Ambhika Hotel — Restaurant in Kerala

Visited this place with my family on February 5th and opted for the AC restaurant section. Unfortunately, our experience was far from pleasant. The person who took our order was extremely rude, speaking in a tone that felt dismissive, as if saying, “This is what we have. If you want it, fine; otherwise, leave.”

I had decided to visit this place after watching a video on YouTube, but this was my first (and probably last) experience here. When I asked for the menu, I was curtly informed that only meals (oonu) and biryani were available at that time. I asked about the available options, but he simply took the order as oonu without any further explanation. Assuming oonu referred to their seafood thali, we placed our order. However, to our disappointment, we received a regular thali instead. While taking the order, he asked if we wanted extra fish, so we also ordered fish pollichathu.

For my 4-year-old daughter, I requested something less spicy. However, they offered no customizable options. We finally decided on biryani and asked if it could be made less spicy (meaning no masala for the child). The response? A flat “We can only serve the regular biryani we give to everyone else.”

In Kozhikode, you can find good and tasty food almost everywhere, but what truly makes a difference is the treatment and service you receive at a restaurant. Sadly, this place fell short on that front.

Here’s the interesting part: On our way back home in the evening, we stopped at a small roadside tea shop—just your typical, modest tea stall in Kozhikode. Despite being busy, the hospitality here was outstanding. We ordered tea for my wife and me and a fresh juice for my daughter. Before preparing the tea, the person making it even double-checked with his colleague whether to prepare a special tea for my daughter. Imagine that—a simple tea shop showed more care and attention than the...

Tasty lunch, but a few letdowns

I had lunch here recently, and overall, the experience lived up to the hype. There’s a wide variety of non-veg options — I tried the prawns fry and it was flavorful, and surprisingly affordable compared to similar places.

The meals are worth trying, and they even serve payasam during lunch. However, here’s the catch: they charge ₹30 per glass for the payasam. I assumed it was complimentary, which was a bit disappointing. Regular customers might be aware, but for first-timers like me, they should inform the price upfront when offering it.

The place gets extremely crowded, so don’t expect a private or quiet spot — you’ll have to take any seat that’s available. That’s not entirely the restaurant’s fault though, given the rush.

One downside is the lack of proper parking space, which makes things inconvenient — that’s the main reason I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5. Also, someone near me had the chicken biryani and mentioned it was just average, and most of the crowd seemed to prefer the meals.

Definitely worth a visit for the meals and seafood, just be aware of the extra charges...

I have visited the place a couple of times. The place is neat and clean. Ground floor is non AC and first floor is with AC. Enough parking space with an amazing team to guide you well. Waiter service needs a little improvement since there is a long time waiting for a staff to attend you and share menu and water which at times test your patience. Usually crowded in the afternoon which leads to you wait for sometime.

Food quality is good but not worth the hype when it comes to taste. They have delicious fish fry varieties. But rest of the items like Sambar, veg dry side dishes along with meals seems average to me.

Samudra sadya, which is famous and is available on weekends, is a large platter of all the sea foods in a little quantity. I have had only once and I should say it was average to me. Fish items were good but other items like squid etc seems average taste and little quantity.

Having said that, overall I like this place. Its good for a family, friends or office lunch party. It has it's own beauty. Attached pic is...