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Would you believe it if I told you that I traveled to Pondicherry twice just for the wholesome food? Well, it’s actually true.
Yes, there are the pristine beaches, acres of lush green flora and stunning colonial architecture that add to the overall trip experience. However, it’s Auroville’s diverse & authentic multi-cultural cafes that can pull me back a thousand times more!
Having dined in an array of eateries in Auroville, I am excited to take you through the best and my top favorite restaurants in this article. Ready to embark on an Auroville food trail with me? Let’s begin!
Contents
Firstly, What Is So Special About Auroville’s Eateries?
# 1. Fresh, Locally-Sourced, Organic Food
Auroville is a unique, experimental society where people from over 50 countries came together to turn acres of barren lands into sustainable food forests! Today, the place has an enormous variety of vegetables and fruits grown here organically.
Thus, almost every eatery in Auroville creates impeccable dishes using fresh, local ingredients. And, trust me when I say – these factors truly enhance the taste of the food. Even a simple dish like a coconut chutney surprisingly tastes better here!
# 2. Lush Green Natural Ambience
Auroville’s restaurants are built in a way that the architecture seamlessly blends into the natural environment, rather than standing out. This creates a verdant open-air ambience for diners, making for truly rejuvenating meal experiences in the lap of nature.
# 3. Abundant Vegan Options & World Cuisine
The most important factor for me personally has been that all of Auroville’s restaurants offer vegan options. This is because a majority of Aurovillians follow a cruelty-free and plant-based lifestyle. This meant I could enjoy a variety of delicious French, Italian, Swedish & Indian food, including cakes and croissants, without a worry.
And the best part? The global dishes are created by people from the respective countries (with help from local staff), taking authenticity to the next level.
10 Best Restaurants & Cafes In Auroville
1. Bread & Chocolate
One of the most iconic cafes of Auroville, Bread & Chocolate is popular for their artisanal sourdough breads, single-origin bean-to-bar chocolates manufactured locally and delicious french bakes.
Founder and head chef Daniel Trulson, who is originally from Chicago, stayed in France for a few years before settling in Pondicherry. That explains the authenticity behind their irresistible French pastries. Their menu is also very vegan-friendly, with 70-80% of their dishes marked as plant-based.
Must-try dishes at Bread & Chocolate:
Tofu Scramble on Sourdough Toast
B&C Signature Chocolate Toast
Orange Cake
Chillout Chocolate Smoothie (one of my all-time favorite chocolate drinks!)
Sourdough Pizza
Shakshuka
Chocolate Bon Bons (these are truly little cubes of happiness!)
Coffees
Croissants
Note: Except croissants, everything else mentioned is vegan.
TWT Tip: If you’re taking back home some of their delicious Chocolate Bon Bons or Mason & Co. (their chocolate brand) bars, you might want to store them carefully to prevent them from melting. Keep them in the fridge during your trip and carry them back in a cooling backpack that keeps the contents cool for more than 6 hours. I’ve personally been using the Decathlon Isothermal backpack for such purposes while traveling.
2. Marc’s Cafe
Ifyou’re a coffee lover, you simply can’t miss this place! Marc’s Coffee is the brainchild of Barcelona’s Marc Tormo, who has more than 30 years of global experience in creating specialty coffees.
He has been living in Auroville for several years now and expanded his humble roastery into a full-fledged cafe over the years. So, you can imagine how seriously they take their coffees! Moreover, they craft their food too with equal meticulousness.
Must-try dishes at Marc’s Cafe:
Cacao Latte Coffee
Mochaccino
Mayan Cacao Coffee
Malabar Monsoon (if you’re into mild, caramel-like coffee)
Balmadi Wild Coffee
Neri Malai Creek Coffee
Dosa/Pesto Dosa with their 3 varieties of chutneys (you need to try their chutneys!)
Orange Chocolate Cake
Kimchi Cashwerella Sandwich
Pasta
Spiced Carrot Cake
Banana Bread
Gelatos
Croissants
Note: Except croissants, everything else mentioned is vegan and their coffees have both dairy and non-dairy options.
MarcTomro teaches the art of creating specialty coffees at the cafe and during his tours across other cities. From full-fledged research programs to quick workshops, he offers a variety of learning options for coffee enthusiasts who wish to pursue a career in this field. You will find all the updates of his upcoming courses on their official Instagram page.
