Awesome Mutton biryani and Prawn.. Okayish Kari dosai... Small mess, you will not get comfortable seat.. definitely not a place for people who look for ambience..
Raahul Gandhi Prashanth
+4
Authenticity is the uniqueness about the food and the preparation.
Food priced the best.
Bought briyani, kari dosa , prawn fry and keema.
Everything and the gravy is really tasty.
Military hotel (formerly known as Kattayan mess), a place situated in the jam-packed streets right in the heart of the city. DO NOT EXPECT TO HAVE A GREAT AMBIENCE inside right from the word GO. Consider having the meal inside a kitchen and let the food do the talking.
Mutton Pulav – Unlike Biryanis, this one had mild spice without any frills. The succulent meat was simple yet along with their Salna, it was a stupefying combo.
Mutton Dosa – This Kari dosa was worth visiting the place; the meat was all around the place; all the flavours were perfect with the gravy.
Brain fry – First time getting my hands on a brain. It was buttery, smooth and almost tasted like a modified version of the egg gravy.
P.S.: Not to expect a good parking spot, it’s all our luck. Price wise this place is fine, and I’d call it a place for a unique experience.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
One of the finest Military Hotel Mess in the city . The ambience is totally enjoyable as it is what a Mess should be. Small, congested but yet a wonderful experience. As only Non veg is available, its purely only for Non veg lovers. Tried the Curry Dosa , Natakoli Chicken Fry , Mulai (Brain) Masala and Sada Dosa. Oh my word, it was beyond amazing. They are even known for the BRIYANI and Khushka too. The Curry Dosa was filled with egg and mutton. Natakoli Chicken Fry was delicious and spicy . Brain Masala was lip snacking . Briyani looked absolutely delicious. They even serve lots and lots of varieites in Egg too like the Egg dosa, Masala Omlet, mutton Omlet , half Fry and many more. This place is a must try and don't worry about the ambience. Just enjoy the food :)
#chennai #TamilNaduDiaries #travel #ChillScenes #militaryhotel #Food #foodporn #foodjournal #foodie #Foodgram #foodiesofIndia #foodiesofinstagram #foodgasm #foodgoals #travelblogger #travelphotography #Food #foodporn #foodjournal #foodjunkie #foodie #Foodgram #foodiesofIndia
Each and every item are at its best in taste but briyani will taste like pulao it won't taste like typical South Indian briyani and the cost of every dishes are pity much costly.
Have been a regular take away person from this restaurant for over a decade. They have the spiciest biryani and salna in the whole of chennai. The best part of eating here is their salna. It's beyond comparison. Chicken and prawn fry are always consistent and tasty as hell . The place is cramped and too shabby to eat right there. But for this type of food you can try adjusting for a bit. Check out Chennai Budget Foodie on Instagram for more updates.
Also known as kattayan mess
As it is a small shop best option is takeaway
One authentic military hotel
5 stars arent enough for their traditional taste
Must try in their menu is kari dosa and their starters
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
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 are in Chennai.
Best place for authentic food serving for several years.
Take away would be best option as only 5or6 can sit.
Mutton pulav _160rs
Mutton chukka - 130rs
Kari dosa- 140rs
Mutton kushka- 90rs
Mutton paya- 130rs
With kurma and gravy both totally different taste
Worthy place ☺️☺️☺️👍👍👍👌👌👌
biriyani decent when tasted hot
prawn chukka too good
mutton vadai with kurma tasted good
very little space to dine in hardly 6 seats
place bit unkempt
take away available
I went with my brother, the taste was good. All the food has the chettinadu kinda flavor. I would say this is one of the best eatery who serves the authentic chettinadu foods with care. The best part was, the moment we've ordered two mutton omelette, the server asked us to buy one and he said one will suffice u both. Usually no other eatery use to say like this. They are not money minded and they don't wants us to waste the food.
My fav was mutton chukka and briyani. I never tasted this kinda mutton chukka before. The taste of the briyani was very suttle and lite. There are only 6 stools and they don't have the ample place to serve. I would recommend for the take away. Happy eating :-)
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
I always wanted to pen down the review for this LEGENDARY PLACE ,104 YEARS and still going successfully!!
Located in park town ,rasappa chetty Street, with literally no parking space in week days!!
It's a small outlet where they have seating for about 7 people,,they cook in front of us in the firewood!! If you are looking for a ambience you will get disappoint!!
Quite cramped place that too when they are cooking in the same place just think of it,,it will be literally like a hot oven inside!!
And I would truly recommend to go on weekend days so that you can park your vehicle and have it or just take away!!
My favourite is their KARI DOSA,BEST ONE I EVER HAD!! Kari dosai is loaded with mutton piece blended with chettinad masalas and egg ,,yet pillowy soft inside,,best in chennai!!
There briyani taste quite unique taste,, and they give the history that this the original one from which the briyani has evolved,, and they call it as mutton pulov!! If you are going to look for briyani of this era then you will disappointed!!
The prawn fry was delicious with hand ground masalas!!
