Best Outdoor Seating Restaurants in Kollam for Dining Under Open Skies

Best Outdoor Seating Restaurants in Kollam for Dining Under Open Skies

I have eaten my way through Kollam from the fishing harbor at Tangasseri to the backwater jetties off Kavanad, and if there is one thing this city does better than almost any other in Kerala, it is eating outside. The backwaters, the sea breeze off the Arabian coast, and the slanting light of a Kollam evening make the best outdoor seating restaurants in Kollam worth seeking out by name and by lane. You will find everything from roadside thattukadas with plastic chairs under banyan trees to open air cafes Kollam locals swear by for their morning filter coffee and evening parotta feasts. This guide covers the spots I actually return to, season after season.

One practical note before you start: March through June turns most open air seating into a furnace after 11 a.m. The humidity alone can undo a good meal. Al fresco dining Kollam really comes alive from late October through February, when the temperature hovers around 26 to 30 degrees Celsius in the evenings and a light jacket feels unnecessary. Monsoon months are a mixed bag, some places go fully under cover, but the green-on-green light during a passing shower at a few of these spots is unmatched.

1. The Rooftop at Hotel Sudheep, Kollam City Center

Location: Chinnakada, near Clock Tower Junction

I went here first in January last year on a friend's insistence, timing my arrival for 6:45 p.m. just as the sun dropped behind the clock tower. The rooftop sits above six floors and gives you an uninterrupted sweep of Kollam city: the TSRTC bus depot, the Chinnakada traffic circle, and the haze rising from the railway station. This is not a romantic candlelight setup. It is a functional open air restaurant with steel chairs, a partially covered section for rain, and a menu that focuses on Kerala thalis, grill items, and Chinese fare that Kollam's middle class has normalized over the decades. I ordered the non-veg thali (₹180–₹250 depending on fish or chicken day), which came with rice, two curries, fry, thoran, papad, and a sweet, plus lime soda floated in a steel tumbler because the bottled drinks felt like a betrayal here.

The kitchen fires up its grill section around 7 p.m. and the beef chilli dry with roomali roti is what the regulars actually come for, priced at ₹195 to ₹230 depending on portion. The rooftop fills with families on weekend evenings between 7:30 and 9 p.m. and the noise level rises accordingly. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are quieter, similar to a weekday afternoon in a tired but functional hospital canteen in a smaller Indian town, which breaks the dining monotony of lunching with uncles.

Local Insider Tip: Ask for the plastic chair in the southeast corner, the one facing the old Clock Tower. It is the only seat on the roof where a direct breeze blows consistently after 7 p.m., and the salt tang from the nearby Pachilakunnu hills adds a subtle sharpness to the otherwise heavy food. That seat on weekdays around 7:20 p.m. before the BBQ smoke rolls in is the spot that keeps me coming back, and I have sat so many times the kitchen once sent out a kidney bean thoran they thought I would hate.

The rooftop connects to what Kollam was: a city where the new and the 1950s co-exist without apology. Sudheep has been serving meals since my father was a schoolboy, its open-air section now the only part where you feel the city breathing. Parking is a nightmare; Chinnakada has no formal parking. Take an auto from the railway station (around ₹40 to ₹60 if you ensure the driver uses the meter, which is rare).

2. Vivanta Breakfast Terrace and All-Day Open Dining at KTDC Tamarind Hotel

Location: Kollam Bypass Road, near Thangassery Junction

The Tamarind's open air breakfast terrace is the most structured al fresco dining Kollam has within a branded property. It is on the ground floor, open to a garden courtyard, with a semi-covered pergola shading wicker chairs. The breakfast spread (included in most hotel guest rooms priced at ₹3,500–₹6,500 per night) includes appam with stew, puttu with kadala, a live dosa counter, and a poori bhaji station. I sat out here at 8:30 a.m. last February and watched the tropical rain pelt the open courtyard for twenty minutes, the open frontage letting in a spray that dampened my tablecloth and the base of my chair. It was worth it for the spiced chutney they make fresh and the Kerala coffee, dark and milky, served in a steel davarah-tumbler set.

