Fodor's Expert Review Cafe Spice Garden

Most of the eating joints along Lighthouse Beach appear a bit dicey, although they display their freshly caught seafood in ice in front of the restaurant. Spice Garden, attached to the Neelakanta hotel, has a more pleasant atmosphere, with green tablecloths and bamboo furniture. Their menu is rather extensive—they have a dozen types of lassis, and many of fried rice, for instance. A good option is the seafood of the day, fried up with mild Kerala spice. The tiger prawns buna or the fish pollichathi are both good choices, or just come here for some chai (tea) and to watch the people shuffle past on the beach promenade from a less public vantage point.