I'm just here to validate the current 5 star rating for Kochin Kitchen and up their review count. Passing through Ottawa, slightly hungover, the lunch buffet turned out to be a spectacular choice. Highlights for me include both soups (tomato and sambar), Kerala salad, and the salmon curry (one of the best curries I've had!), but everything was quite tasty with great spice. I don't just hand out 5 star reviews - go here! read more

Decent Indian food in Ottawa. Nice ambience and hospitality. The buffet is worth the price. Service is prompt and quick.

The butter chicken didn't taste buttery and it's a bit dry, but acceptable. The lamb is ok, pretty good. All other curries in the buffet selection are decent, nothing special but flavorful. Would be nice if they have garlic butter naan or samosa. All in all, basic Indian food, nothing to be crazy about but good enough if you crave Indian food. read more

Kochin kitchen : I don't really review restaurant online. This may be my first review for this restaurant- Kochin Kitchen. [I have seen MANY South Indian restaurants and OR so called South Indian restaurants. But, this one reminded me of one in particular that was located across my college in mangalore Karnataka India. When I was in university (during '98-'03 ) I used to visit that restaurant on a regular basis which offered authentic South Indian food for cheap prices. I had always look for that taste everywhere until now.] We went there Saturday looking for food- specially the LUNCH BUFFET (another restaurant that we used to go was closed for the morning ) so my wife and my daughter chose this one . Being skeptical at first I agreed . As soon as we entered I couldn't believe that place like this exist in Ottawa . I mean, it was so nice to see that South Indian ambience.everything was perfect , food was really good. Salads and pickles were my favourite. Dosa and sambar were amazing - we enjoyed every bit of authenticity within it . " I have never felt that warmth in my belly and taste on my tongue since we visited India last year " my French-Canadian better half added at the end. This will be my go to South Indian restaurant from now On. Only suggestion is to fix their men's washroom Kleenex dispenser - I had hard time using paper towel roll from it at the end. read more

See all

After reading all the good reviews we decided to try this place for lunch. The pictures posted online were tempting which was one another reason why we tried. The food is average or rather below average for the price. The parrota is what we were looking forward too, but it wasn't freshly made. It perhaps came from the frozen section of a supermarket that was then warmed and served. The butter chicken was watery and nowhere close to the authentic butter chicken. The chickpeas were drenched in coconut oil. Never returning again! read more

I've been here for both a regular dinner and the lunch buffet. Both times enjoyed it with tasty food and attention staff. Since I had the lunch buffet I will comment directly on that to say the quality of the food is better than many buffets. Everything was freshly made, good amount of spice and really tasty. I think the trade off is that the options are more limited than other buffets however the price point is also on the cheaper end. My personal favourite item was the pepper lamb but I also really appreciated the amount of preserved items and condiments which is sometimes lacking at Indian restaurants. Definitely a great option if you are in the market looking for a working lunch. read more

I went for a lunch around 11 am on Friday 09/15/17. Waitress hosted us nicely and arranged a table for us inside a room. That room smelled moldy so I asked her to arrange different table. We were the first customer and all of the tables were empty. We were seated in front, one guy ( I guess waiter) came and said we can't seat there. That table wasn't even reserved. I was like WTH. We took off without even eating. That guy should be fired! Pathetic service!!! Learn to welcome customers. read more

Consistently outstanding. Not just the food but the people as well. Was lucky to get a spot for the Onam feast and had the most wonderful experience. Kochin Kitchen really cares about their customers and provides excellent service with a smile. Hands down my favourite restaurant. read more

Though I had to wait for 45 minutes for the takeaway which pissed me off. But when I tasted the food I was blown away by the authentic tastes of the food. Sambhar was just what you would want it to taste like. And forgot to mention the great neat interior ambience. read more

Kochin Kitchen - Indian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Indian buffets can go any way, but the lunch buffet here is worth every penny. Their chapati reminds me of the delicious breaded street food I would buy in East Africa, the pickled beets were hot and amazing, and the lamb dish was to die for, especially with the chapati. Walked by this restaurant daily and glad I finally wandered in. read more

Over the past 35 years I've eaten hundreds and hundreds of Indian meals, mainly throughout the UK, and I have to say the Beef Vindaloo here might be the best Vindaloo I've ever had. Service was fast and very friendly too. read more

Good food, good service. Felt the flavour of authentic Kerala spices in the chicken dish I ordered. In addition, the chef also customized a dish per my requirements (none to little spice in a curry for my toddler!) read more

Loved the King Fish Curry! Flavors were refreshing... totally was not expecting to have this sorta experience while travelling in Ottawa. The owner cum attendant cum chef, was spot on with his advise for us. In terms of dish ingredients, spice level, flavor etc. read more

Service at this place was really good, when it comes to the food it's just average. I'm a bit surprised with all the reviews raving about the food. Maybe I was lucky to have had much better Indian food in Toronto and elsewhere, but this was just average. Might give it another try. read more

