From local North Kannada cuisine to French-inspired food, from gorgeous seafood to vegetarian satvik meals, you won’t be disappointed at the best places to eat in Gokarna!
Gokarna isn’t all English breakfast and watermelon juice targeted towards foreigners. Scratch the surface and you’ll encounter some delicious local food. And food cooked by migrants from around India. From Konkani thalis to Udupi-style sambar and dosa, from Sikkimese momos to North Indian tandoori chicken, there is a wide variety of food to indulge in. Food in Gokarna is a wonderful blend of hot, spicy seafood that is relished in this part of India, and satvik vegetarian delicacies as you would find in a temple town. While the former is amply tried and tested by the weekend crowd, the latter remains unexplored. Breakfast corners in the old town, curry joints, and places like Halfway Home serve no-nonsense delicious meals for locals and visitors alike.
In this post, we bring to you a list of the best places to eat in Gokarna where you can eat on a 2 day trip to Gokarna.
Best Places to Eat in Gokarna
Halfway Home
One of the best places to eat in Gokarna is a vegetarian eatery called Halfway Home. It is perhaps Gokarna’s best-kept secret. Part home, part homestay, part dining hall, Halfway Home is run by a local family and offers an unpretentious peek into the life and cuisine of North Karnataka. We dropped in for lunch and ordered a thali. It came loaded with rice, roti, fried vegetables, curries, a dal, sambar, sweets, papad, and curd. All this for only INR 150! We had a leisurely meal, the sweltering afternoon heat vanquished by abundant greenery and whirring fans. And a tall glass of tasty and cold sweet lime juice. You can choose to dine at a table or the traditional way: sitting on a mat on the floor with a low table to keep your plate. Come in the evening to try some of their wood-fired pizzas; they also deliver to locations across Gokarna. Halfway Home is located near Zostel; look for the hand-painted sign that leads you into a narrow lane. Beautiful dream catchers will welcome you into the property.
Chez Christophe
A gem of a restaurant on Gokarna main beach (often overlooked in favour of Kudle and Om), Chez Christophe is a hit with Western tourists and serves French-inspired food prepared with local ingredients. From delicious seafood to irresistible desserts, the menu rocks! We were too full to order a three-course lunch, but we ordered a juice (thick, smooth, pineapple shake) and a luscious chocolate almond tart drizzled with creamy custard. Then we sat on the swings for a really long time watching the waves as the sun embraced the quiet solitude of the western skies. To reach Chez Christophe, either lumber across the sands or have an autorickshaw drop you on Belehittal Road, right behind the beach; a narrow walkway skirting fields, gardens, and courtyards will lead you to the beach right next to Ananda Cafe next door. If you are in for breakfast, remember that they bake their bread fresh and their sandwiches are pretty well-known in this part of the world!
Also read: Wondering where to go next weekend from Bangalore? Find out our Best Weekend Trips from Bangalore post.
Open House Fishland
If you want to eat seafood in Gokarna, this is your place. Forget the fancy, glossy, sea-facing beaches with all their romantic and luxe vibes and come to this little restaurant that overflows with locals at mealtime. Run by a local family, this Gokarna restaurant serve the freshest, the most amazing seafood at very reasonable prices. We had crabs in sukkha masala, rawa tawa fried tori, and oysters cooked with local greens and everything was impeccable! Spices, roasted fresh and ground, deep red Bydagi chillies, kokum, and coconut create tangy, tasty dishes that you can’t stop eating! If thalis are your jam, go for the fish thali that comes with enough rice and curry to tempt you towards an afternoon siesta. Local favourites like kane (ladyfish) and bangda (mackerel) are popular here. This is truly one of the best places to eat in Gokarna! Located near the Gokarna checkpost, it is not yet popular on the tourist circuit but take our word and don’t miss it. It is no doubt one of the best places to eat in Gokarna!
Little Paradise Inn
If you think all touristy places suck, you are yet to visit Little Paradise Inn. Run by Deepak and his crew, this restaurant on Kudle Beach is a magnet for tourists and serves some of the best food in Gokarna. From fragrant Thai curries to excellent Israeli fare to Indian flavour bombs, ask and you shall have it at Little Paradise Inn. We spent almost half a day here, lazing at an outdoor table, sipping beer and polishing plates of food. Their butter garlic squid is a revelation, and their chilly chicken is memorable. Sweet and sour and hot and spicy, you simply cannot stop at one bowl! Evenings are beautiful here; the lights come on, the Arabian Sea is lapping at the sandy shore, and someone somewhere is strumming a guitar and suddenly around you is a shimmering patina of peace. And of course, the aroma of great food!
White Elephant
We hardly had anything to eat here because it was already time for our bus back to Bangalore but we had a glass of sweet lime juice and some beers while watching the sunset over Kudle beach, the lights coming up at the shacks, the people milling carefree on the warm sands and it was just the perfect evening. We were sad to miss a meal here because this place gets recommended by folks regularly; we’d especially love to try their momos and Indo-Chinese specialities.
Namaste Cafe
Good ol’ Namaste Cafe that the tech crowds of Bangalore can’t stop raving about but we weren’t quite sure if it lives up to all that hype when it comes to food. Agree the location is great and the ambiance incredibly relaxing but our dosas weren’t cooked enough and our pizzas were average at best. But the fried bangda and chicken sandwiches that we snacked on were very good. It’s a lovely place if you want to spend a quiet dinner with your partner or have a fun time with your friends over platters of pakoras. However, this place is unreasonably expensive and you can get better food at a better value at other places in Gokarna.
Also read: Find out about the best places to eat in Pondicherry: The 20 Best Places to Eat in Pondicherry.
Best Places to East in Gokarna
Bookmarking these top Gokarna restaurants for another trip! We did not have time to visit these highly recommended Gokarna restaurants. But we can’t wait to go back to Gokarna and try them all!
Honni Mane Home Fish Food
Konkani food is one of the things to eat in Gokarna and Honni Manne serves delicious Konkani-style food served straight from the family kitchen! As the name suggests, they are best known for fish and seafood. From the reviews, the rawa fried pomfret seems a clear favourite! This is located near Gokarna Main Beach.
Dattaprasad Tiffin Canteen
Near the Koti Teerth is Dattaprasad Tiffin Canteen which has been wooing locals and tourists with its excellent masala dosas and fluffy idlis.
Mantra Cafe
Located on the Zostel premises, Mantra Cafe offers stunning views of the beach and an extensive menu.
Have you been to Gokarna? What are your best places to eat in Gokarna?
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