Must-see restaurants in Chennai (Madras)

  • Top Choice
    Amethyst

    Set in an exquisitely converted warehouse with a wraparound veranda from which tables spill out into lush gardens, Amethyst is a nostalgically posh haven…

  • Top Choice
    Peshawri

    Perfect for a five-star splash-out, the ITC's signature Northwest Frontier restaurant serves inventive, flavour-popping creations at intimate booths…

  • Top Choice
    Copper Chimney

    Meat-eaters will drool over the yummy North Indian tandoori dishes served in well-lit, stylishly minimalist surroundings, but the veg food here is…

  • Top Choice
    Annalakshmi

    Very fine South and North Indian vegetarian fare, plus glorious fresh juices, in a beautiful dining room decorated with carvings and paintings, inside a…

  • Double Roti

    'Double roti' refers to burger buns – the semi-open kitchen at this always-packed, super-casual, industrial-chic cafe plates them up with fun, flair and…

  • Enté Keralam

    A calm ambience seeps through the four orange-toned, three- to four-table rooms of this elegant Keralan restaurant. Lightly spiced pachakkari vegetable…

  • Junior Kuppanna

    From an impeccably clean kitchen (which you're welcome to tour) come limitless, flavour-packed lunchtime thalis, dished up traditional-style on banana…

  • Southern Spice

    Silver palm-shaped plates, wood-carved pillars, candlelit tables and flower bowls recreate a swish South Indian palace setting for some of Chennai's…

  • Chap Chay

    Zingy Thai curries, delicately flavoured dim sum and outstanding, unlimited build-your-own stir-fries set the scene at this classy (but pricey) pan-Asian…

  • Writer's Cafe

    Half Higginbotham's bookshop, half casual cafe/restaurant, this is one of the best spots in Chennai for inexpensively priced, finely prepared,…

  • Hotel Saravana Bhavan

    Settle in for the ultimate all-veg South Indian thali at this uberpopular Chennai chain, which is also excellent for South Indian breakfasts (idlis, vadas…

  • Chamiers

    This bubbly 1st-floor cafe feels a continent away from Chennai, except that Chennaiites love it too. Flowery wallpaper, printed cushions, wicker chairs,…

  • Raintree

    This refined, wood-ceilinged restaurant is arguably Chennai's best place to savour the flavours of Tamil Nadu's Chettinadu region. Chettinadu cuisine is…

  • Hotel Saravana Bhavan

    The Thousand Lights branch of this prominent Chennai vegetarian chain is more upscale than most and does a 30-odd-item, ₹320 lunch and dinner buffet (11…

  • Hotel Saravana Bhavan

    This famed vegetarian chain is brilliant for excellent-value South Indian thalis (lunchtime only here) and simple, authentic South Indian breakfasts of…

  • Hotel Saravana Bhavan

    Dependably delish, Chennai's famous vegetarian chain doles out epically good South Indian thalis and breakfasts (idli and vada ₹45 to ₹70, dosa ₹70 to…

  • Mamagoto

    An immensely popular Asian and Southeast-Asian street-food-style spot that's usually packed with fashionable foodies and waiters in cheeky-sloganed T…

  • Ciclo Cafe

    Cycle-mad decor includes wheels on lamps, chandeliers made from chains and bikes dangling in the window. But this place is more than just a gimmick: there…

  • Dakshin

    Upscale Dakshin specialises in the cuisines of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. Traditional sculptures, mirrored pillars and…

  • Rayars Mess

    Down a dusty narrow alley off Arundale St, shoebox-sized Rayars has been pulling in ravenous crowds for over 70 years with its crispy evening bonda …