Always been a fan of their Sambar and tiffin items. Highly recommended for tourists and everyone to visit this restaurant if you are in Chennai 😍. It’s a treat for your tongue and stomach to relish delicious South India Vegetarian food. Tiffin items available during lunch time too 👍🏽. Curd Vadai, Barotta Kuruma and Idly Sambar - outstanding 5/5 yummy food 👌🏽. Service: 5/5 friendly server, he gave us extra sides and treated us well ☺️. #IndiaTrip #Chennai #VegDelight #Lunch

I'm having and going this Place since 1990 to this iconic resutrant and it's not just a hotel is a Landmark in Chennai. The Idly they are making since the inception is still the same and rekindles your taste and takes down to your memories lane, it's a nostalgic feelings everytime I visit Ratna Cafe. I usually visit this place to relive my memories and refresh my experiences. The idly and sambar is absolutely mesmerizing to taste you to eternal. My childhood memories always get refreshed when I visit this iconic place. They offers high quality, vegetarian South Indian food. Founded in 1948, Ratna Café is a renowned family business in Chennai, famous for its Idli, Sambar, and award winning Special South India Filter Coffee, to name a few.

The taste is very good and its crowdy place. Needs to be more organized.

The Sambar was overated but it stands for that word. The taste was very good. Must try veg tiffin spot. Bucket list done ✅

One of the very old and famous vegetarian hotel located in triplicane. It's very famous for their sambar. The old style ambience and food taste was above average. You can drink Litres and litres of sambar for single idly.

One of the most authentic South Indian delicacies place in Chennai... Service was too good..coffee is a bet to try with idly...idli just melts in mouth... A must must visit if you are visiting Chennai..

In Love with the Place. I stayed in Chennai for 3 days, out of which I visited 2 diff branches of Ratna Cafe on 2 days and none of them failed to impress me. Stating from the taste of sambar, quality of food, ambience - everything is great. This joint has the best best SAMBAR Chennai can offer you. Must Visit ! Parking is a lil bit problem near both their branches I visited. I tried their snacks also which are very good. Finally a Good One to remember for life time !!

Located in the heart of Chennai, Ratna cafe is good choice for veg people. Two wheeler parking is available. For wheelers - better park at beach side and take auto. Food is traditional and taste is ok. They will serve a lot of Sambhar. In my view, it is better to in morning since Sambhar is fresh. I somehow get acidity if I have Sambhar in evening - may be it is not fresh and people keep it heating.

After an exhaustive game of badminton at night thought I would sleep like a baby , So had my dinner and immediately I went to sleep but no God had other plans and I was not able to fall asleep after hours of scrolling Twitter, when I saw the time it was already 5 AM , so I decided to hit the road for some fresh air , then changed the plan to go to beach , so had bath and left home. Besant Nagar beach was awesome and then my stomach started to make weird noises, so I decided to fulfill my long awaited wish to have a nice authentic Pongal , and the first place I thought is this joint "Ratna cafe". Reached there ordered myself a Pongal initially, it was Sunday morning so there was some quite a rush , the dish came and from the pictures you can see the quantity is quite less for the price ₹.70, along with it a medhu Vada is must so I ordered it too. The waiter told "medu Vada will take time by then have your Pongal", me thinking this will be some kind of business tactics where by the time the Vada comes the Pongal will get over and we might order again, so I politely told him I'll wait no matter what , an then the vada came. I took a bite and god, it was so delicious ✨ ❤️. Next up I ordered masala dosa and I swear after a long time I had the best dosa and their chutney was too good. Finally to finish off , I had a nice filter coffee ☕. Overall the price is bit over but the taste makes it feels like worthy. Great option for occasionally dining.

I don’t know why people give five star rating for this place. There’s no such wow factor for any of the food items that I ordered. Customer service is not good (people next to us waited for so long to get a normal idli while we got this idli sambar within seconds which really pissed them off).The cafe is not at all maintained.

