Set in the historic town of Princeton, New Jersey, Chennai Chimney, an Indian restaurant, offers exotic dishes in authentic flavor from the traditional kitchens of Southern India where the city of Chennai is located. Our contemporary version of rustic Indian food will be beyond your expectations and take you on a mouthwatering journey to it's origins.
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Gipson George is a strong self motivated entrepreneur with a desire to see the sparkle of happiness and content in people eyes through his passion for cooking.
His inspirer is his mother coming from a small town nearer to Chennai in South India who meticuloulsy plucks the right organic grown spices and fresh vegetables or meat, grounds the right ingredients at home, cooks with precision, fills her small home with aroma, graciously serves food to her family and stands happily at the corner of the dining table with her family tasting not to leave the last grain in the plate.
His inspirer is his mother coming from a small town nearer to Chennai in South India who meticuloulsy plucks the right organic grown spices and fresh vegetables or meat, grounds the right ingredients at home, cooks with precision, fills her small home with aroma, graciously serves food to her family and stands happily at the corner of the dining table with her family tasting not to leave the last grain in the plate.
Our menu offers Indian dishes with emphasis on cuisines from Southern India. Chennai, the city is famous for its exclusive and varied food culture with a wide range of dishes. What is most surprising to know is that the South Indian art of culinary is a blend of all six different tastes including sweet, salt, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent.
Chennai Chimney redefines modern Indian cooking with a unique menu of contemporary dishes. The secret of our yummy food is in the usage of our signature masala made with core Indian spices roasted to perfection and ground fresh every day. Our chef's skillful utilization of age-old grandmother cooking techniques & elements of classic dishes creates his trademark, a modern touch on traditional cooking.
Reviews (20)
Abhilasha A. Rathi
Jan 07, 2022
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Imtiaz Ahmad
Jan 03, 2022
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Kavita Patel
Dec 19, 2021
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Shashank Gupta
Dec 18, 2021
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Tanvi Sharma
Dec 15, 2021
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I ordered food from them through Uber eats
One of the item I had ordered was Madurai Muttai dosa, while eating found a solid plastic total waste of money and appetite.
Food safety and quality should be the priority! And this restaurant has taken it for granted in my case. Since it was an online order I didn’t have patience to call or fight over this but I have made sure to review this where ever I can for other customers knowledge and awareness.
Plastic in food is highly unacceptable! If a child was eating they could have choked on it!
I had also ordered idli vada but only received vada they
One of the item I had ordered was Madurai Muttai dosa, while eating found a solid plastic total waste of money and appetite.
Food safety and quality should be the priority! And this restaurant has taken it for granted in my case. Since it was an online order I didn’t have patience to call or fight over this but I have made sure to review this where ever I can for other customers knowledge and awareness.
Plastic in food is highly unacceptable! If a child was eating they could have choked on it!
I had also ordered idli vada but only received vada they
Sahnaz Saleem
Nov 02, 2021
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My husband and I ordered the curry special through grubhub. We were less than satisfied with our meal. The spring rolls had no flavor and were reminiscent of frozen spring rolls. The rice and naan were fine but the curry was awful. We got the butter chicken and it was runny with almost no chicken in it. Just sad tiny pieces of chicken slivers. The gulab jamun was good but the order said there would be 4 pieces but there were only 3.
Shiv Priyam Raghuraman
Oct 12, 2021
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When it first opened in 2016 this restaurant truly deserved 5 stars. It served quality food and had South Indian food unlike most Indian restaurants around Princeton. However, recently, the quality has gone down. North Indian food was okay. A few weeks ago they couldn’t serve us dosa…very odd considering its name but hopefully that was an anomaly. Their student lunch special is good and well-priced. Overall still worth going to for South Indian food (if it’s being served). Prime location.
Lewis M.
Sep 12, 2021
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M. Y.
Sep 05, 2021
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Dasarp A.
Aug 16, 2021
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Nathanael Kenworthy
Jun 13, 2021
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The food here is delicious, beautifully balanced and subtle flavors. I ordered the Navarantan Korma, and the Tomato Shorba. The service was friendly and very respectful, I received my meal in good time. I would definitely recommend trying Chennai Chimney if you’re looking for great Indian Food in Princeton.
The restaurant has a peaceful atmosphere great for conversation.
The restaurant has a peaceful atmosphere great for conversation.
Krupa T.
May 18, 2021
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I really hate to give this restaurant a bad rating. I am all for supporting small businesses, but I also feel like businesses should strive to want to please their customers.
I found the food here to be really bad-I'm just going to say it. (I've tried it twice now) I ordered a Paneer Tikka Masala and my husband a Chicken Tikka Masala. Both our dishes were ridiculously sweet. I mean- sweeet. No spice to be found. Okay fine, if this is the reality, I try to pivot and save my meal by asking for any kind of hot sauce, chutney, ANYTHINGGG, and I'm told there's nothing like that available
I found the food here to be really bad-I'm just going to say it. (I've tried it twice now) I ordered a Paneer Tikka Masala and my husband a Chicken Tikka Masala. Both our dishes were ridiculously sweet. I mean- sweeet. No spice to be found. Okay fine, if this is the reality, I try to pivot and save my meal by asking for any kind of hot sauce, chutney, ANYTHINGGG, and I'm told there's nothing like that available
J. G.
May 09, 2021
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We came here for mothers day lunch and was very disappointed with the service we received. Though the food was great. The server forgot half of the stuff ordered and kept reminding us that the kitchen closes at 2. If you dont want to serve people close the closing time, do not take reservations so close to closing time then. The server told us that the majority of the stuff we ordered was not being served that day. Terrible service but the little food we manged to get was decent.
