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…
Must-see restaurants in Kerala
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Kochi (Cochin)
Set in an open-sided pavilion or at candlelit poolside tables, this outstanding restaurant at Malabar House is (almost) Bollywood-star glam. The ambitious…
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Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Villa Maya is more an experience than a mere restaurant. Dining is either in the magnificent 18th-century Dutch-built mansion or in private curtained…
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Kovalam
Designed as an upmarket alfresco beach shack, the fabulous seafood restaurant at the Taj Green Cove fronts the sea, with waves and palms on one side and…
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Varkala
Fresh local ingredients fuel inspired, artfully prepared dishes at the beautifully located clifftop garden cafe at Soul & Surf. Here zingy mezze platters…
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Kozhikode (Calicut)
Join the inevitably long queue out the door at this always-packed restaurant, founded in 1939. The overwhelming menu is famous for its legendary chicken…
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Kovalam
In the lanes behind southern Lighthouse Beach, this little restaurant plates up some of Kovalam's best vegetarian food at reasonable prices, in a simple…
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Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Trivandrum's best all-you-can-eat South Indian veg thalis mean long-running Ariya Nivaas is always busy (especially at lunchtime), but service is snappy…
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Kerala
Spotless, air-conditioned Bharath is widely regarded as the best veg restaurant in town and the place for a lunchtime thali (₹86 to ₹165), a Keralan…
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Alappuzha (Alleppey)
Opposite the beach, this elegant restaurant at the 1860s heritage-style Raheem Residency is Alleppey’s finest. It has seating on a bijou open-sided…
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Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
At elegant, history-rich Padmavilasom Palace, Kerala's traditional vegetarian sadya (banquet) is delivered in all its banana-leaf sumptuousness within the…
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Kochi (Cochin)
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…
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Kochi (Cochin)
Usually packed with fashionable Kochiites, Qissa channels a cosmopolitan scene with its mismatched pastel-painted chairs, outdoor garden and buzzy…
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Kochi (Cochin)
Join feasting Indian families at this sprawling modern restaurant fronted by a barbecue just southeast of Fort Cochin's tourist centre. Breakfasts (₹30 to…
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Kochi (Cochin)
Hidden behind a massive antique-filled godown (warehouse) is this wonderful waterfront restaurant, where you can relax over fresh juices and punchy Indian…
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Kerala
This lovely, spotlessly kept 1st-floor dining room with slatted blinds is a swankier version of Kerala's typical set-meals restaurants. The South Indian…
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Kovalam
One of Kovalam's most scenic (and expensive) restaurants, overlooking the turquoise-tinted infinity pool at the top-end clifftop Leela. The elegant menu…
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Kovalam
With its imaginative East-meets-West menu and stylish terrace vibe, the restaurant at Beach Hotel II is one of Lighthouse Beach's top dining experiences,…
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Waves Restaurant & German Bakery
Kovalam
The burnt-orange balcony, ambient soundtrack, sea views and a wide-roaming, well-executed menu keep Waves – atop Beach Hotel – busy with foreigners. It…
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Alappuzha (Alleppey)
Loved by both visitors and locals, mellow, welcoming Katamaran brings a traveller-style menu to its elevated, low-seating deck looking right out on the…
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Varkala
Halfway along the North Cliff, this relaxed and welcoming terrace spot with a handy book exchange remains firmly popular for its inventive salads (perhaps…
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Kochi (Cochin)
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…
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Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Right beside Trivandrum's main bus stand, this branch of the famous Indian Coffee House serves its strong coffee and wallet-friendly snacks (biryanis,…
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Kochi (Cochin)
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…
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Kozhikode (Calicut)
Hidden away in the sea-facing Beach Hotel, Salkaram serves excellent fish and chicken dishes, Malabari cuisine (such as fish coconut curry) and Keralan…
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Kozhikode (Calicut)
Distressed-wood shutters, vibrant paintwork and old-school radios create a retro-style scene at this wildly popular restaurant near the beach, where…
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Varkala
With giant dreamcatchers and tiered candlelit tables strewn with flower petals, Darjeeling is always packed with travellers. Snappy, cheerful service…
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Kochi (Cochin)
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…
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Kochi (Cochin)
Gloriously fresh seafood is the thing at this smart, locally popular restaurant with turquoise table runners and touches of greenery. Fish is served in…
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Varkala
At the southern end of the North Cliff trail, this leafy terrace cafe-restaurant remains a firm favourite for your morning coffee fix. Freshly ground…
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Kochi (Cochin)
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…
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Alappuzha (Alleppey)
In the sandy fairy-lit garden at Raheem Residency, this enjoyable drink-and-dine spot is more casual and budget conscious than the hotel’s main restaurant…
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Kochi (Cochin)
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…
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Kerala
With high-backed chairs amid intricate copper-relief artwork depicting local history, the slightly formal Nani Hotel restaurant is one of Kollam's…
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Alappuzha (Alleppey)
There's an extensive menu at this always-busy air-con hotel restaurant, and the food – including biryanis, tandoori, Keralan fish curry and veg and fish…
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Munnar
This spotless glass-fronted sanctuary in the bazaar is packed at lunchtime, with locals lining up for Rapsy’s famous paratha (Indian-style flaky bread) or…
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Kochi (Cochin)
This unassuming little family restaurant in central Fort Cochin is renowned locally for its imaginative Kerala Syrian fish delicacies cooked in the…
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Varkala
Trattorias sounds Italian and does indeed rustle up decent pastas, pizzas and European breakfasts, but the menu is equally pan-Asian and Indian (with…
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Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Pocketed away in an otherwise unexciting mall, 2km east of central Trivandrum, this laid-back self-styled cafe-bistro is run by a duo of hands-on actors…
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Kochi (Cochin)
Wooden walls, scattered hanging lanterns and a decade-old creeper plant lend an indoor-outdoor feel to this self-styled restocafe, whose New Zealand…
