Best Eateries to Savour Local Delicacies at Cochin

Cochin food guide is something every traveler needs in this beautiful coastal city of Kerala. When I think about food in Kerala, Cochin comes to my mind instantly.

South Indian cuisine is the simplest yet most delicious variety of food you will ever eat. Also, it is more varied than you think. South Indian cuisine is actually an umbrella term. It includes cuisines from regions across the 5 south Indian states – Kerala, Andhra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Kerala is known for its famous coastal cuisine all over the world and rightly so. The first time I visited Kerala all I could think of was food and what to eat. After all, it boasts of so many amazing and unique varieties of dishes.

With the help of the Cochin food guide, you may as well be able to indulge in its bliss without missing out on anything.

Kochi is also known as Cochin is a city located in southwest India’s coastal Kerala state. Known for its beautiful palm-lined beaches and incredible backwaters, this place has much more to boast of. For starters- it’s food.

From Syrian Christian dishes to Malabari Muslim dishes, this city has it all. Since Kerala’s main export is coconuts, despite the diversity of communities and varieties of food almost every dish has coconut incorporated.

This is done either in the form of shavings or oil extracted from the nut. Seafood too is very popular among the locals and is something you can expect from the local eateries.

Cochin Food Guide: An Overview

Here’s a quick overview of the food in Kochi or Cochin:

Speciality Malabar Cuisine

Recommended native food Seafood delicacies, vegetarian dishes like Sambar and Kerala rice, Papadum, beef curry and Kerala Parotta

Best time to visit October end to February beginning

Average Cost for two at most Restaurants 300-1000 INR

Cochin food guide highlights the very fact that restaurant Culture in Cochin is picking up with time. From a variety of cafes to local eateries, not just travellers but you’ll also find locals digging into an amazing meal at a restaurant.

Even on weekdays restaurants are buzzing with life so by and large I’d say that restaurants in Cochin are something every traveller must explore when visiting the city.

Best Local Eateries in Cochin: Recommendations

Although you will find a number of eateries in Kochi, the ones listed below are the best in my opinion.

Hotel Saravana Bhavan Aluva & Ernakulam

Real Arabia Aluva & Edapally

Seagull Fort Kochi

Iftar Aluva

Paragon Lulu Mall (Edapally)

Kashi Art Café Fort Kochi

Beautiful coastal landscape, lush greenery and delicious cuisine define Cochin. Picture Credits: Divya Sarjolta

Hotel Saravana Bhavan

Hotel Saravana Bhavan is located in Ernakulam, Kochi is rated as one of the best by travelers. This is the place where you can truly indulge in authentic Kerala cuisine.

One of the best local eateries, this restaurant offers a grand spread of south Indian food ranging from the South Indian thali to one of the best ghee roast dosas. Other delicacies like Appams, vada sambar, and idli sambar are worth indulging in as well.

Must Try Ghee Roast Dosa & South Indian Thali

Highlights Food is served on the banana leaf

Avg. Cost for two 300 INR

Real Arabia

It is located in Aluva, Kochi is another local eatery that simply cannot be missed. Speaking about the diversity of communities this restaurant shows you the other side of the coin. It gives you an insight into the very famous cuisine that prevails in Cochin- the Middle Eastern cuisine.

The ambience is average with dim lighting and the sitting area is divided into two- A/C and non-A/C. I’d suggest you choose the air-conditioned room to have a better dining experience. Here you can be sure to gorge on mouth-watering shawarma, Kabsa (an Arabic flatbread), grilled and Alfam chicken as well as a variety of vegetarian dishes.

 

Do not forget to order lemon tea at the end of your hearty meal. Real Arabia, in short, gives you a one of a kind Arabic Dining experience.

Seagull, Fort Kochi

This place is heaven for seafood lovers. Not just the food but the ambience too is something to look forward to. At Seagull, you can unwind on some delicious seafood and wine, enjoy the cool breeze and listen to the rhythmic pulse of the waves.

The grilled fish, Chicken 65 and the beef gravy with Parotta bread are some of the dishes you must try. Apart from that their menu has a variety of seafood, north Indian and continental dishes. So do your stomach a favour and head there.

Ifthar

It is located at Aluva, Cochin is a restaurant which is not too fancy; in fact, it is mostly known for its takeaway and has just a few tables for those who want to eat there. This place is buzzing with noise as locals and tourists gorge on some of the most delicious Malabari food that it offers.

Kothu beef with parotta and beef biryani are some popular dishes and they also have varieties of shakes and exotic faloodas to choose from. It undoubtedly gives you a taste of authentic Malabari food and leaves your taste buds satisfied.

