Best Restaurants in Mahabalipuram
Mahabalipuram is brimming with interesting and flattering restaurants and cafes and a variety of cuisines. Find here, the colours and spice of street food, an elaborate, traditional and authentic thali as well as an array of western delicacies. While here, try Grilled Fish, Vegetarian thali, Prawns, Lobsters, Crabs and more. You might also try a typical South Indian platter which consists of Idli, Dosa, Appam, Vada, Upma, Sambhar, Sweet Pongal, Kesari, Payassam and much more. The eateries, cafes, restaurants of Mahabalipuram serve a combination of Indian, local and international flavours. Special offers and seasonal ingredients promise to heighten all your gustatory treats.
Gecko Café
Location: 14 Othavadai Cross Street, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu - 603104
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A flight of steps emerging from the heart of the building leads you to Gecko Café on the first floor. The menu here concentrates on local delicacies. The most ordered items include seafood that is caught daily from the neighbouring seas. The service is noted to be quite attentive and remarkable. You might have to wait a while for the food to arrive as everything is made as per order. The prices are pocket-friendly, the ambience quite relaxed and casual and the menu quite expansive. Dine alone, or revel with your family and friends.
Must Savour: Gecko special fish with chips, Curry vegetables
Rose Garden
Location: Beach Road 12, Mahabalipuram
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As you advance towards the Shore Temple you come across a street-side shack with a rather confusing name. Though it is called Hotel Rose Garden, it is actually a dhaba-esque restaurant. However, that is no cause to despair because the food they offer is simply incomparable. The most sought-after dishes are the biriyanis. Hotel Rose Garden has remained unaltered for years now. Tourists and local people frequent this café that has kept its customers sated for what now feels like eternity.
Must Savour: Biriyani
Le Yogi
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This petite café with thatched roof is vibrant inside-out. The red interiors are enhanced by the lamps that hang from the ceiling. Customers sit at the tables on comfy mattresses and eagerly await their food. The peaceful ambience, the commendable service, the amiable staff and the sumptuous food guarantees a gratifying experience. Le Yogi also has vegetarian and vegan friendly options on their menu. (Alcohol and smoking area are available). It is definitely one-of-a-kind cafe in Mahabalipuram. It is great for a filling and sumptuous meal if you’re craving continental food.
Must Savour: Calamari, Pasta
Fisherman’s Nautilus
Location: Othavadai Cross Street, Mahabalipuram
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The first word that pops to your mind when you enter Nautilus Café is “cute”. The insides are a vibrant yellow with accents of green. Miniature Indian classical instruments adorn the wall along with several terracotta and wooden showpieces. The menu written on small chalkboards are suspended from the windows. The wooden furniture adds an earthy hue to the atmosphere elevating its homely ambience. At Nautilus Café, you will find an impressive menu and even better food.
Must Savour: Omelette, Crepes, Seafood
Freshly 'n Hot
Location: Othavadai Cross Street, Mahabalipuram
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Open: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Pocket Pinch: ₹ 750 for two
The aesthetic of this café is uniquely its own and you can’t find the likes of it anywhere in Mahabalipuram. This café’s unassuming décor and refreshing artwork on the walls set it aside from the other eateries that have mushroomed in the old fort town. Freshly ‘n Hot is the Indianized, miniature version of a café you’d find in Pondicherry. With options of al-fresco sitting and buffet, this café is popular amongst tourists and students who come looking for snacks.
Must Savour: Mixed fruit pancakes, Café mocha
Blue Elephant
Location: No. 39, Othavadai Street, Mahabalipuram
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Open: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm | 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Pocket Pinch: ₹ 350 for two
Blue Elephant is a hotel cum restaurant only a few minutes away from the famous landmarks of Mahabalipuram. The interiors of the restaurant provide a clean and sophisticated outlook. The food available tends to be on the more expensive side but is promising nonetheless. The experience on the whole is pleasant. This restaurant has several vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Their seafood is commendable.
Must Savour: Spaghetti, Seafood
Water’s Edge Café
Location: Radisson Blu Resort Temple Bay, 57 Kovalam Road, Mahabalipuram
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Open: 11:00 am - 03:00 pm | 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Pocket Pinch: ₹ 3,300 onwards, per person
This poolside café with its boulevard lined with palm trees creates a homely ambience. The sun setting on the horizon floods the café with the most flattering shades of the vibgyor. It is like revelling at the utmost edge of supreme delight if you choose al-fresco dining at the deck of Blu Resort. The interior of the restaurant exudes regality and an effortlessly posh laidback vibe. The food here is excellent and exemplary beyond all doubts and questions. Water Edge Café promises to provide a sensational experience and delivers without the lack of anything.
Must Savour: Breakfast buffet, Seafood, Pasta
Wharf
Location: Radisson Blu Resort Temple Bay, 57 Kovalam Road, Mahabalipuram
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Open: 08:30 am - 07:00 pm
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Ranked and rated uncommonly high by tourists and guests, Wharf at Blu Resort, is an exceptional place to enjoy delectable meals. With numerous cuisines on the menu, there is no dearth of options. The restaurant stands by the shore of Bay of Bengal and enjoys its mystical beauty. Dining here feels like taking a bite directly out of the oceans. The thatched roof, the palm trees with sky-high ambitions and the most comfortable sands marry each other to emanate a divine feast for your senses.
Must Savour: Seafood, Steak
