If you think Chennai is only about dosas and idlis, then you have probably not visited Mint Street in Sowcarpet yet. A prime street in the busy locality of Georgetown, Mint Street has evolved to become a street food hub with cuisines from all over India being present there. From street food like pav bhaaji and pani puri to some interesting finds, here are some of the best street food dishes to try out in Mint Street.
Aloo Tikki To Cheese Vada Pav: Head To This Lane For Authentic Street Food
Mehta Brothers
You need to start with the cheese-mayo vada pav at Mehta Brothers, a tiny stall on Mint Street. These delicious vada pavs taste like its straight out of Mumbai and cost about INR 40. The Mehta Brothers aren’t stingy about the cheese —they load it up in the vada pav along with mayonnaise. If you want to spice it up a bit (we suggest you do), then go ahead and ask for the green chillies to compliment your vada. They also have different kinds of vada pavs, kachoris, and sweets.
Novelty Tea House
Established as a tea cart in 1958, Novelty Tea house is now a chain operating from different parts of Chennai. We tried their famous pav bhaaji, and it was absolutely delish! This is one of the best dishes to try on the street. Although they have an extensive menu, we suggest you to just try the pav bhaji to keep some space for other items in the food walk. However, it is a bit on the expensive side at about INR 130, but hey, you get to sit inside a half-a-century-year-old air-conditioned shop with great service!
Kakada Ramprasad
This place is definitely the star attraction of the entire street! Kakada Ramprasad is a spacious, well-lit outlet which is quite famous among Chennaiites. They have an extensive menu with amazing chaat, but we had the best aloo tikki experience ever and were awestruck with their special badam milk. The aloo tikki was perfectly fried and had the right amount of chutney and toppings, and the badam milk was loaded with chunks of almonds. They have samosas, kachoris and pav bhaji too. A plate of for aloo tikki costs about INR 100.
Anmol Lassi
No Mint Street jaunt is complete without Anmol Lassi. The owner, Dinesh Soni, a wrestler-turned-lassiwalla, is quite popular in the area. His kesar lassi and buttermilk are one of the best we have had and is just the drink you need for the crazy heat of the city! Priced at about INR 80, the kesar lassi is refreshing and perfect for hot days. The generous quantity of the lassis gets a thumbs up from us too.
Maya Chaat
This small outlet, which lies 200 metres off Mint Street, is a little bit of Jodhpur in Chennai. Jodhpur is quite famous for its onion kachoris and mirchi vada, and we found just that at Maya Chaat! They also have other savouries. Priced at about INR 20, the onion kachoris are as authentic as they come by.