Sri Lankan food – a flavour burst of spices and coconut; dominant ingredients in the Sri Lankan brand of curry. These curries are served alongside steamed white or red (unrefined) rice or a number of other flour-based staples such as hoppers, stringhoppers, pittu, rotis, breads and more. Years of colonization plus influences from India and the middle east from which Sri Lanka’s main minorities originate has given rise to the country’s vibrant and unique food culture; an often overlooked factor when considering the country’s tourism attributes. Moreover, as a tropical island nation the country has a bounty of crustacean and other seafood.
A visit to Colombo is an ideal opportunity to savour the diversity of Sri Lankan cuisine, from 5-star quality to street-food. Given below is our list of the top restaurants offering Sri Lankan cuisine in no particular order.
Kaema Sutra $$$
Trendy local restaurant at the Shangri-La Colombo offering some designer food versions of simple local classics and favourites. Some innovative cocktails and other beverage options are presented in unique style. Founded by famous local chef and restaurateur Dharshan Munidasa in partnership with Sri Lankan-born bollywoord actress Jacqueline Fernandez. Signature dishes include; The black hopper, Crab stringhopper kottu and What the Hopper (the dessert hopper).
Nuga Gama $$$
A themed restaurant in a local 5-star, The Cinnamon Grand, with rustic outdoor ambience canopied by a nuga tree in a typical Sri Lankan village-setting. The restaurant, which is open for dinner, offers a wide spread of local cuisine in buffet style with some live cooking stations thrown in and has local music and entertainment. Dishes to try include; the jackfruit seed curry, negombo prawns and rulan aluwa (dessert).
The Lagoon at Cinnamon Grand – Sunday Sri Lankan seafood brunch $$$ – $$$$
One of the most popular and long-standing seafood restaurants in Colombo is The Lagoon, at the 5-star Cinnamon Grand Hotel. The Sri Lankan Sunday brunch offered here most certainly deserves a mention on this list given its very generous spread and variety of seafood cooked in Sri Lankan styles. The restaurant has a daily display of fresh seafood on ice for guests to choose from and can be cooked in a style of choice.
Raja Bojun $$ – $$$
The restaurant offers all popular Sri Lankan dishes at an affordable price in buffet and A-la carte options. The buffet, which usually has over 30 items on it, generally includes a large number of vegetarian options on its spread as well. Crab, Chicken and Fish curries are generally among the variety of meat items on the buffet. With a large seating capacity, the restaurant is ideal for large groups looking to try Sri Lankan cuisine.
Curry Pot – Marine drive $$
While the restaurant has 3 outlets in Colombo, we list here their restaurant on Marine Drive, for its simple and yet pleasing interiors together with good tasting authentic Sri Lankan food. The restaurant offers buffets for all three meals with food presented in clay pots in the traditional manner. A special mention is deserved for its breakfast spread which is one of the largest spreads of Sri Lankan food available in the city for breakfast.
Upali’s $$
With restaurants in Melbourne and Colombo, Upali’s seeks to offer taste and quality in its array of Sri Lankan food. Open for lunch and dinner, Upali’s serves some attractively priced set menus and its Signature dishes Maalu Olu (fish head curry) and Hathmaluwa (translates to seven in one vegetable curry) are definitely worth a try. The restaurant also serves up a good Roast paan, a local speciality bread often found in small Sri Lankan bakeries.
The Café on the 5th $$
Café cum pastry shop, we list The Café on the 5th purely for its dinner hoppers, which are arguably the best in town; with a crispy thin crust that dissolves in your mouth. The outlet offers a mish mash of items from Nasi Goreng to Macaroni and an array of Sri Lankan short-eats mainly for quick lunches and easy take-aways. The dinner ambience is pleasant and airy at the restaurant and good for a casual hopper-night.
VOC Cafe at Dutch Burgher Union $ – $$
Located in a beautiful colonial building in the heart of Colombo, the restaurant showcases the culture and cuisine of the dutch-burgher community of Sri Lanka. It earns its place on our list for its location and ambience, which feels like an oasis in the city and for serving up what is undoubtedly the best Lamprais in Colombo. Lamprais is a uniquely different local rice and curry of dutch-burgher origin, packed, baked and served in a banana leaf.
Yaal $
Although named Yaal short for Yalpanam (Jaffna), the restaurant does not necessarily offer only authentic Jaffna cuisine and offers a wider variety of cuisine from the local tamil community which resembles south Indian food. However its Odiyal Kool, a thick and hearty seafood and vegetable soup, which is both spicy and tangy together with a flaky parata is a treat for any foodie visiting Sri Lanka. Expect very humble, roadside-shop interiors.
Hotel De Pilawoos $
Colombo’s night kadé; or the place to stop at, in the wee hours of the morning after a night out in the city. That said, it is open 24×7 and offers all of Sri Lanka’s favourite snacks and street food from kottu, cheese kottu, chicken palandi, paratas and more. The kottu at Pilla (as the restaurant is fondly referred to) is the best in town. Interiors are very basic canteen style… and you will find many dining inside their parked vehicles. If street fare is your kind of feast – go for it!
The Galle Face Green food carts $
No Sri Lankan food review would be complete without the mention of Street food at the Galle Face Green. The famous public park overlooking a strip of the Indian ocean in Colombo, is the best place for street food in the city. A row of food-carts offer Isso wade (fried lentil cakes with prawn), Kottu (Roti, vegetables and a meat of choice prepared on a hot iron plate chopped and cooked to a rhythmic beat), achcharu (pickled local fruit), samosas (fried triangular patties) and Saravita (sweetened shreds of coconut wrapped in betel leaf).
