The magic is in the special thick chutney. Sambar is not up to the mark, but the Chutney more than compensates.
Pongal just melts in the mouth.
• RAYAR'S MESS •
Rayar's Mess has been around since the pre-independence era and gained popularity from the 1950s. Located in Arundale Street in Mylapore, this eatery has seen a lot of famous footfalls over the years, including Tamil actors such as Suriya and Simbu, who are regulars. Although this place is not open throughout the day, it serves one of the best South Indian breakfasts in the city! A plate of idli or dosa would cost you hardly INR 40. We swear by their delicious Pongal, which comes at a mere INR 50. Wash it all down with a tumbler of filter coffee for just INR 30! .
Breakfast at Rayar had been on our list for a while. So on Sunday, my husband I showed up for breakfast. It began with a welcoming reception from the lady and
after a 15 minute wait, we went in. Pongal was hot and delicious, the idlis soft, the vadais crisp in a way we often
never achieve at home. Getti chutney, podi and ghee - superb, all rounded off with hot filter coffee. Something about the community eating atmosphere, made me eat a big helping of Pongal, 4 vadais and
iddli and I am a small eater, usually restricting myself to two iddlis for breakfast. The most important point is that I did not feel stuffed and there were none of unpleasant after effects that usually accompany eating out. The bill for
stuffing our face came to ₹320 only. Amazing! I must commend the maami, she was so nice and seeing that I am
a senior citizen gave me a high stool to sit on. Must try their evening tiffin next.
Idly with podi, Vada and Pongal. The best breakfast combo you get. The place is little crowded throughout and hence the Pongal gets over at the earliest. Visit early as possible to have the best breakfast.
Very tasty. Pongal Rava dosa , Mysore bonda , Idily is a must eat here . And finally end with a strong coffee . The staffs are courteous and place is maintained well. Though parking is a challenge . It's really worth
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One of the classic breakfast eateries of Chennai. I visited the place on a weekday around 7.20 am but still there was a crowd waiting outside.
They serve around 15 ppl at a time and they follow the "kalyana pandhi" style of serving. Now let's get down to the food. The banana leaf is spread out and they bring out the hot and delicious Pongal first. Two generous ladles of Pongal is served and then coconut chutney and sambar are poured over the Pongal. All mixed together gives a brilliant taste.
Then they bring the piping hot idlis and vadas out. I had 2 idlis and 3 vadas. The idlis were very soft and ghee was poured over them as well. Vadas were super crispy and soft on the inside. Ask for the Getti Chutney, Podi and Kaara Chutney to get the various combinations for the idlis. (Getti Chutney and Podi are extra charges)
Then you can polish off the meal with a very strong filter coffee. When you come out of the place you do not feel like you visited a restaurant. But you feel like you had breakfast at a relatives place. The traditional nature of the food and the serving style makes you feel warm on the inside. Never change Rayar's Mess.
Pick of the Meal : Pongal with Sambar and Coconut Chutney. Special mention to the Podi as well.
Cost : Rs.145 only. (Pongal, 2 Idlis, 3 Vadas, Podi, Getti Chutney, Coffee)
Absolutely awesome food. One star less - because the sambar is abhorrent bad compared to the elevated nature of the other dishes
The menu has but four items, and they are all brilliant (breakfast menu). Pongal, idlis, vada and coffee. Chutneys and fixings are awesome
Avoid the sambar. It detracts from the breakfast
Whatever I say will not be enough. Please go and have their food. There are only two things that I care about when I eat out: Food and Hygiene. This place delivers it. It is a hole in the wall place with character.
The Most Iconic Breakfast Place in Chennai...
Rayar's Mess...
Crisp and piping hot Vada with watery but flavour packed coconut chutney, and the muru-muru Adai with creamy and veggies jammed avial.....
A compulsory must try for a those who come to Chennai or live in Chennai...
Although they do serve evening tiffin but that is nothing like the rush in the morning hour's especially on weekends.
Just have to bare the rush and wait for your turn patiently to enjoy this experience..
Eating here is a feeling i did want to give it a five star but i find the sweets they serve in the evening (jangri) is bit chewy.
Well you don't go there for jangri.. you go there for Vada and adai...
A nice experience having some snacks at Rayar mess. The food is delicious and service is fast. The place is quite old so you can go with that expectation.
