What to Eat in Kanyakumari Today?

Famous Food to Eat in Kanyakumari

The food here is mostly coastal Tamil cooking, with coconut, tamarind, chilli and curry leaves in almost everything. These are the dishes to look for.

Meen Kuzhambu

A tangy, spicy fish curry soured with tamarind and cooked with coconut and chilli. It is the everyday taste of the fishing coast and is best eaten with plain rice at lunch.

Tamil Seafood Meals

A full rice meal with fish curry, a piece of fried fish, rasam and a vegetable side. It is the easiest way to try several local flavours in one sitting.

Prawn Fry

Fresh prawns tossed with pepper, curry leaves and spices and fried until crisp. Order it as a side with a meal or on its own with a cold drink.

Appam & Stew

Soft, lacy rice pancakes served with a mild vegetable stew in coconut milk. It is a breakfast dish here and often sells out by mid-morning.

Banana Chips

Thin slices of raw banana fried in coconut oil. They are sold fresh along the coast and are a good snack to carry on the ferry queue.

Snacks and Sweets in Kanyakumari

The lanes around the temple and the beach are lined with small stalls selling banana chips, fried snacks, tea and coffee. In the evening, the promenade near the shore fills with snack sellers as people wait for sunset.

Food Tips for Travellers in Kanyakumari

• Have lunch as your main seafood meal, when the catch is freshest.
• Go early for appam and stew, as many places run out by mid-morning.
• Ask for less spice if you are not used to chilli; most curries here are hot.
• Vegetarians will find plenty of South Indian meals, dosas and thalis, especially near the temple.
• Drink plenty of water, as the heat and humidity can tire you out.
• Carry some cash for small stalls and snack sellers.