With the death of Dal Roti, one of the funniest comment sections of any restaurant died with it. An owner hell-bent on replying to moronic reviews, not only taking the bait, but dizzying them with cut-throat comebacks, well, the whole town was in raptures. Now that he has shut down and moved to slower pastures, the town is lacking that vital energy.

Covid decimated the local tourism scene, the subsequent floods didn't help. Of all the places left standing after the pandemic, Fort Kochi has suffered the most. At the foundation, the issues stem from consistency. With a lack of tourists, or guessing how many will be coming for lunch or dinner, many restaurants have thrown out their fresh produce and opted for pre-cooking and storing a lot to cook to order. This impacts the flavour and the enjoyment immensely.

We should point out that we visited in August 2023, so perhaps things are back on track, but below is a list of our favourite places through the more than 20 years we have been going. Take everything with a pinch of salt, because the consistency issues can flare up now and then and it's impossible to predict.

CLICK ICON ABOVE FOR ALL LOCATIONS

COUSINS SEAFOOD

As the saying goes: "Follow the locals", and the locals eat their seafood thali's here.

B FOR BIRYANI

This corner shop in Mattancherry sells out of their succulently light biryani early, so make a point of hitting it before peak hours.

ARYA'S PARK

On the ground floor of an OYO hotel lies the best masala dosa in Kochi. Take our word for it, no, really.

SEAGULL

Local dishes by the fishes. A legend in Fort Kochi, and one that manages their consistency better than a lot of places in town. For the alcohol sippers, they sell beer.

TANDOOR CHILLIES

Over in Ernakulam, this lunch place is worth the taxi ride. Enter (and ignore) the Tandoor Chillies restaurant, walk in and to the back, find the staircase, head up to the next floor where this Andra thali place secretly pleases a multitude of people every day. The food here is spicy, but it's damn fine Andra fare.

FRENCH TOAST

Flat whites and the odd chat about art. This is where you bring your laptop if you have some work to do day-time.

KASHI ART CAFE

Options for every taste, this cafe-art space hosts DJ nights, exhibitions and has a nice shaded outdoor area to eat and drink in. It's been around for decades and it never disappoints.

KAASA CAFE

Come here for the porotta. You're welcome!

RASOI

Should the whispers of life utter sweet nothings about North Indian favourites whilst puddling around the South, well, then listen to your heart and head to Rasoi.

Food is forever evolving, and sometimes it devolves. Owners change, locations change, chefs change. We can only assure you that when we visited, we liked it.