Nilavara in Salmiya: al faham in eight marinades, and chai from 3pm

On Lane 12 off Issa Al-Qatami Street in Salmiya Block 10, behind the ICSK senior school, Nilavara cooks the food of Kerala alongside North Indian, tandoori and Chinese dishes. The restaurant says its kitchen team comes from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Punjab.

Al faham, marinated overnight

Al faham leads the menu: whole chicken marinated overnight, then grilled over open coal until charred at the edges and served still smoking. There are eight marinades: peri peri, classic, lemon herb, achari, garlic butter, spicy masala, BBQ and tandoori. Prices start at KD 1.

Biryani, by price

The website lists eight: special chicken (single portion) KD 1, egg KD 1.250, vegetable KD 1.350, chicken KD 1.500, beef KD 2, mutton with saffron and caramelised onion KD 2.250, fish KD 2.300, and shrimp with Malabar masala KD 2.500.

The Kerala side

Appam, idiyappam, puttu, kappa and Kerala porotta start from 100 fils. Kerala meals with vegetables, chicken, beef or fish start at KD 1.250.

Chai and snacks

The chai counter starts at 3pm: more than fifty teas, masala, ginger, sulaimani, kesar and mint among them, and more than fifty snacks made daily on a rotating list. Pazham pori is ripe banana in spiced rice batter, fried golden; parippu vada are chana dal patties with green chilli and ginger; neyyappam are rice and jaggery cakes fried in ghee.

Tea and snacks are delivered in a flask anywhere in Salmiya: order on WhatsApp at 67060436, minimum KD 2.

Hours

Open daily for lunch 11am to 3:30pm and dinner 6pm to 11:30pm. The chai section of the same site lists 3pm to 10:30pm. Phone 67060436 or 67060246; dine-in, takeaway and delivery.

Photo: Al faham chicken on a grill over coals, illustrative, not taken at the restaurant. Photograph by Joegoauk Goa, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Source: Nilavara restaurant website, nilavarakwt.com, read 2 November 2026.