Chennai Garden is my favorite South Indian place in the vicinity. I don’t go to Saravanaa anymore - the sambhar is spicy, oily, and sour - and the service matches. I went for lunch with a friend 20 mins before closing one day, and they told me they were closed - when I pointed at the time and the sign, the manager came out, looked at the sign, and shrugged. Ok then, no need to ever go back.
The other place to try is Anand Adyar Bhavan on 58/1st. The food is excellent, but the service is atrocious - at par or worse than Saravanaa. I was there for lunch with a group this week, the food came out completely randomly over an hour. But… masala dosa was crisp, sambhar balanced, idlis fluffy, meduvada fresh, and chhole bhatura spot on.
Anjappar in little India is excellent for chettinad chicken and meat, if you aren’t vegetarian.
