The Cochin Indian Restaurant, Hemel Hempstead in Dacorum

Food quality has reduced considerably. Heated frozen food and offering cheap cuts of fat instead of lean meat for a £17 beef dish is unacceptable. Was not bothered to offer any deductions for the meal I mentioned I couldn’t enjoy so can’t commend the service either (didn’t ask for any deductions, just an observation from their feedback on poor meal quality). As a native of the region where this delicacy comes from, the meal was not restaurant quality and certainly not value for money.

Very authentic South Indian food, perfectly cooked and served in a cosy restaurant.

This place came highly recommended by fellow foodies and is excellent! Great food, really laid back atmosphere, wonderful service. My new favourite local restaurant!

Lots of our friends recommended The Cochin and we get why The staff were lovely and friendly. The food was great

We had a great time at this lovely restaurant. The staff are great, food is phenomenal and will definitely be coming back. Thanks to the lovely staff!

Lovely food. Great service . Highly recommend

One of the best restaurants I’ve been to in a while. The service through to the food was faultless, I will definitely be coming back again!

Amazing authentic South Indian cuisine! Friendly staff. We had tried the Thali which was extraordinarily good value for the variety of delicious curries packed in. They gave us a free baileys to finish off.

Such friendly and helpful staff! Delicious authentic food.

Wow! Our first time here and the best Indian restaurant around. The staff are so kind and friendly. Soorya explained all the dishes we asked her to us and was really friendly. The food was delicious, the lamb is so tender. So glad we found this place, will definitely be back

Absolutely fantastic experience and food, lots of rare finds from southern Indian cuisine, well worth the visit! Order the fish!

Excellent meal with my husband highly recommend the lamb

Brilliant food. Brilliant service. Brilliant atmosphere. All round brilliant.

One of, if not the best restaurant in the town. Food quality never disappoints. Staff friendly and prices reasonable. If you want high quality South Indian cuisine, you can’t beat this place.

Nice Indian restaurant, service could have been a bit better with a surprise, given it was our wedding anniversary...

Lovely restaurant, lovely food, lovely people. Very much recommended and do try the onion bahjis. 👍🙂

I've been to India. This was better. We sampled lots of things on the menu they were all great. Lovely service.

Best Indian food in the UK. Incredible service and food I cannot reccomend enough.

Had a takeaway this time. Two of the 3 dishes, although different, tasted exactly the same. The 3rd one was very similar but all 3 were insanely salty, so much so that we couldn’t really enjoy them. The lemon rice was very good and the paratha was excellent. It was such a shame as we used to like the food, the service is always excellent but the atmosphere, oh boy, the atmosphere is bland and the place is always cold, unless there’s a heatwave going on. Come on people, you are much better than this with the authentic Keralan delights.

Always a warm welcome, delicious authentic food and they go above and beyond to make sure you’re happy. Our regular go to Indian restaurant

Had a meal here a few weeks ago and really enjoyed everything. Delicious dosa, lamb curry and fish in banana leaves were very good too. Attentive service, nice deco, highly recommend

Food is excellent and customer service is outstanding. All staff go above and beyond in ensuring the experience is enjoyable.

Such a lovely restaurant with brilliant food and even more brilliant staff. Highly recommend

Incredible food, friendly staff, if you haven't eaten here you're missing out

Amazing food and staffs are friendly. Authentic Kerala food ❤️

Absolutely brilliant restaurant, originally went with my parents and then tonight with my partner. The service is unparalleled and food absolutely amazing. Can't wait to return and highly recommend

Absolutely amazing gourmet food, super friendly and helpful staff, not oily like so many other places, definitely the best curry around here. Brinjal and okra were mindblowing

An absolutely delicious meal! We’ve walked past here a bunch of times, and there have always been delicious smells. Lovely staff and the food was so good. Great mix of flavours and spices.

