Breakfast at Andhra Tiffin Room Chennai

Yesterday morning, I caught up with a friend for breakfast at Andhra Tiffin Room (ATR), located just opposite the Music Academy in Chennai. It is part of the well-known Amaravathi group, and serves pure vegetarian Andhra-style tiffin. While I’ve visited their Snofield ice cream parlour, which shares the same campus, this was my first time trying their tiffin outlet.

We went on a Monday morning at around 9:30 AM. The place wasn’t crowded, and there was ample parking available – a welcome bonus in this part of the city.

ATR keeps it simple – they serve only breakfast items and snacks. No full meals or lunch. You’ll find standard fare like Idli, Vadai, Poori, a variety of Dosas, Pongal, Kichadi, and Bajji. What makes the place stand out are a few Andhra specials such as Punugulu, Puli Bongaralu, and the intriguing MLA Pesarattu (a pesarattu dosa with upma filling). On the drinks side, they offer South Indian staples – Filter Coffee, Tea, Buttermilk, Rose Milk, Badam Milk, and Lime Mint.

I ordered the Pongal and Medhu Vada Combo priced at ₹135 (around USD 1.5). It was quite good, though not extraordinary – the red chutney packed a spicy punch, which I liked. My friend tried the MLA Pesarattu, which he enjoyed. We rounded off the meal with a cup of strong filter coffee and a warm glass of badam milk – both were satisfying.

A few days later, I again happened to go to this restaurant with a friend for dinner and after a dosai I had this dessert – a banana adai. It was super sweet and dripping with generous amount of ghee!

If you’re in the Alwarpet–Mylapore area and in the mood for a vegetarian tiffin in a neat place with Andhra flavours, ATR is worth trying.