India GOWhat to eat in Munnar
Munnar's most famous food is a drink: tea from the slopes around the town. The plate is Kerala's, adjusted to cold mornings and estate shifts: puttu or appam from six, a parotta and curry lunch, banana fritters at four. Below: when to eat what, where in town, and what to take home.
Nadan chaya
The leaf comes off the slope in front of you; this is the one place where "local tea" is a statement of fact.
Puttu & kadala curry
Kerala's breakfast, and in the hills it is served from six, before the estate shifts start.
Kappa
Boiled tapioca mashed with turmeric, curry leaves and coconut: famine food that became comfort food. In the hills it is eaten with a fiery bird's-eye chilli chutney that cuts the starch.
Appam with Stew
A lacy fermented rice pancake, thick at the centre and thin at the rim, with a mild coconut-milk vegetable stew poured into the middle.
Pazham pori
Four in the afternoon, with black tea, at any shop with a wok by the door.
Kerala parotta
Flaky layered flatbread, slapped and coiled by hand and then clapped between the palms so the layers separate. Nothing about it is healthy and everybody knows it.
Nendran banana chips
Green nendran banana sliced straight into bubbling coconut oil, salted while still hot. Kerala fries them by the sackful and the good shops fry through the day so nothing sits.
Palada payasam
Rice ribbons simmered in milk and sugar for hours until the whole pot turns pale pink from the caramelising milk. The dessert that closes a sadya, served onto the same banana leaf.
Ela ada
Rice dough spread thin on a banana leaf, filled with jaggery and coconut, folded and steamed. The leaf is not packaging; it is where the smell comes from.
Hill-station chocolate
Munnar does not grow cacao. It learned the craft from planters, and the shops have been hand-pouring since.
A day of eating in Munnar
The hill day starts early and the food follows it.
- 6 am: puttu or appam
Puttu and kadala curry is Kerala's breakfast, steamed rice cylinders with black chickpeas, and in the hills it is served from six, before the estate shifts start. The softer option is appam with stew: a lacy rice pancake with a mild coconut-milk stew in the middle.
- Midday: parotta and a meal
Kerala parotta, the flaky coiled flatbread, with vegetable curry is the standard cheap lunch. At Rapsy in the Main Bazaar a full lunch costs about ₹95–125. Kappa, boiled tapioca mashed with coconut, comes with a hot bird's-eye chilli chutney.
- 4 pm: pazham pori and tea
Pazham pori, ripe banana fried in batter, comes out at four in the afternoon at any shop with a wok by the door, with a glass of black tea. Nendran banana chips are fried in coconut oil.
- Evening: a sweet finish
Palada payasam, rice ribbons simmered in milk until pale pink, and ela ada, jaggery and coconut steamed inside a banana leaf, close a Kerala meal.
Tea: the one local product in every cup
Nadan chaya, plain milk tea, is where Munnar food begins: the leaf comes off the slope in front of you, so here "local tea" is a statement of fact. To taste it properly, go to the source:
- Tata Tea Museum on the Nallathanni estate, about 2 km from town, run by Kanan Devan Hills Plantations (KDHP): a processing demonstration, then a tasting counter and shop. Check the opening days before you go: KDHP does not publish them.
- Ripple Tea outlet at KDHP House in town: the plantation company's own counter, with CTC, green and orthodox grades and flavoured blends.
- Lockhart Tea Factory: a working factory where the tour ends with fresh tea.
In town, Tea Tales Cafe by the Gandhi statue serves a flight of local teas with cakes.
Where to try it in town
All in or near the town centre; more addresses on where to eat in Munnar.
Rapsy Restaurant (₹)
In the Main Bazaar, walls covered in notes from travellers: Kerala meals, parotta with vegetable curry, low bills.
Saravana Bhavan (₹)
On MG Road by the market: a pure-vegetarian hall for dosa, idli, sambar and banana-leaf meals.
SN Restaurant (₹)
A vegetarian hall at the edge of town with very large thalis, from appam and dosa to Malabar parotta.
Sree Mahaveer Bhojanalaya (₹)
Near the KSRTC bus stand: Jain and North Indian thalis without onion and garlic, the town's one dedicated option for strict vegetarians.
Al Buhari (₹₹)
In Moolakadai: Arabian-Malabar grills, al faham chicken and mandi rice; for vegetarians, parotta, biryani and hummus.
Taste The Brews (₹)
A tiny cafe opposite the bus stand, known for homemade carrot cake with cinnamon tea on a foggy morning.
What to take home
Chocolate. Munnar does not grow cacao: the craft came with the planters. At Macofa Chocolate Factory (formerly Manna) you can watch the bars being made before you buy. In the Main Bazaar chocolate comes in more flavours than anyone needs; quality varies, so read the labels and ingredients.
Tea and spices. Cardamom, pepper and cinnamon are sold by the bag in the bazaar; buy tea from KDHP's own counters if you want to be sure of the estate.
Marayoor jaggery. Marayoor sharkkara, cane jaggery rolled by hand into balls, carries a Geographical Indication and is made in homesteads in the Marayoor valley, 42 km north of town.
Vegetarian and non-spicy
Most of the classic dishes here are vegetarian, and three of the places above are pure-veg. Kappa's chilli chutney and many curries are hot, so say how much spice you want. More addresses: vegetarian restaurants in Munnar.
FAQ
What is Munnar famous for in food?
Tea above all: Munnar's estates grow it on the slopes around the town. On the plate it is Kerala food: puttu and kadala curry or appam with stew for breakfast, parotta with curry, and homemade chocolate.
Is Munnar good for vegetarians?
Yes. Saravana Bhavan, SN Restaurant and Sree Mahaveer Bhojanalaya are pure-vegetarian, and the last cooks Jain thalis without onion and garlic.
Where can I taste and buy Munnar tea?
At the KDHP Tea Museum on the Nallathanni estate, at KDHP's Ripple Tea outlet in town, or at the end of a tour of Lockhart Tea Factory.
How much does a meal cost in Munnar?
A full lunch at a budget place such as Rapsy is about ₹95–125. A dish at the Hotel C7 restaurant, with a valley view, is about ₹310–500. Prices are approximate.
Sources (1)
Facts checked: 15 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.
The full catalogue, hidden spots and districts on the map, plus “nearby” mode.
Open in India GO