Ratnagiri's food is Malvani cooking at its most authentic — a coastal cuisine built on fresh seafood, coconut, kokum, and the fierce red chillies that distinguish it from the blander coastal food you might find elsewhere in India. Alphonso mangoes (locally called Hapus) are the other obsession, available from April to June and eaten fresh, in aamras (sweetened puree), or with puri as a proper Konkan breakfast.
Look for small restaurants and dhabas along the waterfront and near the fish market. The freshest fish of the morning is usually on the grill by lunchtime. Sol kadhi — a cold, pink drink of coconut milk and kokum — is the essential accompaniment to a Malvani fish thali and one of the best things you can eat in Maharashtra.