Tanjavur Military Hotel Kattayan Chettiar Hotel — Restaurant in Zone 5 Royapuram

LONG POST ALERT

THANJAVUR MILITARY HOTEL / KATTAYAN CHETTIYAR HOTEL - The first thing that came into my mind when I got down from my train in Chennai Central station... " Let's Visit the legendary hotel " . It has been 5 years since I last ate in this hotel and today was the day .

It was 8 in the morning and no auto was ready to come to this hotel because of navigation problems and short distance. So I took a walk under the clouds laden sky. This hotel is situated in the narrow bylanes of park Town , Chennai. For the first timers it is difficult to spot the hotel and I would suggest Google maps.

This hotel has an history of 3 generations / 100 years and they never changed the ambience and thought of expanding their hotel . It's just a 100 sqft hotel which is occupied by the owner and 3 servers / cooks . Guess what this 100 sqft also has a coal fire to cook food and has a seating for 6 people. So I will leave it to your imagination how packed the interior is . It's definitely a No No for families/ those looking for ambience.

Coming to food .. the hotel opens at 7.45 - 8.00 in the morning and serves Mutton Biryani , Mutton Dosa , Egg Dosa , Mutton omelette , Kidney fry , paya and Prawns fry in the mornings. The place will throng with people and the biryani gets finished by 9.00 . They cook everything on a coal fire and use authentic Chettinad masalas.

I ordered one Mutton Biryani and one Mutton Omelette. And By god my eyes were filled with happy tears while eating. Biryani was excellent and the Mutton omelette was out of the world. They serve Mutton Kozambu ( gravy ) as a side which is equally good . I was lucky to get a seat for eating as when I was leaving there was a big line of their standard customers waiting outside. Total bill was 300₹ including a 20₹ tip

U will be sweating profusely while eating because of the spiciness and also due to the hot coal and they don't have even fans in their hotel and their way of presenting that is because of your profuse sweating and Chettinad masalas ur cough and cold will run away if u have any.

Don't miss this gem if u...

This is a place that defines "hole in the wall". It can seat 5 people in a cramped condition with a roaring coal fire in the corner. If you don't like heat, stay away. It's also not a place where non locals can expect to drive and park. Park somewhere and take an auto/walk here

I was a bit intimidated by the staff who were too many for a 5 seater place. The cook is very curt and not knowing too much beyond basic Tamil, I was worried I was being too much trouble and just stuck to what others were having.

I had the most favourite item, their Curry Dosa. Excellent stuff, but for this much trouble, it needs to be exceptional for folks to go through the trouble.

They'll serve you, but you need to dump the banana leaf in the trash after you're done.

Person at the billing was very helpful....just wish he'd take more of an interest in helping customers who aren't fluent in Tamil.

If you have the slightest qualms about hygiene, you should look elsewhere - while I was eating, the cook fetched a load of coal from the dealer next door to feed his fire. There are egg shells piling up in a bin and the whole place is about 10 foot square.

Also, for the overall experience, I'd rate this place as on the pricey side. For a large group looking to eat well, the Takeout (only option for large group) bill can add up quick.

Lastly, the crew wasn't too keen on me taking photos of anything except my plate. I guess for those looking to get a sense of the place, there are other photos to the Google...

It’s a very small place and very expensive. Amazed by the way they serve and prepare food. They serve food in leaves and water is filled in brass cups. They even use brass water can dispenser. The kitchen itself is pretty clean and uses coal as a fuel. This method itself gives out a good taste to the food. They frequently clean the pan with leaves smeared in oil. Food itself tastes of good quality ingredients. But the place is tiny and very difficult to find. Lacks cleanliness outside and doesn’t really contribute to the ambience of the place. For 5, they charged 1800 rupees. So, don’t expect this place to be pocket friendly street food stall, that’s only in the looks. Not complaining about the price, but have to keep an eye out for the price while ordering all out. This is the first Inheritance Hotel in Chettinad, built on a property that has been with the family for almost 105 years. Located in Parktown heart of Chennai city, the Thanjavur Military Hotel is a family-run hotel that combines traditional Chettiar hospitality with modern amenities. Thanjavur Military Hotel, in the heart of Chennai city in southern India, was once little more than a fabled land. This was the home of the Chettiars, the traders who made their wealth overseas in the early...