Taste wise good but I can't believe that they charged me 75 for one set of tea and vada 🤷🏻‍♂️. Vada was a masterpiece but its very expensive!! As the price of theirs doesn't fit the ambiance and hygiene provided.

Its famous for sambar and idly. The Samar is the trade dish here. Tiffin is good and poratta and dosai have different taste. Try atleast once for good taste. Takeaway is there

Authentic South Indian traditional food. Tried onion bajji, vazhakai bajji, kuzhi paniyaram and bonda. All the dishes tasted well with the Sambar and chutneys!

Ratna Cafe is a popular vegetarian restaurant located in the Mylapore area of Chennai. I found the ghee roast to be amazing. The porotta veg curry combo and filter coffe with less sugar enriched my taste buds . The Cafe is located in a busy street so plan your visit advance and better use public transport or taxi service . The price seems to be not low nor high compared to other restaurants around . Overall, Ratna Cafe seems to be a great place to try out some delicious vegetarian food in Chennai.

Don’t get over expectations on visiting this hotel based on online reviews. Just an average veg restaurant. No car parking. Ok service and food. 2nd visit: we had Pongal Vadai, poori, kullipanikaram. Sambar tastes good.

This place is nostalgia to every Chennai person who grew up in the last few decades. The sambar here is to die for. I've never had any sambar that tastes so fulfilling and amazing as it does here. And the idly is one of the most fluffiest and melt in mouth type that will effortlessly melt in your mouth. This spot will always be close to my heart and ne of the places I would love to keep visiting whenever I want to remember the good old times when things were simple!

Ratna Cafe is a name that everyone knows in Chennai. Visited the Triplicane branch They have a Non AC section and an AC section The upkeep of the Non AC section could have been better. Overall the food is fantastic. I had the Paniyaram and a Ghee roast. Coffee served was out of the world

Sambar Idly - must must try ❤️ That Orange and White chutney is very Yum .. If you try with one set of Sambar idly that taste will make you to go for one more set ❤️ that’s Ratna Cafe 🫡

It was a drizlling morning of chennai, No rush and horns were there to disturb us.🌦️☔😄😍🥰 It took 30 minutes 🚗⚡to reach kanaki's anger👸🏼👿, near from Madras export processing zone.🏭🛫 Three of us took a walk from anger to solve our hunger. To my bad I was in water fasting😒, but they both ate the classic breakfast happily without any guilt.😈🤤😋 Among the two, one was so happy that made the other to burp and high heavy. 🤭😴 Yep, before stepping into this beautiful world the third🤰🏻 had the divine idily sambar and vada🍛🥯 for the first time to become a typical south Indian. Thats it....end of the story... Everyone lived happily eating "The classic breakfast".😍🥰😘😚🥳

(Translated by Google) Super sambar and delicious idli and vada (Original) Super sambar and delicious idli and vada

Finally went to The Ratna cafe. Was mediocre in terms of taste. Place was decent . Nothing else much to remark on. Mostly feel the hype comes from the nostalgia people get from the place.

Never go into this place with too much hype . The food here is good but not worth the hype . Had their legendary Idly & Sambar was good , Eventually it tasted good. Also had Andra Kara Dosa - Was good Onion Rava Dosa - Was average Food - 4 Ambience - 2.5 Service - 4

I was in Triplicane and based on other google reviews, visited Rathna Cafe on a Saturday night. I am not sure if this restaurant is the best in Chennai for Idly Sambar, but I definetely liked it here. All items tasted good. I wanted to have curd vada, but unfortunately it was not available. Both AC and Non-AC available. Located in the busy and traffic road, can see traffic jam if a vehicle is halted for few seconds. Parking space to accomodate only few 2 wheelers. Forget about driving a 4 wheeler here.

This is a landmark place, like if you are arround Triplicane plan your meal at Ratna cafe. So no comment about the food. Most waiters are now North indian and you should be careful while ordering. Also parking is an issue, due to the busy locality

This is the best place in Chennai located near Triplicane road in Chennai. One of the best idli sambar i ever had. They make the authentic sambar and the chutney is too good. Had the poori sabji which was also nice. They have a variety of sweets and saviour selling there. Their owner is a very nice person and all the staffs working there are well behaved and cooperative. Amazing experience will definitely visit again and again. The price is bit higher than local food but the taste and quality is worth it. There is also ample of parking space for two wheelers.

