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India will be playing Zimbabwe in a pivotal Super 8 match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai today, 26 February. The Indian national cricket team is under fire following a 76-run loss to South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Sikandar Raza's Zimbabwe is also recovering from a significant defeat. Right now, the game is at its best. Because of Chennai's climate, you should eat healthily, stay hydrated, and drink enough fresh beverages to stay cool and energetic both before and after the game. These are must-try restaurants when you're hungry if you're planning to spend the entire day at locations close to the stadium.
Nair Mess
Every table is always full of people scooping heaps of rice off their banana leaves. The meals consist of a lot of white rice, curries, buttermilk, potato poriyal and appalam and your choice of meat or a vegetarian dish. The fish fry and mutton chukka taste amazing. If you want something lighter, you can even ask for fluffy omelettes! Maybe next time, then!
Price: INR 200 for two
Timing: 11:30 AM - 3 PM and 7 PM - 11 PM
Anjappar Chettinad Restaurant
The typical Chettinad cuisine is quite delicious here. This is a family-run restaurant where the quality has always been exceptional. After the India VS Zimbabwe match, obviously, you will be hungry, and celebrating with food post-match is a great way to do so. The cuisine is incredibly delicious, consistently gratifying, and full of genuine Chettinad tastes. The complete dining experience is enhanced by the outstanding customer service. If you are craving authentic Chettinad non-veg cuisine, Anjappar is the place to be!
Price: INR 1,200 for two
Timing: 11:30 AM - 11 PM
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Triplicane Bharathi Mess
Despite its small size, the mess area is long enough to hold more people. The fact that the tables were arranged in proper columns and that there was a fast-food style for standing and eating was amazing. The most popular meal of the day is breakfast, which includes 35 items such as idli, vada, Pongal, dosa, puri, Podi Dosa, Rava dosa, Onion puffs, and Ragi idiyappam. Ulutham kanji (urad dhal kanji) is also a popular morning tiffin. Mappillai samba rice and Kambu kali with an abundance of vegetables are served for lunch. At dinnertime, patrons can also choose from whole wheat noodles. All of the nutritious snacks on their menu are reasonably priced. Some of them are Ragi, Kambu ladoovazhapoo vada, and Kozhakattai.
Price: 11:30 AM - 3 AM
Timing: INR 250 for two
7 Grills Restaurant
7 Grills offers seven varieties of tandoori. If you’ve never tasted anything like that in Chennai, this is a must-try. After watching today’s match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, when hunger strikes, dig into Pahadi Tandoori, Shikari Tandoori, and Banjara Tandoori, which are some local favourites. The Rotisserie is said to be incredibly tender and juicy. It is highly recommended for food lovers. The restaurant manager, Majnur, has a strong focus on customer service.
Price: INR 950 for two
Timing: Open 24 hrs
Street Food Near MA Chidambaram Stadium
Everyone can enjoy the exquisite variety of flavours offered by the city's thriving street food scene. Chennai's street food scene is a must-try culinary adventure if you enjoy local cuisines served quickly, especially if you’re planning your day around today’s cricket match.
Triplicane High Road
Consumed as a snack or for a meal, the kothu parotta is believed to have originated in Sri Lanka and found its way to the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where it is largely popular for being filling and indulgent. Typically made by shredding flaky parottas and cooking them on a hot flat iron with onions, tomatoes, chillies, eggs and a kurma gravy, the delicacy also omits the eggs or sees the addition of shredded chicken based on personal preferences.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Kari Dosai
Kari dosai is yet another Madurai speciality that will find takers come rain or shine. So, if match predictions are accurate and if the team wins, you can try this dish to fill yourselves with something that’s like a hug. It is a ‘non-veg’ dosa from a city that prides in its hearty vegetarian fare. The dosa has three layers, which makes it one of the most loaded and wholesome dosas in Tamil Nadu. While the base is that of the plain dosa, made with regular dosa batter, the second layer is that of beaten egg or omelette that is laid on the dosa on the same hot tawa, the top-most layer is that of spicy mutton keema. The keema is cooked and prodded with spices and cold-pressed sesame oil until it becomes this thick, but smooth and brown mixture that can be easily applied over the dosa.
Chicken 65
Served as an appetiser at South Indian restaurants, chicken 65 is a favourite with those who like their spice. The chicken is marinated, coated in batter and fried, and then tossed in a paste of chilli and black pepper. There’s more than one theory behind the name of the dish. Some say that chicken is marinated for 65 days, while others claim that the chicken is cut into 65 pieces and that a chef added 65 chillies to the recipe. The most popular story says that the dish was introduced at Buhari’s Hotel in Chennai in 1965.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Indo-Chinese Food
A fascinating fusion is Indian Chinese cuisine. Vibrant and delectable blend of Indian spices and Chinese cooking techniques. Go on a culinary journey to explore the rich and diverse flavours of Indian Chinese cuisine at the food stalls near and around the stadium. From Fried Rice to Gobi Manchurian to Noodles and more, you have it all.
Marina Beach
If you are strolling along the long stretch of Marina beach in Chennai which is hardly a few minutes away from the cricket stadium, here’s what you should try from the street food stalls there.
Sundal
Boiled legumes, spiced with tiny pieces of peeled mangoes, carrots, grated coconut, green chillies, coriander, curry leaves, oil and salt are the ingredients that make a lip-smacking portion of 'suda suda thenga manga pattani sundal'. Often compared with Mumbai’s Chowpatty bhelpuri, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that people in Chennai have a sentimental attachment toward this street food delight. Available at just ₹10, sundal is relished by people from all walks of life and income groups.
Bajji
Nothing compares to the delight of biting into hot, crispy bajji while the ocean wind cools your face. Once everything has calmed down, after the cricket match today, a fresh walk by the beach and a few bajjis sound like a perfect end to the day. These potato, plantain, or chilli deep-fried fritters with a batter composed of gram flour are completely decadent! With coconut chutney so delicious you'll be licking your fingers, the vendors serve them hot out of the basket!
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Cotton Candy Or Panju Mithai
If you have a sweet craving, pink and blue cotton candy can bring back fond memories of your early years! Observe in awe as sellers transform sugar into fluffy clouds that melt on your lips as soon as you bite into them! You can use this time machine on a stick! If your team wins today, and you crave something sweet, panju mithai should be on your list! You can get a blue one, a pink one or both?
Freshly Caught & Cooked Seafod
Small stands serving freshly caught and grilled fish, prawns, and calamari are located just off the beach! You can't go wrong with these seafood treats, which showcase the Bay of Bengal's abundance in its most authentic form and are seasoned with regional spices and lime.
