ABOUT US

Seasoned with spices and garnished with love, Kumar Mess has, for 45 years, offered not food for the body, but food for the soul. From a humble beginning that dates back to 1975, we have successfully established our love for authentic Chettinadu cuisine, which we had let simmer over time, among the many that crave the taste and richness of the flavours of Madurai. We take pride in the fact that our venture has strong cultural roots when my father, Dharmalingam Pillai, first set up a small shop in 1975 to feed the massive crowds that would gather to witness Madurai’s infamous Chithirai Thiruvizha.

Even though I was accepted into a medical college, to carry on the legacy that was once planted, I decided to follow through the vision that my father couldn’t himself. Living with my grandmother I received the best heirloom – tradition. I honed the skills that she first hand taught me, to carefully select the best vegetables and to cook them to perfection in a way that would knit both tradition and flavour.In 1991, with blessings from a very close well-wisher to the family, we set up a platform shop that served one meal a day, dinner, and continued our service from within a building by 1992.

In 2000, following the number of immensely satisfied customers that steadily increased we went on to serve lunch as well as dinner from our shop in Tallakulam. 2007 witnessed the inauguration of our branch in Town Hall Road followed by another branch at Mattuthavani in 2009. It was then that we marked the beginning of our branch in Vadapalani, Chennai, in 2015 commemorating 25 years of our patronage to the Chettinadu cuisine. We then extended our service to Tambaram and T. Nagar in 2017. We further strengthened our presence in 2018 at our birthplace, Madurai, with a new branch in By-pass road.

With these 7 outlets spread across Madurai and Chennai, we at Kumar Mess have worked tirelessly for over 30 years and to this day continue to preserve and perpetuate authentic Chettinad cuisine. The quality of our service is also made possible by our trustworthy suppliers who are committed to providing ingredients of the best quality. All aspects of our business is supervised by our family, from the sourcing of raw materials to the completion of a dish cooked to perfection, as we are devoted to providing our customers the feel of a wholesome, home cooked meal. In our 30 years of service to an array of clients, we have also had the pleasure to host influential celebrities, politicians and reputed chefs from bigger hotel chains. The thorough heart-felt appreciation in response has greatly humbled us, and if anything, it encourages us to continue our service, steadfast in our ideal to provide food for the soul.