How Chennai city went from tiffin carriers to food apps

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There was a time when a stainless-steel tiffin carrier packed with home-cooked food was an essential part of everyday life in Chennai. Today, that familiar sight is slowly disappearing, replaced by neighbourhood eateries, restaurants, cafés, food-delivery apps and subscription kitchens.

When writer Sivasankari, 82, looks back at Madras of the 1960s and 1970s, she vividly remembers the city’s desserts and ice creams. “Gaylord on Anna Salai, close to my office, and Jaffers, also on Anna Salai, were known for their ice creams, which were of international standard. Peach melba at Jaffers was my all-time favourite.”

Corporate lunch in a Bento box, at Mekong restaurant, Marigold. | Photo Credit: SANGEETHA DEVI DUNDOO

Octogenarian Sabita Radhakrishna, cookbook author, textile researcher and founder of Udhavi, an NGO for elders, remembers a Madras where eating out was largely an occasional affair. She moved to Chennai from Bangalore in 1968.

“When I moved to Chennai, the city, then Madras, was conservative, and everyone loved home-cooked food. The culture of eating out was virtually non-existent. I would take my children out to eat every Saturday, mainly because I wanted a break from the kitchen. Our choices were limited in those days.”

“We used to frequent Buhari on Anna Salai, which had family rooms with curtains separating each enclosure. For Chinese food, there was Southern Chinese on Anna Salai. I also loved Woodlands Drive-In, which I dearly miss, and New Woodlands, which continues to maintain its quality even today. Shanthi Vihar at Luz Corner was another family favourite for chole bhature and chaat, which were quite rare in Chennai in those days,” she reminisces.

“We also used to order food from Hotel Coronet and Hotel Runs in Adyar, as well as from street-food stalls in Periamet. A visit to the beach was incomplete without pattani sundal and a few bajjis. Our family also loved picnics, carrying baskets packed with food, a flask of coffee and a few jamakkalams . We would usually head to spots around Mamallapuram or Chembarambakkam,” she reminisces.

Kabali's Thai Ilai biriyani at Anna Nagar in Chennai. | Photo Credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM

According to Sabita, Chennai’s foodscape was greatly influenced by entrepreneurs such as M. Mahadevan, who pioneered standalone restaurants in the 1990s and popularised the affordable buffet. Yet, she feels there are still gaps in the city’s culinary landscape. “I find that there are still no authentic restaurants serving Bengali food,” she says.

Food historian and MasterChef India judge Rakesh Raghunathan recalls another defining aspect of old Madras food culture. “We see abundance in everything these days. Conversations around food have increased with the rise of social media, and there is greater awareness about food in general. In Chennai, it was once customary to have the day’s biggest meal in the morning, followed by a light tiffin around 4pm, with leftovers often eaten for dinner.