Best Cafés & Restaurants in Varkala: Where to Eat with a View

Varkala's cliff is one long stretch of decision fatigue. Every café claims the best view, every restaurant claims the freshest catch, and the prices swing wildly depending on which side of the cliff you're standing on.

This guide skips the guesswork. It's built from what travellers and locals have actually eaten, paid, and complained about, organised by what you're actually looking for: a sea view, a specific cuisine, a cheap breakfast, or a place to watch the sun go down without paying cliff-top prices for it.

This article is for anyone visiting Varkala who wants a straight answer to "where do I eat tonight," whether you're on North Cliff, South Cliff, near the railway station, or willing to travel a bit further for better value.

Key Takeaways

• North Cliff is commercial, crowded, and close to the beach. South Cliff is quieter and more spread out, with a short walk down to the sand.
• Cliff-top cafés are consistently more expensive than restaurants even a few kilometres inland. Expect roughly ₹300 to ₹500 per person on the cliff, versus ₹60 to ₹150 for a local meal in town.
• Cafe Sarwaa, Cafe Iyra, and Trip Is Life are the three most-recommended spots for sea views and sunset.
• For fresh, affordable seafood, travellers are advised to try away from the cliff toward toddy shops and local eateries.

Best Cafés in Varkala

Best cafés for sea views

1. Cafe Sarwaa sits on South Cliff and is one of the two spots most often cited for genuine cliff-top beach views, roughly 30 to 50 feet above the shore, with direct beach access.

2. Cafe Iyra offers the opposite angle: it sits at the bottom of the cliff, close enough that waves hit less than 10 feet below the café, which gives it a different kind of drama than the elevated cliff-top cafés.

3. Clafouti also gets mentioned for its views, though reviewers describe the service as average and the food as decent rather than outstanding.

Best cafés for coffee

1. Kapi by Sarwaa comes up repeatedly for its iced coconut coffee.

2. Trip Is Life is frequently named as having the best flat white on the cliff.

3. Inda Cafe stands out for Turkish coffee specifically, served alongside its Turkish-leaning food menu.

Best cafés for digital nomads

Cafe Kaapi, on Kurakkani cliff road, has air conditioning and charging sockets built into the seating near the glass walls, making it one of the more practical options if you need to actually get work done. Trip Is Life also has AC, which is worth knowing since most cliff cafés are open-air.

Best cafés for couples

Cafe Sarwaa and Cafe Iyra both come up as go-to spots for a quieter, more atmospheric sit-down, largely because of the view and pacing rather than any specific romantic theming.

Best cafés for sunset

Trip Is Life, Cafe Sarwaa, Cafe Iyra, and Darjeeling Cafe are the best ones for sunset specifically. If the cliff feels too crowded at golden hour, Black Beach (when it's not busy) or Kappil are mentioned as quieter alternatives away from the main tourist strip.

Restaurants by Cuisine in Varkala

Kerala cuisine

Hotel Dwarka, near the main market area about 3 to 4 km from North Cliff, is recommended specifically for affordable, local food away from cliff pricing. Mohan's Café, near North Cliff, is known for its beef curry and parottas. Chimney Restaurant gets some of the strongest praise for authentic Kerala flavour, particularly its chicken curry and banana leaf fish.

Seafood

Velliyazhchakkavu Toddy Shop, about 9 km from the cliff, is a recommended place for fresh seafood at a fraction of cliff prices. On the cliff itself, ABBA Restaurant and Clafouti Restaurant are the two most visited ones for seafood, with ABBA specifically called out for its fresh catches.

Continental

Cafe del Mar is the most consistent name for continental food with a pleasant setting. ABBA Restaurant also does well here, particularly its Mediterranean dishes and sandwiches. Inda Cafe fits into this category too, with its Pides, Buddha bowls, and pancakes.

Italian

D Smokins gets the strongest single endorsement in this guide, described as the best Italian food in Varkala despite a small menu. Darjeeling Cafe is noted for good pizza. Italiano Cafe is mentioned but with a lukewarm "very mid" reputation.

Healthy and vegan

Inda Cafe again shows up here for its Buddha bowls and fresh juices. Lumuma is specifically known for its smoothie bowls, though one reviewer found the food itself bland.

Multi-cuisine

Cafe del Mar and ABBA Restaurant both offer broad menus spanning Indian, continental, and seafood. Little Tibet, on North Cliff, adds Tibetan dishes like momos and mixed fried rice to the mix.

North Cliff vs South Cliff: Which Side Should You Eat On?

North Cliff is the busier, more commercial side, with a denser concentration of cafés, restaurants, and an active evening scene. Abba Restaurant, Cafe Del Mar, Little Tibet, and Holy Rabbit are all clustered here, within easy walking distance of each other and the beach. It's the practical choice if you're staying nearby or don't want to walk far for either food or sand.

