The Best Malls in Chennai: A Guide to the City's Top Shopping Centres

Guide details

Best time to visit

Weekday late mornings and early afternoons are quietest, with weekends and evenings the busiest.

How to get there

Most malls sit on major roads with metro, bus or app cabs nearby, and all have paid parking on site.

Highlights

Phoenix Marketcity, VR Chennai, Express Avenue, Forum Vijaya Mall, Marina Mall, Grand Mall, Ampa Skywalk

Good for

Families, shopping, cinema, dining, air conditioned escapes, weekend outings

Price range

Free entry, with parking from around Rs 40 to Rs 100 and food, films and shopping on top

Malls do a lot of work in Chennai. They are where families spend a Sunday, where teenagers meet after exams, where couples catch a film, and where plenty of us end up simply because it is too hot to be anywhere else. Over the past fifteen years or so the city has gained a solid spread of them, from vast anchor malls with hundreds of stores to smaller neighbourhood centres that do the job for a quick shop and a bite.

The heat is a big part of the appeal, and we may as well be honest about it. For a good chunk of the year Chennai sits somewhere between warm and punishing, and a cool, well lit hall with a food court and a cinema is a genuinely nice place to pass a few hours. Entry is free, the air conditioning is generous, and nobody minds if you walk around for an hour and buy nothing more than a coffee. Here are the malls we think are worth your time, and who each one suits.

Phoenix Marketcity, Velachery

If you want the full big mall experience, Phoenix Marketcity in Velachery is the usual first stop. It is one of the largest malls in the city, with several floors of stores covering everything from high street fashion and sportswear to electronics, home goods and Indian brands. The line up leans towards the well known names, so it is a reliable place to find what you are actually looking for rather than hunting around.

There is a PVR multiplex on the upper level, a large food court, plenty of sit down restaurants and cafes, and enough for children to keep a family busy for the best part of a day. It gets very popular at weekends, so if crowds bother you, come on a weekday. Velachery sits close to the IT corridor, which is part of why this mall is always busy after office hours. It suits families, first time visitors and anyone who wants the widest choice under one roof.

VR Chennai, Anna Nagar

VR Chennai, in Anna Nagar in the north west of the city, is the more upmarket option and it looks the part. The design is a cut above, with open courtyards, better lighting and a general sense of space that many malls lack. The retail mix runs towards premium and international brands, so it is a good choice if you are after something a little smarter.

Where VR really stands out is dining and events. There is a strong spread of restaurants and cafes, and the mall regularly hosts pop ups, exhibitions and live music, so it has more going on than shopping alone. It suits couples, anyone who enjoys a nicer setting for lunch, and people who like the idea of an evening out that does not revolve entirely around bags and receipts.

Express Avenue, Royapettah

Express Avenue is the central choice, sitting in Royapettah close to the heart of the city and within easy reach of Marina Beach. That location is its main advantage. If you are staying in the middle of Chennai or exploring the older parts of town, this is the mall you can reach without a long drive out to the suburbs.

Inside you will find a broad mix of brands, from mainstream fashion and accessories to a food court and restaurants, plus a multiplex. It is a busy, practical mall rather than a design showpiece, and that is fine. It suits travellers based centrally, anyone combining a mall trip with a walk along the Marina, and shoppers who want a decent all round selection without heading to the outskirts.

Forum Vijaya Mall, Vadapalani

Forum Vijaya Mall in Vadapalani is a firm favourite in the western part of the city. It is a lively, well used mall with a good range of stores, a large food court and a popular multiplex that pulls in crowds for new releases. The area itself is worth knowing about, as Vadapalani is home to the well known Murugan temple and sits close to the film studios that gave the neighbourhood its long association with Tamil cinema.

That mix of temple, studios and mall makes it an easy stop if you are already in the area. It suits families, film fans and anyone in the west or south west of Chennai who wants a solid mall without trekking across town.

Marina Mall, OMR

Marina Mall sits out on the OMR, the road that runs down the IT corridor, and it is one of the newer arrivals. Because it is more recent, it feels fresh and modern, with a good cinema, a range of dining options and the usual spread of retail. For the many people who live and work along the OMR, it is the natural local mall, close to the tech parks and residential areas that have grown up along that stretch.

It suits anyone based on the OMR, families in the southern suburbs, and visitors staying near the IT corridor who would rather not drive back towards the centre. If you are in that part of the city, it saves you a long trip.

Grand Mall and Grand Square, Velachery, and Ampa Skywalk, Aminjikarai

A couple of others are worth a mention. In Velachery, close to Phoenix, you will find Grand Mall and the Grand Square development, which give the area a second option and are handy if the bigger mall is heaving. They are smaller and more manageable, which some people prefer for a quick shop.

Over in Aminjikarai, Ampa Skywalk is one of the older malls in the city and still ticks along nicely. It has a cinema, a decent food court and a familiar set of stores, and it works well for anyone in the central north of Chennai who wants somewhere close by rather than a day out.

Which mall should you pick?

If you want the biggest and the widest choice, go to Phoenix Marketcity in Velachery. For the most upmarket setting and the best dining and events, VR Chennai in Anna Nagar is the one. The most central option, and the easiest to combine with the Marina, is Express Avenue in Royapettah. For a family day out with a strong cinema, both Phoenix and Forum Vijaya Mall do the job well. And if you are anywhere near the IT corridor, Marina Mall on the OMR or the Velachery malls will be closest to hand.

Good to know

Opening hours are typically late morning to late evening, often around 11am to 10pm or 11pm, with the food courts and cinemas running latest.
Entry is free. Parking is paid, usually somewhere from Rs 40 to Rs 100 depending on the mall and how long you stay.
Every mall listed here has a food court, and most have sit down restaurants and cafes as well.
Multiplex cinemas are standard, so you can pair shopping with a film without leaving the building.
Expect a quick security check at the entrance, with bag scanning and a metal detector.
Weekends and public holidays are the busiest, especially in the evenings. Weekday afternoons are far calmer.

None of these malls will surprise a seasoned traveller, and that is rather the point. They are dependable, comfortable and easy to reach, and on a hot Chennai afternoon that counts for a great deal. Pick the one nearest to where you are staying, go in with a rough plan, and treat the air conditioning as part of the day out.

The Best Malls in Chennai: A Guide to the City’s Top Shopping Centres