Sri Murugan Cafe - best vegetarian restaurant in Pondicherry — Restaurant in Puducherry

First time in Puducherry a coastal union territory in the southern part of India.

Since this was the first morning we decided to eat authentic local South Indian breakfast at some place that didn't make us feel stuffed which is usually the case. So map's suggested this place and we decided to take the plunge.

Short ride away from where we are staying it didn't look very appealing from the out, anyway since we came we sat and ordered.

The order was vada sambar and rava dosa.

Believe me when the order arrived it looked yummy...the vada was huge dipped in a yellow sambar...it had ginger and whole black pepper which gave it a different twist...it was fluffy and light soaking up all the sambar...first I thought it's dal, bit it was indeed a yellow sambar with carrots and beans....

Secondly we ordered a rava dosa...this was amazing...super thin and crispy served with sambar...white coconut chutney and a red chutney that tasted like onion and garlic...I cannot explain how excited my taste buds felt after eating what I jus ate...

Finally to top off the list I ordered a filter coffee and this one knocked me off my feet, all this while living, eating and drinking in Mumbai made me feel that I am eating the best by paying exorbitantly high prices..wherein what we paid here for all that we ate is ONLY 190/-....YES...THATS TRUE.

I was like what us going on, on planet earth with a place serving mouth watering, lip smacking breakfast at throwaway prices. For all who are traveling to Pondicherry....this place is...

Sri Murugan Café is a long-time favourite, especially among my parents' generation who are now in their 60s. Last week, I had an early morning walking tour, and to my delight, I discovered that Murugan opens for breakfast by 6:30 AM—perfect timing for my 7:00 AM start.

I ordered the Pongal, which was served piping hot, fresh off the stove, full of ghee, and truly delicious. I wrapped up with a cup of strong filter coffee that instantly transported me back more than a decade—to the old, humbler version of Murugan. Back then, it was a much smaller joint with just a handful of tables, located in an old Tamil house on the same street. I still remember the hungry cow that always lingered outside, hoping for vegetable scraps or nibbling at banana leaves left behind.

Today, Sri Murugan Café is a much larger operation, with plenty of staff and a sparkling clean setup. While the newer space feels a bit generic in its look and layout, it still sits in the heart of Pondicherry’s Tamil Quarters—on the fascinating jewellery street of Kosakadai.

There’s nothing quite like a hot serving of Pongal first thing in the morning from a place like Murugan. Their recipes feel like they come straight from a grandmother’s kitchen—comforting, time-tested, and full of heart. And for that, I...

I went along with my family members to this restaurant today on 27.01.2025 at around 6.45 PM. I had a worst experience in this hotel. We ordered Panneer Dosa, 2 Rava Dosa, Chola poori and three parcel. Firstly the service is aweful. They kept stale chutney to us. I personally ate paneer dosa which is not good they added less quantity of panneer. Hygenic and service standard is aweful. Further, I also requested to give extra channa gravy for the chola poori. They refused to give even after I am ready pay for it. The server also failed to inform he cannot give extra channa gravy before making the parcel. If he could have informed me earlier then I could have cancelled the parcel order and I will order it from other restaurant. My family members regularly go to this hotel but they also utterly dissapionted with the food quality, hygiene and standard of service. Think twice before going to this restaurant. I personally suggest people should try restaurant like Surguru, KBS or other restaurant instead of this restaurant. We will never ever go tonthis restaurant again. Worst...