Trivandrum India
South India Food 2


"South India Food 2 Trivandrum" was last updated on April 20, 2012
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Where are the good restaurants in Trivandrum?

Despite that Trivandrum might seem huge, dirty and charmless from a traveler's perspective, there are actually foodie gems in downtown, some scattered around the train station and around Princess street. 

Since we were on a field trip in Trivandrum for a couple of days, we had the golden chance to taste the delicious food. The restaurants is the reason why you should stop by Trivandrum. 

Ariya Niwas is my all-time favorite restaurant!

Here are the restaurants we tried!

Ariya Niwas

Meal at ariya niwas in Trivandrum, India

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I tried several dishes at Ariya Niwas. We were four girls sharing a table and we also decided to share the food. I ordered the malai kofta which was excellent.

Other things we got was the shahi paneer masala - a great cheese dish where the cheese was the final touch.

The staff gave us plates with banana leaves, and had mushroom masala and a veg hariyalli dish.

The second day we were there I tried their masala dosa, and it was crispy and good! It contained something that reminded me of mashed potatoes with green beens and three sauces to dip it into.

Another bread I liked was 'poori' - a huge poofy bread (Rs 45). It's a little bit fatty, but damn it taste good! I got addicted to the poori.

Poori bread at Ariya Niwas restaurant
Mango lassi at Ariya Niwas restaurant in Trivandrum, India

Their mango lassi is exquisite as well. I've tried a lot of mango lassis in my life, and this one was the best! :-) You could taste the mellow mango – it went straight down, and ordered a second one!

On one of my last days in Kerala, I spent the day at Ariya Niwas gorging on thali meal. Tasteful, loads of curries and cheap.

Thali meal at Ariya Niwas restaurant in Trivandrum

The service is also good. We were wondering about a couple of dishes, and even though it was busy there, the waiter took the time to explain what the dishes were.

There's usually a long queue there, but it moves quickly. A popular place. Recommended.

Prices at Ariya Niwas:

Masala dishes: Rs 70-95

Dosas: Rs 30-50

Uttapham: Rs 45-50

Biryani: Rs 70-75

Meals: Rs 100

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Daavat Restaurant

Chicken stew with chapati at Daavat restaurant in Hotel Regency in Trivandrum, India

We ate here the first day in Kerala. I had chicken stew with chapati which was OK. There was no special flavors in it, almost no meat on the chicken but mostly bones.

One of the other girls tried the tikka masala, and she said that it was good and spicy.

Even though it was very spicy, she kept eating because it was so good.

Prices at Daavat:

 Masala dosa: Rs 40

Other dosas: Rs 30-50

Menu prices: Rs 30-200

Where: Hotel Regency, Manjalikulam Cross Road.

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City Green Restaurant

Masala dosa at City Green restaurant in Trivandrum

South India food 2: Masala dosa

We ate here several times because the food was cheap and good. I tried the butter masala dosa (Rs 45) which was good enough, but I would prefer a plain dosa the next time.

Poori at City Green restaurant in Trivandrum

South India food 2: Poori

The thali meal here had a better taste than the meals at Azad restaurant, but not better than Ariya Niwas. The curries had more flavor, and there was more curries to choose from.

Prices at City Green Restaurant:

Thali meal: Rs 85 (included chapati)

Palak dishes (potato): Rs 55

Mushroom masala: Rs 65

Veg biryani: Rs 65

Veg fried rice: Rs 65

The service was good and the food didn't take long until it arrived on the table. It has been almost full every time we were there. The clientele here are Indian business people.

Where: Hotel Highland Park, Manjalikulam Road

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Azad Restaurant

Me at Azad restaurant in Trivandrum

Their thali meal was good (Rs 60), but it's better at Ariya Niwas.

I love it when I get large pappadams!

The traditional way of eating pappadam is to crush it and blend it with the rice.

In the evening, they arrange buffet (Rs 199 per person). Drinks were not included in the price.

You can choose from different hot dishes, and soup as an appetizer. Their buffet was better than the buffet at Classic Avenue Hotel.

Where: Manjalikulam road

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Classic Avenue Hotel

Classic Avenue have buffet in the evening, and outsiders (non-guests) can eat there.

The buffet cost Rs 400 per person. There were various dishes like mutton, chicken, fish, soups and different desserts as well, for example mango pudding.

I personally enjoyed the fish with spinach. There was a lot of spicy food on the table, but the dishes didn't stand out. Their food is nothing that I would remember.

If you ask if it was worth the money - I would say no.

Where: Manjalikulam road

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Local Shops in Trivandrum

If you want to eat cheap there are several local shops on Manjalikulam road.

Here are some prices for different items:

Banana (red): Rs 8

Small yellow banana: Rs 3

Banana chips: Rs 30

Spicy chips: Rs 14

Toilet paper: Rs 20



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Trivandrum Restaurants

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