South Cliff is quieter and more spread out. Cafe Sarwaa, Cafe Trip Is Life, and Cafe Iyra anchor this side, and the overall pace is described as more serene. Beach access from South Cliff generally involves more walking or stairs than the North side.

On pricing, don't expect much difference between the two. As one traveller summarised it, every good café on both cliffs tends to be overpriced, with a plain sandwich running around ₹400.

Sunset, Romantic, and Rooftop Dining

Most of Varkala's best sunset spots overlap directly with the cliff cafés already mentioned. Trip Is Life, Cafe Sarwaa, Cafe Iyra, and Darjeeling Cafe are the recurring names for watching the sun go down.

For something quieter or more private, South Cliff generally has a more serene, romantic character than North Cliff. Beyond the main strip, Black Beach (when uncrowded) and Kappil are mentioned as alternative sunset spots for travellers who want to skip the cliff-top crowds entirely.

A few travellers also mention hidden viewpoints along back roads near local temples for a quieter, more local experience.

There isn't a distinct set of dedicated "rooftop" restaurants in Varkala separate from the cliff cafés. Buddha Bar and a handful of upper-level café seating areas function as informal rooftop spots, and most cliff cafés effectively double as terrace dining at sunset.

A few small, less-mapped cafés near the Cherry and Juicy's area are mentioned as having elevated seating, though these are described as harder to find and inconsistent.

Where to Get the Best Breakfast in Varkala

Smoothie bowls

Trip Is Life is the standout for smoothie bowls, along with its French toast. Cafe Iyra is specifically praised for its smoothie bowls even though the rest of its food is described as just average.

English breakfast

Inda Cafe's eggs Benedict comes up as a highlight, though paired with a warning about slow service. Cafe Sarwaa's sandwiches, including a beef version, are also recommended for a heartier start to the day.

South Indian breakfast

Tickety Boo Restaurant is called out for cheap, solid dosa and South Indian standards. Juicy Cafe, though not beachside, is popular with locals specifically because of its dosa and vegetable curry breakfast at low prices, roughly two dosas, two curries, and two chai for a small total.

Specialty coffee

Kapi by Sarwaa (iced coconut coffee), Trip Is Life (flat white), and Benny's Cafe (iced coffee, paired with good service) are the three names that come up most for a proper coffee order in the morning.

Best Restaurants for Lunch in Varkala

Kerala meals

Chimney Restaurant, in Varkala town, is the top recommendation for an authentic Kerala thali. Kerala Restaurant is another local option, described as authentic but not particularly polished in presentation. Velliyazhchakkavu Toddy Shop, about 9 km out, is worth the trip for cheaper, traditional nadan food.

Seafood lunch

Clafouti Restaurant and Abba Restaurant are the two most-mentioned cliff options, with Abba specifically praised for its fish curry and general seafood selection.

Vegetarian lunch

Sree Vinayaka Veg Restaurant, Mothers Veg Plaza, and Tickety Boo Restaurant cover this well, with Tickety Boo being the budget pick for dosa and idli.

Air-conditioned restaurants

Cafe Kaapi (Kurakkani cliff road), Kapi by Sarwaa, and Trip Is Life are the three confirmed AC options. Most other cliff spots are open-air.

What Food Is Varkala Actually Known For?

Varkala doesn't have a dish that's uniquely its own beyond broader Kerala coastal cuisine, but a few preparations come up repeatedly as worth seeking out. Beef curry and parotta is a consistently recommended combination. Cafe Sarwaa's Kerala Beef Wrap gets a specific mention.

Chimney Restaurant's banana leaf fish is called out for authentic flavour. Away from the cliff, Arabian Grill is recommended for biriyani, and Abba Cafe in the Helipad area gets an unusual shoutout for its kombucha.

For general seafood, most restaurants work with tilapia, mathi (sardine), ayala (mackerel), and kozhuva (anchovy), which are the common catches you'll see across menus.

Best Seafood Restaurants in Varkala

ABBA Restaurant and Clafouti Restaurant are the two most consistently named cliff-side seafood spots. For crab specifically, toddy shops outside the main tourist strip are mentioned as a better source than the cliff restaurants.

Prawns are widely available and often included in thali-style meals. For lobster and larger prawns specifically, there isn't strong, repeated evidence in traveller accounts of a go-to spot, so if that's your priority, ask at your accommodation for current recommendations rather than relying on a single café's menu.

For the freshest seafood overall, local advice consistently points away from the cliff toward toddy shops and the smaller, non-touristy joints where taxi drivers eat.

