Tamil Nadu India Indian Vegetarian Restaurants

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Tamil Nadu, India
Indian & International Vegetarian Restaurants

***Govinda's Café
1408 South Street, Phila, PA 215-985-9303 Pure Gourmet Vegetarian International and Indian. Lunch and Dinner Buffet. Salad Bar.

Natural Nirvana Company Policies and Reason for Being.

TAMIL NADU

Auroville
There is a good restaurant next to the Visitor's Center where you can get a good meal for Rs 35. They also have snacks and baked goods. The Upahar Restaurant is a good place

Chennai (Madras)
Chennai has some of the best vegetarian restaurants in India.
Mathura Restaurant (831-777), Tarapore Towers on Anna Salai, is one of the better vegetarian restaurants in India. It is a big, very popular place and is recommended. The Vegetable-pulau, Vegetable Imperial, and Macaroni are all very good. They have a good lunch thali for Rs 75.
Woodland's Drive-In (471-981), 29/30 Cathedral Rd, 6 am to 9 pm, serves excellent food and is a recommended place set in a garden.
Also recommended is the New Woodlands Hotel (827-3111), 72/75 Dr Radhakrishnan Road, which serves good thalis, South Indian, and tandoori food.
Balaaji Woodlands in the Vee Yes Hotel is a good restaurant.
Yamuna Restaurant, at the lower end of Anna Salai, is a good place. It is clean, reasonably priced, and has tasty food, good lassi and ice cream.
Hotel New Maharaja, 307 Quaide Milleth Salai, by Broadlands, has cheap meals. The "limited meal" (not on the menu and only during lunch) is dirt cheap. It also has good ice cream and sweets.
Hotel Dasaprakash (825-5111), 100 Poonamallee High Road, (9 am to 6 pm) and AVM Dasa (House of Dasaprakash Ice Cream), 806 Anna Salai, are excellent places. They have salads, ice cream and meals for around Rs 150.
Annalakshmi (855-0296), 804 Anna Salai, managed by devotees of Shivanjali, is an excellent place. A thali is Rs 150 and the special thali is Rs 250. Open daily except Mon, noon to 3 pm and 7.30 to 10 pm.
Saravana Bhavan, 77 Usman Rd, T Nagar, near Ranganathan Street Market (Mambalam Station), is a very good, popular place that serves cheap South Indian food. They have a deluxe "Tamil Nadu meal." On the ground floor they serve snacks, and on the upper floor there is an A/C restaurant. They have a lunch thali, and from 3 to 11.30 pm they serve North India food and pizzas. They have several other branches in Chennai. They have a branch on NSC Bose Rd in George Town.
Matsya Restaurant, at the Udipi Home Hotel (825-1515), 1 Hall Road, Egmore (7.30 am to 12 midnight), is a recommended A/C place.

Chidambaram
Star Lodge has a popular restaurant that serves good veg food. A thali is around Rs 20.
Akshaya Hotel (22181), 17/18 E Car St, has a rooftop vegetarian restaurant open in the evening, with a view of the temple's gopurams.
Bhagyalakshmi, South Car Street, has good South Indian thalis (with unlimited rice) for Rs 30.
Hotel Saradharam has two popular restaurants. The Pallavi is a good veg restaurant, which serves both South and North Indian food.

Coimbatore
Royal Hindu Restaurant, near the railway station, has good vegetarian food.
Dakshin, Shree Annapoor Hotel, 47 E Aroklasamy Rd, RS Puram, has a good A/C vegetarian restaurant.
Annalakshmi, 106 Racecourse Rd, is a very good veg restaurant. It is managed by devotees of Shvanjali. Open Mon to Sat for lunch, noon to 3 pm and daily for dinner from 6.30 to 9.30 pm. It is recommended, but is not cheap.
Dasa is a higher-end A/C veg place with good food and ice cream.

Coonoor
Vinayaka, TDK Pilai Rd, has good veg food.

Kanchipuram
One of the best places in town is the restaurant at the Hotel Baboo Soorya, 85 East Raja St. which serves South and North Indian vegetarian food.
Hotel Saravana Bhavan, inside Jaibala International, has good South Indian food, such as masala dosas (Rs 15). It also has ice cream.
Rama Lodge has a cheap vegetarian restaurant, with good dosas.

