The same beaches, cinemas and cafés, but very different ways of spending time in them – how Millennials and Gen Z are finding their own Chennai
The OG mood: For Darshini, 34, a marketing professional, Chennai mornings still begin at home. Why risk it?” says Agan, 36, an ad- vertising professional.
Give me filter coffee and break- fast and I’m good,” she says. There are certain things that still make a Chennai day un- mistakably Chennai: filter coffee, a long lunch, the out beach, a movie, a drive down ECR. What has changed is what happens in between. A 2000s Saturday might have meant breakfast at home, a few hours at the mall, a movie at Sathyam and dinner in Besant Nagar. For Gen Z and younger millenni- als, it could mean pilates, matcha in Alwarpet, pickleball, a new café and a late-night dessert run. The landmarks remain – Marina and Bessie, Sathyam, EA and ECR-but the spaces between them have become part of the experience too. “I don’t need any- thing fancy in the morning. For her generation, coffee is less of a lifestyle choice and more of a given – part of the morning ritual, preferably at home, with breakfast. The OG mood: For millennials, a restaurant recommendation often travelled through friends, colleagues and word of mouth. If a place was good, you went back. “I’m not experi- menting when I’m hungry. If I know a place has good biryani, I’ll go there again.
Because it looks nice,” shares Kriti, 22, a fashion student, sometimes we definitely pick a place just.
“There were pubs and house parties, but honestly, a lot of our nights were just dinner and driving around,” says Darshini. “We’ll go for a walk, someone will suggest something else and we’d then end up going somewhere,” says Kriti. “I’ll see something online, save it, forget about it and then suddenly decide I need it,” says Kriti.
The Gen Z mode: The old favourites are still around, but Gen Z now shares the city with cafés, bakeries, dessert counters and restaurants that can become the weekend des- tination after one viral reel. “I’ll see a reel and that’ll be the next lunch spot. The OG mood: For millennials, a good night didn’t necessarily require a packed dance floor; food, friends and a car could be enough. The Gen Z mode: The beach may be the starting point, but there’s usually a café, restaurant or another plan. The OG mood: For Darshini, Express Avenue, Spencer Plaza and Citi Centre were familiar weekend territory, and browsing was often as much the point as buying. “We could spend four hours in a mall and come back with one top. And somehow we’d still feel like we’d had a productive day,” she laughs. The Gen Z mode: Gen Z hasn’t abandoned malls – Phoenix Marketcity and Express Avenue still draw weekend crowds – but the shopping map has widened. Thrift stores, pop- ups, flea markets, independent labels and Instagram businesses now sit alongside the malls.