Ashish J.
Feb 15, 2020
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The place offers a nice mix of classical and innovative regional Indian cuisine mostly from the south. BYOB. Loved the ambience and the wide selection of entrees. We ordered three things- Chili Paneer (C+), Masala Dosa (A+), and Veg Kothu Parotta (Chopped layered bread cooked with vegetables and onions) (B+). Paneer pieces were too hard - perhaps overdone or not fresh or both. Masala Dosa with both the chutney and sambhar were really well done. Parotta was good but, in retrospect, should have picked a more basic entree.
Lots more to sample so we are sure to return, this time on a non-busy day
Lots more to sample so we are sure to return, this time on a non-busy day
German C.
Dec 09, 2019
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The service: The attention was undeniably elegant, friendly, and so much detail to attention. Leo especially recommended a few thing and the main waiter recommended the Kaalan pattani milagu..
The kaalan pattani milagu was aromatic, sensual as mushrooms always tend to be. My girl says it was similar to a Colombian guiso but with Indian ingredients. . . . I agree.
Can't wait to come back to try other deliciousness
Oh and the garlic naan.. we hate like 4 plate fuls
The kaalan pattani milagu was aromatic, sensual as mushrooms always tend to be. My girl says it was similar to a Colombian guiso but with Indian ingredients. . . . I agree.
Can't wait to come back to try other deliciousness
Oh and the garlic naan.. we hate like 4 plate fuls
Leo M.
Nov 14, 2019
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Delicious Indian food hampered by mediocre service
Our family of four recently visited Chennai Chimney for a delicious and (comparatively) inexpensive dinner. I might have given five stars based on the dishes I ordered...but poor service prevented that.
The dishes I chose - the Rogan Josh and Jeenga Aatish (tandoor shrimp) - were indeed quite perfect. The shrimp was flavorful with bright notes of citrus and cardamom while the lamb was earthy and spicy with enough heat to grab your attention.
The Mysore Masala Dosa, Virudhunagar Chukkakari Dosa (lamb w/ onion masala), garlic naan, and cucumber
Our family of four recently visited Chennai Chimney for a delicious and (comparatively) inexpensive dinner. I might have given five stars based on the dishes I ordered...but poor service prevented that.
The dishes I chose - the Rogan Josh and Jeenga Aatish (tandoor shrimp) - were indeed quite perfect. The shrimp was flavorful with bright notes of citrus and cardamom while the lamb was earthy and spicy with enough heat to grab your attention.
The Mysore Masala Dosa, Virudhunagar Chukkakari Dosa (lamb w/ onion masala), garlic naan, and cucumber
K. C.
Sep 21, 2019
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Simon W.
Sep 21, 2018
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One of the better restaurants in Princeton, NJ. Chennai Chimney serves good Indian food at a higher price point.
Definitely order the biryani if you visit. I've tried a few different variations, the Chicken Dum Biryani is very good and one of my favorite dishes. The rice is sooo good and spiced well. The chicken that accompanied the rice is extremely tender and can be picked apart with a fork. Often times they will have special biryanis, you may need to ask after you sit down. I have yet to try a biryani from Chennai Chimney that hasn't been really really good.
The Gobi Chicken
Definitely order the biryani if you visit. I've tried a few different variations, the Chicken Dum Biryani is very good and one of my favorite dishes. The rice is sooo good and spiced well. The chicken that accompanied the rice is extremely tender and can be picked apart with a fork. Often times they will have special biryanis, you may need to ask after you sit down. I have yet to try a biryani from Chennai Chimney that hasn't been really really good.
The Gobi Chicken
Brian W.
Apr 15, 2018
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Second visit and just as great as the first. I'm only going 4 stars, would give 4-1/2 if I could, the missing 1/2 or whole star is due to the staff. There clearly is a language barrier which hurts the interaction and service is 50% of the dining experience.
Now onto the food which was fabulous.
Started with an app order of the street samosa -- tri-folded puff pastry with potatoes, chilies, mint, cilantro and chat masala. (Vegan)-- so fresh and not the typical fried crunch exterior found elsewhere. This plate was delicate. Our second app order of the Jeenga e Aatish-- plump fresh jumbo
Now onto the food which was fabulous.
Started with an app order of the street samosa -- tri-folded puff pastry with potatoes, chilies, mint, cilantro and chat masala. (Vegan)-- so fresh and not the typical fried crunch exterior found elsewhere. This plate was delicate. Our second app order of the Jeenga e Aatish-- plump fresh jumbo
Joshua Stroud
Dec 02, 2017
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Intimate but swanky Indian restaurant in the heart of Princeton. Great decor and friendly service. Before our food, these crunchy finger foods were brought out with what seemed like diced tomatoes. Fascinating.
We started with the street samosas which were tasty, but small for the price. The sauces with them were amazing though. For mains, we ordered the Nadan Fish Curry in its hot spicy iteration. It was a unique and delectable in taste, with huge chunks of fish. Definitely a winner. We also had the Prawn mango coconut dish medium spicy, which was sweet and a good spicy at the same time. This
We started with the street samosas which were tasty, but small for the price. The sauces with them were amazing though. For mains, we ordered the Nadan Fish Curry in its hot spicy iteration. It was a unique and delectable in taste, with huge chunks of fish. Definitely a winner. We also had the Prawn mango coconut dish medium spicy, which was sweet and a good spicy at the same time. This
