OoruBest places to eat in Chennai
Saapadu is Tamil for a meal. This guide maps how Chennai eats, by kind of food rather than star ratings: idli, dosa and filter coffee at old tiffin rooms, Chettinad and Kongu meals, biryani, the street food of Sowcarpet and the beaches, seafood, and sweets and cafés. Each place lists what to order and a local tip.
Tiffin & Filter Coffee
Ratna Cafe
Triplicane · est. 1948 · Veg · Budget
Order: Sambar idli, ghee pongal, filter coffee
The idli arrives floating in sambar, and the refills keep coming. Mornings and early evenings are busiest.
Rayar's Mess
Mylapore · est. 1930s · Veg · Budget
Order: Idli, vada and pongal with kara chutney, filter coffee
A tiny room with a few seats near the Kapaleeshwarar temple. Eat, pay and make way: the rhythm here is quick.
Karpagambal Mess
Mylapore · est. Decades-old · Veg · Budget
Order: Keerai vadai, adai with avial, halwa
Next to the Kapaleeshwarar temple. Pair breakfast with a walk around the temple tank and the market lanes.
Murugan Idli Shop
T Nagar & citywide · Veg · Budget
Order: Soft idli with podi and chutneys, jigarthanda
A Madurai name with outlets across Chennai. Have the idli with ghee and podi, and finish with a jigarthanda.
Hotel Saravana Bhavan
Citywide · est. 1981 · Veg · Budget to mid
Order: Mini tiffin, ghee roast dosa, South Indian meals
The mini tiffin is the easy way to taste five things at once, and every branch is dependable with a group.
New Woodlands Hotel
Dr Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore · Veg · Budget to mid
Order: Dosa, South Indian meals, filter coffee
An old-school hotel restaurant near the Music Academy, handy before or after a December concert.
Chettinad, Kongu & Meals
Ponnusamy Hotel
Multiple branches · Non-veg · Mid
Order: Chettinad chicken, mutton chukka, meals with non-veg sides
Go with a group and share several gravies. Chettinad food is meant for rice, rasam and long lunches.
Anjappar
Multiple branches · Non-veg · Mid
Order: Chicken Chettinad, mutton chukka, kola urundai
Ask how spicy a dish is before you order if you are new to Chettinad heat.
Junior Kuppanna
Multiple branches · Non-veg · Mid
Order: Mutton chukka, Kongu-style meals on a banana leaf
Kongu cooking comes from the Erode and Coimbatore region of western Tamil Nadu. Try the chukka with a plain meal.
Cafe Amin
Royapettah · est. 1950s · Non-veg · Budget
Order: Paya with parotta
An old Royapettah favourite for paya and parotta. Simple room, quick service.
Mathsya
Egmore · Veg · Budget to mid
Order: South Indian meals, masala dosa
Central and dependable for a vegetarian meal near Egmore station.
Biryani
Buhari Hotel
Anna Salai (Mount Road) · est. 1951 · Non-veg · Mid
Order: Chicken 65, chicken biryani, parotta with curry
Widely credited as the home of Chicken 65. Order it as a starter even if you came for the biryani.
Dindigul Thalappakatti
Citywide · est. 1957 (Dindigul) · Non-veg · Mid
Order: Seeraga samba mutton biryani, kola urundai
The short-grain rice makes this biryani denser and more fragrant than basmati versions.
Ya Mohideen Biryani
Pallavaram · Non-veg · Budget to mid
Order: Mutton biryani, wedding style
Loved for "bhai veetu" biryani, the style served at Muslim weddings. Weekend lunch is the busiest time, so go early.
Ambur Star Briyani
Multiple branches · Non-veg · Budget to mid
Order: Ambur-style mutton biryani with brinjal curry
Ambur biryani is milder than most and comes with ennai kathirikai (brinjal curry) and raita.
Street Food: Sowcarpet & the Beaches
Kakada Ramprasad
Mint Street, Sowcarpet · Veg · Budget
Order: Jalebi, aloo tikki chaat, badam milk
The anchor of any Sowcarpet food walk. Come in the evening, when the lanes are at their liveliest.
Sowcarpet food lanes
Mint Street & around · Veg · Budget
Order: Chaat, vada pav, kachori, lassi
Chennai's Marwari and Gujarati quarter. Walk it on foot: traffic in these lanes barely moves.
