Most Chennaites will tell you dosa (dosai in Chennai) is not just comfort food, but that rare anytime meal fix. From an early breakfast at 6 am – this city wakes up earlier than most Indian cities – to a post party meal, it’s always dosa time. Chennai probably offers more varieties of this desi pancake than you will find anywhere in India, including healthy millet options and ghee-soaked dosas that your personal trainer would not approve of. Our list is a great place to start that dosa navigation.

Check out the list of restaurants in Chennai that serve the best dosas -

Krishna Restaurant, New Woodlands Hotel

Dosas at Krishna Restaurant

Woodlands is believed to have introduced Chennai to the Udupi-style masala dosa decades ago. Located next to the legendary Music Academy, this restaurant is a magnet for silver-haired. Carnatic music aficionados and overseas visitors during the month-long ‘music season’. The masala dosa is a constant, and hasn’t changed much over the decades. It’s slightly crisp on the outside, slathered with ghee and served with three varieties of chutney, aside from sambar.

Address: Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore

Phone: (044) 2811 3111.

Cost for 2: Rs 400/-

Eating Circles

Eating Circles, Chennai

A refuge for Chennaites seeking a Bangalore-style masala dosa, this contemporary, self-serve diner offers an array of Karnataka tiffin (that never ending time in South India between lunch and dinner) and breakfast staples. It’s one of the only places in Chennai where you can sample a Maddur vada or an authentic bisi bele bath. Their crispy, Karnataka-style dosas include a Mysore Masala dosa with chutney slathered on the inside, and also a healthy red-rice dosa. The restaurant’s sweet sambar will also make Bangaloreans homesick.

Address: CP Ramaswamy Road, Abhiramapuram

Phone: (044) 4855 1117

Cost for 2: Rs 400/-

Saravana Bhavan

Saravana Bhavan, Chennai

There are few breakfast places anywhere in India that can boast of a 6 am buzz like Saravana Bhavan. Down the road from Chennai’s iconic Marina beach, this place is a hub at sunrise for morning walkers and endurance runners alike. Many of them make a post-run pit-stop at Saravana Bhavan. But they’re unlikely to try the ghee roast, the restaurant’s meal-by-itself dosa that’s almost as crisp as a wafer and best when dunked into their equally famous sambar.

Address: Radhakrishnan Road, Mylapore

Phone: (044) 2811 5977

Cost for 2: Rs 400/-

ID

ID restaurant in Chennai

You may have guessed it - ID is an acronym for idli dosa. But this is no regular idli-dosa joint. It started as an attempt within Sathyam cinemas – a Chennai landmark, to place South Indian vegetarian cuisine in a contemporary context. It’s now a chain that also includes an outlet at the Chennai Domestic Airport. While most of the menu sticks to the beaten path, there are a few delicious deviations, like the flavourful mushroom-filled dosa and piquant garlic dosa.

Address: Sathyam Cinemas, Thiruvika road, Royapettah

Phone: (044) 4392 0346

Cost for 2: Rs 500/-

Murugan Idli

Dosas at Murugan Idli

Chennai still doesn’t offer a truly authentic version of the Madurai kari dosa – a thick, three-layered dosa with minced mutton and egg. But Madurai’s Murugan Idli is all over Chennai, including a popular spot near Besant Nagar (Bessy in Chennai speak) beach. It’s not just their soft, fluffy idli served with idli powder (aka gunpowder) that is their calling card but also their ghee podi dosa. This spicy dosa is peppered with idli powder and soaked in ghee.

Address: 6th Avenue, Besant Nagar

Phone: (080) 4201 9898

Cost for 2: Rs 400/-

Sangeetha Adyar

Sangeetha Adyar restaurant in Chennai

This outlet of the popular Sangeetha chain makes our list for its unrivalled variety of dosas that also include daily specials. You can opt for healthier millet dosas, or hop across the road to Prem’s Grama Bhojanam that offers a long list of millet dishes. Sangeetha also scores with a crispy version of the onion rava dosa, filled with finely chopped onions and studded with peppercorns.

Address: First main road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar

Phone: (044) 2442 6792

Cost for 2: Rs 1500/-

Six ‘O’ One, The Park Chennai

Six ‘O’ One, The Park Chennai

For almost two decades, Six ‘O’ One has been among Chennai’s go-to 24-hour restaurants. Whether you’re craving their tiramisu or an uncomplicated aglio e olio at 2 am, you’re usually sorted. All-day diners also need to get their dosas dead right in Chennai, just like the Park’s signature dosa made with a generous quantity of Uthukuli butter from South-western Tamil Nadu.

Address: The Park Chennai, 601, Anna Salai

Phone: (080) 4267 6000

Cost for 2: Rs 3,000/-

Mathsya

Mathsya restaurant in Chennai

One of Chennai’s true-blue Udupi restaurants with a long history, Mathysa is also popular with late-night revellers. The restaurant serves a wide variety of Udupi-style dosas, including a light as air, bajjari dosa. Made with rice flour, this dosa can be folded into the palm of your hand and is also known as the neer (water) dosa. It’s served with a simple mixture of fresh coconut and jaggery at Mathsya

Address: Halls road, Egmore

Phone: (044) 2189 1900

Cost for 2: Rs 500/-

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