Pondicherry is the best place to try French cuisine. Your trip cannot be complete without savouring croissants and macrons from the cafes of Pondicherry. You will get the authentic taste as you get it in French towns. The list below provides the top cafes to visit in Pondicherry when you are in town.
a) Coromandel Café (Instagrammable)
Condé Nast Traveller has rated Coromandel Café as the 5th Best New Cafe in the World. La Maison Rose was home to a French judge and is synonymous with its name; the café has pink-hued architecture and a palm tree at the entrance. Coromandel Café offers you continental food and fresh-baked foods. As soon as you enter, the ambience of the place and the lush greenery building will make you in love with this café. Famous for continental food and fresh-baked foods.
b) Baker Street
Baker Street Cafe is the first to introduce authentic French pastries in Pondicherry. They are famous for its traditional authentic French cuisines like yummy pastries, Organic bread, Baguettes, Viennoiseries, Chocolates, Macarons, Cakes, Cookies, Crepe, Salad, Sandwich, Quiche, Pizza, Lasagne, Soups, Omelette, Ice Cream, Fresh Juices, etc.
c) Bread and Chocolate (B&C) (Instagrammable)
CNTraveller-rated Bread and Chocolate is a must-visit cafe in Pondicherry. They are popularly called B&C, co-owned by a Frenchman who owns the Mason & Co chocolate factory.
B&C are famous for croissants, breakfast bowls, smoothies, amazing sourdough pizzas, and their signature coffee.
d) Le Petit Four (Instagrammable)
Famous for croissants, macrons, eclairs, and tarts etc. You have to try New York Cheesecake if you are a cheese-lover.
e) Café De Arts (Instagrammable)
Café De Arts Offers French café cuisine and coffee; this 19th-century structure has vintage decor and outdoor seating. The cafe has limited food options with a great ambience. Graffiti art at the cafe’s entrance is now an iconic symbol for Pondicherry.
f) Hope Café (White Town) (Instagrammable)
Hope Cafe is famous for its European menu and is based on the mural theme, where the interiors are covered in graffiti art.
g) PY Café (Instagrammable)
In Pondicherry, PY Cafe is situated on Mission Street, not far from White Town. PY Cafe is one of the best cafes on Pondicherry Boulevard. It is renowned for its magnificent atmosphere, with tastefully chosen pastel interior decor throughout the PY Cafe. The Cafes’ walls were adorned with stencilled phrases and old-fashioned clocks.
PY Cafe has a large selection of Burgers, Pasta, Sandwiches, Juices, etc.. Build Your Burger (B.Y.O.B.) is an exciting feature of this cafe where you may personalise your burger with your choice of patties (vegetable, chicken, or beef), toppings, super-toppings, and sauces. Each burger has a side salad, ketchup, mayo, and french fries.
h) French Loaf
French Loaf has something to please everybody’s palate, from puffs, pastries, mousses, éclairs, sandwiches and bread to cookies, crumbles, pies and more.
i) Zuka
If you are a chocolate lover, you should visit Zuka without a second thought. Zuka is the one-stop shop for premium chocolates, cakes, and truffles in Pondicherry.
Top Cafés to visit in Auroville
a) Marc’s café in Auroville
Marc’s Cafe is famous for its coffee. To ensure freshness and a distinctive coffee taste, they carefully choose farms in South India from where to acquire the best beans and roast them here in the café in tiny batches. They will grind the beans freshly to suit your brewing method. They also bake cakes, pastries and sourdough bread in their bakery above the roastery.
b) Auroville Bakery
The Auroville Bakery is well-known for its authentic French pastries; for many, a visit there is one of the highlights of Auroville. It has a garden cafe serving Breakfast and lunch options ranging from idly to burgers and fries.
c) Bread and Chocolate
A laid-back café serves international bowls, sandwiches, house-made pastries, and smoothies.
d) Hope cafe
Dharma Swasti was one of the vegan restaurants that was transformed into Hope Cafe in early 2022. They serve vegetarian dishes like vegan pizza. Instead of cheese, they use tofu, cashew, almond ricotta, or vegan cheese.
f) Tanto Pizzeria
Tanto is famous for wood-fired thin-crust pizza. Heavily crowded at weekends, so plan your visit accordingly.
h) Nowana
Open kitchen restaurant serving authentic traditional Korean food. The outdoor dining area is nestled amidst lush greenery, providing a serene and picturesque setting to enjoy a meal.
i) Sakura sushi
Sakura sushi offers various Japanese cuisines, like vegetarian & non-vegetarian sushi, plus ramen soup. It is open only for lunch and dinner, not during the whole day.
k) County Club café
County Club Cafe offers Italian, Chinese and, most recently, Indian cuisine, along with a fantastic selection of drinks and desserts.
l) Conscious café (Instagrammable)
Fresh, organic vegan and vegetarian food is served at Conscious Cafe, which provides a holistic dining experience. Excellent ambience and aesthetics give a perfect place to read or work.
