Golden Clove 2025: From biryani to ambience, these are Kerala’s best restaurants

Kochi: The grand finale of Manorama Online Golden Clove 2025, an initiative to honour the best restaurants across Kerala, was successfully held on Friday at Radisson Blu, Kochi. Paragon, Kozhikode secured the first position in the list of best hotels, with Sumesh Govind, owner of the Paragon Restaurant Group, receiving the award, which included a certificate and a trophy. 

Besides Paragon, other restaurants on the list, such as Meen by Chef Pillai (Kollam), Malabar Village (Kottayam), Kaarthyayani (Kochi), and Olan Restaurant (Wayanad), also received the Golden Clove Five-Star Rating. Summer Town Resto Cafe, Kochi, won the award for Best Cafe, which was received by film star Namitha and her father, Pramod.

Chef Reji Mathew, with over 30 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, distributed the awards. Film stars Ramzan and Gowri, along with Sreekanth Murali and his wife Sangeetha, also attended the event. Singer Shikha Prabhakaran and her troupe performed a selection of songs at the event.

Organised in association with Medimix, the event spotlighted culinary excellence across five regions of the state, with restaurants recognised for their service, flavour, ambience, and overall dining experience. Restaurants were screened with the support of Munnar Catering College and evaluated by culinary experts based on multiple criteria, including taste, ambience, menu variety, hospitality, and service. The final list of winners was determined through a combination of expert evaluations and public voting.

Category Awards – Golden Clove 2025

Best Ambience

• Imperial Kitchen, Thiruvananthapuram
• Kargeen, Kottayam
• Sanchari by Chef Pillai, Palakkad
• Sanchari by Chef Pillai, Wayanad

Best Dine-In Experience

• LemonLeaf Restaurant, Punalur
• Memories Restaurant, Alappuzha
• Copper Kitchen, Thamarassery
• Jubilee Restaurant, Wayanad

Best Fusion Food Restaurant

• St George Gourmet, Pathanamthitta
  
• Golden Clove 2025: From biryani to ambience, these are Kerala’s best restaurants

Best Resort Restaurant

• CheenaVala Restaurant

Best Seafood Restaurant

• Ponjikkara Cozinha, Kochi

Best South Indian Food

• The Shap Restaurant, Kozhikode

Best Biryani Destination

• Kuttichira Biryani Centre

Best Arabian Restaurant

• The Salt Restaurant, Kochi
• Mathbaks Arabian Majlis

Five-Star Rated Restaurants – Golden Clove 2025

• Paragon, Kozhikode
• Malabar Village, Kottayam
• Karthiyayini, Kochi
• Olan Restaurant, Wayanad
• Meen by Chef Pillai, Kollam
• Summer Town Resto Café, Kochi

Golden Clove Award Winner

Paragon, Kozhikode