As the Margazhi music season settles into its familiar rhythm, sabha canteens across Chennai are doing far more than feeding concert-goers between kutcheris.
Dancer Nandini Jayakumar and her mother having a coffee at the Sattvaa canteen in Krishna Gana Sabha
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SRINATH M
This year, caterers are quietly raising the bar — pairing wedding-style ela sappadu and thanga thambala kalyana sappadu with ambitious dosa counters, themed lunches and filter coffee brewed from morning to night. The focus is on ease and efficiency: senior-friendly layouts, waiting lounges, valet parking and service calibrated to concert schedules. Predominantly no-onion and no-garlic, the food remains rooted in tradition, while the experience reflects a growing attention to comfort and consistency.
Where are you eating this year? Here are your options.
Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha, Mylapore
Stepping into their sixth year at this Sabha, Arusuvai Catering Services is back with their most popular offering: the thanga thambala kalyana sappadu. During the Music Season, the lunch menu focusses on the four southern States, highlighting the best of each through a thematic approach.
Steaming hot cups of filter coffee at the canteen of ‘Arusuvai Arasu’ at Sri Parthasarthy Swamy Sabha
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RAGU R
Soumya Ramesh of Arusuvai Catering Services says that apart from serving meals on gold-coloured brass plates, the team will this year also be using gold-coloured serving utensils and ladles. Even coffee and tea will be served in brass davara-tumblers.
With a mix of traditional and innovative dishes, the lunch menu features 24 items. “This year, we have created a small waiting lounge for seniors, where they can wait until a seat becomes available during lunchtime. We are also trying to prioritise seating for elders and have taken steps to manage the crowd efficiently by beginning lunch service from 11.30am onwards,” says Soumya. While lunch is served in pandhi style (seated in rows), breakfast and dinner follow a restaurant format, where orders are taken and food is served at the table.
The lunch spread at Parthasarathy Swami Sabha’s canteen for the season
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RAGU R
Arusuvai’s coffee deserves special mention. From 7am till late evening, the coffee master Parasuram tirelessly brews fresh decoction and boils milk at a precise temperature to create the perfect filter coffee. Evenings are marked by a spread of innovative dishes, traditional South Indian fare, North Indian items and an array of sweet dishes. Lunch is priced at ₹650. Parking is a major challenge at this sabha, and visitors are advised to plan accordingly.
Must Try: Payasams, lunch platter, sweets, filter coffee.
@Arusuvai Arasu Catering Services, till January 2. The meal is priced at ₹650. Breakfast: 7.30am. Lunch:11.30am to 3.30pm; snacks: 4pm to 6pm; Dinner: 6.30pm to 9.30pm. For enquiries, call 9841024446.
Mylapore Fine Arts
The lunch spread at Mylapore Fine Arts by ABC Catering
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RAGU R
Into their second year of running the sabha canteen, Adambakkam Balaji Catering (ABC Catering) is better equipped this time. S Saptharishi, along with his three brothers, who has been running the wedding catering service for the past two decades, has created a canteen space that can serve up to 75 people at a time. “First, we have created good flooring without multiple levels, making it senior-citizen friendly. We have also arranged valet parking,” says Saptharishi.
The canteen is abuzz with activity by 7.30am, with the coffee counter and breakfast service in full swing. By noon, the team is ready to serve wedding-style ela sappadu, priced at ₹600, which is available until 3pm. From 5pm onwards, the evening crowd gathers for tiffin items such as keera vada, bajji and bonda, along with over 30 varieties of dosa. “This year, we are focussing on offering 30 types of dosa, alongside staples such as adai with aviyal, idli and idiyappam. Our ammini kozhukattai, nombu adai and moru kali are popular,” says Srinivasa Narayanan of ABC Catering.
Interestingly, diners often ask for recipes, which are generously shared in detail. While the food is predominantly no-onion and no-garlic, customers who want Jain food can ask while purchasing coupons. In the evenings, the boli counter, offering seven varieties, is a crowd puller. For lunch, customers need to purchase a coupon and wait for their number to be called. Food can also be ordered through food aggregators such as Swiggy and Zomato.
Must Try: Vatha kolambu, Karnataka dosa varieties, Asoka halwa, paal payasam and moru kali and mani kozhukattai.
@ABC Catering Services, Mylapore Fine Arts Club, Mylapore. On till January 4. Meals priced at ₹600. Breakfast: 7am to 10am; Lunch: 12pm to 3pm; Snacks; 4.30pm to 6.30pm; Dinner: 7pm to 10pm. For enquiries, call 9841204614.
