Below Chennai Expat highlights some recommandable places, in particular for expatriates and long stayers in Chennai.
Amethyst
This place is bading in the green and located in an old colonial villa, which gives it flair and a rustique character. They serve excellent coffee and french "viennoiseries" and a range of small snacks, mostly non-indian. Great for an afternoon of chatting over a cup of coffee with friends or to quietly check your emails in the garden using their wireless internet service. There is also a stylish boutique inside with clothes and jewelry. Recommanded by Chennai Expat as a good meet-up place for expatriates and foreigners in Chennai.
Amethyst
Sundar Mahal,Jeypore Colony
Padmavathi Road,
Gopalapuram, Chennai, 600086
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Anouki
Right around the corner from the Park Sheraton Hotel, Anouki delivers pretty much the same experience as Amethyst. A quiet coffee shop with some excellent snacks (think Croque Monsieur, Quiche) and a stylish clothes and accesoires shop. It's a bit smaller than Amethyst and therefore less crowded, but the atmosphere is as good and therefore also highly recommandable.
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Mocha
If you want to experience how historically bad service can actually get, Mocha is very much recommandable to discover the dark dephts of unequalled customer ignorance. This doesn't prevent the Chennai teenagers to come in masses though, so usually a loud bunch of kids make the trip complete. You can have coffees, shakes and shisha (arabic waterpipe) in all flavours; you can also get an annoying waiter who brings your wrong order 2 hours late because he didn't get it right after the 5th time he asked you. Make sure you don't carry weapons and check your bill before paying.
Mocha
Nungambakkam, Chennai
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Casa Piccola
Next to Mocha, situated on top of the Bang & Olufsen Showroom of Chennai, you can find the cosy rooftop terrace of Casa Picola. It offers more or less the same concept as Mocha (Coffee,Shisha,Snacks,Burgers) but offers faster service and better quality in general. The bean bags are comfortable and the breeze on the rooftop can be quite refreshing some times. The place is usually filled with spoiled and snobby teenagers deriving from Chennai's upper class along with some casual foreigners enjoying some western food. You can also order your food online
Casa Piccola
#7, Kader Nawaz Khan Road
Nungambakkam, Chennai
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The French Loaf
As the name suggests this place is a French inspired bakery offering a fine breakfast to take away or to enjoy inside or outside the café itself. The coffee comes in big mugs and tastes pretty good along with a chocolate Danish, an Almond turnover or even some vegetarian kish. Service is friendly but for some reason they NEVER offer you napkins without asking for them. The French Loaf now also opened an outlet in Spencer's plaza in the foodcourt on the first floor. A good place to remember how a European breakfast is supposed to look like.
The French Loaf
Harrington Road
Chetpet, Chennai
(near Shopper's Stop Mall)
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Café Coffee Day
This chain of coffee shops has outlets all over Chennai. Some of them are nice and offer a reasonable level of service, others have often more waiters than customers inside which might make you feel uncomfortable. Ok for a quick coffee or milkshake to cool down.
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Barista
Similar to Coffee Day, Barista is a chain of coffee places in Chennai. They have outlets on Nungambakkam High Road, on Elliot's in Besant Nagar and in Spencer's plaza, among other places around the city.
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Ice Dreams
This small ice cream joint in the corner on Nungambakkam High Road, is pretty basic nonetheless charming and clean. The guys try really hard to give you a good ice cream experience and they serve huge ice creams for reasonable prices. Open till 11PM, Ice Dreams is a good reason to skip dessert elsewhere and go for an evening ice cream session. Try the Sizzling Brownie or Brazilian Love Song.
Ice Dreams
Nungambakkam High Road (next to Puma Store)
Chennai
