Chennai Places to eat

Like most cosmopolitan cities, Chennai has numerous restaurants that serve a whole range of international cuisines but the city has its own varied, local fare to offer. Breakfast or 'tiffin' consists of the idli, dosa, vada and sambhar that are typical of the south and Saravana Bhavan near Ranganathan Street Market is legendary for dishing out a traditional south-Indian breakfast complete with steaming cups of filter coffee. Pongal, from which the festival derives its name, is a characteristically local sweet dish made of rice and lentils. Chettinad food is a specialty and can be very spicy. It usually consists of seafood with generous helpings of coconut, chilli pepper, tamarind, mustard, cumin and curd to temper it with. Food in a traditional restaurant is usually served in the Sappad method - on a cut banana leaf. Street food in Chennai mainly consists of South Indian vegetarian and non-vegetarian food but the stalls only open up in the evenings and into the night. The colourful food carts at Marina Beach are the best places to catch a light dinner when spending a day at the beach. Sundal, a dish consisting of peas in a rich sauce served with masala vadai is a popular local street food.