Sri Krishna Gana Sabha and Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha
Coffee at Krishna Gana Sabha
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SRINATH M
With 15 years of experience in the industry, RS Kumar, proprietor, Sattvaa Catering Services, offers a well-organised dining service this season. Since 2024, Kumar has been serving wedding-style meals on banana leaves at both Sri Krishna Gana Sabha and Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha.
“We avoid unnecessary fanfare and publicity, and instead focus on offering good food and service for rasikas. Lunch begins at noon and continues till 3pm. Evening snacks are served along with coffee. For dinner, we offer tiffin such as dosa varieties, idli, appam, idiyappam, kichadi, puri and chapathi. Coffee and tea are served throughout the day,” says Kumar.
Lunch in progress at the canteen of Sattvaa at Vani Mahal
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RAGU R
The emphasis here is clearly on service. The menu is synchronised with concert timings so that when rasikas step out of the auditorium, coffee is freshly brewed and food is kept piping hot. With a predominantly elderly audience attending the concerts, care is taken to keep the food low on spice and salt, and is prepared without garlic and onion.
A rotating menu ensures variety, with different types of payasam, thogayal, sambar and rasam offered each day. The menu remains the same at both venues, and the coffee and tea counters remain open throughout the day. Visitors are also encouraged to try the range of pickles and paruppu podi available for sale at the counters. The meal is priced at ₹400, and valet parking is available for visitors to the sabha canteen.
Must Try: Kalyana sappad, vada, methi puri, bajji, dates kesari and badam milk.
@Sattvaa Catering Services, Vani Mahal till January 15, while Krishna Gana Sabha runs till January 3. Lunch: Noon to 3pm; Snacks: 4.30pm to 6.30pm; Dinner: 7pm to 10pm. For enquiries, call 9003009700.
The Music Academy
A view of the Sastha Catering Service’s canteen at Music Academy.
Walnut halwa, chocolate burfi, 27 varieties of rasam, and 50 types of dosa. These are only some of Sastha Catering Service’s expansive Margazhi menu this season at The Music Academy.
In its third edition launched on December 15, Venkatesan Krishnan, who runs the show, says that they have been receiving a great response consistently despite the proliferation of several new sabha canteens. “I think it is because we keep the menu updated and fresh. We like to try new things while not deviating with the favourites,” he says.
Venkatesan, who has now begun updating reels of his own on social media, enticing sabha-goers with his coffee, snacks and lunch, says that they have kept the lunch prices at ₹550. “Nothing can outperform the kalyana sapad-style lunch at a sabha with its varieties. We have a new rasam every day that the canteen runs. We are also having new types of thogayal, pachidis, poriyals, and sweets. This is besides the regular snack and breakfast items including bajjis, vadas, adais and ammini kozhukattais,” he says.
He adds that they have a special walnut halwa on the menu this year. “ A customer from the US had brought a bag of walnuts about one month ago and wanted us to make a sweet out of it. We fashioned a halwa. It was great and had to be on the menu,” he says.
Must try: Get your hands on the lunch that has parupu podi, ghee, the usual suspects like sambar, rasam, poriyal and sweet, and a tiffin item. Also try the ammini kozhakattai, vazhaipoo vada, and adai.
@Sastha Catering Services Porur, TTK Road. The canteen is open from 7.30am to 9.30 pm till January 9. Lunch meals are priced at ₹550. For more details, call 9952919460.
Narada Gana Sabha
The spread at Narada Gana Sabha’s canteen this year
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Special Arrangement
G Vaithianathan and his brother G Ramachandran say that this is their first experience at running a sabha canteen. “We feel like it is our baby,” says Vaithianathan who runs Mailam Catering.
This catering service which has been in the wedding business for 23 years now was booked only two days before the season began because the usual caterer at the venue, Sri Saasthalaya catering services, skipped the season due to a dire health emergency.
“We got the call on December 11. We were up and running by the 13th,” he says, adding that while they are serving all the usuals — dosai, idli, and coffee for breakfast, and varieties of rice for lunch. “We are however increasing the number of dishes based on the footfall. Soon elaneer payasam, and our signature, paal payasam, will be served too,” he says.
Over the weekend, Asoka halwa was in the offing. “It is a long season. We are happy to see our menu evolving,” he says.
Must try: Elaneer payasam, paal payasam, and their dosa varieties.
@Mailam Catering, TTK Road. Mini meals are ₹250, between 12.30am and 3.30pm. Breakfast is from 7am to 11am, Snacks/ dinner from 4pm to 10.30pm. Dosa and coffee will be served through the day. Call 9841123972 for details. On till January 1.
