By 4.30pm, Mannady begins to shift gears. A narrow stretch of the North Chennai locality gathers momentum as popular restaurants set up temporary snack counters outside their premises. Massive cast-iron kadais sit over roaring flames, oil shimmering and ready, as batches of mutton and chicken samosas, chicken cutlets and pakoras and various other non-vegetarian snacks are slipped in and lifted out in quick, practised motions.
The air turns thick with the aroma of non-vegetarian snacks. As far as the eye can see, there are trays piled high with iftar snacks, desserts, rose milk and colourful sherbats, glistening under tube lights. The stretch of uninterrupted iftar indulgence continues well after 8pm.
At Mannady Street one is spoilt for choice
| Photo Credit:
B. Jothi Ramalingam
“In this neighbourhood, iftar snacks were earlier sold just outside the mosque — mostly bajji, maasi vada, masal vada and chicken 65,” says Mohammed Mustansir, proprietor, Hatimys. “About a decade ago, we pioneered the concept of special non-vegetarian snack counters outside our restaurant exclusively for iftar. Since then, the culture has picked up,” he adds. Today, his spread features nearly 30 varieties of snacks. This Ramzan, the new additions include Irani malai chicken, mutton China cheese kebab, mutton and beef seekh in malai sauce, and a chicken tahini roll — all of which are crowd-pullers. “Since 2021, we’ve been seeing a surge in people thronging this area specifically to taste iftar snacks. Social media has played a big role. And with easy access through the metro, more people from across the city are coming here just for the experience,” he says.
By sunset, Mannady is no longer just a trading hub — it becomes a destination. At Firdous Sweets and Snacks, Mohamed Sadiq is busy assembling an assortment of savouries for a customer who prefers takeaway. Boxes are swiftly packed with chicken cutlets, samosas, crab lollipop and their popular candy chicken, a local favourite that disappears almost as quickly as it is fried. The counter barely gets a pause.
A few doors away, the makeshift stall outside Chettinese Fast Food draws a steady crowd. Here, chicken lollipop and crisp chicken are bestsellers, lifted straight from bubbling oil and placed on paper plates. Nearby vendors line the pavement with steel containers of colourful sherbets and neat stacks of masal vada and paruppu vada, adding to a sense of festive excess.
Those who throng these eateries rarely leave without something sweet to wash it down. Tall tumblers of chilled rose milk, silky caramel puddings and creamy custards are popular choices. And at Hatimys, the mango coconut pudding and custard cake has become a must-have for its tropical sweetness offering the perfect finish to a spice-laden iftar spread. In Mannady, iftar is not a solitary ritual. It is a street-wide affair.
All snacks are priced between ₹40 and ₹120.
Communal harmony
At the historic Wallajah Mosque, or the Big Mosque as it is popularly known, the spirit of Ramzan unfolds in its most generous form. As the call to prayer approaches for iftar, thousands of people sit in rows, shoulder to shoulder on long sheets laid across the courtyard, ready to break their fast.
Four decades of tradition of unity and respect started by Dada Ratanchand.
| Photo Credit:
B. Jothi Ramalingam
What makes this meal special is not only the scale but the hands that help prepare it. About 70 Hindu volunteers of the Sufi Dar’s Trust in Mylapore prepare food in their central kitchen and transport it to the mosque by 4pm, and distribute the iftar eatables.
Sufidar Trust volunteers serving iftar meals to worshippers at Walajah Big Mosque.
| Photo Credit:
JOTHI RAMALINGAM B
Puj Dada Ratanchand Ji Sufi saint and founder of Sufi Dar, Mylapore, initiated this tradition over 40 years ago, and the trust has been doing this since , says his grandson Manish Hathiramani. Govind Bharwani one of the volunteers of the trust says “We distribute rosemilk, banana, biscuits, dates, snacks, sweets, water and one variety rice, all through the Ramzan fasting days to over 1,200 people,” he says. When the azaan echoes, the fast is broken together. Faith may differ, but food is shared.
A grand Ramzan bazaar
If Mannady is intimate and Triplicane is steeped in tradition, then Noor-e-Ramzan is poised to be a full-blown celebration at the YMCA Grounds. Organised by Zaheer Basha, proprietor, Bombay Food Court, the event, which is being held for the first time, will transform the open grounds into a culinary map of India. Chefs from Kashmir, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Madurai are setting up stalls to showcase their regional Ramzan fare, bringing together flavours rarely found in one place.
Cooks from Kashmir present wazwan at Noor E Ramzan
| Photo Credit:
R. Ravindran
“We are bringing in 10 chefs from Kashmir to showcase their wazwan dishes. From Hyderabad, we will have haleem and zafrani biryani. The Delhi counter will focus exclusively on mohabbat ka sherbat — a drink made with milk, rose syrup, watermelon chunks and sugar. Mumbai’s stall will serve iftar snacks like candy chicken, kebabs and rolls, while the Madurai chefs will spotlight parotta and chicken curry,” says Zaheer. Beyond Indian regional cuisines, there is also an international counter where visitors can savour Dubai shawarma cake and kunafa, Italian lasagna, Turkish ice cream, a range of Lebanese desserts and Kashmiri pink tea.
Chefs from Delhi present Mohabbat ka Sherbat at one of the counters.
| Photo Credit:
R. Ravindran
The festival extends beyond food. Stalls selling décor, leather goods, textiles and fashion accessories aim to recreate the atmosphere of a festive Ramzan bazaar.
Noor-e-Ramzan will be held at YMCA Grounds Royapettah, from March 5 to 19, between 3pm and 11pm.
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Published – March 05, 2026 02:42 pm IST