Anju Coco Resto — Restaurant in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Dates of visit: 27th December, 2021 (dinner) 31st December, 2021 (lunch)

The place is located in the heart of Aberdeen, only a 100 meters away from Aberdeen Clock Tower. The ambience here is pretty warm with dimly lit yellow lights and quite a few artifacts. There is provision to sit at tables as well as cozily on the floor (Arab style). There is a premium service area available. We sat at the regular service area on both our visits - both times the place was almost fully occupied.

The first thing you notice when you look at the menu is that almost anything is available at this restaurant. From South Indian to North Indian, from Chinese to Italian, from American to Oriental, their menu is huge.

Review 1: 27th December, 2021 (dinner)

Ordered Chicken Sizzler, Chicken Tikka with Roti and a soft drink. Food was really good on this occasion. No complaints and full marks.

There was a commotion between hotel staff and another group that caught everyone's attention there. But not sure of the issue.

Review 2: 31st December, 2021 (lunch)

On our second visit, we ordered Chicken Biriyani, Aloo Kulcha Lunch Special, Ice-Cream with Gulab Jamun and a Lassi. The biriyani was pretty good, considering the fact that we are pretty wary of our biriyanis. The Aloo Kulcha was so-so, but they did not inform us that the side servings were not available as per menu. According to the menu we should have got Chole and Imli Chutney wit the Kulcha. However, we did not get the chutney. We were told the chutney was over only after being served the kulchat. And instead of Chole we got Kala Chana which was not a good combination for the Kulcha. Gulab Jamun was not that great. The lassi too was not the best.

On both instances, the bill we got was incorrect. Both the times we were billed incorrect number of drinks. When we ordered only 1 drink on both occasions, the bill showed 2 drinks. I wish to think it was accidental on both occassions.

Verdict: Must...

Disappointing Experience at Anju Coco Restaurant

A friend of mine took me out for dinner at Anju Coco Restaurant. From the very beginning, something felt off. After placing our order, the waiter brought water and started pouring it into all six glasses at once—spilling it around in a very careless, "dhaba-style" manner that you wouldn't expect in a proper restaurant.

Out of curiosity, I checked Google reviews while we waited, and to no surprise, I found many negative comments.

The restaurant felt completely unprofessional. None of the waiters wore proper uniforms. We specifically requested less spicy food, but when it arrived, it was far too spicy. Upon informing the waiter, he blatantly denied it and responded arrogantly with, “Don’t take tension, he will see.”—a comment that felt dismissive and rude.

The food quality was equally disappointing.

The fish skewers tasted old.

The prawns were tiny and lacked flavor.

The chicken was so mashed it resembled keema.

One major concern: the prawn dish was served on a sizzling plate, but the food itself was placed inside an aluminium tray. This is not only poor presentation but also a potential health risk. Serving hot food in aluminium trays—especially on sizzling plates—is a wrong practice, as prolonged exposure to aluminium has been linked to health issues like dementia and osteomalacia.

The bread basket, covered in aluminium foil, also seemed too old and stale.

What bothered me the most was the mismatch between the price and the experience. They charge like a fine-dining restaurant, but what you get is far below standard—more like a roadside eatery with loud and unpleasant music.

When I started taking pictures of the food, the staff appeared uncomfortable. Toward the end of the meal, the waiter apologized and offered us complimentary gulab jamun, which we politely declined. But honestly, the entire experience left a bad taste.

I wouldn’t...

Good food in terms of both taste and quality. Some of the items were of top notch taste. Variety of options available - Indian, Chinese, Continental. Great ambience, fine hospitality. Not many options in Port Blair with such good quality.

Normally I would give 5 or 4.5 (If possible) on 5. But giving 3 for two reasons:

1.Quantity is very low in many dishes. Eg: Pasta for 250 bucks filles only half a plate. Which is still fine by me as the taste was too good. Meals costs 350 bucks and they give 1 roti and 1 small cup of rice. Anything else you want is extra. They charged 150.bucks extra for another small cup of rice.

2.They don't provide you with regular water or even the normal 1 or 2 litre bottled water. If you want to have water here you have to order a himalaya water packed in glass bottle for 140 bucks - that's the minimum.

The reason they give is that plastic is not allowed in Andaman and hence they have to go for a big Himalaya glass bottle of water that costs 140. Which clearly is not an honest answer but purely a money minded move taking advantage of some rule and twisting it to their advantage. Water is a basic necessity and you should not make customers pay so much, that too at a restaurant. Even movie theaters were ordered by the government to provide free water. If the restaurant is reading this review, it's morally wrong to force customers to pay so much for water. Please provide RO water or even the normal Rs.20-30 options. If plastic is a problem, figure out solution for it - go check out what your fellow restaurants are doing.

It is okay charging more money for good quality food that you make but not for basics like...