One of the famous restaurants of Chennai. Have been waiting for a few years to have food here. I was not disappointed. Idly sambar was out of the world. I highly recommend..!!

Ratna cafe was buzzing with customers at early hours of a Sunday. Even though this is a well renowned place, the food was quite normal but the service was sloppy and delayed. I don't think the restaurant is unique or incomparable anymore since there are so many restaurants which have increased the bar for South Indian/Tamil breakfast. But it wouldn't be a bad decision to try it once, for nostalgia-sake.

My take, much of a hype in YouTube. Though good, there wasn't a wow moment. Located at busy junction. No parking area either for 4 wheelers. It has old looks inside, some may love it. Food and service was pretty decent. Overall Fine.

One special thing about this place is for one single idly you ask for one bucket sambar. They keep on refilling your plate with sambar. And coffee was authentic You feel like you had light food don’t worry they give you one heavy bill

Vada?, Yes.. best Vada i have ever tasted. Perfect consistency, crispy, tasty. Parking at this place would be a pain, But get in there and have the food of your life.

What an idli and sambar!! The food server keeps pouring sambar into our plate every few minutes!! The sambar is always piping hot and tasty Post COVID they are providing wooden spoons Also try their jalebi please is 70 rupees 🥳 2 idlis 55 rupees plus GST

Very hyped place! Idly and Sambar was good but priced very high!

Very famous restaurant for their famous. Have visited once. Good in taste. Generally gets crowded during weekends and early morning.

The restaurant Fully busy with customer service is good ,the quality of food is not good, price is also too high compare with other restaurants , want I found in these restaurant .

Very good vegetarian food... Famous for Idly Sambar and coffee

Still the same way of serving. Authentic south indian good served. The aroma lingers around everywhere. Very delicious and soul soothing light food. Ambience is the way it was years back, no change.

The best place for Veg Food in Chennai. Porota Kuruma and Ghee Roast 🖤

Enjoy the food which is quality. The first thing you notice on the table is the unique sambhar bowl, unlimited quantity but no compromise on quality. Idli, dosa... you name it - all enjoyable. Place is always at full capacity. Be patient for your turn.

Best for Breakfast... HOT SAMBAR IDLY & COFFEE

Now the sambar taste is different compared to previous old day's

I am regular customer for more than 10 years and they are maintaining the same taste till now. Only disadvantage is if you take ac dining it will cost you 20 rs extra per pate you order just for ambiance.

Very nice Restaurant! Side dishes like Sambar and Chutney to delicacies were very tasty and agreeable to my palate!

Best Vegetarian hotel in Chennai,

Sambar idly must try.... But Old taste gone

(Translated by Google) Love sambar (Original) Love sambar

Not like before

Waste

Clean and hygienic. But crowdy as the items they serve are super. Especially sambar vadai

Good food but over priced. Well maintained and good taste

Excellent sambar the best in world

Good

Nice

Not worthy

Ratna cafe has that traditional look that attracts everyone,the food here was very authentic,idly sambar,pongal I had tastes really gud the sambar magic made those items even more gud a big thumsup don't miss this legendary when u r in CHENNAI

Yummy

Nice to from centre

Idly sambar was out of the world

Super

Good old ratna cafe was died I was a regular customer , I went abroad and came back hoping and thinking as the same old ratna cafe but it's not ..... Do not go for parcel there . Poor parcel section people , they give relaxation whatever to their known people , Politics to the core ....

Quality of food is not good. They increased the cost and reduced the quality.

Best oldest branch and as per my opinion it's the best branch in Tripilicane( thiruvallikani)... Here the authentic sambar is very very famous

Very worst taste & service, rate is heavy not worth for money

Peaceful place to dine. Nostalgic. Healthy & simple menu. No nonsense.

