Paragon, on Kannur Road just north of the railway station, has been in business since 1939 and is the standard against which Kozhikode's hotels and restaurants are measured. The Malabar mutton biryani is the most famous order — kaima rice cooked in the dum style with bone-in mutton — but the fish moilee, the meen-pollichathu (fish wrapped in banana leaf), and the parotta with kadala curry are all worth ordering.
The dining room is busy and brisk: turnover is fast, prices are moderate, and the waiters know what to recommend. Expect to wait 15 minutes at peak. There are several branches across the city; the original on Kannur Road remains the best.