Pondicherry's food scene is one of its genuine pleasures. The French Quarter has a cluster of restaurants serving French-influenced food — crêpes, quiche, baguettes — that are surprisingly authentic; this is not a novelty but a living culinary tradition going back to the colonial era. Tamil food is equally strong: the banana-leaf thali restaurants in the Tamil Quarter (west of the canal) are excellent and cheap.
The best restaurant street is Rue Suffren and its continuation south toward the seafront. The Le Club restaurant on Dumas Street is a Pondicherry institution, serving Creole and French cooking in a beautiful courtyard garden. Surguru on Lakshmi Nagar Street is the reliable choice for south Indian vegetarian food — the breakfast idli and dosa are particularly good. For French patisserie and coffee, the Baker Street café on Rue Suffren has proper croissants and a shaded terrace.