For non-guests, the restaurant opens for lunch and dinner (₹400–₹750 per head for a full thali or grilled seafood dinner). The fish moilee here is made with pearl spot from Ashtamudi, sourced the morning of, and the open air seating lets the aroma mix with the roadside jasmine from the median plants on the highway. Evenings from November to February are best. March brings fly issues immediately.

A common but honest critique: the wicker chairs are not designed for long lounging. After 45 minutes your lower back begins to protest. Property management replaced a batch two years ago but kept the style and sacrificed lumbar support. Still, this is the closest you will get to safe, climate-managed al fresco dining Kollam with consistent electricity, clean washrooms, and staff who do not flinch at dietary restrictions.

3. The Open Courtyard at Allspice Restaurant, Thevally Palace

Location: Thevally, near the Heritage Palace Hotel Complex

This is the section most visitors skip. Thevally Palace itself is a former residency of the Travancore royals, India tourism operates heritage rooms, and Allspice is the attached restaurant. While the inner dining room is functional, the palace veranda opens onto a semi-open courtyard garden where lunch is served on normal days when the rain holds off. The stone floors lead out to a wide laterite verandah with rattan chairs and a view of the Ashtamudi backwaters lapping at the garden wall.

I had the Kerala Sadya here (₹350–₹450 per plate, festival pricing during Onam) and the prawn Moilee (₹550–₹650). The fish curry with red rice is served in banana leaf on the verandah and it is by far the best version of that dish I have had outside a home kitchen in Kollam. The breeze coming off the water carries a mineral saltiness that works wonders with the fried karimeen. Timing here is critical. You need to arrive at 12:30 p.m. sharp because the kitchen pushes one batch of the sadya and if you miss it you wait an hour. Also the backwater haze around 1 p.m. is fully orange under the April sky and makes picture-taking painful without a filter.

Local Insider Tip: Ask the waiter late in the meal if there is any pickle left from the sadya service. The kitchen makes a tiny batch of naranga lime pickle, brilliant and sour, and they dish it out if you smile. It should cost ₹20 but a couple of waiters give it free. That lime pickle is the only item I have ever taken a photo of and sent to friends abroad.

Open air dining Kollam reaches a gentle peak at Allspice. It is a place that used to serve raj-era meals to palace staff, and nothing about the verandah feels modern. Parking is available inside the palace compound for ₹40. Auto from Kollam Junction takes 15 minutes and costs around ₹80 to ₹120.

4. Lighthouse View Open Deck at Beach Road, Thangassery

Location: Thangassery, Lighthouse Beach Road, 3 km from Kollam city center

Sea food shacks line the approach to Thangassery Lighthouse, most with basic open air seating, plastic tables bolted directly to the promenade sea wall or set on the sandy slope. Numbers change annually but the setup stays the same. Open air cafes Kollam tourists never see in guidebooks.

I visited last March during a work break, ordering a plate of fried prawns (a small portion ₹350) and a fresh lime soda (₹40) at a stall near the bollard parking. A barefoot boy brought water in a steel glass as if he had practiced. The food was reasonable, not great, but the view of the lighthouse and the fishing boats bobbing in the Arabian Sea made the meal. The breeze is constant and the salt air keeps the temperature bearable even at noon, which is rare for Kollam in March.

The best time to come is 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. when the sun sets behind the lighthouse and the sky turns a deep orange. The shacks stay open until 9 p.m. but the food quality drops after 7:30 p.m. when the day's catch is gone and they start reheating. The monsoon months (June to August) shut most of these stalls down completely because the sea wall becomes dangerous and the local police enforce a no-sitting zone.

Local Insider Tip: Walk past the last stall on the left, the one with the blue tarpaulin, and you will find a small gap in the wall where you can sit on the rocks directly above the water. Bring your own snacks from the stall and sit there. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks is the best free entertainment in Kollam, and you will likely have the spot to yourself on weekdays.