Best Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants in Varkala

Inda Cafe leads this category for its Buddha bowls and other plant-forward dishes. Lumuma offers vegan options as well, though the food is described by at least one reviewer as bland.

Traditional Kerala cuisine is naturally vegetable-heavy, so most standard restaurants can accommodate a vegetarian order even without a dedicated vegan menu. Most Kerala vegetarian cooking avoids onion and garlic by default in certain dishes, so it's reasonable to ask directly at any vegetarian spot for a Jain-friendly food in Varkala.

Where to Eat on a Budget in Varkala

Meals under ₹300 are realistic, but mostly away from the cliff. Local eateries near Varkala Maithanam are mentioned as cheap and well-rated. Juicy Cafe is a standout for a full breakfast (two dosas, two curries, two chai) at a low total price. Travelling in the off-season is also noted as a way to get comparatively lower prices across food and stay.

On the cliff itself, expect closer to ₹300 to ₹500 for a café meal, and be aware that a simple sandwich can run around ₹400. A croissant at a cliff bakery has been priced around ₹250.

Seafood pricing is the most volatile category. Prices vary heavily by season, and during the rainy season in particular, expect a noticeable jump, with one traveller reporting a quote of over ₹2,000 per kilo for a fish that would normally cost far less.

Which Cafés in Varkala Serve Alcohol?

Several cliff-side cafés and restaurants offer beer, cocktails, and other alcoholic beverages alongside their food menus. Venues such as Sandy Bay are especially popular for their relaxed beachside atmosphere, sunset drinks, and evening music.

If you want retail prices rather than café markups, BEVCO (the Kerala State Beverage Corporation) stores sell bottles at government rates. The price gap is significant: a beer that costs around ₹140 at BEVCO can run roughly ₹500 on the cliff. The legal drinking age in Kerala is 23, though enforcement varies.

There have also been reports of government discussion around relaxing Varkala's alcohol rules, potentially opening the door to microbreweries and pubs, though this hadn't materialised.

Restaurants Near Varkala Railway Station

The station area (Varkala Sivagiri) sits a short auto-rickshaw ride from the main cliff strip, roughly 15 to 20 minutes away. Near Varkala Maithanam, local hotels are recommended for cheap, well-rated food.

Tickety Boo is specifically called out for South Indian breakfast (dosa and idli) if you're heading to or from a train. Mohan's Café, near North Cliff, is another option if you're willing to travel slightly further for its beef curry and parottas.

Note that the station has been undergoing a significant redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, so expect some construction activity in and around the immediate station area.

Cafés Near Varkala Beach (Papanasam)

The main beach, Papanasam, is most easily reached from North Cliff, and several cafés sit within easy walking distance with direct views or beach access. Cafe Trip Is Life and Cafe Sarwaa both offer cliff-top views with beach access from roughly 30 to 50 feet up.

Cafe Iyra sits at the base of the cliff, close enough to the water that waves hit within about 10 feet of the café, making it one of the more dramatic beachfront settings in Varkala.

Are These Famous Cafés in Varkala Still Worth Visiting?

Cafe Sarwaa

Still open and consistently one of the most recommended spots on South Cliff. It's known for its views, tapioca chips, and Kerala Beef Wrap. It's also popular enough that getting a table isn't guaranteed, so plan around peak meal times if you can.

Cafe Del Mar

Operating on North Cliff, known for a good overall atmosphere and its vegetable Kerala curry specifically. Reviews are mixed on food quality and service speed, with at least one account describing a slow, disappointing brunch, so treat it as solid rather than guaranteed excellent.

Inda Cafe

Known for its ambiance and its eggs Benedict breakfast. Service is repeatedly described as slow, so it's a better fit if you're not in a rush. Food opinions are split, with some finding it excellent and others describing it as bland, so it may come down to what you order.

Cafe Iyra

The clearest consensus pick for sunset. Located at the base of the cliff with waves close by, it's simple in terms of menu but consistently praised for the view and atmosphere, particularly around golden hour.

How Much Does It Cost to Eat in Varkala?

Budget travellers can realistically eat well under ₹300 per meal at local hotels and eateries away from the cliff. Cliff cafés run noticeably higher, generally ₹300 to ₹500 per person, with alcohol adding a significant premium on top of that.

Seafood pricing swings the most, both by season and by whether you're eating at a cliff restaurant or a toddy shop; expect toddy shops and non-touristy local spots to be meaningfully cheaper for the same fish.

Do Varkala Cliff Restaurants Accept Cards and UPI?

Card and UPI acceptance is inconsistent enough on the cliff that it's worth carrying some cash as a backup, particularly for smaller cafés and shacks. Larger, more established restaurants are more likely to take cards or UPI without issue.