Finishing touch they provide you is kamarkattu,ofcoarse nostalgic on taking every bite!!
Photos will be updated once I get to go again.
Happy eating:)
Super hotel taste awesome but ambience is worst they need to improve take away is the best option even director shankar came to this hotel but should try Martin biriyani prawn fry and dosa with salana. Is awesome and mind blowing with the spicy food should everyone try. The traditional masala of tamilnadu is shown here in every food.
Superb Taste & Good Quality serving it for more then 100 years.
Different Environment where we can get Spicy & Tasty food.
Service - 9/10
Taste -10/10
Its Totally different environment for good Taste & quality.They are serving better & withstanding more then 100 years only for their better Taste
Visited this place for a dinner. Mutton curry dosa is spicy and it's heaven. Mutton briyani was average. Naatu koli curry was too good. Hope they should work something into the ambience to attract more customers.
Fact that it’s a 105 year old hotel, made me visit and experience Tanjavur military hotel.
As soon we reached the place, was in double mind whether to try out or not. The ambience and condition of the hotel will be a disguise for the tasty food they offer.
Took risk of venturing inside and the food justified the risk.
Hot tasty and homely food, cooked in front of you and served directly on the plate from the hot stove. They use coal for cooking and this gives an additional aroma and flavour to food.
We reached late at 2 pm and was left out with Nattu kozhi biriyani, prawn fry, mutton omelet and the three different gravy they offered.
It’s costly to a certain extent when the ambience is very bad, they can seat 7 people at a time and others have to wait for their turn.
Also they advised to come as early as 10 am to experience all the items listed in menu.
Do note that they serve biriyani from 8am!
Must try for food lovers.... this place will give a vintage experience despite poor ambience!
Aravind Kumar Pabbisetty
+4
This place dishes out one of the best kari dosa's I have had in my life. The spices used for cooking are ground by hand and cooked in firewood. A cousin of mine took me here and made me an addict, I took another friend later who has visited thrice after us :)
This is on my todo list again with multiple group of friends.
This place has seating for 7 people inside a small shed which is also the kitchen, cant imagine being here on a summer afternoon.
Ambience - 3/5
Quality of Food - 4.5/5
Service - 4.5/5
Value for Money - 4.5/5
Cost - 200/Person
Service Charge - N/A
GST - Are you kidding
Siva Sundar V
Greater in taste! Very different experience! After food you will be provided with very different old style chocolates! Don't miss to taste Kari Dosa 😍
One can't find best briyani anywhere. Usually it's unusual that anyone eats briyani for breakfast. But that is only till you visit this place. They provide one of a kind Mutton Briyani. It's very delicious and authentic. Also the Kari dosa they provide here is tasty. But the ambience is the thing which many won't like. Everyone should try this once.
Went to this Shop on suggestion of a friend!
This 105 year old hotel is the smallest dining area you would ever see,but that doesn't matter when the food gives you an high.
Ordered fish fry,mutton biryani and Kari dosa.All were good on taste,but Kari dosa will make you go there again n again.! Biryani is best when served hot.
Best mutton you will taste in chennai, smooth n juicy
This place is strictly for people who don't mind ambience and purely in hunger for Tasty non veg food! +5 for food & service, -0.5 for ambience !
And a spl mention for the final surprise,Kamarakattu and Orange muttai😍
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
One of my colleagues suggested that this place serves authentic and traditional Biryani. On a Sunday morning my friend and I traveled around 8 kms to reach this place just to have food. We ordered Mutton Biryani, Prawn fry, Mutton Dosa and omlette.
Mutton Biryani was well cooked with soft and tender pieces of mutton. It was piping hot and spicy. It was topped with kurma which made the taste even better. The quantity was pretty less but the taste compensates it.
Prawn Fry was the highlight of all the dishes we ordered. It had juicy medium sized prawns with spicy Masala. A slight sweet taste enhanced the taste even more. This is a must try dish here.
Mutton Dosa was extremely spicy topped with Mutton pieces. The toppings were actually more than the dosa itself. It was crispy on the top and soft on the inside. The spicy kurma made the perfect combination. Omlette here is like the kalaki that we have in other hotels. Nothing great about it.
Overall it costed 600 for two of us. It was worth the price just for the taste. Don't expect any ambience and stuff here. We need not burn out the calories in the gym as you would sweat it all out when you have the food. It's a must try for all foodies out there.
Very spicy. Taste is good. Side dishes are tasty but I feel spicy in all dishes. It's a small place and can accommodate 5-7 people at a time. For the quantity they serve price is bit higher but quality is good.
The original flavour of Tamil Nadu. The place is a bit conjusted but the food over here is mouth watering. The Mutton biriyani, Mutton kari dosa, kidney fry are the best. Visit the place with friends n fill up your tummies ❤️👌
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Food :
I had Mutton Kuska with Naatukozhi & Kari Dosai.
First this place's biriyani is totally different from any restaraunt or mess you have ever tasted. You might even think, this is not biriyani at all and they are cheating. Just have a word with the owner at the cashier's table and he'll explain their authentic and traditional way of cooking biriyani for years together.