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The food was tasty here. We tried idly, ghee podi, pongal, vada with thick chutney served on a banana leaf. No cutlery and bowls for sambar and Chutneys. You gotta manage the flowing sambar and experience everything mixed together with your hands. It's not like wow and melt in the mouth taste, but the food is simple, flavour full and served well. Tummy khush definitely ! Having had south Indian breakfasts at multiple places, I could feel the difference . Majority of the breakfast places of late add a lot of ghee and butter, be it pongal or idlis that makes them tasty obviously. But this wasn't the case here. You don't feel that heaviness throughout the day if you have breakfast here. While the industrial kitchens and modern cafes have their place, I hope these traditional mess that serve food with love continue to serve.
Regarding the place, it's pretty tiny.. probably can seat around 16 people at a time. 4 tables in a tiny room. The breakfast has only idly, vada, pongal till 10 AM. Few varieties of dosas and a sweet are available from 3 to 8 PM. You gotta remember what you eat and while exiting give the list to calculate the bill. UPI payment was available.
The place is difficult to locate if you are a first timer. They don't have a board on the main road. Google location gets you to the main road little away from the lane. Lookout for a tiny lane between Taj Biryanis and Ramu Electrical works. Enjoy the experience!
Excellent tasty food. Value for money. Good quality. But very small place. Lot of crowd. Many a time, you should stand and eat. But people don't mind because of the taste. Lovely...awesome....
Excellent breakfast spot. Need to be there early as only 16 ppl can sit in at a time. Can order via swiggy or zomato too. Staffs are friendly and caring. Must try their vadai, simply delicious.
P.S. if u r particular abt d environment than u better not go here. However, is a must try at least once!
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A highly hyped place in the social media arena, especially from the chennai makkal on many platforms..
Located on a narrow lane at the arindale colony, Mylapore, it is hard to notice it on one's own but the fame of it makes it easy to locate just by identifying it..
Had to wait for almost 30 mins as there were already 20 people ahead of me waiting there from 7 am and 20 people following me while I was waiting to dine-in 😂😂
Finally when my name was called, I entered right away and made my seat at the table.. though I was shut tired from travel, the ambience there made me rejuvenate..
Only 2 items were served in the morning which were idli and pongal, vada as an add-on. Dosas were served only at the evenings.
The pongal was authentic, ghee-ful but lite and the watery chutney they provided was complementing it every bit. Also the vada which was grit crispy and passed for a good snack.
Idli was as average as you could find on any typical tamilnadu tiffin center.. nothing much to brag about..
Getti chutney (thick 🥥 chutney) was the next best thing there, as it was charged separately, so to speak of its fame.
Compared to dine-in Parcels were fleeing away in swiggy and Zomato plus people coming directly to buy them as well..
Overall a classic experience in this decades old mess... The owners were so sweet and welcoming each and every customer with a smiling face, which reflected a bit in their filter dabara coffee as well..
Do check them
Seer 💛
Healthy and homely food. Great service. The owner is really friendly. Be prepared to wait for a few minutes outside before going in, because it's always crowded.
Morning:
Idly, Vadai and Pongal.
Vadai is one of the best in Chennai.
At a reasonable price. You'll reach heaven. Heaven is not a place where you'll get air conditioner and all. This place feels home. I don't understand why there's just 5 starts for service. I want to give 100 stars for service. The way they smile and serves like we are family. They also trust you completely with the money. So you only have to pay after enjoying the delicious food. They even say that " If you won't give money, it's fine because we all are one" 😶 that was heartwarming. This made the food tastes even better. The waiting for an hour or 2 is absolutely worth it
Classic veg breakfast to have in Chennai. The waiting time at 730 am was just 5 min. The breakfast on banana leaf moves like clockwork.... the pongal first, then the vadas, then the idli's. The thick chutney was worth it, as was the ghee. They offer spoons as well. Do try when you are at Chennai.
Awesome food. Go to the beach for sunrise and come to this place for breakfast.
Vadai , Pongal , Idly and Filter Coffee. 🔥
The best option is to opt for delivery. This place has only 16 seats for dine in , Reservation needs to be done and average waiting time for dine-in would be around 30 mins.
Get the parcel from here and go to the beach and enjoy your breakfast there.
Sambar tastes so good over here and goes by with Pongal and idly so well.
They have thick chutney, Ghee and podi which costs an extra 5-10rs per item.
This place is very budget friendly and it has been there for so many years. Try visiting this once.
An iconic restaurant operating out of a small space. Very limited seating facilities available. The quality of the food is exceptional and service is quick and friendly. Not suitable for disabled and wheelchair. Due to metro work parking is a challenge. A must visit place for some hot South Indian food. Try Pongal and Vada!
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