Chennai and Veggie Food - A Snapshot

Chennai has been known from past for its mouth watering Idlis, Vadas and Dosas. I prefer to refer to these three (IVD) as the King, Queen and the Jack of the entire gamut of South Indian food. IVD can also be construed as Ideal Vegetarian Delicacies.



Today's Chennai has a lot more savouries to offer, than just IVD. A host of sub-varities (both, spicy and non-spicy) of IVDs have been introduced, which would result in a countless varities. There was a restaurant called Sangeetha (part of a food-chain called Sangeetha) in Mandaveli which used to offer 100 varities of Dosa for INR 99/- only! This was my favourite spot for a round meal some years back. I'm not sure what happened to this now - I don't see it there anymore (Readers - Please tell me if you happen to know where I can find another place like this...Slurp!!!).



Saravana Bhavan has been the most preferred place to many people here. Since their opening shops in various countries outside of India, they have managed to attract a whole lot of Indians around the world. IVDs at Saravana Bhavan has been long known for its quality. Today, they are also known for two other benchmarks - Quantity and Cost! The quantity of food (including IVDs) has reduced comparatively, while the Cost of the food has risen significantly. If the cost of a plate of Dosa is INR 24 at Sangeetha, the cost of the same dish at Saravana Bhavan is INR 60 (This is if you have Dosa at an airconditioned facility of the hotel).

Having briefly talked about IVDs and a couple of hotels, I thought of giving a list of really good Veggie food restaurants/joints that you will enjoy (I bet!) in Chennai.

• Sangeetha (has many branches across the city)
• Saravana Bhavan (has many branches across the city)
• Hotel New Woodlands (Radhakrishnan Salai) - Try "Vrindhavan" restaurant inside this hotel - Food is really good - I stand gurantee!
  
• Woodlands Drive-In (Radhakrishnan Salai) - Good place to be if you happen to have food when you have a US Visa interview at the Chennai Consulate
  
• Palimar (diagonally opposite to US Consulate - In Parson Complex)
• Komalas (Kodambakkam High Road - next to Parson Complex) - Self-Service facility
  
• The Ganges (below Komalas)
  
• Mathura (Mount Road - Near Bata showroom)
• Vasantha Bhavan (has many branches across the city)
• Hot Chips (Annanagar - Near Ananda Bhavan - on the 100 feet road)
  
• Murugan Idli Shop (T.Nagar)
• Sandeepha (T.Nagar and Alwarpet) - A new one - Seems good so far
  

These are the ones that offer authentic South Indian food in Chennai (that I know of).

So, if you happen to live in Chennai, and you are reading this article, please tell me more Veggie restaurants that offer good food.

If you are planning on a visit to Chennai, do try to pick a meal/food from any of the above mentioned restaurants - Satisfaction Guranteed!

(PS: This is solely based on my experiences. The above mentioned restaurants are not tipping me for this article ;-) )