Dosa Stuffed With Lemon Rice? This Iconic Stall, Off Commercial Street, Has Been Doing It Since 1975

This dosa shop on Jeweller’s street {off Commercial Street} has been serving up some interesting dosa options like Semiya Dosa and their iconic Chitranna Dosa to loyal customers, since 1975.

With the distinct smell of his special home made butter wafting through the air, it’s easy to recognise Naveen Kumar’s dosa shop that comes right after the Balaji Auto Store on Jeweller’s street. Running the place along with his brother and father, Naveen’s nameless dosa stall is a literal hole in the wall, that comes to life daily at 4 pm and stays open till about 8 pm. And in those four hours, these guys serve up around 400 to 500 dosas to their loyal and ever growing customer base. This nondescript dosa shop has been around since the 70s and packs in quite the crowd to this day, serving around 200 people everyday. Serving up crowd favourites like semiya dosa and masala dosa, this place is a Commercial Street hotspot.

This place is perhaps the most famous and known for its iconic Chitranna dosa — dosa stuffed with lemon rice. The hot lemon rice pairs very well with the light and fluffy dosa,  and we approve of this uncoventional combination very much.  Though not on their menu, on their menu, the Chitranna dosa remians a crowd favourite and costs an easy INR 40. So, go ahead and ask for one. And tell them we sent you.

Armed with three tavas on a flame that are simultaneously attended to, and a big plate of his home made butter right by his side, Naveen takes on the crowd of hungry customers. Serving the complete order of one person before he moves on to the next, Naveen honestly tells you beforehand that he will take at least 15 minutes before he can serve you. Served with two types of chutneys, on a leaf, they have a limited menu with around five kinds of dosas at prices starting at a mere INR 20.  You can also get an additional dollop of that special butter for an extra INR 10, although his first serving is generous enough. They also give you a literal tile you can use as a makeshift plate so your hands don’t catch the heat while you happily munch on this South Indian classic.

This place might be hard to spot, but you should be able to find it on the intersection between Veera Pillai Street and Jeweller’s lane off of Commercial Street. You will find it right after a hardware shop called Balaji Auto Store.