Today I went to Rayna cafe Triplicane branch after 40 years just to have sambar idly. I was quite satisfied with the same taste. Hats off to them.

Taste food

Idly sambar with extra ghee. Heaven

Good

Best place for sambar lovers you can drink it... Taste is so divine

The rates are so high, cleanliness is also not good

(Translated by Google) Awesome vada !!! (Original) Awesome vada!!!

Very costly and lass quantity

Watery Sambhar

Taste of southern veg cuisine

Tasty food and very good service...

Coffee was too good

Sambar Idli, Medu Vada, Uthappam are the best here. Only 4 stars because there is no provision for GPay or any UPI

Tastes good but definitely quantity doesn't match the price!!

Value for money... Food is good... Fast service.. Kids enjoyed a lot after beach bath... Few issues noticed... Space got reduced... Degrading in taste from their standard... No car parking

Best sambar idly in the city before and now. Same taste retained!!!. I had triplicane Ratna Cafe sambar idly after 15 years. This time it tasted better with toppings of nostalgic moments :). I thought my son would not like the taste, safely ordered dosa for him. However he also ordered a plate after taste bite from my plate. Must try for sambar idly!!!!

Pretty old famous restaurant but no more the same as before, sambar is their signature but taste no more traditional best

IDLY AND SAMBHAR Lover ?? Then this is a place for you. The Pros: 1.The quality and taste of the food is pretty good 2. Have Parking area(small) 3. The rate of the food is at reasonable price 4. To be frank!! I had the best sweet here ever in my life The Cons: 1. The service is ok 2. No pandemic precautions

24 karat Sambar. The best Tamil sambar I have had in chennai yet, definitely better than murugan. This place is quite popular, has been around since 1950s and a random search for food in chennai will figure Ratna Cafe. I saw reviews and especially the recent ones whic weren't encouraging. I thought if this one of those places which weren't able to maintain standards over time? Nevertheless I went and ordered the staple idli sambar, special masala dosa and ghee podi masala dosa. Found them to be great. Special mentions to the white coconut chutney which is clean and fresh. Oh. The sambar is just so good man! They keep it warm all the time. Not too thick, neither runny, perfect !

Ordered their signature idli and vadai... Sambhar is super tasty and the way they soak the Vada in the sambhar... Little over hyped though, prices are affordable but little on the higher side comparatively. Poori was very average.

One of the oldest and must visit hotel for south indian tiffin lovers. Sambar Idly is their signature dish. The taste of sambar is still same even after decades. The only drawback is absence of parking space.

Food was a bit expensive for the ambience and setting. All breakfast items are good but taking credit for having best sambar in chennai is exaggeration. Can visit if you are nearby but nothing too exceptional.

Idli sambar was outstanding. Mouth watering dish still people maintain Filter coffee aroma and taste Paneer malsa dosa is not up to the mark

Famous name, good taste and delicious breakfast

Best place for authentic south indian food.. in budget! Ps: Loved the coffee♡

Ratna Cafe is one of the longest standing restaurants in Chennai, popular for its sambar-idly and unique taste that has been maintained over the years. This sambar is a perfect side dish for Idli, dosa, Pongal, Vada and rice.The taste was good enough but the cost is really high.The hotel is not maintaining properly.There is no parking facilities for bike and car. The infrastructure of the hotel is very poor.

Best sambar idly in the city before and now. Same taste retained!!!. Especially Badham MilK & Coffee is outstanding 😍❤️👌

Though Pricy, the food is homely, nice and compatible with all age groups. Recommended your shop in office and ordered 30 meals.

Who wouldn’t love a food place which service only good quality food? Ratna cafe is my go to place if I come across triplicane anytime. Sambar is the main specialty of this place and their price is also affordable. You wouldn’t go bored of their taste even if you eat everyday. No wonder if they call this place as an icon of madras.. Also you should try their basundi.. Such a dense dessert.. It’s really hard to find food restaurants who serve food without compromising their quality for such a long time.

