Historically, Periamet, has long served as a gateway to the city for travellers, traders, and businessmen.
Also known as Periyampet or Periyamedu, this is one of Chennai’s oldest neighbourhoods. The streets bustle with century-old lodges, mansions, hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, and countless tea stalls open at all hours of the day and night.
Join us as we embark on a food trail down Poonamallee High Road bordering one side of Periamet, and along Raja Muthiah Road, till you turn off into Vepery High Road in search of the neigbourhood’s best meals.
Breakfast of champions
A view of National Durbar Restaurant, near Rippon building, at Periamet, Poonamallee High Road, in Chennai. Photo Ravindran R/ The Hindu.
| Photo Credit:
Ravindran_R
I get off the Central Metro and walk down the well-laid pedestrian pathway outside of the Greater Chennai Corporation’s nerve centre, the iconic white Ripon Buildings. At National Durbar Restaurant, founded in 1955, I ask the waiter for his favourite breakfast dish. He says, “There’s nothing to beat parotta-chicken curry. It will carry you through till lunch time.” The meal includes two medium sized parottas and a quarter portion of chicken curry with two succulent pieces. Good for two, with tea, all for ₹192. National Durbar Restaurant is famously known for their special falooda, but I feel it is too much to indulge for breakfast. Readers may want to try that at around 11am.
A view of the National Durbar Restaurant in Chennai.
Photo: S.R. Raghunathan
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RAGHUNATHAN SR
Biryani on a budget
I work up an appetite by walking around the area to take in the landmarks, and I suggest you do the same: Strolling is character-building. The area has after all, housed some of the city’s most prized structures. The Victoria Public Hall adjacent to Ripon Buildings stands tall and stately in red brick. Central Station buzzes with activity. Further down the road is Anna City Armoury which sells guns and ammunition. To keep company with this, is a whole row of shops selling uniforms, caps, belts, shoes and other accessories for security personnel.
A view of Hotel Khaja, at Periamet, in Chennai. Photo Ravindran R/ The Hindu.
| Photo Credit:
Ravindran_R
CHENNAI, TAMILNADU, 15.09.2026 : Food displayed at Hotel Khaja, at Periamet, in Chennai. Photo Ravindran R/ The Hindu.
| Photo Credit:
Ravindran_R
I make my way to Hotel Khaja to meet the owner, P Rafeeq Ahmed. “Periamet has not been the same after the Covid period. Almost 80% of the leather businesses have closed. Many leather manufacturers and tanneries are now only running showrooms. The locality has now become a place for bachelors who stay in rented rooms. Fortunately, biryani has become a staple diet for many and in quite a few restaurants, the catering happens from lunch till late into the night.”
Food displayed at Hotel Khaja, at Periamet, in Chennai. Photo Ravindran R/ The Hindu.
| Photo Credit:
Ravindran_R
Set up in 2000 on the Poonamalle High Road side of Periamet, Rafeeq sensed that opening another location closer to the Masjid and the Nehru Stadium made good business sense. “So, in 2004, we opened this location on Vepery High Road. Our speciality is Vaniyambadi biryani, besides several other dishes.”
The ‘several other’ seems intriguing and I ask Rafeeq to surprise me with his favourite dish and what appears is a triangular piece of flaky parotta stuffed with mutton kheema — a meal by itself.
Bun-butter-Buhari
A tea seller seen pouring tea in a glass at a roadside shop
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY RV
I stroll down Vepery High Road, past the imposing, green-walled Periamet Masjid, past scores of leather goods showrooms. Most of them sell shoes, bags, and other leather accessories, mostly made for exports. Along Raja Muthiah Road are snack outlets like Tantea Elite Cafe and Sri Krishna Vilas Tiffin Centre.
Unable to resist, I walk into Buhari Hotel for its trademark mutton samosas and tea. I am disappointed to learn that due to the commercial cooking gas shortage, they have suspended making samosas. “Instead, our special bun-butter-jam, another Buhari staple, along with our trademark tea is best recommended,” says the manager. The soft fluffy bun, specially made for Buharis, is split into halves and heavily layered with Amul butter. This is topped with a huge dollop of mixed fruit jam which again is specially made for Buharis. Wash this down with the tea and the process is complete.
. Wash this down with the tea and the process is complete.
A seeraga samba dinner
The exhausted traveller has three exciting options for dinner — Selvi Mess’ seeraga samba mutton biryani, Hotel Khaja’s Vaniyambadi biryani or Periamet Nayeem Biryani’s Vaniyambadi chicken and mutton special biryani.
When I come across Selvi Mess, prominently located on Poonamalle High Road, I meet R Manoj, the owner. “Selvi Mess has existed in Periamet since 1983. From an interior street, we have relocated to Poonamallee High Road in Periamet, to cater to a larger customer base. While we are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, people come here for our speciality seeraga samba mutton biryani,” he says, adding that it is the short-grain rice from Tamil Nadu that gives the biryani its special flavour.
Considering the affordable price point (starting from ₹160 for chicken and ₹250 for mutton), many workers in the area flock to the restaurants including the likes of Selvi, and H Akbar Mess for a hearty meal.
Other popular eateries including Liza Restaurant, Abi’s Hotel Selvi, Hotel Pearl International, Adhava Park Inn, Golden Cafe, Viraasat, Lazeez Kitchen and Kauvery Hotel, Murugan Idli Shop, Sri Chendur Bhavan, Viraasat, Hotel Royal Durbar, and Sri Krishna Vilas Tiffin Centre attract their own loyal patrons too.
The Periamet of today is a wonderful amalgamation of old-world charm, traditional cuisine and fast food. KFC and Murugan Idli Shop stand cheek by jowl with H Akbar Mess and Buhari Hotel. It is a neighbourhood where Chennai’s rich multicultural character continues to thrive amid the bustle of everyday life. Imran Hussain who works in a shipping firm in Periamet is a regular visitor to several restaurants. His favourite place? “Clearly Delhi Muradabadi Chicken Biriyani. The rice is white. The taste is light with mild flavours and it is cooked in yakhni-style with whole spices and served with red chutney and onions. The price ranges from Rs 100 to Rs 180, depending on the portion.”
The name game
Historian V Sriram, in his article published in The Hindu on May 29, 2015, wrote about a Pereira Street off Waltax Road near Central Station. Sriram informs me that a John Pereira did own lands nearby and the area was known as Jambura Thottam, colloquially referred to as Jamla Thottam. John Pereira was a Portuguese merchant who traded with the East India Company in the 1600s. It is possible that the name Periamet derived from Pereira, although there is no authenticity to that fact.
Stay in a lodge for a night
There are several streets and lanes that run perpendicular to Raja Muthiah Road and Vepery High Road which are home to lodges and mansions of all sizes, offering reasonable and hygienic rooms for the travel weary businessmen.
At Chennai Palace, an AC double room costs ₹2,200 and a single room ₹1,550, while Hotel Geethalaya Lodge offers non-AC single and double rooms at ₹995.
These establishments have traditionally served traders and small business owners from towns across Tamil Nadu who visit Chennai to procure goods. Community-based accommodations such as Virudhunagar Nadar Mansion (where an an AC double room costs ₹1,500 and a single room ₹1,200), Sivakasi Nadar Mansion and M Chakkarai Chettiar Lodging House continue this long-standing tradition. These are frequented by traders from the respective communities travelling to Chennai to do their business.
