Kerala Restaurants

We’ve compiled the best of the best in Kerala - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.

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  • 1. Malabar Junction

    $$$$

    The entire menu at this small restaurant, which is in a very elegant setting with an open side facing a garden and swimming pool, is comprised of a mix of regional specialties and Mediterranean cuisine contributed by both local and visiting chefs. The seafood is always fresh and perfectly cooked, and if you’re craving Italian, the pastas, like the homemade cheese ravioli, are excellent.

    1/268 Parade Rd., Fort Kochi, Kerala, 682001, India
    484-270--4600

    Known For

    • Elegant setting with nightly traditional Kerala performances
    • Large selection of Indian wines
    • Chocolate samosas in mango sauce, the restaurant’s signature dessert

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
  • 2. The History

    $$$$

    Alongside traditional Kerala fare you’ll find unusual dishes bearing the stamp of the Middle East, Portugal, the local Jewish community, and the days of the British Raj with some age-old recipes having been passed on to the restaurant by local communities. The lofty, elegant dining room of this fine dining restaurant is windowed on all sides, and capped with a gabled wooden ceiling (resembling an upturned ship) supported by massive wood beams.

    1/498, Calvetty Rd., Fort Kochi, Kerala, 682001, India
    484-221–5461

    Known For

    • Daily live sitar and tabla music performances
    • The railway mutton curry from the British Raj era
    • The vattalappam, a Syrian Christian version of caramel custard utilizing jaggery and coconut milk

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No lunch, Credit cards accepted
  • 3. Ambadi

    $

    Like the rest of the resort, the Ambadi's multicuisine restaurant has a rustic feel and is decorated with lots of wood. Head here for well-executed North Indian staples, such as kebabs and other tandoori dishes, butter chicken, and biryani, as well as Indo-Chinese options, Kerala specials, and Western dishes, including fish-and-chips and some pastas.

    Ambadi Junction, Thekkady, Kerala, 685536, India
    486-922--2194

    Known For

    • North Indian kebabs and tandoori dishes
    • Located inside a heritage hotel
    • Walking distance to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
  • 4. Azad

    $

    Specialties at this chain restaurant (and this branch may be the best) include biryani, a flavorful rice cooked with chicken or mutton, and kuthu paratha, a Kerala Muslim delicacy of flatbread stuffed with minced fish and served from 4 pm onward. The biryani is ready around noon and runs out by early evening, so make sure you get there on time.

    Vazhuthacaud, Trivandrum, Kerala, 695014, India
    471-307–0603

    Known For

    • Biryani
    • Kuthu paratha
    • Open late

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
  • 5. Bristow's Bistro

    $$$

    This tastefully decorated restaurant offers a flavor of Fort Kochi both with its food, and with its location overlooking the beach and sea. The buffet spread is varied and the à la carte options include choice dishes such as the stuffed red snapper, seafood platters, and desserts like the chakkara choru (a Malabari rice pudding) and Mattanchery sweet spice roll, made with grated coconut and jaggery (unrefined sugar).

    Beach Rd., Fort Kochi, Kerala, 682001, India
    484-221--8711

    Known For

    • The seafood platter
    • Kerala desserts like chakkara choru (a Malabari rice pudding)
    • Seaside views
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  • 6. Chakara

    $$

    Raheem Residency, on Alleppey's main beach, is in an elegant old British-built bungalow dating from the 19th century, and its partially alfresco restaurant serves a variety of cuisines—Kerala, North Indian, and some Western dishes. Try the Alleppey fish curry, the Kerala prawns roast, or a chicken biryani (served only at lunch) and enjoy the beach view from the upper floor. Alcohol is served.

    Beach Rd., Alleppey, Kerala, 688012, India
    477-223–9767

    Known For

    • Alleppey fish curry
    • Scenic views in a colonial building
    • Kerala prawns roast
  • 7. Coastal Kitchen

    $$$$

    Open all day, and with an open-air patio on the cliff, Coastal Kitchen may just be Varkala's best restaurant, serving all regional and Kerala specialties as well as vegetarian options like eggplant curry. Don’t miss the karuvepilai prawns, spicy and fried up with a lot of curry leaves, or the meen polichathu, fish fried in a wrapped banana leaf, or nadan meen charu, a local kind of fish curry; the desserts are good, too.