The Thangassery open deck is where Kollam's fishing culture meets its tourist face. The lighthouse itself was built in 1902 by the British, and the shacks below it serve the same fish that the local fishermen have been landing for centuries. Auto from Chinnakada costs ₹50 to ₹70 and takes 10 minutes.

5. The Backwater Jetty Seating at Ashtamudi Lake, Kavanad Side

Location: Kavanad, 8 km north of Kollam city center, near the boat jetty

This is not a restaurant in the traditional sense. It is a cluster of open air food stalls on the Kavanad side of Ashtamudi Lake, where the houseboat operators dock and the local fish market operates in the morning. The seating is basic: wooden benches under tarpaulin sheets, facing the backwater. But the food is some of the freshest you will find in Kollam, and the setting is pure Kerala backwater.

I came here on a Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. after a houseboat ride, ordering a plate of karimeen pollichathu (₹280–₹350 depending on fish size) and a cup of black tea (₹15). The fish was wrapped in banana leaf and grilled over charcoal, the flesh flaking apart with a squeeze of lime and a smear of the local coconut chutney. The backwater stretched out in front of me, green and still, with a few canoes gliding past. A kingfisher landed on a post three feet from my table and stayed for five minutes.

The stalls operate from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and then again from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for dinner. The morning slot is best because the fish is freshest and the heat is manageable. By 11 a.m. in April the tarpaulin traps heat like a greenhouse and you will sweat through your shirt. The monsoon transforms the experience entirely, the rain hammering the tarpaulin and the backwater rising to within feet of the benches, but the food somehow tastes better in the wet.

Local Insider Tip: The third stall from the left, the one run by a woman in a green saree, makes a dry fish curry with kodampuli (Malabar tamarind) that is not on the menu. Ask for "meen varutharachathu" and she will make it if she has fresh catch that morning. It costs ₹200 and is the best thing I have eaten in Kollam this year. She closes by 1 p.m. so do not dawdle.

The Kavanad jetty stalls are where Kollam's backwater economy is most visible. The fish comes off the boats at 6 a.m., gets sorted at the market, and lands on your plate within three hours. Auto from Kollam Junction costs ₹100 to ₹150 and takes 20 minutes. The road is narrow and potholed in places, so hold on.

6. The Garden Seating at Café Darjeeling, Kollam Beach Road

Location: Kollam Beach Road, near the main entrance to Kollam Beach

Café Darjeeling is a small open air café set back from the beach road, with a garden area shaded by coconut palms and a few flowering shrubs. It is not a full restaurant but a café that serves snacks, tea, and light meals, and its garden seating is one of the most pleasant spots in Kollam for a slow afternoon. I came here on a Sunday in December, ordering a plate of vegetable cutlet (₹80) and a masala chai (₹30), and sat for two hours watching the light change over the garden.

The café is run by a family from Darjeeling who settled in Kollam decades ago, and the menu reflects that heritage: momos (₹120 for a plate of eight), thukpa (₹150), and Tibetan butter tea (₹50) sit alongside Kerala-style tea and snacks. The garden has six tables, each with a view of the palms and the small fish pond in the corner. A cat named Ginger owns the space and will sit on your lap if you let him.

The café opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m., but the garden is best between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. when the sun filters through the palms and the heat is bearable. The monsoon months make the garden muddy and the tables are moved indoors, so plan for October to March. The beach is a two-minute walk away, and you can combine a visit with an evening stroll on the sand.

Local Insider Tip: The family makes a special ginger-lemon-honey tea that is not on the menu, intended for colds and sore throats. Ask for "special tea" and they will make it for ₹40. It is the best remedy for the Kollam humidity headache, and I have ordered it at least a dozen times. They also have a small bookshelf with secondhand paperbacks that you can borrow if you leave your ID.

Café Darjeeling is a reminder that Kollam has always been a city of migrants and settlers, from the Gujarati traders in the old city to the Tibetan refugees who found their way here in the 1960s. Auto from Chinnakada costs ₹30 to ₹50 and takes 5 minutes.

