Annapoorna is a pure-vegetarian restaurant near the temple area serving good breakfast and tiffin through the morning and early afternoon. In Tamil Nadu, "hotel" often means restaurant rather than accommodation, and Annapoorna follows the classic south Indian breakfast format: idli with sambar and three chutneys, crisp dosas filled with potato masala, and filter coffee in a steel tumbler with a davara to pour it through for cooling. These are the foods the city runs on.
The coffee alone is worth the stop. Tamil filter coffee — dark, chicory-laced decoction mixed with frothy hot milk — is one of south India's great pleasures, and the version here is consistent. Come between 7 and 9am when everything is fresh and the place is full of working people starting their day.