They still maintain their traditional taste. Sambar Idly in the morning will get the energy for the day. I also tried Pongal and vada which was also classy. Pongal was full of cashew which made it very rich. If you are planning for take away get your own vessel for Sambar so you can have it even for you dinner with home made Dosa or idly. The restaurant needs a face lift in terms of ambiance. Its a very old building and many people visit based on the ambiance, so it's better to make it look better. When I visited around 6:30 AM, I was surprised to see only me in there for dinning, where it use to be a happening place at this time few years back. Since they still maintain their taste and quality it is a sure goto place. Happy Eating 🍲👌

I am not a big fan of sambhar but this cafe which is more than a decade long entity is serving hot piped idly and sambhar and that too in plenty. We went there for quite a busy time and waited for 5 minutes to grab a place. The atmosphere is not so silent its quite buzzing around everywhere and crowded. We ordered Sambhar vada, mini idly muddled with sambhar, khichdi, mini breakfast, Ghee roast and poori with filter coffee as main course. In which poori, mini idly went below avg. There was much salt we found in mini idly which was quite blank, poori masala and mini tiffin masala dosa's masala were both the same without any salt. Rest of the items apart from Roast went avg. But should give the sambhar a thumbs up as it didn't trouble us with any physical issues. Lastly we bought the desserts jilebi and basundi, both were okay. Rate wise it is a little bit on the higher side, and parking will be a problem if you go with cars, they say they have valet parking but I didn't find anyone there to help. So totally if you want to experience their sambhar you can have a try. I don't know more about their dinner/ lunch menu but i hope the breakfast will be somewhat worth it if you go for their sambhar.

We had idly sambar and I really loved it. The idle is soft and yet it breaks down easily in the sambar. Their sambar has the a bit of extra coriander flavor and it seems to be their signature. The waiting staff were fast and friendly. The hotel is kept clean but the decor is bit dated . For the price and taste of the food I would easily overlook the decor.

Very old cafe retaining it's original authentic South Indian flavors generation after generation. Very tasty food and very low cost. Bathrooms are very poorly maintained. Car parking options are terrible. It is located on an extremely busy street.

We tried their meals it tasted really well a wholesome experience. Also tried a samosa, rasamalai all tasted good apart from meals they had chapati and dosa items for lunch mysore masala dosa tasted really good. Chapati was very soft and will recommend it for that.

One of the most iconic places one can visit in Chennai. Ratna Cafe is known for their delicious sambhar, along with other South Indian menu that they serve. Sambhar Vada and Paper Ghee Roast dosa is must try here. The staff might be offended if you don't ask for extra sambhar xD :).

Worst taste. This cafe has lost its signature taste of idli with sambar. No salt in idli, kara appam and masala. We ordered Andhra kara Dosai which was not cooked properly. Very very very very poor taste. The golden days of RC is over.. Will not recommend even for a coffee. Sambar no longer has the handpicked quality ingredients. Totally waste. Youtuber friends pls don't review this worst dine in

One of the best sambar and idli ever had. Great food with awsome service. The ambience is a bit noisy and weared out. The sweets they serve are also good

Most authentic idlis! Simple and yummy food. No complications! Love their dishes and it’s a must visit place when in Chennai. Ambience can be a bit improved - but again something’s are left best as is.

2-3 km away from the Chennai railway station. It is famous for idly Sambhar, other dishes are also available. They are serving food since so long 1948.

The Sambhar Idly at this establishment is truly exceptional. While many draw comparisons with the Welcome Hotel, asserting its superiority, I personally find Ratna Cafe to be significantly more satisfying. Despite the slightly higher cost, the quality and taste at Ratna Cafe make it well worth the price. It holds the title of my favourite cafe in Chennai, conveniently located close to my residence. I do wish I had the opportunity to sample more of their delightful dishes. The meal I tried was also quite pleasing.

Same tasty and delicious food for decades. One suggestion - they have proudly posted that they use double refined oil for cooking. It will be better and healthier if they use cold pressed oil (செக்கு எண்ணை).