Deepavali sweets in Chennai: Six caterers’ bazaars for festive bakshanams and gift hampers

It is that time of the year when the city’s top wedding caterers set up live counters, offering freshly prepared Deepavali bakshanams. Each caterer is known for its own specialities, and loyalists make a beeline for their favourites, usually hosted at popular marriage halls to stock up on sweets and savouries.While the likes of adhirasam, ladoo, Mysore pak, badusha and maa ladoo remain perennial Deepavali staples, the caterers often go beyond the classics, offering an extensive selection to add variety to the festive spread. Take for example the blueberry kaju katli and baklava.A significant share of the business usually comes from bulk orders placed by corporates for festive gifting, along with orders shipped to the US and other international destinations through courier services available at the venues. Due to rising costs of raw materials, oil, and LPG though, almost all of them have increased the rates by 10%. Nothing stops people from reaching out to their sweets on Deepavali though. We take a look at six sweet baazars that are open till November 7. CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, 03/11/2026 : For Metro Plus: Deepavali Sweets display at Arusuvai arasu in Mandaveli on Tuesday. Photo : Velankanni Raj B/ THE HINDU | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B PattappasBalaji Pattappa, son of legendary cook LV Pattappa, admits that he was initially unsure about organising the Deepavali sweets counter this year given the number of wedding muhurtham dates during the season. However, strong demand from overseas customers, particularly in the US, as well as local patrons, prompted him to reconsider. “It was thanks to the overwhelming response and the immense support and cooperation of my team,” says Balaji. To beat the last-minute festive rush, his team began dispatching courier orders to the US as early as the last week of October.Among the highlights this year is the sammandhi seer bakshanam box, an an elaborate gift pack featuring 25 varieties of sweets and savouries for ₹3,300. The assortment comes with two special additions this year — a mini paruppu thengai and Deepavali marundhu. The thala Deepavali special boxes in two sizes (₹1,500 and ₹900) are other attractive offerings, comprising seven varieties of sweets and four varieties of savouries, along with Deepavali marundhu.As always, Balaji will also have his popular range of podis on offer at the venue. Adding to the experience is the round-the-clock hospitality extended to visitors, with complimentary coffee, tea, breakfast, lunch, evening snacks, and dinner served at the bazaar.Best sellers: Maa ladoo, badam halwa, mixture, and ribbon pakoda.@Sri Rani Mahal, Kovilambakkam. On till November 6, from 9am to 9pm. For queries, call 9840845852.Kamalambal Catering ServicesK Sivasubramanian, proprietor of Kamalambal Catering Services, which has been serving customers since 1998, has scaled up his Deepavali sweets bazaar this year with counters at two locations. “We are in Nanmangalam and Royapettah. We are also offering a 10% discount on corporate orders. The bakshanams will be freshly prepared at our Nanmangalam venue which is also our production unit,” says Sivasubramanian. One of the new additions to this year’s festive collection is the combo gift box priced at ₹1,110. Elegantly packed in a tin box and presented in a jute bag, the hamper contains five varieties of sweets and savouries, along with Deepavali marundhu. Visitors to both venues will be welcomed with complimentary tea and coffee.Best Sellers: Chikku peda, biscoff kaju kathli, karuveppilai karasev and ragi ribbon pakoda.@Swarna Sudarshan Wedding Hall, Nanmangalam and Nalvazhvu Kalyana Mandapam, Royapettah from 9.30am to 9pm. On till November 7. For enquiries, call: 9790478047.Arusuvai Arasu Caterers“To ensure better accessibility and convenience for our customers, and to overcome the space constraint we faced last year, we have decided to organise our sweets mela across three locations this year,” says N Sridhar of Arusuvai Arasu Caterers. Cooks from Arusuvai Arasu team preparing Deepavali sweets at Sri Narayani Ammal Kalyana Mandapam, in Mandaveli. | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B Last year, both the team and customers faced considerable challenges due to limited space, with elderly visitors being particularly inconvenienced. Taking this feedback into account, the caterer has expanded its presence this