Which is the best city for food in Tamil Nadu? This question will likely spark fierce debates and bring regional and city-based loyalties to the fore. Coimbatore is high up on the list. During a recent visit to the city’s newest luxury hotel – O by Tamara, I checked out some of the region’s famous culinary specialities. Coimbatore is in the heart of the erstwhile Kongunad region in Tamil Nadu’s south-western belt (that includes regions like Coimbatore, Salem and Erode). O Cafe, the hotel’s all-day diner offers an authentic Kongunad.
There’s more to Coimbatore’s cuisine than just Kongunad cuisine. Almost every time I’m in the city, I make a stop at Annapoorna for their legendary ghee roast dosa and invigorating filter coffee. The city’s street food and fine dining scene have also evolved over the past decade. From the city’s spin on mushroom to a unique crispy butter appam to a melt-in-your-mouth Mysore pak and a flavourful biryani crafted with small grain rice, we take you through the city’s most buzzed culinary hotspots.
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Regional specialities at O Cafe at O by Tamara:
Mutton biryani at Covai Anganan biryani house:
Located on the city’s busy Avinashi Road, Covai Anganan has been around since 1926 and serves a delicious biryani crafted with small-grain rice. Also try their popular signature dishes like the Kongunad-style pichu potta kozhi varuval, their delicious spin on shredded chicken.
Avinashi Road
Butter appam at Tiffen house:
You’re unlikely to find Coimbatore’s unique version of the appam in any other city in Tamil Nadu. It’s an appam and then it’s not. This is a crusty, almost crispy version of the classic appam. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and loaded with butter. Leave those calorie counters at home and dig in.
Sambandan Road E, RS Puram
Coimbatore-style Mushroom at Lovely Mushroom stall:
Karandi omelette at Haribhavanam:
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Malli Pongal at Shree Anandhaas:
Pallipalayam chicken at Valarmathi Mess:
Elaneer halwa at Norukkus:
Chef’s table menu at KOVE:
Mysurpa at Shri Krishna Sweets:
Most travellers to Chennai travel back home with a box of the melt-in-your-mouth mysurpa (the Krishna Sweets of ghee mysore pak). The mysurpa’s origin story began in Coimbatore and this sweet shop is a popular stop for locals and visitors alike.
Cross Cut Road.
Potlam saadam at Rasanai:
This elegant restaurant located in one of the city’s trendiest retail and dining destinations – the Lakshmi Mills compound, pays tribute to street food from across South India. The menu has been put together after extensive travels across South India and the Rameshwaram-style potlam saadam, a one-pot meal wrapped in a banana leaf that combines rice and meat is one of their signature dishes.
Lakshmi Mills Compound, Avinashi Road
