Colombo Restaurants

  1. Greenlands Hotel

    Despite its hospital-ward-like interior, Greenlands whips up very good, fresh South Indian food. Divided in to a busy semi-open-air canteen area and a separate air-con dining room, this place is popular with locals. The prices are so low you won't mind that you may have to beg to be served.

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  2. Harbour Room

    Overlooking the city harbour from the 4th floor of Grand Oriental Hotel, this blandly decorated hotel dining room is worth visiting for its superb views. The menu covers all the usual Sri Lankan, Chinese and Western bases. Inexpensive lunch buffets are served on weekdays; there are dinner buffets daily.

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  3. Il Ponte

    This light and airy restaurant in Hilton Colombo has a range of Italian and continental dishes, imported wines and beers, and a good salad bar.

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  4. Kafé Kent

    This cosy restaurant includes several sitting areas for a drink, and multiple dining rooms upstairs for a quiet dinner. It's a good spot for women travellers.

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  5. Le Palace

    In a beautiful old mansion in one of Colombo's most exclusive streets, this place specialises in first-class pastries and baked goods, and has 15 international set menus ranging from Mexican to Malaysian. If you are coming here by taxi or three-wheeler, ask the driver to take you via the Kynsey Rd entrance; there are many schools in this street, which means much of it is closed to traffic.

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  7. Lotus Leaf

    This brasserie-style eatery, popular with students, serves fresh, reasonably priced Sri Lankan cuisine. The upstairs dining room has air-con.

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  8. Mahout Café

    In the mezzanine of Elephant Walk, this is a pleasantly casual spot for lunch or afternoon tea. The menu emphasises Mediterranean and Sri Lankan cuisines.

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  9. Majestic City

    A good spot for a cheap but reasonable quality lunch is the food hall in the basement of this shopping centre, where you can choose from Malaysian, Chinese, Sri Lankan, Western-style fast food and Indian. There's a play area for young children next to the eating area, and the complex also has a good Cargills Food City on the ground floor.

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  10. Moghul Ghar

    Hilton Colombo has arguably the best array of upscale international restaurants in the city. Moghul Ghar specialises in Pakistani halal cuisine.

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  11. Namaste

    This recent addition to Hotel Renuka does for North Indian cuisine what the Palmyrah does for Sri Lankan and South Indian food - it provides the highest standards at affordable prices.

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  13. Number 18

    Local fashion designer and hotelier Taru Fanseca has transformed this '60s-vintage central bank governor's residence into a chic eatery with minimalist décor. Australian chef Russell Gronow is the man behind the menu, which blends Pacific Rim and Mediterranean influences. Also available is a variety of wines and exotic cocktails, including the Turkish delight martini.

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  14. Pagoda Tea Room

    Hungry like the wolf? Duran Duran filmed its classic '80s video for that very song in this venerable establishment. It's one of the oldest eating establishments in Fort and the service is graciously old-fashioned. Although there's a variety of Sri Lankan, Malaysian, Chinese and Western dishes, the main focus on its inexpensive pastries. This is a sister establishment to Green Cabin, where most of the food is prepared.

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  15. Palmyrah

    In a nondescript kitchen in the basement of Hotel Renuka a chef is whipping up some of the finest Sri Lankan curries in Colombo, along with a selection of South Indian specialities. Don't miss the stellar wattalappam (coconut milk, egg, cardamom and jaggery pudding).

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  16. Paradise Road Cafe

    Part of the shop of the same name, this café serves great coffee, milk shakes, cakes and light meals (such as quiche and spaghetti) in an airy veranda-style atmosphere upstairs. It's just southwest of De Soysa (Lipton) Circus.

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  17. Sakura

    The food at Sakura, Colombo's oldest Japanese restaurant, is simply prepared yet very tasty. If you sit at the bar you can switch between watching the sushi chef and the delightfully weird Japanese game shows on the TV. Occasionally there are karaoke videos. There is also a private dining room with tatami mats.

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  19. Sapid

    From the outside, the glassed-in dining rooms gives Sapid the look of a New York deli, but inside it's tasty and fast Sri Lankan food.

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  20. Sea Spray

    This quaint oceanside restaurant in Galle Face Hotel specialises in barbecued seafood. The outside tables are close enough to the sea to hear the surf.

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  21. Seafish

    At the end of an alley on the southern edge of Fort, the venerable Seafish serves honest seafood in a faded colonial-club setting.

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  22. Seafood Cove

    Enjoy Mt Lavinia's prettiest ocean view at Mt Lavinia Hotel's elegant beachfront restaurant.

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  23. Shanti Vihar

    This place's deliciously spicy vegetarian food and very reasonable prices make it popular with locals and foreigners alike. It's a basic, well-worn eatery, though there is a fancier air-con section. The menu's South Indian offerings are especially good: masala dosa (curried vegetables inside a paper-thin lentil-flour pancake)for Rs 60, curd vadai (a deep-fried lentil-flour patty with yoghurt) for Rs 25 and Madras thalis for Rs 90. Shanti Vihar also has a home-delivery service.

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  25. Siam House

    The décor at this place is simple but the Thai food is excellent and the service is good. It's located in a villa on a side street off RA de Mel Mawatha.

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  26. YWCA National Headquarters

    The busy cafeteria at this hostel offers a wide variety of dirt-cheap eats.

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