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The best Haleem and Nombu Kanji in Chennai

Also spelt haleem, hleem, nombu kanji and nonbu kanji. A curated shortlist, shaped by your votes.

February to April only. Back from February.

Editorial picks

Selected from published food guides and local reporting. How the list works

  1. Number 1.Wallajah Big Mosque (Triplicane)

    Triplicane Triplicane & Marina

    Open
    Iftar only, about 6pm through Ramzan
    Where
    Triplicane High Road, Triplicane, Chennai 600005

    Nombu kanji with lentils and mutton, ladled out free at the fast breaking around six. This is a working mosque, not a restaurant: dress modestly, sit on the mats, and do not turn up late.

    What to orderNombu kanji at the fast breaking

    0 votes

  2. Number 2.Fisherman's Signature (Egmore)

    Egmore T Nagar & Nungambakkam

    Open
    Ramzan evenings, busy until about 11pm
    Where
    Casa Major Road, Egmore, Chennai 600008

    Cooks come from Hyderabad each Ramzan and the kitchen shifts 250 kilos of haleem a day. Ask for mutton haleem. Seating is makeshift, many eat standing, and the rush runs until about eleven.

    What to orderMutton haleem

    0 votes

  3. Number 3.Pista House Haleem (Royapettah)

    Royapettah Triplicane & Marina

    Open
    Ramzan only, from 3pm until sold out
    Where
    Ramzan kitchen and counter, Peter's Road, Royapettah, Chennai 600014

    Hyderabadi mutton haleem, made in a Ramzan kitchen off Peter's Road with wheat and ghee brought down from Hyderabad. Counters open at three and queues build by dusk; the vegetarian version is a Sunday-only curiosity.

    What to orderHyderabadi mutton haleem

    0 votes

  4. Haleem Express (Walajah Mosque compound

    Triplicane Triplicane & Marina

    Open
    11am to 10pm daily
    Where
    Inside the Walajah Big Mosque compound, Triplicane High Road, Triplicane, Chennai 600005

    Mutton haleem by the tub, from a stall two brothers have run inside the Walajah mosque compound since 2005. Ramzan evenings bring a scrum after prayers; go earlier in the afternoon if you want quiet.

    What to orderMutton haleem, 250ml tub

    0 votes

  5. Haleemwala (Triplicane)

    Ice House, Triplicane Triplicane & Marina

    Open
    Ramzan 3pm to 11pm, sells out early
    Where
    Alley beside Masjid-e-Hafiz Ahmed Khan (Ice House Mosque), Quaide Millath Road, Ice House, Triplicane, Chennai 600005

    Order the mutton haleem, cooked six hours and finished with fried onions. It sells out fast, so come before eight. The lane beside the Ice House mosque is cramped and there is nowhere to sit.

    What to orderMutton haleem

    0 votes

  6. Eidgah Mosque (Mandaveli)

    Mandaveli Mylapore & Alwarpet

    Open
    Kanji at the gate from midday, iftar sitting 6pm
    Where
    Eidgah Mosque, St Mary's Road, Mandaveli, Chennai 600028

    Cooks start on the terrace at half past ten, and the kanji reaches the gate long before the six o'clock sitting. The poor are served first; join the queue outside rather than walking into the hall.

    What to orderNombu kanji

    0 votes

  7. Abid's

    Chetpet T Nagar & Nungambakkam

    Open
    12.30pm to 10.30pm daily
    Where
    Shop 21, Spur Tank Road, near Grand Sweets, Sulaiman Zackria Avenue, Chetpet, Chennai 600031

    The mutton haleem is the reason to come, thick and heavy with ghee. Doors open only at half twelve, and the Ramzan evening fills up, so ring ahead for a table.

    What to orderMutton haleem

    0 votes

  8. Palmshore (Santhome)

    Santhome Mylapore & Alwarpet

    Open
    11.30am to 11.15pm daily
    Where
    106 Santhome High Road, Foreshore Estate, Santhome, Chennai 600028

    Mutton haleem by the bowl is what regulars come for through Ramzan. Pick the Santhome branch over the others; iftar boxes go by seven, and the seafood side can wait for another day.

    What to orderMutton haleem

    0 votes

  9. Mecca Masjid (Anna Salai)

    Thousand Lights T Nagar & Nungambakkam

    Open
    Nombu kanji at the fast breaking, about 6pm
    Where
    Anna Salai (Mount Road), Thousand Lights, Chennai 600006

    One of the mosques that has always cooked its nombu kanji over firewood rather than gas. The porridge goes out at the fast breaking only, and there is no counter, no menu and no takeaway.

    What to orderNombu kanji

    0 votes

  10. Afreen Tea Stall (Big Mosque gate

    Triplicane Triplicane & Marina

    Where
    Outside the Walajah Big Mosque gate, Triplicane High Road, Triplicane, Chennai 600005

    A tea shop by the Big Mosque gate that sells boxed haleem alongside halwa puri and rot. Take the haleem box; there is no seating, and the crowd after evening prayers makes ordering slow.

    What to orderA box of haleem

    0 votes

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