In a city known for its parottas and fiery non-vegetarian dishes, a small eatery tucked away in a narrow street has spent more than 50 years experimenting with the dosas. At Ayyapan Dosa Kadai, a dosa made with just a ladleful of batter on a hot tawa comes in more than 100 varieties. Here, they serve familiar podi and rava dosas, along with pizza, sweet, butterscotch and even ice cream dosas. By evening, the shop draws a larger crowd of customers eager to pick their dosa from the long list of options.
Varieties of dosa at Ayyappan Dosai Kadai in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
R. ASHOK
For A Karthikeyan, who runs the eatery, the dosa is more than just a dish. It has been part of his life since childhood, when his father started Ayyapan Dosa Kadai in the 1970s. What began as a small eatery serving idli and simple dosas has, over the years, grown into a place known for a wide variety of dishes.
Varieties of dosa at Ayyappan Dosai Kadai in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
R. ASHOK
“I was a little boy when my father started the shop,” says Karthikeyan. After his father’s time, Karthikeyan took over the tawa during the 1980s and today, he is fondly known among customers as the ‘Dosa Man’.
Karthikeyan says there were very few dedicated dosa shops in the city back then. Once he perfected the regular dosa, he gradually began experimenting with different combinations. Egg dosa was among the varieties he made in the early years. Over time, the menu kept growing. Today, it features more than 100 varieties, ranging from spicy to sweet.
Varieties of dosa at Ayyappan Dosai Kadai in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
R. ASHOK
Apart from the usual podi and rava dosas, it is the unusual combinations that make Ayyapan Dosa Kadai interesting. Here, pizza, cheese and paneer dosas find a place on the menu. There are plenty of sweet options too — jam, honey, chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and butterscotch.
The butterscotch dosa is a favourite among younger customers. It comes hot from the tawa, crisp on the outside with a soft and slightly chewy inside, with butterscotch adding a sweet touch.
Varieties of dosa at Ayyappan Dosai Kadai in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
R. ASHOK
Karthikeyan not only offers different flavours, he has also come up with a five layer dosa, which is made almost like a sandwich, with different fillings placed between the layers. There are also three-layer versions. He keeps changing the menu and is constantly thinking of new combinations whenever he feels there is something different that customers may enjoy.
Varieties of dosa at Ayyappan Dosai Kadai in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
R. ASHOK
The pizza dosa is a variety that has won the attention of several customers. To make it, he prepares a plain dosa, and spreads his homemade pizza sauce over it. Then he adds the toppings — mushrooms, paneer, capsicum, onion and other vegetables, followed by plenty of grated cheese. He covers the dosa with a lid and leaves it on the tawa for a while, allowing the cheese to melt. Once it is sliced, the melted cheese stretches over the dosa, resembling a pizza. Customers were initially cautious about the unusual combination, and it soon became a popular choice at the shop, he says.
Varieties of dosa at Ayyappan Dosai Kadai in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
R. ASHOK
Karthikeyan says children pick the sweet varieties such as ice cream-flavoured ones, while older customers tend to prefer the good old regular dosa.
Over the years, several Tamil film personalities have visited his shop to try his dosas. His kind of dosa? After spending years at the tawa and making everything from podi to ice cream dosa, his favourite is the plain dosa.
Pandiya Velalar Street, Periyar, Madurai Main, call 98650 96095
Published – September 11, 2026 12:03 am IST