Auroville Bakery is that one place where most of the baked goodies get sold out by afternoon. That’s how much the locals love this bakery, thanks to their affordable prices and remarkable taste.
Run by local Aurovillians, it also extends to a large and beautiful open-air cafe in its backyard. And this is the only place where you’ll also find vegan croissants besides many other vegan delicacies, which are all extremely scrumptious!
Must-try dishes at Auroville Bakery:
Chocolate croissants
Apple Cake
Muffins
Chocolate Cake
Quiche
Fresh organic breads made with various flours (they have healthy breads made with ragi and other millets as well, besides the traditional white breads)
Hummus Toast
Cashew Cheese Sandwich
Note: All the above-mentioned items are vegan, but they have non-vegan versions too of most items.
Timings: 7 AM to 5:30 PM (closes at 1 PM on Sundays)
This is one of the most serene cafes in Auroville nestled in nature’s cocoon. While the outdoor seating is stunning, with the lush green foliage offering a pleasant shade to the diners, the indoor seating is equally calming and soothing. Here, large bay windows offer a clear view of their verdant outdoor space.
Started by two Swedish women in 1990, the cafe also creates small batches of preservative-free jams, sauces, fruit syrups and breads, which are now popular across Pondicherry. They use organic, sustainable and locally-grown ingredients, making their food all the more wholesome.
Must-try dishes at Naturellement Garden Cafe:
Thai Green Curry with Brown Rice
Carrot Coconut Cake
Mint Cooler
Scandinavian Open Sandwich
Hummus Plate
Moroccan Chickpeas Tagine
Fruit Sorbet
Swedish Cinnamon Rolls
Note: All the above dishes are vegan, barring the cinnamon rolls.
This place redefines farm-to-plate dining by literally serving us in the midst of a dense food forest. In fact, the intensity of the region’s heat drastically reduces here, thanks to the cool shade of the abundant trees.
Interestingly, Solitude Farm & Cafe is managed and run by a British man named Krishna Mckenzie, who first came to Auroville on a school trip and decided to settle here at the age of 18! Since then, he helped turn a barren land into an organic, permaculture farm that now grows a huge variety of fruits and vegetables, including medicinal super foods. It’s quite fascinating to watch him work like a desi with a turban in his head.
TWT Trivia: Krishna Mckenzie runs Solitude Farm on the principles of legendary Japanese farmer Masanobu Fukuoka, who is renowned for reviving desert lands using non-tillage, sustainable farming techniques. Krishna spreads the valuable knowledge he has gained over the years by regularly conducting permaculture workshops at the farm.
Must-try dishes at Solitude Farm Cafe:
Thali of the day (created using seasonal produce grown at their own farm – includes fruit, curries, ragi dosa, chutney, salad and red/brown rice)
Shankhpushpi Cooler
Hibiscus Cooler
Blue Pea Flower Cooler
Soursop Cooler
Note: Everything is vegan here, but they do sell a few milk-based products in their store.
Sakura Sushi is aquaint & cozy cafe that serves Japanese food. It is one of those few eateries in Auroville that remain open for dinner.
The best part is that their sushi prices are quite affordable, compared to the regular pan-asian restaurants in most cities. Plus, they offer a huge variety of fillings in the sushi, including pumpkin, zucchini and eggplant, unlike any other Japanese eatery in India.
Must-try dishes at Sakura Sushi:
Brinjal Nigiri
Capsicum Temaki
Kimchi Uramaki
Mushroom-Tofu Maki
Beetroot Tempura Maki
Dried tomato Uramaki
Note: All the above sushis mentioned are vegan, but they serve vegetarian & non-vegetarian sushis as well.
Timings: 12 noon to 3 PM & 6 PM to 9 PM (closed on Tuesdays)
This vegetarian and jain-friendly cafe is a must-visit for its tranquil setting in the midst of lush greenery. Their seating gazebos with thatched roofs and string lights add to the cafe’s natural charm. It’s also a delight to watch the chef create wood-fired pizzas out in the open here.
Must-try dishes at Hope Cafe:
Wood Fired Pizzas
Pumpkin Soup
Kombucha
Panna Cotta
Lasagna
Tiramisu
Lavender Tea
Note: They offer a few vegan options by eliminating cheese from the original dishes.
Locatedinside the Auroville visitor’s center, you will come across this alfresco cafe when you visit Matrimandir. Besides wholesome thalis and coolers, they serve scrumptious baked goodies in their glass-covered counter that will tempt you to indulge. The cafe uses a solar-powered cooker and their prices are also quite pocket-friendly.
