Must-see restaurants in Kochi (Cochin)

Fort Cochin's original (and best) art cafe, this fashionable, natural-light-filled space has a Zen vibe, a creeping vertical garden and stylish wood…

Set in an open-sided pavilion or at candlelit poolside tables, this outstanding restaurant at Malabar House is (almost) Bollywood-star glam. The ambitious…

The restaurant at the Grand Hotel is as elegant and retro-stylish as the hotel itself, with cream-coloured furniture and chequered floors. It serves a…

Usually packed with fashionable Kochiites, Qissa channels a cosmopolitan scene with its mismatched pastel-painted chairs, outdoor garden and buzzy…

Join feasting Indian families at this sprawling modern restaurant fronted by a barbecue just southeast of Fort Cochin's tourist centre. Breakfasts (₹30 to…

Hidden behind a massive antique-filled godown (warehouse) is this wonderful waterfront restaurant, where you can relax over fresh juices and punchy Indian…

Behind an ivy-covered facade, this atmospheric cafe is perfect for ‘high tea’, with an impressive choice of brews, sandwiches and cakes turned out in airy…

The waterside restaurant at the family-owned Fort House Hotel is a prime choice for a leisurely lunch, fringed by hot-pink bougainvillea and plants…

A beautiful duo of Dutch-style dockside godowns (warehouses) reimagined into a laid-back outdoor cafe and art space with bench-style tables along a…

Gloriously fresh seafood is the thing at this smart, locally popular restaurant with turquoise table runners and touches of greenery. Fish is served in…

This gorgeous, multiroom, 300-year-old spice warehouse, built in Dutch style, was once lived in by the rabbis of Mattancherry's synagogue, which you can…

Set in the grand Cochin Club, this stylish cafe-restaurant enjoys a wonderful garden location with large windows facing out to the water, and is jazzed up…

This unassuming little family restaurant in central Fort Cochin is renowned locally for its imaginative Kerala Syrian fish delicacies cooked in the…

Wooden walls, scattered hanging lanterns and a decade-old creeper plant lend an indoor-outdoor feel to this self-styled restocafe, whose New Zealand…

With trailing plants, gleaming fresh-cake displays and newspapers to flick through, this bright cafe makes a sophisticated, rustic-chic retreat from busy…

On the footpath behind the Chinese fishing nets are several fishmongers, from whom you can buy fish, prawns, scampi or lobster, then take your selection…

A stylishly restored 200-year-old Dutch-Portuguese-style building, Loafers is all reclaimed wood, minimalist design, cosy window booths and delicate…

You'll be cooking up your own chicken, prawn, fish, falafel or paneer skewers (spiced to individual heat levels) on personal grilling stations before…

This no-frills spot is legendary among Kochi locals for its lunchtime chicken, mutton and seafood biryanis – get here early or miss out. Don't confuse it…

At the heart of Mattancherry's Jewish quarter, with a small balcony above a sprawling antiques warehouse, this charming, low-key 1st-floor cafe-restaurant…