Top News

It's a wave, one that seems to have swept every food city in India. The crispy, ghee (or butter) soaked benne dose (or dosa) is one of India's most definitive vegetarian food trends of the 2020s. What's not to like about a crispy dosa that's dripping with butter. Chennai is no stranger to all-day vegetarian snacks from Karnataka and it's more than just benne dose. One of the essential elements of the city's vegetarian dining scene has been Chennai's 'Udupi hotels' that began to mushroom as early as the 1930s. This predates the city's new obsession with snacks like benne dose, Thatte idli and Mangalore buns.

The first, pre-independence wave saw quite a few conscientious restaurateurs leave small villages near Mangalore and Udupi to set up iconic restaurants like Dasaprakash and Woodlands in Chennai. It was Woodlands that is believed to have introduced the masala dosa in Chennai. The new 2020s boom in Karnataka style snacks and Bengaluru restaurant food began with establishments like Eating Circles that also added a Bengaluru-style sweet sambar to its menu. We take you through six popular establishments where you can sample vegetarian bestsellers from Mangalore-style buns to Bidadi-style Thatte idli and Maddur vade from near Mysuru.

Krishna restaurant, New Woodlands Hotel

Krishna restaurant has been the flagbearer for Udupi cuisine in Chennai for many decades and set the template for the city's vegetarian scene. Woodlands comes alive during 'tiffin' time (that extended period between lunch and dinner). The restaurant serves arguably Chennai's best rava idli (a dish that was invented in a Bengaluru restaurant). Their OG Masala dosa and Mangalore bondas are both crowd favourites, their invigorating filter coffee is spot on.

Where: Dr Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore

Eating Circles

It's been almost a decade since Eating Circles created a halo around Bengaluru style snacks in Chennai with their open-style masala dosa and the sweet sambar with jaggery (you can also opt for the spicier local sambar). It's not just the dosa, the restaurant serves the Maddur Vade, a crunchy version of the vade crafted with rice flour, maida and rava with a generous sprinkling of onions and groundnuts or cashews. Wash it down with the restaurant's signature rose milk or filter coffee.

Where: CP Ramasamy Road, Alwarpet

Sashwatha Café

This high-energy restaurant first debuted on Chamiers Road before expanding its footprint with its second outlet in Anna Nagar. We like their elegant, contemporary interiors while the menu stays focused on Karnataka-style tiffin. Their dosas – try the Open Benne dosa or the Mysore Masala dosa, are the stars of the show. Other must-try dishes include the akki roti and the Rose Kesari Bath.

Where: Chamiers Road, Nandanam

mathematics

Housed within Udupi Home, a budget hotel with a tradition that dates back to 1932. The restaurant's signature dishes include an authentic Mysore Masala dosa with its trademark paste dabbed on the insides and the bite-sized Mangalore Bonda. Try the light as air Neer Dosa (Crafted with rice flour) paired with jaggery and grated coconut or the kaddubu a cylindrical, fluffier version of the conventional idli. If you'd like to go the 'whole hog' try the special Udupi platter that assembles all the restaurant's authentic Udupi dishes into one sumptuous meal.

Where: Halls Road, Egmore

Upavihar

Upavihar has blossomed into a chain with multiple locations across Chennai. This chain has built a loyal customer base for its version of Udupi and Karnataka cuisine or what it likes to call 'Tasty Thindi' (food or snack in Kannada). Like most other restaurants serving Bengaluru-style restaurant food, their dosas are the biggest draw. Their fans also come back for the Khara bath and filter coffee.

Where: East Coast Road, Injambakkam

Photo: Upavihar

Tiffin Shastra

Bengaluru's Darshini-style restaurants have been an integral part of the city's vegetarian foodscape and popular culture with their self-service, stand-up (No jokes around food here) style with quick service. Tiffin Shastra is one of the most recent chains in Chennai to mimic the Darshini model with a menu dominated by a blend of Bengaluru and Chennai style breakfast and evening tiffin. Tiffin Shastra offers everything from ghee Pongal to Mangalore buns, bun butter jam and dosa.

Where: Second Avenue, 11th Main Road, Anna Nagar West.