Swiggy Restaurant Awards 2026: Chennai’s Favourite Restaurants Revealed Amid Record-Breaking 1.3 Crore+ Votes
Chennai : Swiggy (NSE: SWIGGY/BSE: 544285), India’s pioneering on-demand convenience platform, announced the Chennai winners of the Swiggy Restaurant Awards 2026, as a part of its largest-ever nationwide edition. The awards witnessed an unprecedented 1.3 crore+ votes from 6.43 lakh unique users, marking a 2.2X jump over last year, making it the biggest edition till date.
Spanning 160+ cities, 110 categories, and 15,000 winning brands, this year’s awards celebrated the best across food delivery and dineout experiences. The scale of engagement was driven by 43.8 lakh users sharing voting links, with participation from 25K new-to-platform users.The 2026 edition also saw deeper relevance through regional categories and city-led inputs, alongside optimised city selection focusing on high-engagement markets like Delhi.
In Chennai, Local Legends across food delivery and dineout categories reflected the city’s diverse and evolving food preferences. The top winners in food delivery included A2B – Adyar Ananda Bhavan, Shree Mithai, Zaitoon, SS Hyderabad Biryani, and Geetham Veg Restaurant, showcasing a mix of iconic legacy brands and new-age favourites. On the dining out front, popular destinations such as Roots, OG By the Lake, Oudh 1590, Eden Courtyard, and Chowman emerged as city champions.
In Chennai, Local Legends across food delivery and dineout categories reflected the city’s rich culinary heritage and evolving food preferences. Among food delivery favourites, top winners included A2B – Adyar Ananda Bhavan, Shree Mithai, Zaitoon, SS Hyderabad Biryani, and Geetham Veg Restaurant, showcasing a mix of iconic legacy brands and local favourites. On the dineout front, popular destinations such as Fifth, Geetham Veg Restaurant, The Beach Terrace, The Living Room, and Mathsya emerged as city champions.
Commenting on the awards, Sidharth Bhakoo, Chief Business Officer, Swiggy Food Marketplace, said “Chennai continues to be one of India’s most dynamic food markets, with consumers actively shaping trends through their choices. The overwhelming participation in this year’s Swiggy Restaurant Awards reflects the city’s deep-rooted love for food, from iconic legacy brands to emerging favourites. We’re excited to celebrate the restaurants that define Chennai’s unique culinary identity.”
Nationally, Biryani emerged as the most popular category with 7.02 lakh votes, followed by Pizza, North Indian, Burger, and Chinese. The 2026 edition also expanded into new and trend-led categories including EatRight, Corporate/Desk Eats, and Trending Dish Families such as Pasta, Arabic cuisine, Cheesecake, Mandi, and Grills & Shawaya. Regional depth was further strengthened with categories like Naati Style Biryani, Rayalaseema cuisine, South Indian tiffins, and Marathi food, making the awards more locally relevant than ever.
The Swiggy Restaurant Awards 2026 underline the growing influence of consumer choice in shaping local food culture, with Chennai emerging as a key market driving participation and celebrating both neighbourhood favourites and trend-setting brands.