7. The Open Terrace at Hotel Nani, Kollam Downtown

Location: Near Kollam District Hospital, Residency Road

Hotel Nani is a budget hotel with a rooftop open air restaurant that serves some of the best Malabar-style food in Kollam at prices that will not make you wince. The terrace is on the fourth floor, open on three sides, with a view of the hospital district and the distant hills. It is not glamorous. The chairs are mismatched, the tablecloths are stained, and the fan overhead wobbles. But the food is extraordinary, and the open air setting makes the meal feel like a secret.

I came here on a Friday evening in November, ordering the Malabar chicken biryani (₹180) and a beef fry (₹220). The biryani was cooked in the traditional Malabar style, with small-grain rice, ghee-fried onions, and a boiled egg on top. The beef fry was dry, spicy, and caramelized at the edges, served with a wedge of lime and sliced onions. I washed it down with a lime soda (₹35) and sat for an hour watching the city lights come on.

The terrace is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., but the best time is 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. when the heat has broken and the biryani is at its peak. The kitchen runs out of biryani by 8:30 p.m. on weekends, so arrive early. The monsoon months are tricky because the terrace has no cover and a sudden downpour will send everyone scrambling downstairs. The staff are used to this and will pack your food to go without complaint.

Local Insider Tip: The beef fry here is made with a spice mix that includes crushed black pepper and curry leaves fried in coconut oil. Ask for "extra fry" and they will give you a portion with more caramelized edges, which is the best part. It costs an extra ₹30 and is worth every rupee. Also, the terrace has a small speaker that plays old Malayalam film songs from the 1980s, and the staff will change the playlist if you ask nicely.

Hotel Nani is where Kollam's working class comes to eat well without spending much. The biryani recipe has not changed in twenty years, and the terrace has been open air since the hotel opened. Auto from the railway station costs ₹40 to ₹60 and takes 10 minutes.

8. The Riverside Open Seating at Spice Garden Restaurant, Munroe Island

Location: Munroe Island, 25 km from Kollam city center, near the coir village

Munroe Island is a cluster of eight islands in the Ashtamudi backwater system, and Spice Garden is a small open air restaurant on the main island, set on a raised platform overlooking a narrow canal. The seating is on wooden benches under a thatched roof, open on all sides to the water and the coconut palms beyond. This is al fresco dining Kollam at its most elemental: no walls, no air conditioning, just the sound of water and the smell of coconut oil from the coir units nearby.

I came here on a Wednesday in January, taking the local bus from Kollam Junction (₹25, 45 minutes) and then a short auto ride (₹50) to the restaurant. I ordered the Meen Pollichathu (₹300) and a plate of tapioca with fish curry (₹150). The pearl spot was wrapped in banana leaf and grilled, the flesh infused with a marinade of chili, turmeric, and coconut oil. The tapioca was boiled and served with a green chili-onion chutney that cleared my sinuses. The canal in front of me was still, with a lone canoe passing every ten minutes and a heron standing on the far bank.

The restaurant opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m. for lunch, then reopens at 6 p.m. for dinner until 8 p.m. The lunch slot is best because the light on the water is golden and the heat is manageable. The monsoon months make the canal swell and the thatched roof leaks in places, but the food is still good and the setting is dramatic. The island itself is best avoided in peak summer because the humidity is relentless and there is no breeze on the water.

Local Insider Tip: After lunch, walk 200 meters down the path to the left of the restaurant and you will find a small coir-making unit where women twist coconut fiber into rope by hand. They will let you try for free, and the skill involved is astonishing. Buy a small coir mat (₹100 to ₹200) as a souvenir and the women will be genuinely grateful. This is the real economy of Munroe Island, and the restaurant is one of the few places that channels tourist money directly to the local community.

Spice Garden is where Kollam's backwater heritage is most alive. The coir industry has been the backbone of Munroe Island for over a century, and the restaurant sits at the intersection of that history and the tourism economy that is slowly transforming it. The journey from Kollam city is part of the experience, the bus winding through paddy fields and small villages before reaching the water.