Kanyakumari
Saravana, close to the temple, has good vegetarian meals. It is air-conditioned. They serve South Indian, Gujarati, Chinese and Rajasthani meals at lunch. It has very good dosas.
Family Restaurant, north of the temple, has good South Indian snacks all day and meals from 10 am to 3 pm.
Sankar Guest House, Main Rd, has a good vegetarian restaurant.
Sri Ramdev Restaurant, on the main road to the temple, has north Indian veg food.

Kodaikanal (Kodai)
Daily Bread (40485), 3 Maratta Shopping Complex, Anna Salai, is a popular place that serves 20 types of breads and several types of cake.
Sornam Restaurant, Fern Hill Rd, opposite the TTDC, has good South Indian food. The butter dosas are good.
Eco-Nut, Seven Junction Rd, has cheese, peanut butter, brown bread and very good health food items.
Tava Restaurant, in the Hotel Jewel, is a very good vegetarian place.
Manna Bakery and Vegetarian Restaurant, Bear Shola Falls Rd, has very good food. Dinner (7 pm) should be booked in advance. It has pizza, cakes and doughnuts. Recommended.

Kumbakonam
Arul Restaurant, Sarangapani East St, opposite the Pandiyan Lodge, is a good vegetarian place with thalis ranging from Rs 15 to Rs 50. It has an A/C room upstairs.
PRV Lodge, 52 Sarangapani East St, has a good, cheap vegetarian restaurant. A thali meal is Rs 18.
Hotel ARR has a vegetarian restaurant along with a non-vegetarian restaurant.

Madurai
New College House has a cheap veg thali type restaurant.
Hotel Vasantham, West Perumal Maistry St, is a cheap thali place. Main dishes are around Rs 15.
Jam Jam Sweets, West Perumal Maistry St, is a famous sweet shop with the locals.
Priya Restaurant at the Hotel Prem Nivas, 102 W Perumal Maistry St, is a good, A/C place with Indian and Chinese food.
Arya Bhavan, 241 West Masi St, a few blocks west of the temple, is a very good, popular veg place. It has good snacks and Indian sweets. They serve South and North Indian food in the garden.
Surya Restaurant at the Hotel Supreme is one of the best places in town and is recommended. It has an A/C restaurant on the ground floor. Good lunch thalis are Rs 75. There is also a rooftop restaurant that has a good view of the Meenakshi Temple gopurams. It is very popular with foreigners. They serve Indian, Continental and Chinese food. The rooftop restaurant is open from 5 pm to midnight. Main dishes Rs 45.

Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram)
Hotel Veeras, 106 E Raja St, has a good restaurant.
Mamalla Bhavan, by the bus stand on E Raja St, is a cheap veg thali (Rs 20) place that also has good South Indian dishes. They make good masala dosas.
Mamalla Bhavan Annexe (42260), on the main street, has the very good Golden Pallate veg restaurant. They often have live classical Indian music outside in the courtyard in the evening. They serve Indian and Continental food. They have a good Dosa Platter for Rs 50 and good ice cream. Recommended.
Pumpernickel Bakery, on top of the Uma Lodge, 15 Othavadai St, is part German and part Nepali managed. It has good cakes, breads, sandwiches, Chinese, and full meals. It is a laid-back, recommended place. Not pure vegetarian.,

Pondicherry
There are really good restaurants in Pondicherry.
The Ashram Dining Room, north of Government Place, has non-oily and non-spicy food. You need to buy three meal tickets at the Park Guest House. There is a vegetarian restaurant in the Park Guest House, at the south end of Goubert Salai.
Seaside Guest House, Goubert Salai, near the light house, has a very good vegetarian restaurant.
Picnic, Kamaraj Salai, is a vegetarian place.
Ram International, near the Botanical Gardens, has a good, cheap vegetarian restaurant.
Anugraha, in the Hotel Surguru, SV Patel Salai, is a very popular vegetarian restaurant. It has very good North Indian, South Indian, Western and Chinese dishes. Open 9 am to 10 pm. It is not cheap.
Surabhi, in the Anandha Inn, SV Patel Salai, is a veg restaurant serving Indian and Continental dishes. There are candles and flowers on the tables.
Fortune Bakery, 13/9 St Therese, near Nehru St, has good cakes and bread.