Pros - You won't feel heavy after having their Biriyani as in other restaraunts and the mutton pieces are so tender. And they serve in dried plantain leaves and not in plates which gives you an earthy, satisfied feel. Easily the best biriyani ever.
Cons - Quantity and pricing.
Kari Dosai - Not very great. But worth giving it a try. Allow it to get soaked in their serva/ kuruma and then have it.
Ambience
Pros - Live Kitchen. Very traditional, simple way of serving that might / might not work for everybody. (Dried leaves, copper cups and take a look at their mints box at the cashier table)
Cons - Very cramped space. Cannot hold more than 8-10 people at a time. And be there by 7:30 in the evening, since they have a religious customer base and if you end up going late you won't be able to taste the dish you want.
Very small hotel. The taste was really good. We had kari dosai, mutta dosai, kalaki, prawn fry and chicken biryani. Prawn fry was ultimate!!! Other dishes were also good. One biryani alone won't be sufficient!
The only mistake we made was going late... We went by 1:30 in the afternoon so many dishes (especially mutton biryani)were not available. Atleast once foodies should try this place!
I would personally rate this for 4.5 with respect to foods tat we taste in high fi hotels. It's pretty much traditional one and healthy which we might have tasted and loved a decade back.
This rating is only for their food taste, quality. Ambience it's like very small place dine in is very tuff but we can order the food from car they will serve the food. Actually speaking their briyani or kuska won't impress us very much becoz lots briyani places in Chennai fixed the taste of briyani in our mind but their taste is unique very authentic even traditional way of making and mutton PCs are really very good, tender,tastier, they are buying in regular basis damn sure no restaurants maintaining the quality. This place highly suggested for MUTTON LOVERS. Not only in briyani, mutton chukka, manneral fry, nattukozhi fry, prawn Curry all sides are ultimate. Accompanished with kuska rice well. Spicy tasty juicy prawn and chicken. But I won't suggest this place for kalaki is quite disappointing but still traditional taste of kalaki would try.
Awesome dosai items...the special is mutton items and dosai items....dosai is very soft and spicy with gravy....timing is from morning 8 to 3 and evening 7 to 10
It is a very tinyyy shop tucked away in rasappa chetty street next to Mint street in Chennai. It is as busy as it gets and the food can be over in just few hours of opening. It is a very old place that's known for their Kari Dosa and mutton dishes. We loved the way the food tasted. A must try if u want some authentic food.
I randomly went to this place while I was window shopping.i ordered the mutton pulao(biriyani)which was very good in different taste and the Kari dosa was also good it is one of the best places in Chennai to eat Kari dosa
Having maintained the heritage ... A good place to try authentic South style spicy non vegetarian dishes....a special mention for mutton pulao
The mutton pulao awesome,the taste was too good literally tears my eyes ,and a great fan of their kari dosai
It was perfect in taste.The gravys they given was authentic dame it was too good.nattu koli fry was great .But the price was bit high other than that it is worth eating hotel don't miss it.
Lip smacking food!
Biryani was just okay. Country chicken fry was just out of d world!! Mutton chukka avg. Fish fry was great as well. Egg dosa n gravy were decent.
Ambience was really poor but food made up to it. Service was good since it was past lunch time.
If you want to have the best mutton dosai, this should be your choice! Try out Mutton dosai, mutton omelette, mutton kaima. Only six people can sit and eat at a time so you need to wait for a while.
This is an very old and famous restaurant. Famous dishes are mutton curry dosa, mutton pulav, mutton omlette and prawn thokku. Tried all these and I especially loved mutton pulav and prawn thokku.
Good taste.... Authentic taste and prepration.. prawns are like perfect home made style and taste ...No ajinamoto no extra oil... No extra curry, salt and chilli... Everything is fine and correct proportion of ingredients... It's good place for eating with friends and alone... For family we need to take out parcel..
What can you expect from a place where only 6 people can sit max where coal thava is burning close.........
Served on a banana leaf is a delicious food!!!!!!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍
Must try is kari thosa!!! Words cant describe how watery i got!!
Nattu kozhi fry and keema tastes the best...
Briyani was super hot even at 9.30pm!! You won't be expecting a humble place serves such delicious food!
![4]( "Recensione")
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 20th century.
Best morning briyani or pulav u get it here in such heritage & reputed food joint. 100Yrs+... Max 5 seated place, u ll get the best mutton dosai here.. that briyani andaa & viraku aduppu, will add more flavour the foods
![4]( "Recensione")
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 are in Chennai.
Must try place if you're around Central railway station in Chennai. Tried almost all of their dishes. And each and everything was brilliant. In case of little appetite, go for mutton dishes (mutton brain was out of the world!)
Cibichakravarthy Palanisamy
+4
A place that highly satisfies your taste buds at a reasonable cost that too in a classic cooking style. Only con is space availability and has a very limited seating capacity. Also not preferable to take families for dine in.
Best shop for an authentic Mutton briyani , especially the dosas are smooth to have , small seating area but the food is really worth for money,
shop starts from 8am itself.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes