Kerala Travel Centre’s ‘Top 10 Places to eat’ in Cochin.
Cochin is a gourmet’s paradise, and eating out is nothing short of a gastronomic joy ride here. There is a large selection of restaurants that specialize in unique menus offering you a mind boggling variety of diverse and delectable cuisine.
So here is Kerala Travel Centre’s list of top 10 places to eat out while in Cochin. (In no particular order)
History Restaurant - The Brunton Boatyard Hotel, Fort Cochin
Located in the Brunton Boatyard Hotel, History Restaurant is an ingenious concept in stylish travel. The food is exquisite. The menu here offers a wide range of options tracing Cochin’s Jewish, Syrian, Arabic and Portuguese history. These cuisines have been enriched with recipes borrowed from the kitchens of Kochi families. For the main course, one can have the ‘Fisherman’s Stew’, a Portuguese favourite of mixed seafood cooked with kidney beans, herbs and fresh ground pepper; the ‘Kariveppila Kozhy’ which has chicken cooked in Kerala spices with coconut; and the Curry Leaf and ‘Byculla Club Curry’, a dish from the British era which consists of cottage cheese dumplings stuffed with banana and served in a velvety green sauce. The hotel is located in the heart of Fort Cochin but is easily reachable from the main town as well.
Upstairs - KB Jacob Road, Fort Cochin
Located at the street corner near the Santa Cruz Basilica at Fort Cochin, this Italian restaurant serves a variety of pastas and pizzas, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. The restaurant occupies the upstairs area of an old structure that has been converted into a one room diner, thus the name. Fabio Batistatti, who was already a cook in Italy, wanted to bring some Italian flavour to the historic town. So he started ‘Upstairs’. The restaurant offers freshly baked bread, celery-walnut salad, blue cheese pizza, bruschetta, and pasta Bolognese, besides a choice of desserts like affogato or apple cake to be washed down with plenty of coffee. It is easily one of the best Italian eateries in India, and is open from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., 12 Noon to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays.
Tea Pot Café - Peter Celli Street, Fort Cochin
Tea Pot is a small tea shop, with myriads of tea pots and kettles in all shapes and sizes from different parts of the world hanging on its walls. What grabs your attention as you enter Teapot is the huge, glass centre table supported by an old, elegant tea bush, about six feet in diameter. The Teapot Cafe has the ambience of a typical old English-garden atmosphere. It is a cosy place, which treats the tea concept with élan. This spot has tea chests for tables, tea paraphernalia as décor and 15 kinds of India’s favourite brew. (There’s coffee too, if that’s what you prefer.)
Dal Roti - Lilly Street, Fort Cochin
Located in Fort Cochin, on Lilly Lane, this place is too good to miss. True to its logo ‘Desi Khana’ ( meaning local food) the menu has a variety of North Indian food ranging from Mughlai Parathas (breads), paratha stuffed with minced chicken and cooked to crisp perfection, Lachidar Parathas served with Lucknowi chicken and others. The setting is lovely especially at night when the whole place is lit up beautifully.
Shala - Peter Celli Street, Fort Cochin
Shala serves delicious Keralan food. The restaurant is in a beautiful and tastefully restored historical building and is quite simply a gem. Its USP is home-cooked food prepared by housewives in the vicinity. The restaurant has a limited menu. They offer barely five dishes — recommended are the Malabar prawn curry, kingfish steak, and the vegetarian special, which changes daily — but they do them well.
Menorah- Koder House, Fort Cochin
If you love your sea food then look no further than the Menorah restaurant at the Koder House in Fort Cochin which is famous for its cordon bleu cuisine. The seafood platter here is to die for. The property’s proximity to the beach and the numerous Chinese fishing nets ensures a steady supply of fresh fish at any time of the day. The Menorah also has the rare distinction of being the only restaurant in India to serve Jewish food.
Grand Pavilion, Ernakulam
The Grand hotel Pavilion is one of Cochin’s oldest and most popular restaurants. The restaurant is part of the Grand Hotel which started in 1963 offering lodging and food. But it’s the restaurant which has become the landmark, and not without reason. The Grand is famous for its Syrian (Christian) food and the Karimeen Pollicahthu (fried pear spot fish) here is highlight. So is the seafood and the Biryani (a rice dish made of herbs, spices and meat).
It can be a tad crowded during lunch hours (not surprising, given its popularity) but if you are looking for true Keralan delicacies at fantastic value, the Grand is the place to be,
Korean Spicy Chicken - Jawahar Nagar, Ernakulam
A fun eatery, Korean Spicy Chicken is the perfect fast food joint serving the most popular Korean dish, Spicy Chicken. Korean Spicy Chicken was started by three enterprising and energetic Korean women living in Cochin, and is the first of its kind in Kerala. The menu consists of a variety of chicken dishes including deep fried spicy chicken coated with a ‘special sauce’ laced with ginseng, and the famed Korean cabbage salad - Khimchi. The small menu is reasonably priced, which makes the joint attractive for families and students. It is the perfect on-the-run food shop, and the ideal hangout where one can enjoy crispy chicken over cups of Sujeonggwa, a typical Korean drink.
Lokah – NH 47 Bypass, Ernakulam
A classy restaurant and café, Lokah in Sanskrit means the world, and that is it what the restaurant provides. What is pulling the crowd in is the unique tagline of the restaurant – ‘the world on your plate’. With an extensive menu offering a variety of dishes from all over the world, you have a lot to choose from. What sets Lokah apart from other restaurants is not just the food and an ensemble of delicacies from such places as Lebanon, France, Thailand, Mexico, Vietnam, India, Africa and the US, but the eye catching elegance of its interior décor. Old Latin maps that trace the silk route and spice route are mounted on the walls. It is mainly a travel centric restaurant catering to those who have travelled to different places and want to savour those flavours again, as well as for those who haven’t been able to travel much, but want to try out the cuisine.
(Kayikka’s) Rahmuthala Hotel - New Road, Mattancherry
Practically everybody knows this restaurant and Kayikka, the man behind it, but hardly anybody knows the name of this eatery. Everybody calls it Kayikka’s. Synonymous with Biryani, this family concern is the busiest Biryani restaurant in Cochin and is a local institution. It was established in Mattanchery more than 50 years ago by Kayee. At Kayees the Biryani is cooked in pure ghee. If you go on Friday, you will get fish Biryani and on Tuesday, prawn. On other days it’s chicken and mutton. Another outlet on D.H. Road, Ernakulam is housed in a capacious, old bungalow, refurbished in the traditional Kerala homestead style.
On your next holiday to Kerala, make sure to look up Kerala Travel Centre’s list of top 10 places to eat out in Cochin. If you have any further queries, call us on Freephone 0808 178 9799. Food connoisseurs may also want to check out our cuisine tours. Bon appetite!