Love coming here, the service is great and the food is absolutely amazing

A great restaurant, food was brilliant as was the service. We’ll be be back. Thank you

Great food and service, all the staff are so friendly and helpful

Went for a meal there early evening. Staff were very helpful with our order, we were going to order far too much. My niece had some dietary requirements and the staff helped us with them. The food was excellent.

Just superb. Really special local restaurant with lovely staff and so many curries to try in the thali of little round bowls.. They were delighted to explain the cuisine which came in little round bowls.

The food was wonderful. We had a thali of 7 dishes, each one delicious. We'll definitely come again.

Amazing food. All round amazing food. First proper paratha I've had since being in Cochin in India, nowhere else has come close. Great service and atmosphere too, lovely spot

A really lovely place, run by warm smiling people, with delicious food. We can't wait to go back and try everything on the menu, one by one.

We had a wonderful Saturday night dinner at The Cochin!! We ordered the Alleppey prawns and two thalis- seafood and non-veg. They were great! I had my seafood one with appams, and the fish and prawn curries were particularly excellent. Homely food, great atmosphere and friendly staff. 10 out of 10 would recommend.

Excellent service, delicious food!

The food is always really good! The food is always very tasty, not spicy hot, but the flavours are amazing 😋

Delicious food, incredible service, all-round excellent place for meals!

Very nice place and clean food its was very very tasty . Staff is very nice. My favourite place in Bedford ❤️❤️❤️ Please must visit one time 😋

Favourite Indian Love the chicken pepper curry which was excellent as always

Best Indian in the area for sure! Love them.

We were recommended this place by someone we met in Kerela, of all places, and the food didn’t disappoint. Great vegan and veggie options, as well as amazing fish dishes and South Indian snacks. Fantastic service too, and they were really accommodating of us bringing our baby. We’ll definitely be back again and again.

Dosa are out of this world, lovely food, lovely staff, will defiantly come back asap!

Delicious authentic taste of Kerala! The staff were lovely and friendly and the portions were very generous. We will be back!

Extraordinarily friendly, super helpful, remarkably attentive staff who helped us order the right amount and variation of food and drinks without any hesitation to fulfil even special requests. Absolutely delicious food, slightly different from the indian cuisine that we know from back home where we obviously haven't had southern indian cuisine yet, slightly less spicy but at least as full of different flavours.

A very good restaurant with an extraordinary welcome! THANKS

Lovely food lovely atmosphere can highly recommend

One of my favourite restaurants in the world, certainly the most interesting and flavourful curry I've had. Don't expect to see much on the menu familiar from 'normal' Indian restaurants, as this is Keralan (further South) cooking. But, the staff are wonderful and will recommend dishes, as well as provide a lovely atmosphere and service. Highly recommended.

Absolutely amazing traditional food, this isn't what you'd get in a normal British Indian restaurant, if you want to try real Indian food I'd suggest giving this place a go, it has so much flavour and is so different from what we're used to. if you want to try something new yummy and Satisfying I'd honestly say give this place a try, then go back and try something new another time and discover all these new and tastes and flavours

Best Keralan food around. If you're looking for flavourful South Indian food then this is the place to be

The Cochin is always a favourite of ours. Delicately spiced tasty food, a bit different from the usual Indian/Bangladeshi restaurants. Nice seafood dishes, massive dosas and kerala tea snacks. Friendly service food it off

Lovely food, unusual dishes but in a very good way

Great service- really lovely people

Haven't been here for years. We were warmly welcomed by a friendly and knowledgeable waiter. The choice is amazing and people with coeliac disease are very well catered for. The waiter made very good suggestions, as he did for other tables and he was always right? The flavours were amazing with servings just right. Price was very reasonable. Definitely going back.

You know you are eating quality, delicious, authentic quisine when your friend who has flown in from India for four days, tells you how wondeful it is.

My husband and I have been coming to this restaurant for many years with family and friends either at lunch time or evening. Please note it is the only Indian restaurant open at lunchtime which is a great bonus. The food is very tasty and different to the menus offered at other local indian restaurants. No one has ever been disappointed.

