Andhra cuisine, right here in Chennai

Drooling over some Gongura pickle that you traced in your neighbourhood market? Inveterate lover of spicy food? Then Andhra cuisine is your palate of choice! Here’s a low-down on restaurants that serve Andhra cuisine in Chennai.

Make a trip to Amaravathi Restaurant on Cathedral Road and dig into authentic Andhra cuisine. Cool comfortable seating area makes for perfect ambience to savour the vegetarian or mutton biryani, along with raita or gongura pickle.

They serve a meal platter called bhojanam, consisting of rice, vegetables, sambar, rasam, delicious Avakai pickle and a sweet dish. Amaravathi chicken is a speciality and so is the paruppu podi with rice and ghee. Fiery is the word that best describes the food that you get here, so beware before you dig in.

Across town, in T Nagar there is New Andhra Meals Hotel, that serves droolworthy Andhra cuisine. Roti, rice, choice of vegetarian and meat dishes are what you can expect. Wallet-friendly prices and fast service draw long queues.

Hotel Nagarjuna (Pondy Bazaar) records quite a rush almost every afternoon. The thali is served, piping hot, on a plantain leaf. Other dishes you can try are Nagarjuna Andhra Biryani and fish fry.

If you don’t mind surprising your palate once in a while, then walk into Hotel Savera (Cathedral Road) and make your way to Malgudi, their multicuisine restaurant. Food served the traditional way, with just the right amount of spices, makes Malgudi popular. Andhra Mutton, kadai subzi and kofta Anarkali wait to scintillate your senses. Soothing Carnatic music, subtle lighting, make it the perfect place for a family dinner.