year with counters at Teynampet, Mandaveli, and Valasaravakkam. A team of cooks from Kolkata has been brought in to prepare an assortment of exotic Bengali sweets. The highlight among these is the gur rasogulla. Freshly made Adhirasam at Arusuvai arasu sweets counter at Sri Narayani Ammal Kalyana Mandapam, Mandaveli. | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B “Last year, we sold over 500 kilograms of kasi halwa. Encouraged by the response, we are well equipped at all three venues to prepare and serve even larger quantities of halwa this year,” says Sridhar. His sister, Soumya Ramesh, adds that the preparation of sweets and savouries will take place at the Valasaravakkam and Mandaveli venues, while sales counters will operate simultaneously at all three locations.Best Sellers: Kasi halwa, saffron gulab jamun, mixture and kai murukku. @Sri Narayani Ammal Kalyana Mandapam, Mandaveli; My Bungalow, Teynampet; and Parvathi Mahal, Valasaravakkam. On till November 7 from 9am to 9pm. For enquiries, call 9841115448.LVN CateringLN Srinivasan, proprietor of LVN Catering, is setting up his Deepavali sweets counter for the second consecutive year, with an expanded selection of sweets and savouries. “Orders for overseas shipments, particularly to the US, account for a significant share of our business this year. We began dispatching courier packages as early as the last week of October. Since freshly prepared sweets have a shelf life of only about two weeks, we avoid including certain items, such as jangri, in overseas consignments,” says Srinivasan. Cooks preparing bakshanams round the clock to meet the demand at the Deepavali mela organised by LVN Catering at PK Kalyana Mandapam, Mylapore. | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B Among this year’s offerings is the thala Deepavali box at ₹1,400, comprising seven varieties of sweets, four varieties of savouries and Deepavali marundhu. He is also introducing an assorted gift box priced at ₹275. Srinivasan will also have his popular range of podis on sale at the counter. At LVN Catering Deepavali sweets bazaar. | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B Best Sellers: Dry fruit ladoo, thirattipaal, mullu murukku and oma podi.@PK Mahal, Mylapore. Till November 7 from 8am to 8pm. For enquiries, call: 7904871040.Sri Sai Hasini CateringUma Krishnaswamy, who heads Sri Sai Hasini Catering, is busy organising the second edition of her Deepavali counter. While the rest of the sweets will be prepared in the kitchen at the venue, visitors can watch the traditional art of making adhirasam at a live counter set up at the entrance.Customers can choose from two varieties of this festive favourite — sugar adhirasam and jaggery adhirasam. The spread also includes an assortment of sweets made with karupatti, along with a selection of halwa varieties. A range of podis, puliyodare paste, and Deepavali marundhu will also be available for sale. Sweets and savories are prepared and sold at Lakshmi Hall by Sri Sai Hasini Catering | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Best Sellers: Badam kathli, karuppu kavuni halwa, thattai and thenkuzhal.@Lakshmi Hall, Ashok Nagar. Till November 7 from 10.30am to 9pm. For enquiries, call: 7010737497.Sastha Catering ServicesRK Venkatesan has shifted to a new venue in Alwarpet this year from Narayani Ammal Kalyana Mandapam to Ethiraja Kalyana Mandapam on TTK Road. The highlights of the festive spread are an extensive selection of halwa and laddu varieties. At the live counters, visitors can watch adhirasams and kai murukku being freshly prepared and sold.The thala Deepavali hamper, priced at ₹1,400, comes with an assortment of sweets, savouries and Deepavali marundhu. An assorted sweet box is also available at ₹250. Visitors can enjoy complimentary tea and coffee throughout the day. Adhirasam is the most popular Deepavali sweet and Sastha Catering SErvice has a live adhirasam counter. | Photo Credit: Siva SaravananS Jangri is one of the most poluar deepaali sweet | Photo Credit: SRINATH M “Apart from traditional favourites such as Mysore pak, badusha, laddu, and jangri, we also offer an interesting selection of sweets including blueberry kathli, baklava, kesar peda, rasgulla and gulab jamun,” says Venkatesan, adding that they have been steadily meeting the demands of their overseas customers too.Best Sellers: Khoa jangri, ashoka halwa, kai murukku and kara boondi.@Ethiraja Kalyana Mandapam, Alwarpet. On till November 7 from 9am to 9pm. For enquiries, call: 9047162666.