In search of the very best locations for dosa and South Indian thalis in Chennai? Listed below are 8 iconic eateries in Chennai most really useful by dosa connoisseurs.

The highway map of decadent fine-dining eating places on Chennai’s bustling streets is interspersed with conventional hole-in-the-wall eateries. These normally cater to 2 palates — one which delights in South Indian breakfasts and the opposite that takes pleasure in meaty primary programs. 

The colourful metropolis takes nice pleasure in its gastronomy and has loved breathless protection of its military-era resorts. And historical past lets us in on their inception. 

The story goes that it was throughout World Battle II that these army shops mushroomed in a bid to fulfill the troops’ starvation. Now, neither the emergence of the newer Chettinad eating places nor the glam of the fine-dining spots can dim the attract that army resorts proceed to retain within the metropolis. From politicians to the who’s who of Southern cinema, everybody has stopped right here for a chunk and has a narrative to inform. 

Right here we chronicle the town’s finest dosa and thali joints the place you possibly can anticipate a tasty fiesta. 

1. Ravi Anna Kadai 

The eatery hasn’t ever had a proper title. In truth, it was inconspicuous for probably the most half. However when locals noticed crowds — comprising the elite enterprise class and labourers alike — thronging to the world behind Pondy Bazaar, it wanted to be christened. The ‘nei podi dosai’ at this way-side eatery is the primary alternative of kids who flock to it late at night time when all different dosa shops are shut. 

In an interview with Conde Nast, Mathangi Kumar, chef and culinary guide recalled how he finds it robust to cease himself at only one dosa. “As a household, we’ve been going right here for years now. Their dosas are at all times tremendous crisp with a beneficiant quantity of ghee, chutney and sambar. Their podi is just a little completely different from the way it’s normally made at dwelling.”

2. Tanjavur Army Resort

Claiming to be “the primary inheritance lodge in Chettinad, constructed on a property that has been with the household for nearly 105 years”, Tanjavur Army Resort is positioned in Parktown coronary heart of Chennai metropolis. The boundary-pushing cooks merge conventional cooking types with fashionable palates to serve an array of mouth-watering South Indian meals equivalent to pepper hen and varuval (dry dish fried with spices and onions). One other must-have is any of their succulent mutton dishes with the mutton biryani taking the prize. 

3. Anjappar

The restaurant says it serves the “world’s favorite Chettinad delicacies” and nobody is arguing that! By means of its franchise mannequin, Anjappar has expanded to over 25 nations thus changing into “the world’s largest Chettinad chain of eating places”. Whereas these accolades add their feathers to its cap, the household’s humble beginnings proceed to be their pleasure. 

Anjappan, the founder, was just a little boy rising up in Tamil Nadu and spent a lot of his time within the messes round his village. He’d watch fascinatedly as masalas added magic to any dish they have been integrated into. In 1964, he set the muse of his dream by beginning his first restaurant positioned in Royapettah, Chennai, with the blessings of the beloved, M G Ramachandran. An article in The New Indian Specific mentions that Mollywood stars, together with Aju Varghese, Mamta Mohandas, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, and former cricketer, S Sreesanth, are regulars right here.

4. Ponnusamy 

What’s the largest meal you’ve ever had? No matter it’s, the 32-inch Baahubali thali is certain to beat it. That includes 50 dishes (each meat and vegetarian), the thali shouldn’t be in your record if you happen to’re doing a meals path within the metropolis. It deserves a day to itself. 

Right here’s what you possibly can anticipate to see in your plate: ura puttu, vanjaram meen varuval, mutton nalli, mutton sukka, prawn masala, mutton biryani, daal fry, sambhar, rasam, naan, white rice and desserts (plural, after all). Whilst you get snug with your thali, you may be handled to the legacy of the lodge. Began in 1952 by two youngsters A R Velu Pillai and his youthful brother, Ponnusamy, the lodge grew in scope and is an empire right now. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hFP701fKhk

5. Nair’s Mess

Positioned on Mohammed Abdullah Avenue, Nair’s mess serves an unparalleled seafood platter full with prawn masala and fish delicacies. However the vanjaram barbecue is claimed to be one of the vital impressively ready seafood fares one can come throughout. Whereas there isn’t a means of confirming this, it’s rumour that the place was frequented by former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MG Ramachandran.

6. Paati Veedu 

Bringing a component of high-quality eating to the normal thali idea in Chennai, Paati Veedu is trying to recreate the nostalgia that comes with rising up on one’s grandmother’s meals. There are three ideas of meals right here. The primary, Poorna Bhakshana, features a seven-course limitless meal that’s akin to a grand feast. The second, Bhakshanam, caters to pleasant sweets and savouries with a mixture of conventional and modern parts. The third, Decoction, is a conventional tackle quick meals. 

7. Ratna Cafe 

Steeped in nostalgia, Ratna Cafe, established in 1948 by Jaggilal Gupta, a Mathura resident, is recognized for its sambar that’s drunk by the litre. When you occur to cease by this eatery in Triplicane, you’ll be amused to see employees carrying round mini-buckets with them. Look inside and also you’ll spot the scrumptious sizzling sambar. Lokesh Gupta (30), the fourth-generation scion at present on the helm of affairs on the cafe, says there are near 1,500 litres of sambar which can be made at this iconic eatery, and a few days, that quantity reaches 2,000 litres.

Edited by Padmashree Pande