Walking around the art venues at Kochi Muziris Biennale 2025 in Fort Kochi can be tiring, especially in humid weather. Here is a guide to cafes and eateries around the galleries where you can have a glass of something cool and cozy to quench your thirst and find a good dish to accompany it. From sandwiches and pasta to traditional Kerala flavours, there are many options to choose from.
Toast and Omelette at Kissa Café Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Qissa Cafe
If you are not in the mood to eat a full meal then try the sandwiches here. These tuna, cheese, egg, and chicken sandwiches are surprisingly light, yet filling. Served with two crisp slices of watermelon, they are ideal for a quick lunch. There are also salads on the menu. Drinks include tea and coffee, both hot and iced, and a variety of seasonal fruit juices. While in Qissa, check out the works displayed as part of the Art Pavilion 2025, a showcase of paintings created by various artists to coincide with the biennial. Opened in 2015, the café’s breakfast, including Avocado Special Toast, is particularly popular.
Order this: Pineapple Cheese Sandwich and Ginger Lemon Soda
On KB Jacob Road, Opposite Police Station, Fort Kochi.
₹580 for two
Chocolate Cake at Kashi Art Cafe | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Kashi Art Cafe
Chocolate cake at Kashi Art Café has always been and still is its biggest attraction. It is a large portion of warm cake, moistened with chocolate sauce and can be easily shared by two people. If you are around during breakfast, try the appams and stews. Or choose from whole wheat sandwiches or omelets available all day. It has a completely vegetarian and gluten free menu apart from the main menu. Opened in 1997, Kashi is one of the earliest art cafés in Kochi, featuring works by some of Kerala’s renowned artists including Riyas Komu. Formerly an old Dutch house with a courtyard that is now the central location of the café, with lots of greenery, Kashi is easily accessible on foot (about a two-minute walk) from one of the main Biennale sites, The Aspinwall House.
Order this: Chocolate cake, cold coffee with ice cream, omelette for all meat lovers.
On Bargher Street, Fort Kochi.
₹800 for two
Dining at Solar Café Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Solar Cafe
Open only during the Cozi Muziris Biennale, this café buzzes with energy in the middle of the day with its bright yellow walls and shelves lined with books and vintage tables and chairs. Take the wooden stairs to find your place. A satisfying traditional Kerala meal complete with fish curry and fry, pappadam and buttermilk gives you a taste of the local flavours. In addition to tea, coffee and fruit juices, salads and sandwiches are also available.
Order this: Fish Curry Meal and Lemon Soda
Opposite Customs Jetty.
Calvathi Road, Kunnumpuram, Fort Kochi
₹400 for two
Cocoabe Mint at Paper House Café | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Paper House Cafe
Coffee and coconut blend perfectly well in the Cocoabe Mint, a signature drink from Paper House Café. Managed by Rakkoudella Chocolates, a Kerala-based single origin chocolate brand, the café serves a limited but delicious selection of sandwiches, salads, cold drinks and desserts. A chocolate experience centre, opening soon, will offer 32 varieties of the brand’s chocolates. The experience center will function even after the biennale. What adds to the experience is the partially open-air seating arrangement and a glimpse of Paper House’s heritage. One of Biennale’s main spaces, the gallery on the first floor displays works by artists including Monica Correia and Nithyan Unnikrishnan.
Order this: Chocolate Cake and Cocoaberry Mints
Near Hotel Seagull, Fort Kochi.
₹800 for two
Spicy Potato Sandwich at Mocha Art Café Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Mocha Art Cafe
An entire tomato cheese sandwich is filling, but eating it at a café housed in a 16th-century Dutch mansion speaks straight to the soul. The busy little café is on one of the narrow passageways within the mansion, with various rooms converted into antiques and clothing shops. The menu includes a selection of salads, soups, steaks, sandwiches, omelets, pasta and pancakes. Tea, coffee and seasonal fruit juices are part of the menu. While you wait for the food, you can check out an additional show of the Biennial, The Lightness of Being, a collection of Shobha Bruta’s abstract paintings, curated by Ina Puri.
Order this: Spicy Potato Sandwich and Cold Coffee with Ice Cream
Opposite Jewish Synagogue, Jewish Town, Mattancherry.
₹600 for two
published – December 18, 2025 04:25 PM IST