along pretty well. You can get regular Indian or Western meals, but the fun part is trying their fusion options where the two cuisines collide to form yummy new taste combinations. Also serves French press coffee and herbal teas.
reviewed
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Grand Pavilion
This is the restaurant at the Grand Hotel and is as retro-stylish as the hotel itself. It serves a tome of a menu that covers dishes from the West, North India, South India and most of the rest of the Asian continent. The meen pollichathu (fish cooked in banana leaves, Rs150) here gets the thumbs up.
reviewed
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Sreepadman
For dirt cheap and authentic Keralan fare – think dosas (paper-thin lentil-flour pancakes) and thalis – where you can rub shoulders with rickshaw drivers rather than tourists, hit Sreepadman. This is a real hole-in-the-wall with a view: there is neat seating out the back with temple tank views.
reviewed
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India Gate
In the same building as the HDFC Bank, this is a bright, pure-veg place serving an unbeatable range of dosas (Rs45 to Rs60), including jam, cheese and cashew versions, and uttapams (thick savoury rice pancake – a Tamil Nadu version of a pizza; Rs25 to Rs40).
reviewed
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Paragon Restaurant
Bypass the slightly dingy old section of this always-packed restaurant and head straight to the bright-yellow, modern and swish dining area with separate AC room. The menu is embarrassingly vast, with lots of fish, chicken and veg options. The food is scrumptious.
reviewed
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Kerala Coffee House
With oodles of atmosphere and top service, this perennially popular hang-out has tableclothed dining under the swaying palms. It serves cocktails (around Rs80) and has particularly flavoursome pizzas (Rs70 to Rs90), all served to a dancy, reggae soundtrack.
reviewed
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Periyar Cafe
Painted in blindingly bright colours, this cheery eatery serves up loads of North Indian and local dishes at very sensible prices. Located right near the park entrance, it’s perfect for an early breakfast or quick lunch between animal spotting trips.
reviewed
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Hungry Eye Kitchen
We love the stepped, multilevel design of Hungry Eye – this way everyone gets uninterrupted sea views. Very diplomatic. Thai food is a speciality here, and the kitchen can whip up red and green curries as well as the usual suspects of Varkala dishes.
reviewed
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Brunton Boatyard
This imposing hotel faithfully reproduces 16th- and 17th-century Dutch and Portuguese architecture in it’s grand complex. All of the rooms look out over the harbour, and have bathtub and balconies with a refreshing sea breeze that beats AC any day.
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Suprabhatham
This cosy little veggie place dishes up excellent, dirt-cheap and truly authentic Keralan cooking in a rustic setting. Out in the palm groves, it’s secluded and intimate, with an option to dine under the stars to a nightly orchestra of crickets.
reviewed
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South Star
This upmarket version of the Bimbis chain of restaurants is in a dark, moodily lit space that’s plushed out in nice chairs and dark-wood tables. The bulky menu has North and South Indian victuals, as well as a massive choice of Chinese dishes.
reviewed
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Coffee Beanz
The local franchise of our favourite coffee-chain, this jazzy, modern AC joint offers the usual gamut of coffee options (Rs20 to Rs70), as well as great-value lunchtime-special meals (from Rs45 to Rs60). Snacks and full meals also available.
reviewed
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Q
Fishmongers
Behind the Chinese fishing nets are a couple of fishmongers, from whom you can buy fish (or prawns, scampi, lobster), then take your selection to a shack where they will cook it and serve it to you (fish about Rs40 per kg).
reviewed
