Nightlife in Chennai is pretty boring, but as all aspects in life it has dramatically improved over the past two years. The opening hours got improved from midnight to 1:30!
Seems, that lot of the guys do not drink here and the other lots get really drunk, there is no in between. Social life for locals is mainly happening among your four walls at the most in a restaurant, means the crowd you find in Chennai's nightlife are rich kids, Indians brought up in the west and expats.
The nightlife is centered among the five star hotels and all of them have a kind of bar and maybe a disco club. Here some of the recommendations I can give
Park Sheraton: Has an old colonial style bar open until around midnight, but the place is really, really cold and you don't find a place where the aircon does not blow into your face. Good for conversations with friends in a traditional atmosphere (I prefer the bar in Taj Coromandel). Dublin: Great club, but as a man you are only allowed in with your couple. The guys at the door are pretty sharp. Closes around 1:30
The Park: Has a stylish bar called Leather Bar. You find more hype people there than in Park Sheraton and if you are lucky they let you into their disco club called Pasha. Same rule applies than in Dublin, but not that strictly executed. This place is good fun, best in Chennai, meets global standards only gets really really busy.
Residency Towers: Is the host of the only pub I know in Chennai, called Bikes and Barrels. Good for an Irish pub style of evening with beer and whiskeys. Gets very busy on weekends, good music. I found strange, that single men have to go to the first floor, where they can look out of a kind of cage environment of what is going on in the main area. Luckily does not apply to expats.
Raintree: Another club called Havanna - this is already number three! - which is open until around 1:30. Good crowd, good music. Less hype than Pasha and more of an Indian feeling.
Taj Coromandel: Has the most classy colonial style bar in Chennai called Fort St. George. I have actually rarely seen women in there and more a hang around place for grey haired business men.
Spot the places on the map
The list is not exhaustive and more can be found on Cityguide, Chennai Hub, Recommendations and Pubs
