What to eat in Chennai, India? Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Dosa, traditional Indian food. Image by freepik, from Freepik

Originating from South India, dosas are pancakes made from fermented rice and lentils. This authentic dish is known for its health benefits: the batter undergoes fermentation that enhances not only its flavor but also adds to nutritional value, yielding a meal rich in essential amino acids.

If you decide to eat dosa in Chennai, expect it to arrive with chutney, an Indian take on sauce/spread, or as part of a combination with sambar, an Indian vegetable stew. Being one of the culinary symbols of India’s extremely rich cultural and religious traditions – the first recorded dosa recipe was found in a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia – dosas are often cooked specifically for ceremonies and festivals.

From the point of view of a tourist, or a business traveler who’s also up to explore the city’s cultural and historical sides, Chennai exists only a dozen blocks inland from the shore. Further on, there aren’t many things that could be called sights or attractions. On the other hand, seeing how locals live their lives is also part of exploration, so you just might find yourself nearby Krishna's Dosa Kadai in Chennai’s Nolambur neighborhood. This is the outlet to eat dosas at: the place has an extensive menu presenting all thinkable varieties of these traditional South Indian pancakes. And if fusion cuisines are to your liking, try the famous pizza dosa!

Idli, traditional Indian food. Image by freepik, from Freepik

Both rice and lentil are aplenty in South India, so it’s not surprising people there came up with one more way to combine them into a dish that’s endured the test of time and became one of the staples of Tamil cuisine. This one’s called idli; it’s also a mix of fermented rice and lentils, but, as opposed to dosa, this is a cake, and it’s not fried but steamed.

The typical company for idli are also sambar and/or chutney; K.T. Achaya, a famous Indian food historian and nutritionist, traces the roots of this rice-and-lentil cake to 7th century AD, and points to present-day Indonesia as the place where the recipe was designed. Low on fat and calories, idli is a perfect option for health-conscious people looking for what to eat for breakfast in Chennai.

Murugan Idli Shop is a nice little eatery located near a couple of parks, the first being Jeeva Park, a patch of greenery with a playground, lots of paths, a badminton court, and a temple, the second – Panagal Park, which adds water-centered landscaping and statues to the mix. Both of those are certainly worth a visit if you’re in the neighborhood. Come here to relax in the shade on a hot day or have a stroll in the refreshing evening air. And don’t forget to load up on idlis at Murugan Idli Shop, which offers several varieties of these rice cakes, all touted as delicious by patrons that were impressed enough to share their opinion online.

Pongal, traditional Indian food. Image by KamranAydinov, from Freepik

Pongal is actually a ceremonious dish, deeply loved by the Tamil people. The word literally means “boil over, overflow,” and it’s also the name of a festival that honors and thanks the Sun deity for bathing these lands in its rays and thus making every rice harvest rich.

From the culinary point of view, pongal is a rice kasha boiled in milk. Today, it’s a typical breakfast choice in the households of Chennai and throughout the Indian south in general. Gastronomic variations of pongal are 

– venn pongal, which is hot; 

– sakkarai pongal, sweet;

– kozhi pongal, one with chicken;

– sanyasi pongal, a purely vegetable deal.

So, if you stay in Chennai for more than a couple of days, do try all pongal varieties here, as this dish is a Tamil cuisine staple that showcases its true spirit.

Eating Circles is one of those restaurants with deliberately peculiar names, given their surroundings. There may be a story behind it, or it’s just a marketing gimmick; regardless, this particular place has over 5,300 reviews on Google Maps and the average score of 4.4, which is quite good for a small shop located in Abiramapuram, a posh but definitely not touristy neighborhood of Chennai. When there, eat pongal, of course, and consider making your breakfast more hearty by adding some idli (several varieties on the menu) and mangalore buns/dosas.

