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1864
One of the most talked-about restaurant debuts in Colombo, this place in Galle Face Regency wows its customers with a fusion of Indian, Italian and Japanese cuisines.
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Amaravathi
Amaravathi offers attentive service and arguably the best South Indian cuisine in the capital for very reasonable prices. The menu includes three different vegetarian thalis('all-you-can-eat' plates of rice, curries and accompaniments), plus a varied selection of veg and nonveg Madras- and Andhra-style dishes.
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Angler
Casual and friendly, this is a good choice for reliable and reasonably priced seafood, and a range of Sri Lankan and Western dishes.
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Barefoot Garden Cafe
Located in the courtyard of the well-known Barefoot gallery, this café serves sandwiches, snacks such as falafel in pita bread, and daily specials that usually include one Sri Lankan, one Thai, one Malay-Indonesian and several Western dishes. There's also a wine list.
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Barista
Sip perfect cappuccinos alongside the city's young, beautiful and wealthy in this large espresso bar and deli that's attached to the new shopping wing of Galle Face Regency.
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Beach Wadiya
Maybe it's the way the staff greets every arriving diner as if they were family. Or it might be because you feel equally welcome whether you're wearing a T-shirt or a tux. Whatever the appeal, come early to pick a table inside the weather-beaten beach shack or outside in the sand, order a chilled Three Coins beer while a waiter fills you in on the catch of the day, and receive your specially customised grilled or fried seafood platter.
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Bistro Latino
This wine bar serves tapas and plays recorded Latin jazz and salsa. The staff offers free salsa-dancing lessons.
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Cargills
The original store of this countrywide chain has a food court offering Sri Lankan, Indian, Thai, Malay and Chinese cuisines, all scooped from steam trays.
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Chesa Swiss
This place attracts regulars with sturdy Swiss fare (such as sliced venison in Cognac-pepper sauce), efficient service and its cosy, clean atmosphere. A good selection of imported wines and beers is available.
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Chettinad
Enjoy cheap South Indian and Sri Lankan food at this place in the heart of Pettah. The downstairs dining room is open to the street, and the menu is veg only. Upstairs is air-con and offers both veg and nonveg meals; prices are about Rs10 more than those downstairs. Bombay sweets are sold from a glass case in the lobby.
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Chinese Dragon Cafe
Colombo probably has more Chinese restaurants than Sri Lankan ones, and this spot, housed in an old mansion, is one of the more popular for its inexpensive rice and noodle dishes.
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Colombo YMCA
The cafeteria at this hostel serves cheap and tasty Sri Lankan and Western dishes.
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Commons
Part garden, part gallery and part café (with large, soft sofas), this is a safe retreat for women and for tired visitors generally. It's a perfect spot to take a break or to settle in with a sandwich and coffee while reading the Sunday papers. There's a good selection for the sweet-toothed, including fudge brownies and a delicious brunch that features pancakes, bacon and syrup.
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Crescat Boulevard
A couple of minutes from Cinnamon Grand Hotel, this shopping centre has a good food hall downstairs. You have a choice of Sri Lankan, Chinese, Malaysian or Indian cuisine - or burgers. Service is efficient, the surroundings are clean (with clean toilets nearby), and the prices are moderate.
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Cricket Club Cafe
This older-style bungalow with a garden and veranda is one of Colombo's most popular places to meet, drink and eat. It is packed with cricket memorabilia, needless to say. Options range from pasta to seafood to burgers with salad and chips. There's a good bar and an excellent selection of beers and wines.
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Curry Leaf
Hilton Colombo has arguably the best array of upscale international restaurants in the city. Curry Leaf, tucked behind the main building in a lovely garden that recreates the atmosphere of a traditional village, serves excellent Sri Lankan food. In addition to all sorts of local specialities, there is an arrack bar.
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Delifrance
This busy café, on the ground floor of the very popular Odel Unlimited store, is delighted to siphon off your shopping change. There's also an outlet in Crescat Boulevard.
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Fab
Upper-middle-class Colombo residents fill the Fab in the afternoon for tea, pastries, cakes and Western and Eastern snacks, all of which are cut above the similar fare at Green Cabin and Pagoda Tea Room. There are four other branches around the city, but this is the original and the most popular.
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Fisherman's Villa
Set in a wooden pavilion, this beachfront restaurant offers well-prepared seafood dishes cooked in Western, Sri Lankan and Thai styles.
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Frankfurt Lavinia Beer Garden
As the name suggests, German food - including delicious home-made sausages - is the speciality here. It's on the same lane as Blue Seas Guest House.
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Gallery Cafe
The historic building that houses Gallery Cafe used to be an office for Sri Lanka's most famous architect, Geoffrey Bawa. Entry is through a series of colonnaded courtyards featuring ornamental pools; from the outer latticed gate you can gaze right through to the inner courtyard. There are exhibitions of paintings and photography in the courtyards, as well as in the building.
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German Restaurant
Opposite Galle Face Hotel, this simply named eatery does all things German. You may wish to visit during the happy hour ( to ) to sample the draught German beer and wines.
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Ginza Hohsen
Ginza Hohsen serves sushi and other Japanese fare (made with all-imported ingredients).
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Golden Mile
In a timber-framed, partially open-air building right on the beach, Golden Mile has become the most popular evening hang-out in Mt Lavinia for well-funded Sri Lankan weekenders. While the seafood and modern Sri Lankan menu (including a few vegetarian items) isn't stellar, the snappy service keeps them coming back.
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Green Cabin
This place is a bit of an institution in the local restaurant trade. It's well known for both its baked goods and its inexpensive Sri Lankan, Indian and Chinese dishes; the lunchtime buffet is excellent value - the mango curry, if it's on, is very good. For a snack try the vegetable pastries or the bacon-and-egg pies.
