Abhirami: the Simple and Economical Veg Restaurant

Abhirami Veg. Restaurant Review

Don’t let the modest exterior of this pure vegetarian food joint fool you; this is one place where you can get some good food at great prices. Located almost opposite the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at Kaloor, it is hard to miss this South Indian restaurant. 

Hotel Abhirami is at the left, with the ongoing Kochi Metro construction also visible. 

It’s one of our most favourite breakfast joints whenever we come back to town after a holiday. Service is always fast and the place has a good turnover. The name 'Hotel Abhirami' is displayed in red block capital letters against a yellow background, so its difficult to miss it. Worth mentioning is the guard who assists you in parking your car as you arrive. His sheer enthusiasm and sense of duty is something to be seen to be believed. Give him a tip and he will express his gratitude by blessing you! Seriously, he really earns his buck.
Depending on what you order, the most ordered items get delivered very quickly. That makes this the perfect place to have a quick meal when you are in a hurry.

Now back to the food.

Suggested Reading: Not familiar with  South Indian food? We have just the right article to get you up to speed: South Indian Breakfasts!

Frankly, all the South Indian food here is good. The dosas are served nice, hot and crisp. As with any vegetarian restaurant, they have plain, ghee roast and masala dosas. The idlis are soft and vadas are crisp. These three dishes are served with sambar and coconut chutney. They also serve good chappatis, puri masala (or colloquially, ‘puri set’!), chhole batura. They also serve very good, napalm-hot coffee and tea. The place has a lot of staff from Tamil Nadu and the food is largely that style with the exception of the dosas, which are the Kerala type: thin, crisp and golden and not the Tamil Nadu or Mysore style thick, crisp and brown ones. They are good though. Curries worth mentioning include mushroom and paneer curries, both taste good and have a good amount of pieces. They can go well with chapattis. Of note are the urad (uzhunnu in Malayalam) vadas, which are crisp and fresh most of the time. They run out of it fast so if you are late, you may not get it on time. You may want to avoid the noodles and other non-Indian menu items unless you really want to be adventurous and taste something different!

You can’t go wrong if you grab a bite here. Good food, great prices and fast service make this a great place to come and eat.

If you do wish to be a bit more indulgent, you can also go to Bharat Tourist Home which is a short distance away on the opposite side of the road. They have slightly better tasting sambar so this is the place to go to if that matters a lot to you. Full write up coming soon!
[Edit: the aforementioned BTH has closed down due to metro work]

Type of Cuisine: South Indian Vegetarian
Location

Opposite Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Banerji Road, Kaloor.

Parking: 
Few cars in front, may be a problem when the place is at peak hour. Generally easy to find parking nearby though metro work has made it more difficult as of 2017.

Ambience: 
Average, can get crowded during peak hours but not too bad. Cleanliness could be better. 

Service: Usually good.

What we liked/Recommended for: 

• Good South Indian vegetarian food at great prices 
• Normally quick service 
• Great option for those in a hurry. 

Potential Shortcomings: 
Could improve on cleanliness. Just another vegetarian restaurant with standard fare. 'Chinese' items best avoided unless you are keen on experimenting!

Taxes: Included in price, no fat tax applicable.
Phone Number: 0484 3114731
Timings: 07:00 - 22:00

On Zomato:
      

Have you been to Abhirami? What did you order? Tell us what you think about the food in the comments below!