nair mess

this place cannot be called as mess. this is full fledged restaurant with 2 floors ( first floor serves ac). this place is must go for people who enjoys rice along with fish curry and fish fry. apart from that mutton curry and chukka and brain fry is just about ok. nothing special. this place is always over crowded and i somehow feel this is place is much over hyped ...
also no space for car parking.

well .. i stepped into the restaurant at 11.45 am.. and hardly there was only one person dining in . after washing my hands i sat in the main hall.. in front of the billing counter.. felt as if am the centre of attraction and that they would come and serve me in a giffy.. but unfortunately none of them turned to me until 12.05 pm... everybody was busy folding tissue papers for the hand wash area.. it was hilarious and ridiculous.. a very disappointing service and i would not recommend this place to anybody in future..

headed to this place for lunch on a hungry afternoon, we got seated in first floor. seeing through the fishy fry going around all tables we ordered 2 meals along with mutton curry, fish curry, seer fish fry and prawn thoku. meals was okayish i liked sambar and more which was really yummy, mutton nd fish curry was not upto the mark, as they develop the restaurant people compromise on their taste and quality!! and to mention about the quantity of prawn thoku gave was a big let down was so disappointed to see very less quantity!!! hardly spoon of prawns we're kept!! rate was high comparitively!!

nair's mess - its one of the iconic non veg outlet in namma chennai, which is in action since 1961.

on a sunny noon during a weekend, stepped into nair's mess for lunch during their wee hours of closing. it's located quite opposite to cheapauk stadium in a small lane which leads to this hidden gem. was relieved as it was less crowded and got table easily. there is no specific menu cards and their itineraries being quite generic non veg menu.
went for meals along with fish fry, chicken fry and mutton curry. its always ecstatic to have meals in thalai vazhai leaf( banana leaf). hot rice served on the banana leaf gives its exuberant effervescence to the food. soon aimed to the table was kootu and poriyal, followed by mutton curry and fish curry.

as we were quite late, kolambu meen(curry fish) was not available. started my meals with fish curry and man it was bloody awesomatic. though the curry was quite watery, the rich flavor of the fish and the perfect masala tinge to the curry just elevated the taste to the next level. now the vanjiram slice(seer fish) was the pick of the lot. it was not deep fried, rather it was shallow fried in tawa. not to mention, it was less spicy and am not sure if it would go well with ppl who expect their fish fry to be spicier. but sure did it satiate me, the succulent meat with a scoop of the fish kolambu rice was pure bliss. the mutton curry was just fine and the curry was quite thicker. it had a mutton piece and it didn't went good with rice. may be with idiyappam or appam it would have been a best combo.chicken fry, was a letdown. the tanginess was missing, less spicier with scantily populated chicken pieces. rasam too was just average, nothing much to barge.

the service was quite impeccable here, thanks to the effusive waiters. i would recommend to go with their fish curry meals and fish fry, indeed it’s their usp. rest of the menu was just average. overall bill came for 440 for a meals, mutton curry, fish fry and chicken fry and its slightly overpriced. but for the quality they render its acceptable and could be tried once.

vfm - 3/5
quality - 4/5
taste - 4/5
quantity - 4/5
service - 4/5
ambience - 4/5
parking - 2/5

this place is located very close to the cricket ground; tucked inside a small alley. the food was fresh, hot, clean and tasted very yummy. as the name says it’s nair (from the state of kerala), so you will taste coconut in their curries. reasonably priced - for the location and the crowd. i liked it but if u ask me will you revisit - hmmmm i may not because i have been to much better places and i prefer them over this place for mess food.

this was my second visit after 8 years and it has changed a lot.
renovated and looks good but there is no information/menu for first timers.
servers are well mannered and orally give you the menu but in the chaos of popularity they bring you every other dish to try even if u don't order it incase your senses want them after you look at them.

the menu is simple they have standard meals which are mash up of #kerala or #chettinadu cuisine. that's inr 95

you can order chicken/mutton/fish curry in a small bowl and can request them to give extra too. that's around inr 95

or thick masala prawn too which we didn't try

you can add fish fry for 200 and an omelette .

you got chicken and mutton biriyani.

tasty food and awesome new decor but the quantity of sides are so less in other words it's expensive for the serving.
this old classic is situated in a not so good narrow road. no parking nearby.

my suggestion is to increase quantity/servings.

