EazyDiner Foodie Awards Chennai: A Celebration Of The City’s Thriving Food Culture
A dazzling evening honouring the best of Chennai’s food scene
03 Apr, 2026 by Sakshi Pundir
Often hailed as the “Oscars of the food world,” the first edition of the EazyDiner Foodie Awards Chennai was held on the 2nd of April at the city’s premier palatial venue, ITC Grand Chola. The event honoured and celebrated the gastronomic brilliance and hard work of restaurateurs, chefs, and their teams, who continue to redefine Chennai’s dining scene. From established and acclaimed names in the industry to new and emerging favourites, all the best restaurants in Chennai revelled in their moment of recognition.
The evening turned into a grand spectacle as the ever-radiant host, Ridhima Bhatnagar, took the stage, keeping the audience absorbed with her unmatched charisma. Esteemed guests from the food industry gathered to honour the innovation and rich flavours that define Chennai’s vast culinary landscape, where tradition meets modernity. The room buzzed with further excitement as Mr. Kapil Chopra, Founder of EazyDiner, graced the stage with his signature panache.
The night stood as a memorable tribute to the passion and excellence that continue to shape Chennai’s dining scene. There were numerous categories to recognise rising stars and celebrate industry stalwarts. The list was meticulously put together, spanning categories from Best Restaurant in Experiential Dining to Most Instagrammable Spot, among others.
Let’s toast to the winners of the first edition of the EazyDiner Foodie Awards Chennai:
- The Best North Indian Restaurant in a Hotel - The Great Kabab Factory
- The Best Rooftop Restaurant in a Hotel - Up North At Pullman Chennai Anna Salai By Accor
- The Best Rooftop Restaurant in a Hotel - KooX - Rooftop Asian Grill
- The Best Themed Restaurant (Standalone) - Ciclo Cafe
- The Best Restaurant with a Beach View (Standalone) - Rasanai
- The Best Curated Dining in a Hotel - J. Hind
- The Best Curated Dining in a Hotel - Avartana
- Most Romantic Restaurant in a Hotel - SKY - Curated Asian Dining
- The Best Vegetarian Restaurant (Standalone) - Cream Centre - Vegetarian Legacy Since 1958
- The Best Vegetarian Restaurant (Standalone) - Hamsa
- The Best Vegetarian Restaurant in a Hotel - Royal Vega
- The Best Vegetarian Restaurant in a Hotel - Royal Indianaa
- The Best Nightlife in a Hotel - 365 A.S.
- The Best Nightlife in a Hotel - The Flying Elephant
- The Best Pan-Asian Restaurant in a Hotel - China XO
- The Best All-Day Dining Restaurant in a Hotel - Seasonal Tastes
- The Best Cafe Lounge in a Hotel - The Brew Room
- The Best Sunday Brunch in a Hotel - Vasco's
- The Best Buffet in a Hotel - 601 (Six 'O' One)
- The Best Coastal Cuisine Restaurant in a Hotel - C Salt
- The Best Coastal Cuisine Restaurant in a Hotel - The Fisherman's Wharf
- The Best Thai Cuisine Restaurant - Benjarong
- The Best Japanese Cuisine Restaurant - Black Orchid
- The Best Kerala Cuisine Restaurant - Kappa Chakka Kandhari
- The Best Buffet in a Luxury Hotel - Spectra
- The Best Rooftop Restobar - Zing - Rooftop
- Most Romantic Restaurant (Standalone) - Kipling Cafe
- The Best North Indian Restaurant (Standalone) - Pind
- The Best North Indian Restaurant (Standalone) - Punjab Grill
- The Best Restobar Experience in a Hotel - Black & White
- The Best Poolside Restaurant in a Hotel - R&G
- The Best Italian Restaurant - Toscano
- The Best Restaurant for Biryani - Dindigul Thalappakatti
- The Best Live Screening Bar (Standalone) - Zonkk
- The Best Live Screening Bar (Standalone) - SOS - Same Old Story
- The Masterful Grill Experience (Standalone) - The Greenhouse Barbecue
- The Masterful Grill Experience (Standalone) - Smoke Hub Barbeque
- The Masterful Grill Experience (Standalone) - Coal Barbecues
- The Best Rooftop Restaurant (Standalone) - The Beach Terrace - Bay | Bar | Kitchen
- The Best Pan-Asian Restaurant (Standalone) - YouMee
- The Best All-Day Dining Restaurant (Standalone) - Broken Bridge Cafe by Radio Room
