4 Best Restaurants in Calicut, Kerala

Located inside a colonial Portuguese bungalow, this restaurant is popular with well-heeled locals and often hosts a lively crowd. The friendly owner's passion for food is much in evidence, and the varied menu encompasses regional and national cuisines, including South and North Indian, Thai, and continental; there aren't many vegetarian dishes on the menu, and alcohol is not served.

This modern and comfortable restaurant, in a centrally located business hotel, serves a range of local, Chinese, North Indian, and continental dishes; popular choices include squid tawa peralan (a dry curry prepared with numerous spices), prawn biryani, and chicken malabar biriyani. The place gets busy for dinner, especially on weekends, and as a result the waiting time can vary and service can be slow. The restaurant does not serve alcohol, which is common in this largely Muslim part of Kerala.

It's not much to look at, and it can get noisy when crowded, but this Calicut stalwart has been serving tasty food since 1939. The chicken and the prawn biryanis are both excellent (come early for these), as is the prawn thattukada, an unusual fried shrimp dish that goes well with parathas (a flaky flatbread); other favorites include the prawn pepper fry and tamarind fish curry. The biryanis may run out on the early side, but the restaurant is open quite late.

This brightly painted former house near the beach, featuring plastic chairs and tables laid out both indoors and outdoors for a no-fuss dining experience, is one of Calicut’s most popular restaurants for authentic Moplah (Kerala Muslim) dishes. The owner-chef, Zainabi Noor Mohammed, not only prepares dishes using family recipes passed down through the generations, but he also creates innovative fusion dishes like mussel pie.