We’ve been here on Father’s Day and although is quite small, we had lovely food, nice atmosphere and good service. The bill was quite decent. I would definitely visit them again.

Lovely food. Lovely staff. Lovely place. Came in hungry, left after emptying my plate, a full belly and a smile on my face. The staff are very friendly and the atmosphere is nice and chill. Highly recommend. Big thumbs up.

An outstanding Southern Indian restaurant known for its high-quality cuisine at reasonable prices, offering generous portions. Highly recommended for anyone seeking authentic South Indian food with excellent quality and quantity. The service and the ambience of the restaurant is exceptional, and I look forward to returning with family and friends.

One of the tasty and delicious restaurant in Hemel Hampstead Really worthy 👍✨

The service and their business practices are so unethical, we can't trust them enough to place an order. I rate them 1.

The worst cantering service I ever seen, we booked for one august 9 and they confirmed, now they are saying they have got another program and they can't do our order. I see zero ethics here. They are just after money don't have any ethics on service and food.

Amazing foodd Amazing people Great choices Splendid dinner!

Amazing food with great service. Hot and yummy kerala food.They located in the middle of the old town and the view is amazing.

This place serves one of the best Kerala food in London.Enjoyed the food and ambiance. Surely going to come back for more food experience.

Best Kerala restaurant in Hemel Hampstead. Must visit. The ambience and the staff were amazing. Must try those who crave for real Kerala cuisine. Also do try out their fish dishes.

An excellent place of choice when we yearn for home food...the food was very tasty and staff were very friendly and welcoming..and the ambience is also nice but a little bit congested!! Loved the experience as a whole!!

Excellent customer service and scrumptious food.

i’ve always loved the Cochin, the doses are the freshest I’ve ever had, really crispy and with an unlimited supply of Samba.

We just had lunch here and ordered appam, thattukada chicken, porota, chicken korma, chicken biriyani, kappa, and fish curry as mains for five people. The food was delicious, and the chicken biriyani exceeded our expectations. Most of the dishes were quite close to authentic Kerala flavors. However, the porota was made from frozen. We also looked for Kerala rice, but there was no red rice available. The hospitality was excellent, and the two Malayalee part-time students were really friendly.

Lovely food, the lamb was so tender, would come again, staff are lovely

Second time here and just as amazing as the first. The food is out of this world and the staff were attentive, friendly and helpful. Make sure you give this place a try!

Wow!! These guys know what they are doing!! Fabulous level of flavour and spice! Keep it up Jason!

What another lovely evening at The Cochin Food was absolutely delicious, beautifully and freshly prepared and all so well presented Sooycha was so friendly and gave amazing recommendations, nothing was too much trouble for her We were really looked after and can't wait to go back

Met here with a group of fellow travellers as a reunion from a recent trip to India. Food was delicious and the waiting staff excellent. Will be looking to come again soon

Excellent food. Different to the run of the mill Indian restaurants.

Had a meal in my favourite Indian restaurant in Hemel Hempstead tonight. The same great atmosphere and lovely staff. Unfortunately it seems there was some issues in the kitchen that led to a very disappointing bland meal. Where has the flavour gone? The reason I keep coming back to this place is for the amazing flavours that come from great chefs using fresh ingredients. Everyone can have a bad day. I don’t know what went wrong tonight but hope you get things back on track for my next visit.

Wonderful service and excellent, authentic Indian food. We bought so much food, particularly starters, and it was so nice that I forgot to take photos for this review! The service was excellent. Definitely the highlight, although the quality of the food wasn't too far behind the service. With the leftover food (and there was a lot!) they packed it all up for us and even gave us plastic takeaway cups to take our drinks with us. Well located in the middle of the quaint, High Street in Hemel Hempstead. I will definitely be returning.