Fish molee, traditional Indian food. Image by topntp26, from Freepik

Lunchtime! And what’s better for lunch than a bowl of soup? A bowl of fish soup, healthy and hearty! Enter fish molee, a.k.a. fish moolie, a classic dish popular throughout India, Singapore, and Malaysia. This one has an origins legend: in the 15th century, the Portuguese ruled Kerala, a state on India's Malabar Coast; local fish stew was too hot for them, so a woman, presumably named Molly, came up with an idea to de-spice the recipe by adding coconut milk and substituting red chilies with their green siblings.

The resulting soup, or stew, turned out so good that it outshined the original, currently reserved for locals who can stomach it. Thus, when you are looking for something to eat for lunch in Chennai, something authentic and yet not eager to burn holes in intestines, find a bowl of fish molee, it’s a safe and delicious choice.

Kumarakom is a chain of traditional Indian cuisine restaurants; as of this writing, it counts 8 outlets, some with seating, and some take-out exclusively. The one we suggest you navigate to for a lunch with fish molee is located in Nungambakkam, “a central neighborhood known for its indie boutiques, designer shops and international brand stores.” The sights in the vicinity of this Kumarakom are Semmozhi Poonga, a botanical garden, and Government Museum Chennai. Online reviews of the place mention matta rice, karimeen (pearl spot species), and beef roast as being exceptional here, so you have a chance for a really hearty three-course lunch.

Rasam, traditional Indian food. Image by KamranAydinov, from Freepik

Indian cuisine in particular and South Asian cuisines in general have a wider selection of soups than other culinary traditions of the world. “How come” is the question for food historians to answer; we at Restaurant Guru would simply like to give you rasam, another soup that makes for a perfect lunch in Chennai.

The specific origins of this Tamil cuisine dish are unknown, but it is popular and considered a local staple throughout the South of India, so it’s safe to assume that the first bowl of rasam was cooked here some centuries ago. Typically based on a sweet-sour stock of kokum or tamarind, this masterpiece brings together curry leaves, chili, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, peppercorns, etc., all mixing into a tangy combination served with rice. Believed to help with a sore throat, rasam can also be found commercially produced and packed for sale in grocery stores. Take a bottle thereof home with you, but only after having eaten the real thing in one of Chennai’s traditional Indian restaurants.

Savya Rasa is positioned and marketed as an upscale fine-dining establishment. It is located in Chennai’s Kotturpuram district, which some real estate agents sell as the best residential area of the city. As a tourist, though, you may have a reason to be nearby in the form of B.M. Birla Planetarium, if astronomy is your thing, or Anna Centenary Library, nine stories of which are filled with books. Savya Rasa has less generous pricing policies than many other restaurants in Chennai, but hey, there are valets here to park the car, and snow-white tablecloths, and shiny clean restrooms, and, finally, delicious Indian food, so no reason to complain, really.

Uttapam, traditional Indian food. Image by Nsaumya. Licence CCAA4.0. Cropped from original

Proceeding with lunch-in-Chennai suggestions, we give you uttapam (oothapam, uthapam, etc.), which is obviously a local incarnation of the world-famous pizza concept. Popular in every state of Southern India, uttapam is a good second course of a lunch that started with a soup or a stew. You can also have it for breakfast, of course, as customary in many Chennai homes.

The batter for uttapam is, again, a mix of fermented rice and lentils; cooked much like a pancake, it is typically covered with shredded onions, tomatoes, and green chilies. More playful varieties of uttapam can (also) bear tomatoes and cheese, making it look and taste like a very original pizza. Find and eat one in Chennai, else your idea of what a pie-with-toppings can be will be incomplete.

Prems Graama Bhojanam is a small restaurant in Chennai’s Adyar district that’s known for its traditional dishes made from locally sourced, fresh ingredients delivered every day from farms of the surrounding villages. Also praised for its quick service even when the floor is full (which happens on a regular basis, since this spot is frequented by locals), the place offers all the staples of South Indian cuisine, including uttapam. Couple it with paniyaram, a.k.a. paddu, add sukku coffee to the order, and here’s your Tamil lunch in Chennai.

