Thaal Kitchen — Restaurant in Kerala

Thaal Kitchen is located on M.G. Road, Padma Junction in Ernakulam, Kerala state, India on the Emgee Square Building, below ICICI Bank and next to SBI. It's very close to the Metro Oppo M.G. Road station and it's even walkable. It has a good look outside with some plants display in the front.

The restaurant only had the non-a/c dining option when I visited in August 2021. They were constructing an a/c dine-in option then, which has since opened. They also had Swiggy, Zomato and any other delivery options during the time due to the COVID situation in Kerala and especially being acute in Ernakulam. I was quite surprised to see them allowing dine-in services around Onam Festival days, even when the State Government already had strict COVID protocols in place and a ban on dine-in services. I was a bit worried to see this, even while the Police were seen making frequent rounds nearby. There was also evident lack of social distancing being observed.

Ordered three Porottas, Peri Peri Chicken and Alfaham in carryouts. There were no safety dividers near the Checkout. Customers were crowding near the register and the Cashier was either oblivious or pretending not to have seen the actual Customers who were there earlier and randomly choosing or entertaining other clients, who got lucky! The interior decor looked pretty nice. The prices were very reasonable and pretty affordable. Next comes the fun or I should say, the most disappointing experience! I had to wait indefinitely or say, maybe 30-40 minutes with no updates.

The waiters or the kitchen staff bringing the completed orders were seen just placing or stacking the orders slightly away from the single Checkout counter. The Cashier was seen asking them at times, either checking on the progress or even to some of the specific orders made. All the while, he was also taking incoming calls for deliveries from customers. It seemed quite interesting to notice all of these facts, even while I was waiting, waiting and then again waiting... The waiters didn't really have any clues as to the correct orders made to specific customers. Finally, I forgave my patience and asked the person at the Checkout as far as my order placed🙄. I came to the realization then that my order had already been set aside nearby😪. I was not even being updated or would have stayed there indefinitely! Luckily, there was a bench opposite to the checkout and I was fully masked, as usual! The food was pretty good though! Things seemed to have improved a bit, since with renovations and any other...

I ordered the Mughlai Chicken and Chicken 65 from Thaal Kitchen—and unfortunately, both dishes fell flat in entirely different ways.

Mughlai Chicken – Way too sweet What’s supposed to be a rich, creamy, mildly spiced dish turned into something more akin to dessert gravy. The sweetness overwhelmed the curry’s intended savory depth and earthy warmth, masking any complexity or flavor balance that makes Mughlai memorable.

Chicken 65 – Soggy and disappointing Instead of the signature crispiness or punchy spice that Chicken 65 is known for, I received limp, soggy pieces—almost as if they’d been sitting in moisture for too long. The coating lacked crunch, and the texture was mushy rather than delightfully crisp or spicy.

Overall experience Neither dish delivered on its hallmark characteristics. The Mughlai sauce lacked poise and gravitas, drowned by the sugar, while the Chicken 65 failed at its primary appeal—crisp, fiery coating. It was a letdown, especially for a place I’ve heard good things about in the past.

Suggestion to the kitchen If the Mughlai is meant to be indulgent, scale back the sugar to let the creamy spices shine. For Chicken 65, ensure a fresh fry or better moisture control in transit—crisp is key.

I visited Thaal Kitchen and unfortunately had a really bad experience. I ordered the Kadhai Paneer day before yesterday, and in it I found a stone. After eating it, my friend’s tooth was completely damaged.

This is unacceptable—from the hygiene to the quality control. For the price I paid, I expected much better. I hope management takes this seriously: check every dish properly before serving, improve training, and ensure customer safety.

Will be thinking twice before...

It's a medium sized restaurant with good food. We had ordered for chicken biryani and it was tasty. But the customer service is to be improved. We had been seated in the AC dining area for families I believe. But after us there were a couple of college boys who had also come for lunch. Though our order was taken initially, our food was served only after the college boys were served. They too had chicken biryani. We were quite confused. We had also ordered for some lemonade and had a 10year old with us as well. It was close to 4pm and we were dead tired and hungry after shopping on MG road. It's quite a famous restaurant I heard and hence we chose to have lunch there. But the main supervisor chose to serve the boys who had come after 10minutes of our arrival. We followed up with him on our order and the funny part is, the supervisor rechecked with us on our order for chicken biryani once again and our lemonades. The glasses for drinking water was not cleaned or washed properly and we had requested for paper cups instead. No bothered to come and give us properly washed glasses or even serve our order on time. They gave us a water jug with no glasses or paper cups to drink water !!!After 3 repetitions we finally got our simple chicken biryani..then after we finished our lunch, again they came asking us if we had asked for something to drink like lemon soda ..utter confusion it looked!!!!... Well food is good but customer service needs to improve immensely. There were so many waiter boys running around in the same ac area including the supervisor but they just couldn't remember our order for 3 chicken biryani and 4...