This pastel-hued ice cream parlor was started by two Italians, Francesco Carboni and Silvia Latini. It has gained immense popularity over the years for the fresh, handmade gelatos they create in small batches sans any artificial colors, preservatives or flavors.
So expect to savor the real taste of the ingredients when you dig into their gelatos, made in traditional Italian style. They also offer a variety of dairy-free gelatos for vegans with a sweet tooth.
Though I personally haven’t visited this place yet, Tanto had to be on this list as it’s one of the most recommended pizzerias in Auroville and a stopover for every tourist. Created with organic spelt flour instead of maida and sans any canned or processed ingredients, Tanto’s pizzas garner more than 500 customers on some days!
Must-try dishes at Tanto Pizzeria:
Earth Pizza
Margherita Pizza
Vegan Pizza
Pesto Pasta
Organic Spelt Ravioli
Chocolate Cake
Timings: 12 noon to 3 PM & 6 PM to 9 PM (closed on Tuesdays)
Important Things To Know About Auroville Eateries Before Visiting
1. Many cafes in Auroville are closed in the evenings, barring a few like Sakura Sushi and Hope Cafe. So you might want to plan your visits accordingly.
2. Aurovillians follow an eco-friendly and non-violent lifestyle. Remember to be respectful while dining and do not throw trash anywhere other than the designated dustbins.
3. It’s always a good idea to call a cafe before visiting to avoid disappointments. This is because most cafes are closed for one day in a week, with different off days for each of them.
TWT Summary
Auroville’s restaurants and cafes are all soul and heart. Be it their fresh, organic, and preservative-free delicacies, serene lush green ambiance, or the plethora of vegan options, the eateries here go beyond traditional dining experiences and attempt to create a deeper connection with food.
But at the same time, they offer the perfect amalgamation of traditional and modern recipes from across the world, thanks to all the foreigners who have come and settled here. So, besides finding traditional Tamil food, you’ll also be able to enjoy delectable French breads, English-American cakes, Italian pizzas and Asian delicacies, created with locally-grown ingredients.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Auroville Eateries
1. Which cuisines do cafes in Auroville serve?
Auroville has residents from over 50 countries who have settled here, with many of them owning cafes that serve their respective country’s traditional food. Hence, you will find French, Italian, Japanese, Swedish, English as well as Indian cuisines in the cafes of Auroville.
2. Do Auroville eateries serve vegetarian and vegan food?
Yes, Auroville is one of the most inclusive places with the locals following various kinds of lifestyles, including vegan, vegetarian and non-vegetarian. They respect everyone’s dietary preferences and thus, you will find all kinds of foods in Auroville.
3. Are organic and gluten-free options available in Auroville cafes?
Absolutely, Auroville runs on the principles of organic and sustainable farming. So, almost every eatery in Auroville prepares their food with organically and locally-grown ingredients, with many gluten-free options.
4. Do Auroville eateries accept credit cards?
Yes, all Auroville eateries accept credit cards as well as online payment options these days. However, it is recommended that you keep some cash handy at all times, especially if you’re visiting a small eatery.
5. Are Auroville cafes open everyday?
Most cafes in Auroville are closed for one day in a week, with each cafe observing a different day-off. Thus, we recommend that you call and check with the eatery before visiting.
6. What are the best vegan desserts in Auroville?
Some of the best vegan desserts in Auroville are the chocolate croissants and apple cake at Auroville Bakery, Orange Cake & B&C Signature Chocolate Toast at Bread & Chocolate, Orange Cake, Carrot Cake & Banana Cake at Marc’s Cafe, Carrot Cake at Naturellement, Orange Choco Chip Cake at Dreamer’s Cafe, and chocolate gelato at Gelato Factory.
Sharmistha, who also happens to be our founder, is an award-winning alumna of the Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media. During her 10-year stint as a journalist, she has worked for major newspapers, including the Times of India & The New Indian Express. She is also a certified travel writer, trained by the bestselling author Dave Fox and award-winning sustainable travel writer Shivya Nath. Sharmistha has traveled to over 25 destinations within India so far. Read More
2 thoughts on “These 10 Auroville Eateries Are Sure To Tug At Your Heart Strings!”
WOW. Really tempting for foodies. Auroville is a nice place to visit.
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