Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, is a paradise for food lovers. The city's street food scene is a delightful blend of traditional South Indian flavours and unique culinary innovations. From the bustling streets of Mylapore to the serene beaches of Besant Nagar, every corner of Chennai offers a gastronomic adventure waiting to be explored. Whether you're a fan of spicy, tangy, or sweet treats, Chennai's street food has something to tantalize every palate. Here's a look at some of the must-try street foods in Chennai that define the culinary landscape of this coastal city.
A must-eat at the beaches, this popular snack is mostly served in paper cones. It is made with boiled legumes and spiced with bits of raw mango, coconut, green chillies, curry leaves, salt, and whatever the particular vendor may like to add as a special ingredient. This snack is also found in various corners of the city and is considered comfort food with coffee at home.
Once a poor man's dish, it is now a favourite street food of Chennai. Often, the aroma of the prepared hot snack will guide you to the seller. It is a sweet, refined flour paratha stuffed with mashed toor dal, jaggery, charoli, cardamom, nuts, and raisins. If you have a sweet tooth, you must try this street dish.
When looking for street food in Chennai, there are two things you will always find at every corner of the city - mini idlis and uthappams. The uthappams are loaded with pure ghee and a generous podi or gunpowder masala sprinkle. Like their cousin - the gunpowder dosa - these uthappams and idlis are delicious snacks that should be on your must-try list.
In Chennai, you will come across a dish that most likely arrived from Myanmar (formerly Burma) and then got adapted as a popular street food in its Indian avatar. It is not surprising to find people queuing up to buy this filling snack—Atho—at many street corners. It essentially consists of orange-coloured noodles mixed with diced fresh vegetables.
Crispy gunpowder dosas with a generous amount of ghee, chutney and sambar are a must-have when you are strolling the streets of Chennai. Hot off the pans, you would see people queuing up to hog on the crispy from the outside and glazed with ghee inside dosa, doused with a generous helping of gunpowder or pods.