put a menu board even if it's limited menu and make your servers to inform the same and accommodate the guests

this place is super hyped up for its nostalgia. located right opposite chepauk stadium, inside a small lane, you will find this iconic establishment.
the biriyani was average, the quantity for the prawns was like a serving of pickle. seer fish fry was okay. overall good mess food! is it worth the hype, absolutely not!

firstly this is not a kerala style restaurant contrary to what is implied by other reviews. we went during the lunch time (around 1:00pm), only meals and mutton biriyani was available. as there was no variety we were forced to order meals. we ordered mutton curry, fish curry, fish fry and egg omlett as extras. all the extras or specials were tasty, especially the fish fry, but none of it justifies its huge price. the meal by itself was not tasty. the staff seemed not to be bothered about the customers, they were only interested in taking orders for extras and specials.

food:
it was lunchtime so went after the meals. a banana leaf serving with two sides (spicy beetroot was so good, i personally loved it) and pickle. went after the chicken fry and mutton kurma. the first bite of the chicken was celestial. it was soft, spicy and easily breaks into your mouth as you quaff them in. one of the best fries i've tried. the mutton was well cooked, mild spice and with the rice and chicken, the gravy went great. both the rasam and buttermilk tasted like home-cooked and you could literally gulp them. lime pickle went great with the buttermilk even without the rice at the end.

*unlimited refills for rice and other gravies which you could order*

ambience:
frankly speaking, this place gets beefed up with people during peak lunch hours especially on a weekday. you've to have an eagle's vision and a squirrel's agility to get a chair as soon as someone gets up. after all, the name does indicate that this is a mess and not a restaurant. in spite of that, the service was appreciable and the waiting time for dishes cannot be more than a minute. off street two-wheeler parking available to lucky people since it's just a small lane and not a street. 

price:
i'm sure that you couldn't find a place like this at this price, it's a cheapo. located in the heart of the city, this place is worth every penny and lives up-to-the tag of legendary outlets.

been there twice. it’s an awesome place where it tempts u to hav binge eating. love the fish nd the prawns with coconut oil smell. a must place in chennai to hav a mouth watering non veg meals n that too at an affordable rate ( which is another plus point of this place)

i have grown up enjoying the great taste of nair mess. a great place for tasty kerala meals with awesome fish fry. lovely to see them on zomato.

worst experience ever, yesterday we planned to have dinner here, as we entered inside there was not that much crowd, we were sitting for almost 20minz no one bothered to take orders, when 1 guy told the waiters to take order, no one responded, we waited for some more time and walked out.
it was totally waste of time to travel from ashok pillar to triplicane. we were very excited to have  dinner but the people over there ruined it.

one of the best places in india if your are looking to have nice home style mess sort to food.

ambience and location- 3/5
the place is not easy to find and is located inside a small street. you will have to part your vehicle on the main road and go inside
the interiors are not 5 start style. its basic, neat and well done. it a typical mess setup with no plush sofas etc. a place for hard-core foodie. but this should not stop u from going there. best is to visit in a batch or with friends. family if 3/4 might find it difficult

food - 10/5
the food is absolutely amazing. especially the non veg food is great. have to fish fry, mutton dry which are a must have there. served on authentic banana leaves, you will not stop eating that easily.

service - 5/5
the service is super fast and you will not have to wait even for 5 mins for the food.

overall, a great place and a must visit if you love good food with fish and mutton. the place gets noisy and is always full.

i got to eat their fish gravy meals , with vanjaram fish fry and prawn. should say the meals was okayish , but you should certainly visit here for the fish fry it's amazing .

there are only 2 places that you get served authentic fresh tender paya in chennai, this is one of them. it happens only in the evenings though. then come mutton korma. coconut based gravy. mutton fry. completely hooked on. fish fry...preferably during lunch...freshest in chennai. 
lunch - order meals and they give u just gravy...best to order actual mutton korma and chiken gravy with fish fry, liver. eat, go home and sleep. period!
dinner - egg dosa with mutton fry, idiyappam with paya and with fish fry (if avail) will make ur day. mutton chops is average. opens at 7pm and everything will be over by 8pm so plan. 
prawn fry kerala style very bland. fish gravy is also so watery and bland.....but the freshness of the meat cannot be challenged. however, the qty of servings are on the smaller side...so if ur going with friends...absolutely no sharing. not had opportunity to have biryani...