Biryani, traditional Indian food. Image by freepik, from Freepik

Come evening, you start looking for something to eat for dinner in the capital of the State of Tamil Nadu. One of the best options, then, is biryani, a famous Indian dish that’s been around for centuries. One legend pins the basic recipe to the army of Timur the Conqueror, who came to the borders of India from the vast plains of what is now Mongolia in the 14th century.

Biryani as we know it today was shaped in Muslim communities of Delhi; it is a hearty meal combining fish, meat (mutton, beef, or chicken), vegetables, eggs, a lot of spices, and basmati rice. The word itself means “fried” or “roasted” in Persian. Everything except the rice is typically mixed together at a certain stage of the cooking process, with the cereal last to join the delicious pile. You can eat biryani in Chennai even if you’re vegetarian: many restaurants offer this dish with animal protein substituted for plant-based ingredients.

Charminar Biryani Centre, as the name suggests, specializes in this gem of Indian cuisine, serving several varieties thereof with assorted condiments. Located in the Royapettah neighborhood of Chennai, this simple shop has been catering to the local community for many years now, and it always attracts crowds for lunch and dinner. Some online reviewers believe the place is overhyped (it’s got almost 12,000 evaluations on Google Maps, as of this writing, and the score of solid 4.0), but we suggest you explore and see for yourself how good this biryani shop is.

Poriyal, traditional Indian food. Image by KamranAydinov, from Freepik

Indian gastronomic traditions have set meals that were designed to combine what’s available and deliver the needed calories. Thus, when you order sambar, rasam, or poriyal in Chennai (or anywhere else in India), do not be surprised to end up with all of them on the table, since they constitute a set meal.

In many cases, however, you can have parts of such sets separately. For one of your dinners in Chennai, eat poriyal, the famous Indian plate of stir-fried or sautéed vegetables, delicious and colorful. There are many variations of the recipe of this dish; in the state of Tamil Nadu, they are adding shredded coconut as a dressing. If you need meat for dinner, have poriyal on the side; otherwise, enjoy it as is.

This long a name for a restaurant is a risky affair, since word-of-mouth doesn’t favor anything with more than 4 syllables in it, for obvious reasons. Thus, the fact that Dindigul Thalappakatti Restaurant Besant Nagar has been in business since 1957, and is frequented by politicians and movie stars (they share the next-to-deities tier in India), must have stemmed from the quality of food cooked here.

The restaurant is a landmark in itself; located right by the beach, it’s not as expensive as you would expect, and, judging by the reviews, sticks to a code prescribing perfection in everything. So, being in the vicinity of Dindigul Thalappakatti Restaurant Besant Nagar when the sun sets, drop in and have a lavish, luscious dinner.

Payasam, traditional Indian food. Image by stockimagefactorycom, from Freepik

We decided to wrap up this list of breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes you should eat in Chennai with a dessert. After all, any decent meal is crowned with one, so why not finish the article with something sweet? Meet payasam, an Indian rice pudding-like treat that combines milk, ghee, rice, and sugar.

Believed to be truly ancient – some historians claim it’s over 2,000 years old – payasam, also known as khee, has a number of acknowledged variations. For example, looking through the dessert section of a menu, you can stumble upon semiya payasam, which is based on vermicelli and not rice. Go for it, by all means, it’s as delicious, if not better. And if that menu offers two varieties, don’t resist and have both of them.

Located in the luxurious 5-star Taj Coromandel hotel, Southern Spice is a restaurant fully matching the business that gives it space. It is a fine-dining establishment throughout, praised by patrons for helpful floor staff, talented chef, ornate decor, and overall authentic experience. If you’re visiting Semmozhi Poonga, Chennai’s famous botanical garden, consider having at least a coffee and payasam at Southern Spice afterwards.

Chennai, being the alpha city of Tamil Nadu and a major financial and industrial hub, remembers its roots as an English fort and the origins of its people. Here, you’ll find buildings and attractions of British origin standing next to temples praising local deities. Culinary-wise, this mix means good quality and authentic recipes. For a gourmet, this is one of the best destinations to get acquainted with Indian food, and maybe develop this acquaintance into something more serious.