Southern Spice

Chennai (Madras)


Silver palm-shaped plates, wood-carved pillars, candlelit tables and flower bowls recreate a swish South Indian palace setting for some of Chennai's finest South Indian food. Glammed-up thalis come in veg, nonveg, seafood and 'light' versions. À la carte offerings bounce from coconut-infused Keralan pachakari stews to fiery Chettinadu curries.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Chennai (Madras) attractions

1. Valluvar Kottam

0.47 MILES

This 1976 memorial honours the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar and his classic work, the 133-chapter Thirukural. Its most striking element is a 31m-high stone…

2. Thousand Lights Mosque

0.5 MILES

Chennai's main Shia mosque, built in 1810. Mostly useful as a landmark, as non-Muslims aren't allowed inside the buildings.

3. Government Museum

1.05 MILES

Housed across from the striking British-built Pantheon Complex, this excellent museum is Chennai’s best. The big highlight is building 3, the Bronze…

4. Wallajah Big Mosque

1.69 MILES

Built entirely of granite in 1795 by the Nawab of the Carnatic, and generally known simply as the Big Mosque.

5. Luz Church

1.71 MILES

Styled with blue-and-white baroque elegance, pretty little palm-fringed Luz Church is Chennai's oldest European building, dating to 1516 – which also…

6. St Andrew's Church

1.82 MILES

This 1821 neoclassical Scottish Presbyterian church is one of India's most exquisite churches, rising up in leafy grounds in the middle of frenzied Egmore…

7. Parthasarathy Temple

1.98 MILES

Built under the 8th-century Pallavas and unusually dedicated to Krishna (a form of Vishnu) as the charioteer Parthasarathy, this is one of Chennai's…

8. Kapaleeshwarar Temple

2.25 MILES

Mylapore is one of Chennai's most characterful and traditional neighbourhoods; it predated colonial Madras by several centuries. Its Kapaleeshwarar Temple…