Loved this place! The food is not like traditional Indian restaurants but it is extremely tasty. Food is from South Indian and has a hint of a Sri Lankan taste without being too spicy. We had a Dosa to start which was massive and lovely. Staff were pleasant and the restaurant, though not large, has a lovely atmosphere. Prices are reasonable, similar to most curry places. Highly recommend visiting if you like curry food.

Loved it. Such tasty food. really lovely staff. Such a great find

Stopped here for dinner when we were spending one night in Hemel Hempstead and loved it! We eat a lot of Indian food at home, and this was some of the best I've ever had. The staff was so friendly and welcoming, excellent service! If I am ever back in this area, I would definitely go back to this restaurant.

This restaurant is one of the best Indian restaurants I have been in a long time, serving traditional dishes.

Great lamb curry and great starters

It is one of the best Indian restaurants in London. Their fish wrapped in banana leaf is the best ever; enjoy it with Appam or Parotta. I really liked the preparation of the lamb pepper starter. The service is always warm, on time, and prompt. I have already visited the place twice, and both times, my experience was amazing, demonstrating their consistency. I really enjoyed their payasam, full of dry fruits stir-fried in ghee. Hands down, a great place if you are hunting for authentic South Indian cuisine, especially food from Kerala. I missed clicking pictures of all food items apart from Alleppy Prawn Fry, so I got so absorbed to eat it.

Great food, lovely attentive staff who made us feel very welcome. Highly recommended.

Really good food, very authentic and the staff were amazing

Great friendly welcome and an assortment of bites prior to the main course. Any request off menu was very disappointing. The rice was only just warm. Six small king prawns was rather mean and the plates were cold. Only filter coffee available.

Great staff and usuaGreat staff and usual good PE food. Good for kids too l good PE food. Good for kids too

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Cochin Restaurant, and I must say, it was an unforgettable experience. Here’s why: Authentic Kerala Flavors: The food at Cochin is a delightful celebration of Kerala’s culinary heritage. Each dish carries the unmistakable taste of the region, transporting you to the sun-kissed backwaters and lush spice plantations. Reasonable Prices: Cochin strikes the perfect balance between quality and affordability. You won’t break the bank here, yet you’ll savor dishes that rival those prepared in Kerala homes. Impeccable Service: The staff at Cochin knows how to make guests feel welcome. When I arrived with my 2-year-old daughter, they greeted us with warmth and ensured our comfort throughout the meal. Biryani Bliss: If you’re a biryani enthusiast, Cochin’s biryani is a must-try. Fragrant rice, tender meat, and a symphony of spices come together in a harmonious dance of flavors. In summary, Cochin Restaurant is a hidden gem for anyone seeking an authentic taste of South Indian and Kerala cuisine in Hempstead. Whether you’re a seasoned foodie or a curious traveler, this place won’t disappoint. Bon appétit! 🌶️🥘

Great food, onion bhajis were some of the best I've had. Super friendly and were very accommodating for our kids.

Lovely restaurant with very flavourful food and great service

The food (we all had different thalis) was incredible! We will definitely be back. And staff were so nice. Such a refreshing change from staid typical curry house fare. This was delicious. Thank you!

Excellent service and delicious, authentic food.

Most authentic Seafood Thaali (Keralan set menu meal with fisherman's soup, 3 seafood items, vegetarian dishes, paratta, rice and dessert) that I have tasted anywhere in the UK. Reasonably priced with a nice manager/owner (Jason). Keep up your standards ☺️👍🏽

Last night we enjoyed a lovely meal at the Cochin. I had booked a table for 12 for our local cycling club. Arrangements were very easy and the hospitality was lovely. As well as being friendly and attentive, the staff brought us an extra dish and complimentary drinks after the meal. The food was superb and I’d thoroughly recommend the restaurant.

Very impressive authentic food matched by level of service. Staff knowledgeable and interested in making you welcome. Second visit and will be back. Recommend.

One of the nicest restaurants in Hemel, love their food, we always get takeout if we can't go out. So much flavour in their food.

One of my favourite places to eat. Has not changed in the 6 years we have been away in Australia!!!