I went there for a late dinner on a Thursday night with my best friend. He had been walking by this place everyday since it opened and thought I'd like so he invited me along. I was very excited to try it. Especially after having read the Ottawa Citizen review and because I know next to nothing on Kerala/South Indian cuisine besides 1-2 dishes a coworker told me about. I arrived there before my friend so I got a table and waited for him letting myself get absorbed into the decor while reading the menu. I thought to myself: "Finally an Indian restaurant in Ottawa that doesn't look like a dump!" This place is very pretty and very clean as well as very bright from all the huge windows. A VERY nice change from the usual dark, smelly, sticky, grey-carpeted basement curry joint. I would even dare say it is upscale. Then I thought: "OMG I don't know any of the dishes on the menu! What am I gonna do?" I think this is what I liked the most about the place. Going to an Indian restaurant and being confronted to choices other than butter chicken, korma, tikka and vindaloo with either naan or pulao is refreshing. Having said that, they do have an item on their menu called "real butter chicken" and the beef vindaloo's description does specify it is a vinegary dish. I'm thus assuming they must be very authentic as well as different from what you get elsewhere. They are, however, the only two options you'll be familiar with on this menu on a total of over 70. I swear. What did we order? As appetizers I got a very yummy uttappam. It's a rica and dal pancake--very similar to a Korean jeon--with onions and cilantro on top. It was served with a very tasty, bright green coconut chutney with curry leaves on top (which, after some research, might have been Malayali pachadi) and an equally tasty and very comforting sambar--a thick potage-like soup. My friend got the masala dosa, a very filling, thin, crispy crêpe filled with spiced potatoes--which was a lot larger than he anticipated! For our mains, I got the elayil pollichathu (salmon with masala grilled inside a banana leaf) which was superb and my friend got the house special, the Kodanadu chicken (big pieces of chicken in a dark rich gravy with a very intense fennel aroma), this was the "wow" dish of the evening. We accompanied these dishes with a very fragrant and bright lemon rice and very flaky and tender parotta bread. I will have to go back to try all the different dishes. I did see they make dum biryani on Fridays and Saturdays and they are the only ones around here to make it so I have to at least try that. Some more thoughts? Had we thought better about or choices (appetizers portions) we probably would have tried desserts but we were pretty full. I also didn't see any on their hardcopy menu but I know it's on their website so I'm not sure what's up with that. They also didn't ask us if we wanted any because I think they were trying to get us out. They close at 9pm. On a Thursday night. In the summer. Next to the Market. WTF? It's WAYYY too early. That's the only thing I have to say that's negative about them. It doesn't really bother all that much though we could have gone there earlier and Indian desserts are usually not that good anyway. I will definitely go back. Multiple times. A day. Until I weigh 700lbs. Highly recommend! read more

Honestly one of the best restaurants in Ottawa by far! I'm from Montreal where you can find good food on every corner of the city, moving to Ottawa was a huge food culture shock for me, I didn't find there was much good variety in quality food. I went for the afternoon buffet at Kochin Kitchen and fell in love. The service is good as well, very well mannered workers, clean place, and the food is 5 stars, and the price is very good for the amount of variety there is. If you're a fan of Indian cuisine, I'd recommend this place. read more

Kochin Kitchen - Indian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

See all

We went twice already, once for dinner and once for the lunch buffet. Loved it both times. The dishes are very tasteful and different from one another. Can't go wrong for the food and the service is very friendly. We'll be back. Long live Kochin Kitchen! read more

Came here for dinner on a Sunday night the weekend of Winterlude with my boyfriend. Wasn't crowded and the service was very good. We ordered 2 dishes, and appetizer, and naan. We were stuffed by the end but managed to finish everything. Great South Indian food, it's a very warm and hearty meal--perfect for the cold Ottawa weather! read more

Fantastic Indian food. We had the Lamb Chettinaaeu and it was the most amazing Indian dish we have ever had. The service was excellent and the atmosphere was perfect for this style of food. read more

Lunch buffet for under $17. The food is so flavourful and not spicy at all. Excellent value and quality.

Fabulous Indian. Everything we ate was authentic and delicious. Staff was friendly and attentive. Definitely not a touristy location.

Wow. Just. Wow. This place was amazing. Between two people, we ordered four dishes and all were top notch. The lamb chettinadu was especially phenomenal. Definitely get the porotta (bread) as the side dish; it's like a flat brioche that is difficult to make and a nice change from the naan that is common in North Indian restaurants. The vada appetizer look like donuts but are savory and come with delicious sauces. Note that South Indian food tends to be spicier than North Indian so if you aren't big on spice, ask the staff. Everyone at the restaurant was extremely friendly and welcoming. They even gave us silverware for our leftovers. Highly recommend!! read more

Excellent food 5/5...No doubts about it. Tried their Sunday Lunch buffet. I am not going to describe what i ate, because you have to go in and try for yourself. Very good South Indian food. Keep up the great food quality!! read more