Burma atho stalls
Near Burma Bazaar, Parrys · Mixed · Budget
Order: Atho (noodle salad), mohinga, bejo
Food brought home by Tamil families who returned from Burma. The stalls come alive in the evening.
Jannal Bhajji Kadai
Mylapore · Veg · Budget
Order: Bajji, vada
Snacks handed out through a window (jannal) in a lane by the Kapaleeshwarar temple. Eat standing.
Kalathi Rose Milk
Mylapore · est. Decades-old · Veg · Budget
Order: Rose milk, paneer soda
A tiny shop near the temple that has served chilled rose milk for generations.
Marina Beach stalls
Marina · Veg · Budget
Order: Sundal, murukku, bajji, raw mango with chilli
Go in the evening when the sea breeze picks up, and pick stalls that fry to order.
Seafood
Nair Mess
Chepauk · Non-veg · Budget
Order: Meals with vanjaram (seer fish) fry
A simple lunch room near Chepauk stadium. The fish fry with the meals is the reason people come.
Kai from the Sea
Uthandi, East Coast Road · Non-veg · Upper
Order: Ghee roast prawns, butter garlic crab, fish of the day
A seaside spot on the ECR, worth pairing with a drive towards Mahabalipuram.
The Marina
Nungambakkam · Non-veg · Mid to upper
Order: Garlic squid, karimeen pollichathu, butter garlic crab
A dependable sit-down seafood restaurant in the city centre.
Thoondil
East Coast Road · Non-veg · Mid
Order: Squid fry, nethili (anchovy) fry
Good for a family lunch on an ECR beach day.
Sweets, Savouries & Cafés
Grand Sweets & Snacks
Adyar · est. 1982 · Veg · Budget
Order: Murukku, thattai, adhirasam, puliyodharai
Where locals buy Tamil savouries to carry home. The original Adyar shop gets very busy before festivals.
Sri Krishna Sweets
Citywide · Veg · Budget to mid
Order: Mysorepa
Known for a soft, ghee-rich Mysorepa that melts rather than crunches.
Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B)
Citywide · Veg · Budget
Order: Sweets, savouries, quick tiffin
A dependable chain for sweets and a quick vegetarian bite almost anywhere in the city.
Amethyst
Royapettah · Mixed · Mid to upper
Order: Coffee, cakes, brunch
A café in a restored old house with a big garden. Weekend brunch is the popular slot.
Chamiers Cafe
RA Puram · Mixed · Mid
Order: Coffee, sandwiches, desserts
A calm café on Chamiers Road for a slow afternoon.
The Brew Room
Mylapore · Mixed · Mid
Order: Iced coffee, all-day breakfast
Popular for coffee catch-ups and an unhurried breakfast.
Questions people ask
What is the best breakfast in Chennai?
A classic Chennai breakfast is idli, vada and pongal with sambar, chutney and filter coffee. Ratna Cafe in Triplicane is famous for idli soaked in sambar, and the Mylapore messes, such as Rayar's Mess and Karpagambal Mess, serve tiffin the old way. Go early, as the small messes fill up fast.
Where can I eat the best biryani in Chennai?
Buhari on Anna Salai, open since 1951, is the best-known name, Dindigul Thalappakatti serves its seeraga samba mutton biryani across the city, and Ya Mohideen in Pallavaram is loved for wedding-style biryani. Chennai biryani is often made with short-grain seeraga samba rice rather than basmati.
Is Chicken 65 from Chennai?
Chicken 65 is widely credited to Buhari Hotel on Anna Salai, which opened in 1951 and still serves it. Nobody agrees on where the name came from, so treat every story about it as legend.
Where is the best street food in Chennai?
Sowcarpet in George Town is the street food quarter, with chaat, jalebi and badam milk around Mint Street and Kakada Ramprasad. For Burmese-style atho and mohinga, go to the stalls near Burma Bazaar in the evening. The Marina and Elliot's beaches have sundal and bajji stalls.
What is a mess in Chennai?
A mess is a small, no-frills eatery serving home-style meals or tiffin at low prices. The Mylapore messes are vegetarian and known for idli, vada and adai, while non-vegetarian messes such as Nair Mess in Chepauk serve meals with fish fry and curries.
More in our guides: our Chennai city guide, survival Tamil phrases and events in Chennai this weekend.