Regional Specialties of Kovalam – Best Places to Dine
The cuisine in Kovalam is simple, light and traditional. The delicious array of culinary delicacies exhibits the fundamental of South Indian culture with a distinct inclination towards rice-based dishes. Cereals, spices, curry leaves and coconut flavours are the hallmarks of South Indian cuisine and have popularised the food trends in Kovalam. As a seaside community, the locals depend on fresh and organic seafood to enrich their diets and a lot of attention is paid while preparing mouth-watering vegetarian dishes. Your taste buds are in for a treat while you stay in Kovalam and you can treat yourself to their healthy and wholesome meals without any guilt.
Local Delights
The local cuisine in Kovalam is incomplete without puttu and kappa, which are everyday staples for the locals and exotic delicacies for visitors. Even if you find your tongue tripping over their rustic names, you will be mesmerised enough once you have tried them! Puttu is a common breakfast dish that combines rice with grated coconut and is served with chewy red bananas. Kappa is for those who favour spices as the herb mix is a common accompaniment to most non-vegetarian curry dishes made at home. You will be spoilt for choices when it comes to seafood- from juicy crabs and lobsters to delicate shrimps, squids and fresh fishes, there is nothing off bounds in Kovalam!
Must Savour: Puttu, Kappa, Seafood
Suprabhatham
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This restaurant is a hidden culinary gem, off the Kovalam Beach that you will thank your lucky stars for! Although exclusively vegetarian, it serves the most popular and representative dishes of South Indian cuisine. It is a tiny courtyard restaurant that relies entirely on its excellent Keralan style cooking for its popularity. The freshness of the dishes, and the delicate flavours of dosas, puttu and uttapams are unmatched in the village. A cool glass of freshly pressed fruit juice will round off your meal nicely!
Must Savour: Dosas, puttu & uttapams
Bait Restaurant at Taj Vivanta
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The Bait Restaurant at Taj Vivanta is the epitome of luxury in a comfortably designed alfresco setting. The “best restaurant in Kovalam” lets you enjoy the sea breeze as well as gustatory delights in the same place! A fashionably designed layout includes a semi-open kitchen where you can see your order sizzling on the oven, made out of the best ingredients. House specialities are grilled Jumbo prawns, charcoal smoked red snapper, soft tofu steak roasted in Keralan spices and pink pepper prawn curry. While feasting on your perfectly seasoned meal and revelling at the seaside view, make sure you wash it all down with a sip of the exquisite Maharashtran Sula wine as well!
Must Savour: Grilled jumbo prawns, charcoal smoked red snapper, soft tofu steak & pink pepper prawn curry
Fusion
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The restaurant at Beach Hotel II is the best of both worlds - staying true to its trendy name, the restaurant has a menu where the East and West embrace in perfect harmony! The terrace-style restaurant caters to a more selective clientele which has made it one of the most sought-after dining destinations in Kovalam. You will be tempted to try all of the quirky and delightful dishes on the menu but you must ensure that you don’t miss out on the crowd favourites- chilli pesto pasta, lobsters steamed in vodka, prawn curry and fudge cake with ice cream to name a few! You are also advised to drop in for their breakfast buffet where they have a global platter to suit all tastes!
Must Savour: Chilli pesto pasta, lobsters steamed in vodka, prawn curry, fudge cake with ice cream & breakfast buffet
The Bar
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While perusing the nightlife of Kerala, and a small seaside town like Kovalam, you will be pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful place like The Bar, at the Leela Hotel near the Kovalam beach. An evening hangout spot with the perfect ambience to relax and mingle with other tourists, the Bar has an impressive menu of cocktails, snacks and even full-course meals. This is the place to if you want to spend a happening evening on the sandy beaches with a pleasant buzz and some great music flowing all around you!
Must Savour: Cocktails
Neera Bar
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If you are used to spending your downtime in style, or jet setting with class and elegance then the Neera Bar, within the extravagant Taj Vivanta should be your premier choice. An elite evening restaurant that boasts of a discreet and elegant ambience, here you can shed your daytime worries and simply groove to the hottest beats! For the liquor connoisseur, this is the only bar with some of the finest wines and whiskey on tap, so make the best of your time here!
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German Bakery
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The Germany Bakery and Waves restaurant share roof space near Lighthouse Beach and this particular eatery has become all too popular among international tourists. The restaurant is set up with a drowsy Western ambience and the menu is full of European delicacies like puffs, pastries, breads and croissants! You can enjoy ludicrously beautiful international cuisine while looking out at the uninterrupted view of the beach next door! Their coffee is well worth the wait and the usual Indian type dishes like idlis, dosas, seafood and much more is available on demand.
Must Savour: Puffs, pastries, breads, croissants, idlis, dosas, seafood & coffee
Malabar Cafe
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For those with a special hankering for well-made seafood, Malabar Cafe, situated smack dab on the Light House Beach is your best bet! The best time to visit this beachside idyll is at night when you can enjoy a candlelight dinner with the crashing of sea waves as background music to your sumptuous meal. Apart from seafood prepared in every style from local to continental, you might want to go for a creamy and spicy paneer tikka that is rumoured to leave guests drooling!
Must Savour: Paneer tikka & seafood
Swiss Cafe
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If you are looking for something a little off the beaten path, dishes that don’t limit themselves to the Indian staples, you can head into the rooftop restaurant called Swiss Cafe, in the northern end of the Lighthouse beach. Their menu includes exotic dishes from far ends of Europe that will leave your taste buds zinging! They are equally adept at local cooking and Indian cooking, so you can choose a widely varying meal for yourself here.
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