When to Go / What to Know

The best months for open air dining in Kollam are November through February, when temperatures range from 22 to 30 degrees Celsius and the humidity drops to bearable levels. March to June is brutally hot, with temperatures crossing 35 degrees and humidity above 80 percent. Most open air restaurants reduce their seating or close entirely during the afternoon hours in summer. The monsoon (June to September) brings heavy rainfall that can shut down outdoor seating without warning, but the evenings after a rain shower are some of the most pleasant dining experiences in the city.

Auto-rickshaws are the primary mode of local transport in Kollam. Fares range from ₹30 for short trips within the city to ₹150 for longer rides to the outskirts. Most drivers do not use meters, so negotiate before you get in. Ola and Uber operate in Kollam but availability is inconsistent outside the city center. Local buses (KSRTC) are cheap (₹10 to ₹30 for most routes) but crowded and slow.

Power cuts are common in Kollam, especially during summer and monsoon. Most restaurants have backup generators, but open air seating may lose fan coverage during outages. Carry a hand fan or handkerchief. Mosquitoes are a real issue near backwater and beach areas after 6 p.m., so carry repellent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there dress code requirements for visiting temples, mosques, gurudwaras, or heritage monuments in Kollam, and are entry restrictions common for non-Hindus?

Most Hindu temples in Kollam require men to remove shirts and wear a dhoti or mundu for entry into the inner sanctum, and women are expected to wear traditional clothing such as a saree or salwar kameez. Non-Hindus are generally not permitted inside the inner sanctum of major temples like the Kottankulangara Devi Temple, though they may enter the outer courtyard. Mosques in Kollam allow entry to non-Muslims outside of prayer times, with head covering required for women. The Thangassery heritage area and lighthouse have no dress code restrictions.

What is the one must-try local dish or street food that Kollam is genuinely famous for, and where is the best place to eat it?

Kollam is famous for karimeen pollichathu, pearl spot fish marinated in a chili-turmeric-coconut oil paste, wrapped in banana leaf, and grilled over charcoal. The best versions are found at the Kavanad backwater jetty stalls on the Ashtamudi Lake side, where the fish is sourced fresh each morning and costs ₹280 to ₹350 per plate. The dish is also served at Allspice Restaurant in Thevally Palace, where it is priced higher at ₹550 to ₹650 but prepared with consistent quality.

Is Kollam expensive to visit? Give a realistic daily budget in ₹ for mid-tier travelers covering accommodation, food, and local transport.

A mid-tier daily budget for Kollam ranges from ₹2,000 to ₹3,500 per person. Budget hotels and guesthouses cost ₹800 to ₹1,500 per night, while mid-range hotels like KTDC Tamarind cost ₹3,500 to ₹6,500. Meals at local restaurants cost ₹150 to ₹400 per person, and auto-rickshaw transport within the city costs ₹30 to ₹150 per trip. A comfortable daily allowance including one sit-down meal, local transport, and a mid-range room would be approximately ₹2,500 to ₹3,000.

Is tap water safe to drink in Kollam, or should travelers rely on sealed bottled water, and is filtered water readily available at dhabas and restaurants?

Tap water in Kollam is not safe for direct consumption by visitors who are not accustomed to the local mineral and bacterial profile. Sealed bottled water (1-liter packs from brands like Bisleri or Kinley) costs ₹20 to ₹30 and is available at all restaurants and shops. Most mid-range restaurants and cafes provide filtered water free of charge, but smaller roadside stalls may not. Carrying a reusable bottle and refilling at your hotel is the most practical approach.

How easy is it to find pure vegetarian or Jain food options in Kollam, and are most restaurants clearly marked as veg or non-veg?

Pure vegetarian food is widely available in Kollam, with most restaurants clearly marked with green (veg) or red (non-veg) signage as per Kerala's food labeling laws. Traditional Kerala vegetarian meals, including sadya served on banana leaf, are available at most South Indian restaurants for ₹100 to ₹250. Jain food options are limited and not widely available at standard restaurants; travelers with strict Jain dietary requirements should contact their hotel kitchen in advance or seek out dedicated vegetarian restaurants in the Chinnakada area, where custom requests are more likely to be accommodated.