    Janardhanapuram, Varkala, Kerala, 695 141, India
    470-667–3300

    Known For

    • Karuvepilai prawns
    • Beer and wine
    • Cliffside dining
  • 8. David Hall

    $$

    This rambling former Dutch home now serves as an art gallery—displaying the work of contemporary Indian artists and works from art camps held in villages across Kerala—and a spacious garden café extending out to a large back lawn. Best known for its delicious Italian pizza (made in a traditional stone oven in front of you) and panini, the restaurant changes its menu regularly, depending on what ingredients are in season, making for interesting choices and dependable freshness.

    Opposite Parade Ground, Fort Kochi, Kerala, 682001, India
    484-221–8298

    Known For

    • Delicious Italian pizza made in a traditional stone oven
    • Artsy vibe in a garden setting
    • Displays from upcoming contemporary Indian artists

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon., No credit cards
  • 9. Fort House Restaurant

    $$

    Inside a budget hotel in a great location on the jetty, this simple, open-air restaurant doesn't skimp on quality or authenticity. The menu is almost entirely seafood—chicken and specialty items (like lobster) must be ordered in advance—and every dish is cooked to order and presented in a clay vessel. Note that service can be slow, no alcohol is served, and open-air dining isn't available during the monsoons.

    2/6 A Calvathi Rd., Fort Kochi, Kerala, 682001, India
    484-221–7103

    Known For

    • Try the prawns Kerala and braised seerfish
    • Waterfront dining
    • Kerala cuisine

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
  • 10. Hill Spice

    $$

    The airy, glass-roofed Hill Spice, at the Tall Trees resort, is a more elegant alternative to the restaurants in Munnar's main bazaar. The Kerala dishes are your best bet, though the restaurant offers thalis and buffet meals along with Indian, Indo-Chinese, and continental food.

    Bison Valley Rd., Munnar, Kerala, 685612, India
    486-523--0593

    Known For

    • Alfresco dining
    • Great choice of Indo-Chinese dishes like hakka noodles and chilli chicken
    • Located in a spice plantation
  • 11. Kayees Rahmathullah

    $ | Mattancherry

    Known for its biryani, a rice dish cooked with meat and spices, this very modest restaurant is the original, and people say it’s the best, with some of the most authentic and lip-smackingly good Kerala food you will find—but be ready for serious spice. There’s usually a line for lunch on weekdays, and the menu may become more limited if you arrive late—they run out.

    New Rd., Kochi, Kerala, 682002, India
    984-221--1234

    Known For

    • The Malabar-style biryani
    • Vegetarian dishes
    • Kayees’ special jeera water (boiled with cumin seeds), an ayurvedically approved drink that aids digestion
  • 12. Kingsbay

    $

    Located inside a colonial Portuguese bungalow, this restaurant is popular with well-heeled locals and often hosts a lively crowd. The friendly owner's passion for food is much in evidence, and the varied menu encompasses regional and national cuisines, including South and North Indian, Thai, and continental; there aren't many vegetarian dishes on the menu, and alcohol is not served.

    1414 Customs Rd., Calicut, Kerala, 673032, India
    495-405--4422

    Known For

    • Squid and prawn masala fry
    • Seafood specialties from nearby Mangalore
    • Colonial Portuguese building
  • 13. Menorah

    $$$

    A fine tribute to Cochin’s rich Jewish history, Menorah is in the former mansion of one of the city’s best-known Jewish families, and the fine table linens and stately surroundings recall the royalty, prime ministers, and dignitaries that once dined here. Traditional Cochin-Jewish cuisine is served—try the chemeen ularth, a prawn fry, or plav, a rice and chicken dish, and the mutta roast (eggs cooked with a variety of spices).

    Tower Rd., Fort Kochi, Kerala, 682001, India
    484-221–8485

    Known For

    • Unique Cochin-Jewish dishes like chemeen and squid ularth
    • Excellent selection of pasta
    • Quaint courtyard with a pool and outdoor seating
  • 14. Mezban

    $

    This modern and comfortable restaurant, in a centrally located business hotel, serves a range of local, Chinese, North Indian, and continental dishes; popular choices include squid tawa peralan (a dry curry prepared with numerous spices), prawn biryani, and chicken malabar biriyani. The place gets busy for dinner, especially on weekends, and as a result the waiting time can vary and service can be slow. The restaurant does not serve alcohol, which is common in this largely Muslim part of Kerala.

