Restaurants in Sri Lanka
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A
Kandy Muslim Hotel
No, it’s not a hotel, but it is an always bustling eatery that offers Kandy’s best samosas, authentically spiced curries and heaving plates of frisbee-sized, but gossamer-light, naan. It’s a largely male domain, but women travellers will be treated with respect and offered a seat in the family section out the back. Don’t miss the frantic theatre of the kotthu rotti (doughy pancake chopped and fried with meat and vegetables) guy out the front.
reviewed
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Serendipity Arts Cafe
This photo-crammed hole-in-the-wall cafe has a fusion menu that includes Western sandwiches and Eastern curries, brilliant juices and shakes, bacon-and-egg hoppers and proper filter coffee. They claim that some of the recipes are generation’s old family secrets – though we’re assured that the ingredients aren’t as old! It’s an ideal place for lunch or breakfast. The cafe is owned and run by Juliet Coombe and her husband.
reviewed
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B
History Restaurant
With dishes from India, Italy, Thailand and Sri Lanka, this place could almost be called ‘Geography’. The food’s OK and there’s a good selection of booze, but the real reason to go are the interesting B&W pics of old Kandy. And no, you’re not required to take notes during the Kandyan history PowerPoint presentation that runs silently in the background. Monkeys look on from outside and already know all the answers.
reviewed
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C
Bake House
Downstairs from The Pub (opposite), Bake House is versatility plus, with tasty baked goodies out the front and a more formal dining room concealed under the building’s whitewashed colonial arches. At the time of research, a makeover was being planned to up the ‘colonial’ spin of the architecture. Pop in just after 3pm, when the second bake of the day comes out and the short eats are still warm.
reviewed
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D
RN Buffet & Take Away
This superclean little eatery above a grocery shop offers a six-dish lunch buffet that’s not excessively spiced. Unfortunately, military restrictions in the neighbourhood mean it’s closed in the evenings. The restaurant also does a mean line in savoury pastries and cold drinks. It’s run by a delightful English-speaking couple who get their inspiration from a Delia Smith recipe book!
reviewed
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E
Chutneys
Decked out in black furnishings and pastel colour schemes, this chic-but-cheap restaurant offers some of the best South Indian fare in town. Try the signature dish, a ‘cap dosa’, one of 30 types of dosa (paper-thin rice- and lentil-flour pancakes) available. The dress code requires long pants. Despite the upscale atmosphere the prices make this place accessible to midrange budgets.
reviewed
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A&C Restaurant
The A&C is a real treat. The restaurant has been carved out of a local home, so dining here feels a bit like popping in to see the relatives. Tasty home-cooked Sri Lankan meals whipped up by the proprietors are varied and flavourful. To get here from Matale, take the same turn-off as the Matale Heritage Centre, but then take a sharp left rather than the road to the centre.
reviewed
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Dream Café
Multiple traveller recommendations fly the flag for this main-drag place with a cool, shady garden. It’s a cosmopolitan wee spot with good espresso coffee, well-executed Western dishes like tortilla chicken wraps, and smoothies and salads for the healthy traveller. Don’t be too pious, though: the beers are nice and cold. Internet (Rs 5 per minute) is also available.
reviewed
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Amal Restaurant
Very close to the beach, this restaurant sits on the opposite side of the road to the hotel of the same name (opposite) and serves fair seafood, steak, pastas and some token curries. There are lovely sea views and, should you wish to up the romantic ante, they can arrange candle-lit beach dinners under the stars. The set meals involve some truly bizarre food combinations.
reviewed
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F
Bu Ba
With candlelit tables right on the sandy beach, this seafood restaurant is a wonderful place for an evening meal. In the heat of the day you can retreat to the interior, little more than a grove of palm trees. Call ahead to find out what’s on as weekend dance parties are sometimes held here. To find it, walk along the beach south of the Mount Lavinia Hotel.
reviewed
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Galle Fort Hotel
The restaurant at this hotel serves superb, though very pricey, Asian fusion cuisine at tables set along the deep inner veranda. The dinner menu changes nightly. At other times there are baked goods, classic breakfast dishes, salads and sandwiches. The bar, overlooking Church St, feels like a colonial retreat, and is popular with the expat community.
reviewed
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G
Paiva's Restaurant
The Rs 175 lunchtime rice and curry is a handy intro to Sri Lankan cuisine, with three different rices and a multiplate array of curried accompaniments. In the evening choose between Chinese or North Indian à la carte menus. Both are good, and the friendly waiters will respect your request for ‘spicy please?’ Just as well the beer is cold, eh?
reviewed
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H
Chesa Swiss
This classy restaurant serves delicious (and pricey) Swiss and French fare made from the freshest vegetables and meat imported from Australia. Lamb chops, duck breast, salmon fillet and beef tenderloin are a few of the menu items offered by European owners Catherine and Michael. A good selection of imported wines and beers is also available.
reviewed
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I
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.
reviewed
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J
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 vegetarian only. Upstairs is air-con and offers both veg and nonveg meals; prices are about Rs 40 more than those downstairs. Bombay sweets are sold from a glass case in the lobby.
reviewed
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K
King Prawn Restaurant
Chinese is the overriding culinary influence here, all delivered in a dining room transplanted from 1930s England. Thai flavours also linger in some of the dishes, and there’s a good array of seafood on offer. You’re a few miles inland here, so expect to pay a hefty premium. Service is rather stiff and formal, but very prompt.
reviewed
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L
Rams
In a new, larger location, Rams continues to serve good South Indian food, including vegetarian thalis('all-you-can-eat' meals consisting of rice with vegetable curries and pappadams) and a variety of dosas (paper-thin rice- and lentil-flour pancakes) in a wonderfully colourful setting featuring Hindu devotional art.
reviewed
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M
Curd Shop
Tiny hole-in-the-wall spot near the bus stand that’s good for breakfast – around 15% cheaper than the guest houses – before or after an early-morning stroll to Little Adam’s Peak. It’s a good place to try curd and honey (Rs 90) or kotthu rotti (Rs 200). It’s also handy for picking up sandwiches if you’re going walking.
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N
Royal Park Garden Restaurant
The cosy garden here is a great place for dinner when the weather’s not unbearably hot: attractive twinkling lights and little pavilions nestle amid ornamental trees. The Rs 180 mushroom paneer masala (mushroom and unfermented cheese curry) is richly delicious, and there’s tasty soup for Rs 60. No prices on menus.
reviewed
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One Love Restaurant
This small and friendly place literally hangs above the water and the creaky wooden floorboards further enhance the sensation of being on a boat sailing across the seven seas. It’s unusual in that its good range of curries allows you to eat like a local (a rarity in Unawatuna). Pumpkin curry is the house special.
reviewed
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O
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.
reviewed
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P
Ammehula
The young owners of this cafe claim that the name means ‘Go Away!’ and the menu features a cartoon turtle cussing about how all the good fish come here. Besides seafood dishes there are sandwiches, salads and a long breakfast menu that includes Dutch pancakes. There’s a small library of books for swapping.
reviewed
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Q
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.
reviewed
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Gecko Restaurant
The English–Sri Lankan owners of this chilled restaurant serve an excellent and varied menu for those with the homesick blues. Most of the dishes are homemade in their entirety and include such treats as salads, some superb pasta dishes, burgers, full English breakfasts, muesli, ice cream and apple pie.
reviewed
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R
Alta Italia
For a casual beach resort this is a surprisingly formal Italian-run place with a long menu that includes fresh pasta, seafood grills and thin-based pizzas. Try the authentic risotto and finish with a limoncello or grappa. Or sample from the espresso machine, steaming behind the counter.
reviewed