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Kochi, known (a little tritely) as The Queen of the Arabian Sea, has much to offer the curious traveller, whatever their interests might be. While a lot of this has to do with its affinity for the arts, and embracing of the new and modern, its rich and colourful history cannot be denied. Kochi was one of the most important port cities in the international spice trade from the late 1400s, drawing traders from Europe, West Asia and China. Besides these influences, the city also had a small but thriving population of Jews and Anglo-Indians. The cuisine, architecture, and general culture features all of these influences including the traditions of the Portuguese, Dutch and English colonisers.The city has always been quietly obsessed with food. However, in recent years—mostly thanks to the Kochi Muziris Biennale—the rest of the world has been let in on this open secret. And they just can’t get enough. Compiled here is a list of personal favourites as well as recommendations of a few of the places to visit the next time you’re in town, with approximate costs.
A trip to Kochi is not complete without a toddy-shop experience. Nettoor certainly has the best views, overlooking a picturesque backwater. Toddy shop culture is evolving and the shops are no longer predominantly male spaces. Several of these are even family friendly. The dishes to try here are crab masala, beef liver fry, and of course, a plate of kappa / tapioca, to go with it.
It is famous for their legendary chicken fry and porotta. Chicken fry from Rappai is not just some dish for the people of Kochi, it’s a feeling. As a person who have grown up habvingthis,it holds a special place to me and I have lost count if how many times I have eaten the same. Undoubtedly, it is the best chicken fry in town, every bite of its crispiness makes us feel tgat love you crave for. Their hot porotta with those chicken fry and fry powder with onion cuts is divine
There are a lot of stunning restaurants and cafes in Kochi and one of the top restaurants in Kochi for vegetarian lovers is Brindhavan Vegetarian restaurant which serves flavorsome and homely food. Enjoy some of the delicacies of the restaurant like south Indian filter coffee and chili idli. For breakfast, this is one of the best restaurants.Filter Coffee, Milk Halwa, MalaiKofta, Ghee Roast,MasalaDosa, etc are the must try items
If it’s a meal with a view you’re after, Fort House Restaurant is the place for you. Catch a gorgeous sunset over the waterfront while you dig into a meal of Kerala classics like appam, stew and prawn mango curry, to name a few. While the food is generally reliable, the specialty here is seafood prepared in the Syrian Christian style. The restaurant is housed in the Fort House Hotel, a family-run hotel that has been running for over 20 years. The warm, homely vibe with attention to detail reflects in the elegant yet laid-back restaurant.
Kadaloram at the Abad Plaza serves a great buffet-style Kerala lunch that gives you a chance to try many of the dishes featured in a traditional sadhya. Besides the vegetarian fare, the buffet also serves a few seafood preparations. The fiery red fish curry made with kudampuli (dried Malabar tamarind) is especially good.
This nondescript cafe has made a name for itself by selling traditional MalabariMappila snacks like unnakaya and muttamaala. There are about 30 snacks here on offer, to satiate any sort of hankering that you might have. Try the erachipathiri, and if you’re feeling adventurous, the muttamaala, a dish made from an obscene number of egg yolks. They also serve kabsa, an Arabic meat and rice dish that is not unlike biryani in concept.
If there is one place that is synonymous with biryani in Kochi, it is KayeesRahmathulla Café. Started by V.K Kayee in 1948, the restaurant began as a tea stall and later expanded. Kayee is said to have picked up his cooking chops while working at the now defunct Bombay Hotel in Kochi. Today, the biryani here is far more popular and the newspaper clippings and photographs of celebrities smiling with a post-biryani glow line the wall of the establishment are a testament to this. If biryani is not your jam, head over for breakfast for a plate of freshly cooked mutton chops with puttu
A visit to Kochi is incomplete without tasting a slice of breudher (pronounced broo-dhuh) – a yeasted bread that offers a taste of Kochi’s past as a Dutch colony. A cross between a bread and a cake, breudher can be found in Dutch colonies around the world, including Sri Lanka and Singapore, but here it is localised with the addition of toddy, spices and ghee. The late-founder of the bakery that has been in operation for about 50 years, C. V. Chandran, is said to have recommended eating the bread with mutton kurma. They also have wide range of homemade and designer cakes from Vancho, Red Velvet, Fruit Cake,Butterscoth, Tresleches etc.
This is the spot that brought together two of Kerala’s greatest loves – Pazhampori and beef fry to create a dish that is as delicious as it is unusual. A generous portion of beef is cooked in a thick gravy, and comes topped with onions. This is served with banana fritters, batter fried so that the exteriors are crisp and the interiors are melting and sweet. This juxtaposition of salty with sweet, and soft meat with the crisp fritter is what has this place on the list of so many people visiting Kochi for the past 15 years. The story goes that a couple of truck drivers arrived late one evening and ordered for a plate of beef and a portion of banana fritters, since everything else on the menu was wiped clean. The rest, as they say, is culinary history.