    Mavoor Rd., Calicut, Kerala, 673004, India
    495-408–8000

    Known For

    • Squid tawa peralan
    • Variety of Malabar biryanis
    • Friendly staff
  • 15. Paragon

    $$

    It's not much to look at, and it can get noisy when crowded, but this Calicut stalwart has been serving tasty food since 1939. The chicken and the prawn biryanis are both excellent (come early for these), as is the prawn thattukada, an unusual fried shrimp dish that goes well with parathas (a flaky flatbread); other favorites include the prawn pepper fry and tamarind fish curry. The biryanis may run out on the early side, but the restaurant is open quite late.

    Kannur Rd., Calicut, Kerala, 673001, India
    495-276–1020

    Known For

    • Open until midnight
    • Tamarind fish curry
    • Prawn thattukada

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No credit cards
  • 16. Tamarind Tree

    $$$$

    This all-day restaurant located in the Spice Village resort serves some of the best food in the area, including not-to-miss Kerala specialties. You can choose to eat inside the thatched main building, decorated with a colorful selection of cattle masks, on a veranda overlooking the pool, or in the garden.

    Kumily Rd., Kumily, Kerala, 685536, India
    486-922--2315

    Known For

    • The panni kurumulaku roast, a peppery roast pork
    • The malli meen pudhina, a grilled fish with mint coconut sauce
    • All produce is locally sourced within a 50-mile radius
  • 17. Teapot Café

    $

    This quirky two-story café, off Princess Street and near the harbor, has teapots and kettles decorating every available space, including some dangling from the ceiling; some tables are made from wooden tea chests. There’s a fair selection of both Indian and continental food—roast chicken and potatoes, prawn moilee (in a coconut curry), vegetable stew—but the café is best known for its sandwiches and freshly baked cakes and for being a terrific spot for sipping away on a cup of tea for an hour or more.

    Peter Celli St., Fort Kochi, Kerala, 682001, India
    484-221–8035

    Known For

    • Its Indie rarebit sandwich
    • Great selection of freshly baked cakes
    • Open late until 9 pm (during the season)
  • 18. Thai Pavilion

    $$$$ | Willingdon Island

    This immensely popular place is Kerala’s first Thai restaurant—so don’t be surprised if the waiter explains each dish to you—and it has plentiful seafood as well as Vietnamese and Chinese dishes. The dining room is done up in warm woods, with silver and rich red accents on the ceiling and chairs, plus colorful murals and beveled glass windows that give you a glimpse of the Arabian Sea.

    Kochi, Kerala, 682009, India
    484-664–3000

    Known For

    • Pla rad prik, fish flavored with basil
    • Thai-style pork ribs
    • Great views of the Arabian sea

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential
  • 19. The Rice Boat

    $$$$ | Willingdon Island

    This plush restaurant, which has windows on three sides, is long and shaped like a traditional wooden boat and is a favorite among Kochi's well-to-do crowd. The menu stresses seafood, as you might expect, with much of it often caught just a few hours before meal time in the Chinese fishing nets or in boats nearby. Kerala specialties are made with saltwater, and the local freshwater fish are grilled and cooked in traditional curries.

    Kochi, Kerala, 682009, India
    484-664--3048

    Known For

    • Kerala specialties like meen pollichathu, the local pearl spot cooked wrapped in banana leaf
    • An interactive kitchen where you can chat with the chef
    • Great views of the harbor

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted, Reservations essential
  • 20. Tides

    $$$$

    This excellent beachside seafood restaurant located at the Leela serves up freshly caught fish supplied by the local Kovalam fishermen. You can have the day’s fresh catch cooked in just about whatever style you like, including Indian, Chinese, Keralan, continental, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern; there are also vegetarian options available.

    Beach Rd., Kovalam, Kerala, 695527, India
    471-305–1234

    Known For

    • Chinese wok-tossed lamb pepper and Singapore chilli crab
    • The ever-changing catch of the day
    • Private beach access

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Reservations essential

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