Best Places to have Sri Lankan food in Colombo

Sri Lankan food is full of spices and coconut, the two main ingredients of the island's curries. Curries are eaten with steamed white or red (unpolished) rice, or with staples made from flour, such as hoppers, string hoppers, pittu, roti and bread. Centuries of colonial rule and influences from India and the Middle East, where some of Sri Lanka's minorities have their roots, have created a varied and distinctive food culture, and as a tropical island, Sri Lanka has plenty of excellent seafood. A visit to Colombo is a good chance to try the range, from five-star restaurants to street food. Below are places our team has recommended, in no particular order.

Note: this list was reviewed in 2026 against our earlier guide, but restaurants, cafes and shops in Colombo open, move and close often. Check that a place is still open, and its hours and prices, before you go.

What to try

• Rice and curry: rice with several curries, dhal, sambol and mallum (chopped greens).
• Hoppers: bowl-shaped pancakes of rice flour and coconut milk, often with an egg.
• String hoppers: steamed nests of rice noodles.
• Kottu: chopped roti fried on a hot plate with vegetables, egg or meat, to a rhythmic clatter of blades.
• Lamprais: a Dutch Burgher dish of rice and curries baked in a banana leaf.

Restaurants

Nuga Gama, Cinnamon Grand

A themed restaurant at the Cinnamon Grand, set outdoors under a large nuga (banyan) tree in the style of a Sri Lankan village. It serves a wide Sri Lankan buffet for dinner, with live cooking stations, local music and entertainment. Try the jackfruit seed curry, Negombo prawns and rulan aluwa, a semolina sweet. Price: high.

The Lagoon, Cinnamon Grand

One of the most popular and long-running seafood restaurants in Colombo. Fresh seafood is displayed on ice every day and cooked in the style of your choice. Our earlier guide recommended its Sunday Sri Lankan seafood brunch for its generous spread. Price: high.

Raja Bojun

All the popular Sri Lankan dishes at affordable prices, with buffet and a la carte options. The buffet usually has more than 30 dishes, many vegetarian, with crab, chicken and fish curries among the meat dishes. It seats many people, so it suits large groups. Price: moderate.

Curry Pot, Marine Drive

Curry Pot has several outlets in Colombo; our pick is the one on Marine Drive, for its simple, pleasant interior and good, authentic food. It serves buffets for all three meals, presented in traditional clay pots, and its breakfast spread is one of the largest Sri Lankan breakfasts in the city. Price: moderate.

Upali's

With restaurants in Colombo and Melbourne, Upali's serves a wide range of Sri Lankan food for lunch and dinner, with good-value set menus. Try its maalu oluwa (fish head curry) and hath maluwa (a curry of seven vegetables), and its roast paan, a local bread usually found in small bakeries. Price: moderate.

The Cafe on the 5th

A cafe and pastry shop that our earlier guide listed for its evening hoppers, among the best in town, with thin, crispy edges. It also serves a mix of dishes, from nasi goreng to macaroni, and Sri Lankan short eats for quick lunches and takeaway. Price: moderate.

VOC Cafe at the Dutch Burgher Union

In a colonial building in the centre of Colombo, this restaurant celebrates the culture and cuisine of the Dutch Burgher community. It is a quiet escape from the city, and its lamprais were among the best in Colombo in our earlier guide. Price: low to moderate.

Yaal

Named after Yalpanam, the Tamil name for Jaffna, Yaal serves food of the Tamil community, close to South Indian cooking, not only Jaffna dishes. Its odiyal kool, a thick, spicy and tangy seafood and vegetable soup, with flaky paratha, is a treat. Expect a very simple, roadside setting. Price: low.

Hotel de Pilawoos

Colombo's best-known late-night eating house, where people stop in the early hours after a night out. Our earlier guide noted it was open around the clock, serving Sri Lankan favourites such as kottu, cheese kottu, chicken palandi and parathas. "Pilawoos", as locals call it, is often said to have the best kottu in town. The setting is a basic canteen, and many people eat in their parked cars. Price: low.

Street food

Galle Face Green food carts

No guide to Sri Lankan food is complete without the food carts on Galle Face Green, the seafront park overlooking the Indian Ocean. In the evening, a row of stalls sells isso vadai (lentil fritters topped with prawns), kottu, achcharu (pickled fruit), samosas and sweetened coconut wrapped in betel leaf. Choose busy stalls with freshly cooked food.

Tips

• Ask for less spice if you are not used to chilli.
• Eating with your right hand is normal, but cutlery is always available.
• Many places are cheaper at lunchtime.

See also the best cafes in Colombo and the best places to eat in Colombo, or Colombo hotels.