I had the rasam - a very spicy soup - and the Kodanadu chicken with a mango lassi; all were delicious, sized perfectly and offered at entirely reasonable prices. The service I received on a Tuesday evening with the place about a quarter full was prompt, pleasant and unobtrusive. Getting there means a brief walk from a parkade about a block away, but that's the biggest thing I can offer as criticism. Bottom line I look forward to trying more of the menu! read more

Authentic Kerala-food. Consistently good service. Food is fresh and served with good portions. The best side order is the authentic Parota (roti type flatbread). read more

Love Indian food! Do not get many good ones in our hometown, if there's any, they are seriously toned down on the spiciness to suit a bland local palate. We love the full fledged flavours and texture of good Indian cuisine. Typically, you cannot find such quality at an Indian buffet place. Tried over and over again only to be let down most of the time. Here, at Kochin Kitchen, they got it and they got it good. Good flavourful, spicy Indian food like it is meant to be. The service very attentive, rarely do you to talk Indian cooking with a passionate pro and this was fun. Do we recommend this place? Of course, without hesitation. Will we go back next time we are in town? to quote the infamous Sarah Palin: "you betcha!" See you there! read more

Excellent food in taste and quality! Definitely come back whenever I am in Ottawa next time.

The food was really good, tasty and authentic. But the service was awfull. We had to wait half an hour just for our order and another 45 minutes to get the first appetizer. The second one came 5 minutes later. No drinks by then, except for water. Main courses came together but again we had to wait ages for a second beer (no beer on tap by the way). Afterwards, we had to ask three times for the bill and wait again for ages. I finally had to pay at the front desk as the wifi was off. They had completely forgotten what we had for dinner. I deciced to give no tip. Boss was angry and openly showed it. We would not come back because of all this bad behaviour although the food was great. read more

This place has a delicious lunch buffet with a bunch of veggie options at a reasonable price. Not too oily, complex spicing, and super lovely owners. Highly recommended! read more

Excellent food good service idles were made fresh , fish curry was authentic and very tasty, egg roast was excellent in an onion tomato gravy parrothas were perfect would definitely come back when in Ottawa read more

Kochin Kitchen - Indian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

The kerala chai tea was perfect, like what we get back home in India. Kodanadu chicken curry with parotta, was delicious. Great ambience and it's a big place inside, even though it may seem smaller from the outside. Service was fast and staff were friendly and professional. Will be dining here again. read more

Full disclosure: I am from Kerala so my review might be a bit biased. I went for their lunch buffet and thought it was excellent. Make sure you try the porotta and the lamb pepper fry read more

Best Indian food I had in Ottawa. The tandoori chicken was perfect with excellent spices and the best I had. The parota's were too good. read more

We dropped by chance, and found the food delicious, and service very friendly, especially we have 2 youngsters.

First time trying Kochin Kitchen. We had it delivered and tremendously enjoyed it. I ride my bike by the restaurant regularly on my route home from work. The delicious aromas have tempted me from the first day they opened. Very pleased to have thought to try them for take out. New go-to for our family. Only complaint is that I over-ate. Their fault really. Too good. read more

This was a bit slow this time...hope they speed up next time but will order out instead

This place is just that, the best South Indian cuisine in Ottawa. Not only does their menu cater to every palate but the flavours are incredible. The staff is knowledgeable, attentive, and very friendly. The quality and quantity of food you get for the price you pay is more than fair. Also, their lunch buffet is inexpensive and has a large selection of delicious traditional South Indian dishes. Recommended dish: Elayil Pollichathu (Salmon) read more

This is the best Indian restaurant that I have been to in Ottawa. Their kodanadu chicken is definitely a must have.

Very good food. The scallop appetizer was not worth the price, but everything else we ordered was very good. The best sag paneer I've ever had. Good service. It does not look like much on the outside, but inside the decor is quite nice. read more

The aroma of the restaurant when we entered was mouth watering. We were seated right away and eventually a server came to take our drink order. Another server came to take a food order and as this was our first time in the restaurant we asked him what we should have. He was of little help. Our drinks came and so did the appetizers. We had the coriander shrimp and samosas. Both were excellent. Eventually the main dishes arrived. Only one stood out and that was the Kodanadu chicken, it truly was excellent. The experience fell apart with the service. No one ever came to ask if we'd like another drink and all 4 of us would have ordered another. In addition, we sat for half an hour with our dirty dishes in front of us with no one even passing by to notice that we were done. I should note the restaurant was not busy at the time and there were plenty of idle servers much more interested in chatting behind the bar than waiting on us. In addition, another server was drying and sorting cutlery at a table near the kitchen. The amount of noise he was making was extraordinarily distracting. Finally a server came to give us the bill. Our dishes were still on the table. She didn't ask if we'd like dessert or tea/coffee. In summary, food was ok, service was terrible. We could have easily added another $50-60 to our bill. Very disappointing experience all around. Will spend my money elsewhere. read more