Avartana
Progressive South Indian tasting menus with Sri Lankan touches at ITC Ratnadipa, one of the most acclaimed restaurants in Colombo.
- Luxury
- Restaurant
- Fine dining
- Tasting menu
- South Indian
Capital Bar & Grill
Shangri-La Colombo’s steakhouse, with premium meats and seafood, a show kitchen and an ocean-view terrace.
- Luxury
- Restaurant
- Fine dining
- Steak
- Seafood
The Gallery Café
A stylish restaurant and gallery in Geoffrey Bawa’s former office, known for elegant Sri Lankan and international dishes and famous desserts.
- Upscale
- Restaurant
- Black pork curry
- Prawn curry
- Desserts
Hotel de Pilawoos
Colombo’s legendary late-night kottu spot on Galle Road, famous for its cheese kottu.
- Budget
- Restaurant
- Kottu
- Cheese kottu
- Late night
Devon Restaurant
A two-storey Kandy classic on Dalada Veediya, serving Sri Lankan and Chinese dishes, bakery treats and milk tea since 1960.
- Budget
- Restaurant
- Rice and curry
- Bakery
- Milk tea
Vito Wood Fired Pizza
Wood-fired pizza with views over Kandy Lake, one of the city’s best-loved spots for a casual dinner.
- Mid-range
- Restaurant
- Wood-fired pizza
- Lake views
Galle Face Green Street Food
The stalls along Galle Face Green come alive at sunset, serving isso vadai, kottu, devilled seafood and snacks by the ocean.
- Budget
- Restaurant
- Isso vadai
- Kottu
- Devilled cuttlefish
Upali’s by Nawaloka
A popular, good-value Sri Lankan restaurant in Colombo 7 for curries, hoppers, kottu and rice and curry.
- Mid-range
- Restaurant
- Rice and curry
- Hoppers
- Kottu
The London Grill
Colombo’s classic fine-dining room at Cinnamon Grand, known for European cooking, cloche service and a big wine list.
- Luxury
- Restaurant
- Fine dining
- Steak
- Wine
Peshawri
ITC’s famous North-West Frontier restaurant, known for tandoor kebabs and slow-cooked dal, now at ITC Ratnadipa in Colombo.
- Luxury
- Restaurant
- Fine dining
- Kebabs
- Dal
Curry Leaf
Hilton Colombo’s Sri Lankan restaurant, with a dinner buffet of string hoppers, pittu, kottu and fresh seafood in a garden setting.
- Upscale
- Restaurant
- Buffet
- Hoppers
- Kottu
Raja Bojun
A big Sri Lankan buffet restaurant in Colombo 3, with dozens of curries, seafood and traditional dishes at a fixed price.
- Mid-range
- Restaurant
- Buffet
- Rice and curry
- Seafood
Nuga Gama
A traditional Sri Lankan village-style restaurant under a banyan tree at Cinnamon Grand, serving a big spread of local dishes.
- Upscale
- Restaurant
- Rice and curry
- Hoppers
- String hoppers
Table One
Shangri-La Colombo’s all-day restaurant, with market-style buffet stations spanning Sri Lankan, Asian and Western food and views over the ocean.
- Upscale
- Restaurant
- Buffet
- Brunch
- Hoppers
The Soya Centre
A long-running vegetarian spot in central Kandy, serving soya-based street food, buns, roti rolls and soy soft-serve.
- Budget
- Restaurant
- Vegetarian
- Soy ice cream
- Short eats
Slightly Chilled Lounge
A relaxed hillside lounge and restaurant with views over the lake and temple, serving Chinese and Western dishes and cocktails.
- Mid-range
- Restaurant
- Cocktails
- Lake views
- Chinese
Siri Ramya
A busy, no-frills Kandy eatery and bakery for rice and curry, kottu, vadai and short eats at local prices.
- Budget
- Restaurant
- Rice and curry
- Kottu
- Vadai
Balaji Dosai
A busy, no-frills South Indian vegetarian spot in central Kandy, famous for its crisp dosas and vadai at very low prices.
- Budget
- Restaurant
- Dosa
- Masala dosa
- Vadai
Kandy Muslim Hotel
A no-frills halal eatery in central Kandy for kottu, naan, curries and samosas, popular with locals at all hours.
- Budget
- Restaurant
- Kottu
- Naan
- Biryani
Hela Bojun Hala
A government-run food hall where local women cook traditional Sri Lankan dishes, from hoppers and pittu to fresh juices, at very low prices.
- Budget
- Restaurant
- Hoppers
- String hoppers
- Pittu
The Lagoon
A famous seafood restaurant at Cinnamon Grand where you pick fresh fish, crab and prawns and choose how they are cooked.
- Upscale
- Restaurant
- Seafood
- Crab
- Lobster
Shang Palace
Shangri-La’s signature Chinese restaurant, with Cantonese, Sichuan and regional dishes, dim sum and elegant private rooms.
- Luxury
- Restaurant
- Fine dining
- Dim sum
- Cantonese
Palmyrah
A long-running restaurant at Renuka City Hotel serving Jaffna-style Tamil food, famous for crab curry and milk hoppers.
- Mid-range
- Restaurant
- Crab curry
- Milk hoppers
- Jaffna food
Ministry of Crab
Colombo’s most famous restaurant, celebrating Sri Lankan lagoon crab in a restored colonial building at the Old Dutch Hospital.
- Luxury
- Restaurant
- Crab
- Pepper crab
- Garlic chilli crab
Hotel Nippon
A historic old hotel in Slave Island, known locally for egg hoppers and simple Sri Lankan dishes.
- Budget
- Restaurant
- Egg hoppers
- Street food
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Where locals eat
From busy local eateries serving rice and curry at lunchtime to sit-down restaurants for a long dinner, these are the places we would send friends. Many of the best local spots are simple, cheap and busy, so go when the locals do.
Good to know
What should I eat in Sri Lanka?
Start with rice and curry at lunchtime, kottu in the evening, hoppers (bowl-shaped pancakes) for breakfast or dinner, and short eats like rolls and patties from a local bakery.
Is street food safe in Sri Lanka?
Busy places with high turnover are usually the safest bet. Drink bottled or filtered water rather than tap water.