About us

About Us

Chennai Express first opened its doors in November 2018 when entrepreneurs and chef-patrons, Sagar Barlawar and Vamsi Madireddy began their new venture offering authentic South Indian Street food to, south of England, Basingstoke. Originally from Hyderabad, India, famous for its street food and biryanis, Sagar and Vamsi also hold degree in Catering Technology and Culinary Arts awarded by the Osmania University (India).

Chennai Express has a menu reflecting the very best of South Indian cuisine, taken from all five states of South India. It caters for the wider audience with an additional range of North Indian and Indo-Chinese dishes, including options for children. Diners are guaranteed an authentic experience, with freshly ground spices and food prepared in an open kitchen where cooking happens live, right in front of the guests.

South India is home to many of the world’s most coveted ingredients like curry leaves, peppercorns, tamarind, coconut and chillies. South Indian cuisine still retains many elements of the ancient Dravidian culture that flourished thousands of years ago. Inspired by the history and diversity of South Indian cuisine, Chennai Express adopts the traditional homestyle cooking techniques allowing the spices to mingle and marry to create the vibrant fireworks of flavour. The lunch menu of traditional street food includes a splendid variety of thalis and a selection of dosa. In the evening there is a change of tempo, with a varied dinner menu, extending to more starters, curries, a delicious range of tandoori dishes and sumptuous homemade desserts.

So, whether it is a working lunch, family meal or intimate dinner you are looking for, throughout the day or evening, the Chennai Express will cater for you.

Our Mission

Our mission is to take our diners on a culinary tour of South India by reflecting the spirit of the diverse spectrum of South Indian cultures and cuisines. We aim to become the first choice for Indian cuisine in the South of England by offering the perfect taste of South India, served in a warm, vibrant and engaging atmosphere.

Our Culinary Philosophy

Chennai Express envisions to become a truly inclusive restaurant for dietary preferences, ethical food choices, cultural tastes and health needs.

Although curry has been an inherent part of the British heritage, Indian cuisine is often perceived unhealthy containing excessive amount of oil, butter, cream and sugar. While authentic Indian cuisine can be so fresh, light and flavoursome; we believe, it is unfortunate to be stereotyped as a ‘comfort food’ or ‘unhealthy food’.

Chennai Express is an attempt to transform the perception and experience of Indian cuisine in the UK. We essentially serve street food style South Indian food containing vital ingredients and nutritional qualities that make it as healthy as an Indian restaurant can be. While Southern Indian food is naturally light and avoids too much oil, ghee, cream and butter, our Chefs go above and beyond to incorporate fresh approach to cooking where every dish is cooked from scratch offering the distinct taste of fresh herbs and home-ground spices. Inspired by the traditional home-style cooking techniques, we endeavour to retain the versatility, freshness and nutritional values of the ingredients.

Meet our Chefs

Chennai Express exhibits the expertise and passion of chef-patrons, Sagar Barlawar and Vamsi Madireddy. Originally from Hyderabad, India, famous for its street food and biryanis, both Sagar and Vamsi have been in the forefront of culinary industry dedicating over 20 years each in the kitchen. The gastronomic duo developed interest in cooking at an early age watching their mums cook and assisting during family gatherings and festivals. While they enthusiastically witnessed the magic of spices at festive events, they equally enjoyed savouring exceptional food in the vibrant streets of Hyderabad. Their love for cooking eventually turned into a career, thanks to the Bachelor of Catering Technology and Culinary Arts (BCT&CA) degree from the famous Osmania University in Hyderabad.

Chennai Express exhibits the expertise and passion of chef-patrons, Sagar Barlawar and Vamsi Madireddy. Originally from Hyderabad, India, famous for its street food and biryanis, both Sagar and Vamsi have been in the forefront of culinary industry dedicating over 20 years each in the kitchen. The gastronomic duo developed interest in cooking at an early age watching their mums cook and assisting during family gatherings and festivals. While they enthusiastically witnessed the magic of spices at festive events, they equally enjoyed savouring exceptional food in the vibrant streets of Hyderabad. Their love for cooking eventually turned into a career, thanks to the Bachelor of Catering Technology and Culinary Arts (BCT&CA) degree from the famous Osmania University in Hyderabad.

After association with renowned establishments in India including the famous Taj and Oberoi hotels, both Sagar and Vamsi then arrived in the United Kingdom to expand their career in global hospitality sector. The colossal passion for cooking not only rewarded with a successful career but also contributed to the settlement in the UK. While permanently residing in the South of England, they noticed that most Indian restaurants in the South are run by Bangladeshi owners offering the westernised version of Indian cuisine. As foodies themselves, Sagar and Vamsi used to travel to London seeking for authentic Indian food. They also discovered that many authentic food lovers had been visiting London just for a meal. Capitalizing on this gap in the local market, Sagar and Vamsi eventually opened Chennai Express in 2018, bringing the tastes of authentic South Indian Street food to the South of England with an aim to transform the perception and experience of Indian cuisine in the UK. Under their leadership, Chennai Express has managed to scoop various prestigious culinary awards and achieve excellent ratings on social media.

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Award Winning Restaurant

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Highlights of Chennai Express

Testimonials

People say about us!

  • Excellent choices for vegans

    We usually take away but eating in is a great experience too. Lots of vegan choice and they’ll adapt to make stuff vegan if you ask when ordering. I think this is our favourite Indian restaurant in the area - the dishes feel very varied and taste absolutely brilliant - full marks to the kitchen. W Read more

    nickh909

    Tripadvisor

  • Beautiful South Indian food

    We visited this restaurant for the first time this evening. The photos looked a bit odd as it was not what you expect to see in a standard Indian restaurant and this was not the standard Indian restaurant. The food was South Indian Street food which proved to be a really scrumptious atlernative to t Read more

    chriswood0894

    Tripadvisor

  • Beautiful South Indian cuisine cooked fresh

    First time here and it was excellent. Beautiful South Indian cuisine cooked fresh, excellent service, very friendly and the food was delicious. Best chicken curry i had for a long time and my vegan friend was in heaven too!

    Mike Etherington

    Google

  • Just awesome south indian menu!

    Impromptu stop enroute to London. Just awesome south indian menu! The size of the dosas will blow you away in a nice way. Very courteous staff and chef. More importantly authentic south indian dosa, idli and vadas..hot fluffy sumptuous and you will be floating :)

    Manish Agrawal

    Google

  • Highly recommend.

    Highly recommend. stayed in Basingstoke for a weekend break. Got slightly excited when I found a Southern Indian Restaurant. Booked a table for 5.45 on the Saturday night, so glad I did, as would of been very disappointed, if i had not had the chance to taste such awesome food due to being ful Read more

    Jan Finbow

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