India GOWhere to eat in Ooty and Coonoor
For an everyday meal in Ooty, the vegetarian tiffin halls around Charring Cross and Commercial Road serve idli, dosa and filter coffee at the lowest prices. For something you will not find in the plains, look for Badaga food, the cooking of the Nilgiris hill community, and for history, Shinkow's, a Chinese restaurant opened in 1954. Coonoor, 18 km away, has its own short list, including a farm-to-table restaurant on a tea estate. The list below mixes restaurants, cafes and bakeries; here is how to choose.
How to choose: five kinds of meal
Prices run from ₹ at tiffin halls and momo stalls to ₹₹₹ at the heritage-hotel dining room; most of the places below sit at ₹ or ₹₹.
South Indian tiffin and meals (₹)
Tiffin is the light South Indian meal of idli, dosa and vada. Ooty Coffee House on Commercial Road is the old-school pure-vegetarian hall, split into a tiffin section and a full-meals hall, known for filter coffee from local plantation beans and ghee-roast dosa. Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B) at Charring Cross, part of a South Indian chain, serves idli, dosa, pongal and an unlimited meals thali all day, with Jain options. Kailash Parbat has dosa, idli, sambar and appam. In Coonoor, Hotel Sri Lakshmi in Vannarpet is the locals' place for thattu idli, ghee dosa and a meals thali.
Badaga food, the Nilgiris' own (₹₹)
The Badaga are one of the old hill communities of the Nilgiris, and their home cooking is built on hill vegetables. Nilgiri Express at Elk Hill is one of the few places in Ooty that serves it: a Badaga thali, avare (field-bean) sambar and Badaga chicken curry, alongside a wider Indian menu, with balcony seating over the hills.
Old Ooty: Shinkow's (₹₹)
Shinkow's Chinese Restaurant on Commissioner's Road was opened in 1954 by a Chinese family and is still run by their descendants. Generations of Nilgiris boarding-school children grew up on its chop suey and fried rice. You order by writing the dish numbers on a slip. Come for the history and the wood-panelled room rather than for fine dining.
A sit-down dinner (₹₹–₹₹₹)
Earl's Secret is the restaurant of the heritage King's Cliff hotel on Havelock Road, in a glass conservatory that locals call the Glass House: continental, Indian and Asian dishes, and the most expensive dinner on this list (₹₹₹). Nahar Sidewalk Cafe at Charring Cross is a pure-vegetarian Italian cafe with wood-fired pizza and pasta, and vegan and gluten-free options. In Coonoor, Open Kitchen in Bedford bakes thin-crust sourdough pizza with local cheese in a wood-fired oven, plus burgers and homemade ice cream.
Momos, tea and bakeries (₹)
Momos came to Ooty with Tibetan settlers and are the town's favourite snack. At Darjeeling Spicy Momo near Elk Hill, a plate of ten, veg or non-veg, costs approximately ₹100; eat them hot off the steamer and ask for the chilli-mint chutney on the side if you avoid spice. Nilgiri tea is poured everywhere, and Buddies Cafe is a tea house with shelves of varieties and tastings. For Ooty varkey, the flaky tea-time biscuit, and homemade chocolate, see the bakeries in the list above and what to eat in Ooty.
Where to go for what
Charring Cross and Commercial Road, the centre of Ooty, have the everyday choices within a short walk: Ooty Coffee House, Adyar Ananda Bhavan and Nahar Sidewalk Cafe, with the Municipal Market and Higginbothams bookshop nearby. Shinkow's is on Commissioner's Road, and Earl's Secret on Havelock Road.
Elk Hill, above the town near the Rose Garden, has Nilgiri Express for Badaga food and Darjeeling Spicy Momo.
Coonoor is a separate outing, 18 km away by TNSTC bus (every 10 to 20 minutes, approximately ₹15–30). Hotel Sri Lakshmi is in Vannarpet in the town, Open Kitchen in Bedford, and Cherrie Berry a short ride out on the Highfield tea estate, a vegetarian restaurant that grows much of its produce on its own farm, with views over the tea slopes. It fits a day with Sim's Park and the viewpoints.
Before you go
- Vegetarian is the default — Most tiffin halls, Nahar Sidewalk Cafe and Cherrie Berry are pure vegetarian. For meat, go to Shinkow's, Nilgiri Express, Earl's Secret or the momo stalls. More: vegetarian food in Ooty.
- Breakfast is the tiffin halls' hour — Ooty Coffee House, Adyar Ananda Bhavan and Hotel Sri Lakshmi are breakfast-and-lunch places. Ideas for the morning: breakfast in Ooty; for coffee and cake: cafes.
- May is the busiest month — During the summer flower and fruit shows Ooty and Coonoor fill up and the ghat roads queue.
- Bring your own bottle — The Nilgiris district bans many single-use plastics, including plastic cups, straws and water packets, and 1–4 litre water cans and soft-drink bottles; carry a steel or copper bottle and refill it.
FAQ
What are the best restaurants with a view in Ooty and Coonoor?
Cherrie Berry on the Highfield tea estate near Coonoor looks over the tea slopes, and Nilgiri Express at Elk Hill has balcony seating with hill views. Earl's Secret is in the glass conservatory of the King's Cliff hotel, beside its garden.
What are the best veg restaurants in Ooty?
Ooty Coffee House and Adyar Ananda Bhavan for South Indian tiffin and meals, Nahar Sidewalk Cafe for vegetarian Italian, and, in Coonoor, Hotel Sri Lakshmi and Cherrie Berry.
What is the oldest restaurant in Ooty?
Shinkow's Chinese Restaurant on Commissioner's Road, opened in 1954 and still run by the founding family's descendants, is one of the oldest and best known.
Where to eat in Coonoor?
Hotel Sri Lakshmi in Vannarpet for South Indian breakfast and meals, Open Kitchen in Bedford for wood-fired pizza and burgers, and Cherrie Berry on the Highfield tea estate for vegetarian farm-to-table food.
What local food should I try in Ooty?
Badaga dishes such as avare sambar at Nilgiri Express, Ooty varkey biscuits and homemade chocolate from the bakeries, momos, and a cup of Nilgiri tea.
How much does a meal cost in Ooty?
A plate of ten momos is approximately ₹100, and tiffin halls sit at the cheapest end (₹). Pizza places and Shinkow's are mid-range (₹₹), and Earl's Secret is the most expensive (₹₹₹).
Facts checked: 15 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.
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