- The Best Cafe (Standalone) - Café Manana
- The Best Cafe (Standalone) - Amethyst - Wild Garden Cafe
- The Masterful Grill Experience in a Hotel - The Great Kabab Factory
- The Best Restaurant in Experiential Dining - Visesham
- The Best South Indian Casual Dining Restaurant - Junior Kuppanna
- The Best South Indian Casual Dining Restaurant - Tinnai Mess - Gramiya Manam
- The Best Buffet Restaurant in a Leisure Hotel - Dhani
- The Best Buffet Restaurant in a Leisure Hotel - Petals
- The Best Cafe Chain - The Mayflower
- The Best Cafe Chain - Jonah's Bistro
- The Best Restobar of the Year - Macaw by Stories
- The Best Restaurant for Nightlife (Standalone) - Lord of the Drinks
- The Best Spot for Casual Drink & Dine - Sin & Tonic - RestoBar
- The Best Spot for Gigs & Events - Off The Record
- The Best Buffet Restaurant (Standalone) - Asia Kitchen by Mainland China
- The Best Buffet Restaurant (Standalone) - Little Italy
- The Best Restaurant with a Beach View in a Hotel - Song Of The Sea
- The Best Cocktail Bar of the Year - SUNDAYS
- The Best Indian Restaurant Chain - Haven Sampoorna
- The Best Indian Restaurant Chain - Bombay Brasserie
- The Best Multi-Cuisine Restaurant - Savoury Sea Shell
- The Best Multi-Cuisine Restaurant - Olive Greenz Multicuisine Restaurant
- The Best Modern Asian Restaurant - Pandan Club
- The Best Modern Asian Restaurant - Pa Pa Ya
- Most Celebrated Culinary Destination - The Living Room Signature
- The Best Pub of the year - The Vibe
- The Best Global Cuisine Restaurant - Nasi and Mee
- The Best Live Screening Bar in a Hotel - Score Bar
- The Best Theme Bar (Standalone) - The Cycle Gap
- The Best Theme Bar (Standalone) - Bark In Dark
- The Best Executive Lunch Buffet - Sage & Salt
- The Best Executive Lunch Buffet - Paprika Cafe
- The Best South Indian Fine Dining Restaurant - Tamizh Koodam Mess
- The Best South Indian Fine Dining Restaurant - Paati Veedu
- The Best Chill & Cheers Spot - The Madras Taproom
- The Best Fusion Restaurant - Fifth
- The Premier Skyline Bar - 3 Layers @ ECR
- The Best Work-Friendly Cafe - Crust & Co
- The Best Dessert Parlour - Sandy's Chocolate Laboratory
- All-Time Favourite Bar - 10 Downing Street
- The Best Seafood Speciality Restaurant - Arabian Garden Seafood Restaurant
- The Best South Indian Fine Dining Restaurant in a Hotel - Sangamithirai
- Most Instagrammable Spot - 11:11 Reserve
- Most Instagrammable Spot - Canvas
- The Best Party Destination - Secret Story
- The Best Party Destination - The Thief
- The Ultimate Social Lounge - Noci Adante
- The Best Debutant Restaurant - After Hours Rooftop
- The Best Debutant Restaurant - Jekyll & Hyde Resto Club
- The Best All Day Dining Restaurant in a Leisure Hotel - L'attitude 49
- The Best Interactive Dining Experience in a Hotel - Colony
- The Best of Namma Neighbourhood - Kommune Bar & Grill Restobar
- The Best of Namma Neighbourhood - Pause Bar And Kitchen
- The Outstanding Andhra Speciality Restaurant - Guntur Gongura
- The Outstanding Andhra Speciality Restaurant - Amaravathi Restaurant
- The Best Gourmet Burgers in Town - Double Roti
- General Manager of the Year - Shaariq Akhtar
- Hotel of the Year - ITC Grand Chola
- The Best in Food & Beverage Leadership - Sameer Bhargava
- Chef of the Year - Venkatesh Bhat
- Chef of the Year - Chef Regi Mathew
- Restaurateur of the Year - Abdul Nabeel
- Traveller’s Dining Choice - Anthé
- The Hospitality Hall of Fame - Pramod Ranjan
- Most Innovative Restaurateurs - Japtej Singh Ahluwalia & Manoj Padmanabhan
- The Best PayEazy Restaurant on EazyDiner - Barbeque Nation
- The Most Loved Food Influencer of the Year - busybrunching
Written By
Sakshi is a Russian literature enthusiast with an undying love for dystopian movies and sci-fi stories. Apart from this, she enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, and watching stand-up specials in her free time. She is particularly fascinated by pop culture and the digital world that pervades our identities today and shapes our ideologies and tastes.
