Hotel Chettinadu Virundhu ECR — Restaurant in Tamil Nadu

On our way back to Chennai from Pondicherry, three of us decided to stop for lunch in Mahabalipuram around 1:30 pm. We spotted a brand-new restaurant, Chettinadu Virundhu, and decided to give it a try. The place looked promising—modern ambience, spacious, and neatly done interiors.

Unfortunately, that’s where the positives ended. When we asked the waiter (an elderly gentleman) for recommendations, his robotic answer was, “Everything on the menu is best.” Not the kind of response you’d expect when you’re genuinely looking for guidance.

We ordered two mutton biryanis, chicken lollipop, calamari varuval, and three kalakkis. Here’s how it went:

The mutton biryani was disappointing—closer to a dry tomato rice than anything resembling biryani. The chicken lollipop was dry, hard, and flavorless. The calamari varuval was average at best. The saving grace was the kalakki, which actually tasted good.

To make matters worse, the place was swarming with houseflies, which killed any appetite left. Service was passable but nothing memorable.

Final verdict: Never again. We were misled by glowing Google reviews, only to realize later that most of them were fake—posted either by first-time reviewers or by “local guides.”...

Terrible experience – NEVER AGAIN!

We visited Chettinad Virundhu on Aug 31st for lunch as a group of 9 people, and it turned out to be one of the worst dining experiences ever. We reached around 1:30 pm and were initially impressed with the ambiance. But that was the ONLY good part.

We were made to sit for over an hour just for biriyani. The waiter never bothered to tell us upfront that biriyani wasn’t ready. When we repeatedly asked about the status of our order, he simply ignored us. After wasting one full hour, he casually mentioned that the “dum is yet to be broken” and shamelessly offered us old biriyani instead. With no other option, we had to eat it.

This place has zero customer service, zero professionalism, and absolutely no respect for customers’ time. They can barely handle 10–15 people at a time. If there’s even a small crowd, they collapse completely.

If you value your time, money, and mood – stay far away from this restaurant. Won’t recommend...

"Absolutely loved the flavors! 🌟 The dish was expertly prepared with a perfect balance of spices. 👌 Especially pallipalayam chicken, tava fish ,Sura puttu was ultimate .The presentation was visually appealing, the ambiance adding more authentic and the overall experience was amazing. 😋 Highly recommended !!! Must visit don’t miss to treat...