Eating and Nightlife
Lighthouse beach is lined with sandy laid-back cafes and restaurants including Garzia, Croaker's and Coral Reef , all specializing in seafood , although chicken, pasta and veg options are widely available. If you want seafood, pick from the fresh fish, lobster, tiger prawns, crab and mussels on display, which are then weighed, grilled over a charcoal fire, and served with salad and chips. Meals are pricey by Indian standards - typically around Rs150 per head for fish, and double that for lobster or prawns - and the service is often painfully slow, but the ambience of the beachfront terraces is convivial enough. Beer, spirits and local feni (distilled palm wine) are also served - albeit very discreetly due to tight liquor restrictions - to a background of soft reggae or Pink Floyd (the rave scene has yet to hit Kovalam). For breakfast you can choose from any number of typical trans-Asia budget-traveller cafes serving up the usual brown bread and muesli. Nightlife in Kovalam is pretty laid-back, revolving around the beach, where Westerners lounge about drinking and playing backgammon until the wee hours. A couple of restaurants also offer video nights , screening pirate copies of the latest American hits. You may well be offered charas , but bear in mind cannabis is illegal in Kerala, as everywhere else in India, and that the local police regularly arrest foreigners for possession. German Bakery , Lighthouse beach. Breezy rooftop terrace at the south end of the beach, serving tasty (mostly healthy) Western food and lots of tempting cakes (try the waffles with chocolate sauce) and great fruit lassis. Breakfasts include a "full English" and "French" (croissants with espresso and a cigarette). Lonely Planet , behind Lighthouse beach, near the White House Hotel . Congenial, generally inexpensive veg restaurant tucked away in the paddy fields by a little pond (bring mozzie repellent in the evening). The place to come if you're pining for Indian food, and it's one of the few places you can get iddlis for breakfast. Red Star , Lighthouse beach, near the Lighthouse. A shack right on the beach, popular with those in search of food with local flavour and more than a tiny pinch of spice. The cook whips up inexpensive south Indian snacks, lassis, good Keralan "meals" at lunchtime for Rs30, as well as fiery fish curries. Sands of Dee , Samudra beach. Run-of-the-mill, but here on the less developed Samudra beach it is the best of the few seafood restaurants and organizes a beach party and a bonfire on Sunday evenings. They have rooms as well. Santana , Lighthouse beach. The best of the seafood joints on the beach, with a great barbecue and tandoori fish and chicken, plus good music. Stays open later than most. Sea View , Lighthouse beach. Congenial atmosphere and good for a snack lunch or for a seafood dinner in the evenings when the day's catch may  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
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include lobster and huge king prawns. Swiss Cafe , Lighthouse beach. Hip and very chic, with an excellent sound system and rustic ambience; the place is packed at sunset during "happy hour". Offers European food to rich European customers. An elaborate menu of healthy, fresh food, lots of fish and rosti is served with everything; Goan fish curry is available for the mildly adventurous. A main meal will set you back Rs350-700, and light lunch dishes about Rs100.
Your Tips For Kovalam
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