Rameswaram
Hotel Abhirami, Sannadhi St, is one of the better South Indian restaurants. It has good service and the dosas and tomato rice are good.
Hotel Guru, next to the temple's east entrance, is a South Indian place with decent cheap thalis. It is one of the better places in town.
Gujarati Bhojanalay, Sannadhi St, has Gujarati food.
Hotel Ashok Bhavan, W Car St, has South Indian thalis for Rs 20. It has dosas, and idlis in the morning.
The Sri Ganesh, Ashok Bhavan, and Hotel Ariya Bhavan are simple thali places on West Car Street. There is a place run by the Devasthanam Trust located opposite the eastern gate of the temple.

Salem
Woodlands (0427 67272) has mid-range rooms and a good A/C restaurant.

Thanjavur (Tanjore)
Ananda Bhavan serves good, cheap thali meals (Rs 15). It is near the bus stand on Gandhiji Rd.
Padma Hotel, Ananda Bhavan, Gandhiji Rd, opposite the Hotel Tamil Nadu, has simple, good vegetarian meals.
The restaurant on the ground floor in the Hotel Karthik is a good popular place, with reasonably priced veg meals.
Hotel Parisutham has the very good Geetham vegetarian restaurant in it.
The rooftop Golden Restaurant, Hospital Rd, is a good vegetarian place. Recommended.

Tiruchirappalli (Trichy)
Kavithaa Restaurant, located down the road from the State bus stand, is a well-known cheap thali place. A veg thali is Rs 20 during lunch.
Vasantham Bhavan Restaurant, in the Abhirama Hotel, by the State bus stand, is a very popular vegetarian place.
Hotel Mega, 8-B Rockins Rd, is a decent vegetarian restaurant where you can get what you ask for.
There is a good Potato Chip place next to the State bus stand, which makes a wide variety of fresh potato chips.
Woodlands vegetarian restaurant in the Hotel Femina has very good North Indian, South Indian, and Chinese food. It has a good thali. Open 11.30 am to 2 pm and 5 to 10 pm. Recommended, but not cheap.
Sangeetha Restaurant, in the Hotel Aanand, is a good outside restaurant. Dishes are around Rs 20.
Rajasugam Hotel has a popular outdoors vegetarian restaurant.
Vasanta Bhavan Sweet Stall and Vegetarian Restaurant is a simple place near the Rock Fort that serves snacks and dosas.
Skylord, Municipal Office Rd, in Chinna Bazaar by the Rock Fort, is a good, cheap Indian vegetarian place.
Suvai Vegetarian Restaurant. in Jenneys Residency, serves good food.
The maha-prasada at the Srirangam Temple is good and is spiritually purifying.

Tirunelveli
Sakuntala International (71760), Trivandrum High Rd, has a good veg restaurant.

Udhagamandalam (Ooty)
Hotel Nahar has two good vegetarian restaurants and a snack bar that serves ice cream and good snacks.
Nilgiri Woodlands has good economically priced thalis.
Ooty Bakers, Charing Cross, has a great selection of baked good, including cakes, bread and pies.
Hot Breads has good pizzas. Not pure vegetarian.

Vellore
Raj Cafe, in the India Lodge, across from the bazaar, is a good veg restaurant.
Lalit Vihar, KVS Chetty St, has Gujarati thalis for Rs 25.
Simla Ice Cream Bar, 88 Ida Scudder St, has good vegetarian North Indian food and naans.
Palace Cafe, Officers Line Rd, serves cheap unlimited thalis.
Shanti Sagar, Beri Bakkali St, near the VDM Lodge, is a popular vegetarian place that has a nice courtyard.
Hotel Karthik has a good vegetarian restaurant.
Princes, in the Hotel Prince Manor, is a good vegetarian place, which serves North and South Indian food and ice cream.
Ganga Restaurant, in the Hotel River, serves North and South Indian veg food.
Hotel Anand, Ida Scudder Rd, is a higher-class vegetarian place with an A/C room.

For a much greater list of vegetarian-friendly restaurants in this state, you can purchase Spiritual Guides India, Temples and Holy Places, A Practical Guide on the right from Amazon.com. There is also a great deal of information in this book on temples, holy places, palaces, wildlife parks, museums, forts, beaches and other tourist places. There is also an excellent spiritual information section, and a detailed list of hotels, restaurants and travel information. We believe this book to be by far the best practical guide about India, and is definitely worth purchasing. The words meat, fish or eggs are not mentioned in this book accept to warn against them.

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