Coimbatore’s most iconic vegetarian restaurant chain since 1968. Famous for filter coffee, ghee podi roast, keerai vadai, and unlimited banana-leaf meals. 19+ branches across the city.
Sree Annapoorna Sree Gowrishankar is the most recognized vegetarian restaurant brand in Coimbatore, often referred to as the “Pride of Coimbatore.” Founded by K. Dhamodarasamy Naidu and his brothers in the early 1960s as a small catering unit inside the Kennedy movie theatre at R.S. Puram, Annapoorna has grown into a chain of 19+ restaurants across Coimbatore, with additional outlets in Tirupur and Erode.
The story began with filter coffee. The Naidu brothers — Dhamodarasamy, Rangaswamy, Ramaswamy, and Lakshmanan — started by serving coffee, tea, and tiffin items from a modest stall. Their coffee quickly became legendary in Coimbatore, with beans sourced from Chikmagalur and roasted in-house following a traditional process that the chain maintains to this day. In 1968, they formally opened a vegetarian restaurant under the name “Sree Annapoorna,” named after the goddess Annapoorni. In 1980, a lodging facility was added. The group has since expanded into kitchen equipment manufacturing, instant food mix production, and bottled beverages.
Annapoorna serves a full range of South Indian vegetarian cuisine — dosas, idlis, vadas, uttapams, and rice varieties — along with North Indian and Chinese dishes. The restaurant is best known for its filter coffee, ghee podi roast dosa, paruppu podi ghee roast, keerai vadai (green leaf pakoda), and unlimited banana-leaf meals served during lunch and dinner.
The R.S. Puram branch on East Arokiasamy Road remains the flagship, though every branch maintains the same commitment to taste and quality. The restaurants range in ambience from traditional wooden-chair dining halls to modern air-conditioned seating, and all are spacious, well-maintained, and family-friendly. Ample parking is available at most branches.
Annapoorna also operates a popular sweets and savouries counter offering traditional South Indian sweets, murukkus, and packaged snack mixes.
With over 1,500 employees and a presence spanning more than five decades, Sree Annapoorna Sree Gowrishankar is not just a restaurant — it is an inseparable part of Coimbatore’s food identity.
Branch Locations in Coimbatore
Sree Annapoorna has 19+ branches across Coimbatore, including locations at R.S. Puram (flagship), Gandhipuram, Raja Street (Town Hall), Avinashi Road, Mettupalayam Road, Peelamedu, Saravanampatti, Saibaba Colony, Singanallur, Sathy Road, Hopes College, Sivanadha Colony, and the Coimbatore International Airport. Sweet stalls are also present in Tirupur and Erode.
What to Try
- Filter Coffee — the signature that started it all; brewed from Chikmagalur beans roasted in-house
- Ghee Podi Roast Dosa — crispy dosa with podi and generous ghee
- Keerai Vadai — the legendary green leaf pakoda unique to Annapoorna
- Banana Leaf Meals — unlimited South Indian thali with sambar, rasam, kootu, poriyal, appalam, payasam, and curd
- Paruppu Podi Ghee Roast — another Annapoorna original
- Hyderabad-style Veg Biryani — a sleeper hit many locals miss
- Sweets counter — mysore pak, jangiri, laddu, and seasonal specials