Must Try Beef Chili & Kerala Parotta

Highlights Quick service & great food

Avg. Cost for two 350-500 INR

Paragon

Paragon is a fine dining restaurant located at the famous Lulu Mall which also turns out to be one of the best eateries in Cochin. From seafood to mutton biryani Paragon has a lot to offer.

The ambience is lovely although a bit noisy at times. However, that won’t bother you much as the impeccable service and food make up for it. Here you can indulge in their signature Mango Fish Curry with Steam Rice; they are also known for their amazing biryani.

Apart from that their delicious Pandan Chicken wrapped in pandan leaves, Tawa grilled prawns and Traditional French Chicken Soup served in a classic bread pot is sure to leave you mesmerized. Their beef chilli and Kerala parotta are cooked to perfection.

Do leave some space for dessert and indulge in their chocolate lava cake with ice cream, you won’t regret it.

Must Try Mango Fish Curry & Traditional Chicken Soup

Highlights Quick service & Variation

Avg. Cost for two 900-1200 INR

Kashi Art Café

Located at Fort Kochi, this is not your regular local eatery. This café is one of the best when it comes to giving local delicacies a twist. The ambience is great which defines café culture at its best.

It’s a café where you can read a book while you sip on some coffee and eat a sandwich, a café where you can have beef served uniquely with jasmine rice.

The pulled beef sandwich, seafood wrap and Eurasian fish and rice are dishes one must try when in Cochin. Here although you can’t expect authentic local food they sure have an interesting menu and is totally worth it.

Must Try Beef gravy with jasmine rice & Eurasian fish with rice

Highlights Great ambience and amazing food

Avg. Cost for two 600 INR

Local Drinks Savoured in Cochin

Apart from the great food, another great aspect of Cochin is the local drinks. Here are some must-try:

Alcoholic Beverages

When it comes to alcohol the locals in Kerala do enjoy their drinks. This is evident from the very fact that despite alcohol not being as easily accessible as compared to other cities, locals and sometimes even tourists go as far as standing in long lines in government liquor shops to get their hands on all varieties of alcoholic beverages.

However, there are quite a few restaurants around Cochin where one can easily sip on an alcoholic beverage of their choice as well as indulge in delicious food.

Seagull, Fort Kochi is one restaurant where you can enjoy a wide range of alcoholic beverages from wines to beer and more.

Cochin also serves its visitors with its natively prepared alcohol. 

Toddy and palm wine are two such preparations. They’re partially alcoholic and quite popular among the locals.

Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Kerala is famously known for Coconut water. In Cochin, you can find a number of coconut water stalls around the city. This is the best beverage, especially on a hot summer day. So when in Cochin do not forget to hydrate on some lovely coconut water.

Sea Food Delicacies to Savour in Cochin

Kochi or Cochin is a coastal town and therefore, the seafood here is fresh. You must try the following on your visit here.

What & How Much?	Where?
Grilled Fish –as per size Seafood Platter-as per size	Seagull, Fort Kochi
Eurasian fish and rice-438INR	Kashi Art Café, Fort Kochi
Mango fish curry- 450INR Butter Garlic Prawns-380INR	Paragon, Lulu Mall-Edapally
Squid Broast-300INR Fish Curry Meal-249INR	Nawras Seafood Restaurant, Chitoor Road Kochi
Aubergine Seafood Salad-300INR Batter Fried Prawns-380INR	Fusion Bay, Fort Kochi

5 Must-Try Dishes in Cochin

Take a look at some of the best dishes in Cochin and where to try them:

Beef Curry with Kerala Parotta – Iftar and Paragon

Ghee Roast Dosa – Hotel Saravana Bhavan

Mango fish curry with steam rice – Paragon

Grilled fish and seafood – Seagull

Alfam Chicken, shawarma – Real Arabia

Budget Accommodation at Cochin

Cochin provides some very good homestay options to all its travelers. So if you’re traveling on a budget, homestays can help you save money. Use that money on exploring the place and enjoying the cuisine.

Some nominal stay options are –

Niyati Homestay    Single bed available Free Wi-Fi available Starting price of stay per night is 420 INR

Wright Inn Homestay       Single bed available Double beds available Starting price of stay per night is 500 INR

Cochin Food Guide prepared by me includes all the restaurants that are totally worth visiting and are sure to leave you with a great experience. Considering the enormous number of restaurants in the city it can be difficult for a traveler especially those visiting the city for the first time.

With the help of this Cochin food guide, you can not only easily explore the local food of Cochin but are sure to be lulled into a food coma as well, just like I did.

Happy eating and happy Wayfaring.

About the Author

 

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