Food & Cuisine in Colombo
Food info sections | Eating locally
While Colombo has always been the best place in Sri Lanka in terms of dining, the options haven't really been too inspiring. That has all changed, and new restaurants are opening on a monthly basis, offering a wider variety of cuisines. Increased competition has meant the standard has steadily improved, much to the delight of both locals and visitors.
The dining scene in Colombo is finally something to get excited about!
This Colombo restaurant guide below gives you a brief run down about eating out in Colombo, plus lists a number of the best restaurants in the city, with details and a short description. You will find it useful if you are planning on dining out - and with so many great options to choose from, you'd be crazy to have all your meals at your hotel! For information about the general cuisine of Sri Lanka, check out our Sri Lanka Restaurant Guide. And don't forget to read up on where best to shop whilst in Colombo, by taking a quick look at our Colombo Shopping Guide.
Colombo Restaurant & Food Guide
Although traditionally the most common foreign food to be found in Colombo was Chinese, this has rapidly been changing. With offerings ranging from Japanese, Thai, Korean and Indian to Swiss, German, French, Italian and Arabic fare, those in search of something a little different will not struggle for choice. As well, many of the restaurants offer some innovative fusion cooking, with western classics enhanced by using distinctive Sri Lankan flavours. One thing to definitely try are the various flavours of delicious ice cream, a number of them exotic and tasty tropical treats.
It is not just the choice and quality of food that have appeal. Prices are still very reasonable, for everything from a quick snack to a five-star meal. This means that eating out regularly and very well doesn't have to break the budget. Just make sure that, with all this choice available, you do try some traditional Sri Lankan cuisine - you're sure to enjoy and remember the experience long after you've left Colombo. The list given below highlights some of the best restaurants in the city. We would know, we've tried them!
Sunday Brunch @ Spices, Hilton Colombo
The Hilton Colombo Sunday Brunch. Chinese, Indian, fine dining, Sri Lankan, Italian and a scrumptious spread of deserts makes this buffet well worth the LKR 3000 per head.
Spices usually has a lunch and dinner buffet however on Sunday, the chefs goto town! Featuring crabs, prawns, lobsters, salmon, chicken, duck, pork, beef - you name it they've got it. In all sorts of flavors and spices, this is a true treat for the senses.
The desert spread has over 30 choices of delicacies including a crepe station (crepe with nutella and vanilla ice cream = heaven).
Top of your visit to Sri Lanka by culminating your culinary tour with this banquet fit for a King!
Enter the London Grill on the lowest floor of Cinnamon Grand. Enter into an alcove and emerge into a lush fine dining restaurant. Dimmed lighting and minimal amount of tables with candles lit greet you. The number of forks and knives and spoons at your table setting might confuse some, but not you! You know fine-dining, and you know London Grill does it the best!
The prices are reasonable for foreigners but is considered slightly expensive for locals. Thus you can make sure that only the elite dine with you. The tables are cozy making this THE place for a romantic evening.
The menu is intensive. Focussing on lobster bisques, Australian steaks and grilled salmons or chickens - you can be assured you're food will be carefully prepared, beautifully presented and would taste astonishingly great!
You get to pick out exactly which prawn, fish, lobster, crab (you name it) you want, the way you want it to be made, with which sauce and voila, your wish is their command!
Portions for starters do tend to be small and pricey (6 prawns for LKR600) but the meal is worth the dough! Enjoy minimalist black decor and a cool ambiance whilst dining with your loved one and enjoying the best seafood that the country has to offer!
Fave food: Steamed Seer fish in thai sauce, Batter fried prawns and a host of crab dishes
Enter Emperor's Wok to the warm greetings of the staff. Be seated by the window facing a lovely pond and water fountain where ducks and swans swim freely. Enjoy some aromatic jasmine tea and settle into reading the menu. Ah.. a warm towel, why thank you Ma'am.
This is just part of the wonderful dining experience at 'The Wok' at Hilton Colombo. With usual Chinese restaurants in Colombo filled with plastic plates and loud noise, here, you get to relax into the atmosphere and really enjoy the meal experience!
When it comes to food, The Wok wins the Chinese restaurant race hands down! Quality meets quantity. Not Sri Lankanised, authentic Chinese food. Enjoy the sesame prawn toasts for starters, a crab meat soup or perhaps you prefer the main meal straight away. Some brocolli sauted in oyster sauce, king prawns stir fried, chicken marinated in black bean sauce. If you're really adventurous, try the duck or the lobster!
The Wok also features a Sunday DimSum special. A favourite of the locals and office crowd, during the specials season, you can be sure that The Wok is packed full of diners. DimSum is a must have! Golden chicken pouches, Sesame Toast, Pork Sparea Ribs, Shrimp dumplings - this really is heaven!
Fave food: DimSum! Any of the items on the menu really!
Fave drink: Aromatic jasmine tea, fresh fruit juices
Fave desert: Lychees with Ice cream
Newest Italian restaurant to hit Colombo and boy has it taken Colombo by storm! Always full, be it weekday or weekend, its constant stream of customers is testament to the delightful cuisine!
Owned by an Italian lady and a Sri Lankan gentleman, this restaurant features Italian chefs and a true Italian dining atmosphere. Checkered table cloths, Trabbiata style interior, attentive waiters, fantastic menu, imported ingredients: what a recipe for success! Best to make reservations prior to dining because else, you'll be sitting around for hours.
The menu expands from a range of pizzas (authentic to Regina Margherita and not to be found elsewhere in Colombo), pastas and other dishes. And it has live music to boot! The pizzas are thin crust and made in a wood-fired brick oven to get that authentic flavour!
Fave food: Parma Ham and Basil Pizza, Quatro Formage pizza, Mellanzane Al Parmigiana.
Fave drinks: any of the house wines
This is a favourite for young and old alike in Colombo. Commons is usually the meeting point for a number of people on a daily basis be it for an informal office lunch or a weekly catch up between old friends. Whatever time it may be, Commons has no end to the patrons!
Its menu ranges from pastas, sandwiches, crab and prawn rolls, spanish rice to authentic Sri Lankan roti and curry. The beverage selection is as wide with fresh juices, coffees, teas and sodas available.
Come here to unwind after a long day of shopping, on a big bean bag and surf the net using the free wireless connections. Or you can study a la Starbucks. A local coffeeshop with the hint of a bistro, Commons is a must visit when visiting Colombo.
Fave food: Tandoori chicken cheese roti, crab rolls, BBQ sausage cheese roti, Spicy chicken sandwich with cheese, Prawn linguine.
Fave drinks: mango, papaya fresh fruit juices
Fave desert: Tiramisu, Chocolate biscuit pudding or chocolate mousse!
Chutney's, Cinnamon Grand, Colombo(Newest Indian kid on the block!)
Cinnamon Grand's 12th restaurant provides 5 star South Indian cuisine mixed with an ambiance that can't be matched at any other Indian restaurant in Colombo! Call ahead for reservations as this place gets quite busy by late evening.
Enjoy your meal with an eagle eye view of the pool and lawn at Cinnamon Grand accentuated by the mood lighting inside the restaurant. The black, blue and dark pink minimalist decor of the restaurant is unique and enriching to the meal experience.
The food does take a while to come by but the waiters are impeccably polite and well versed in the menu that its a pleasure to have a chilled drink and converse with your friends (instead of wonder where on earth the foods gone!)
Favourite food: Fried fish, crab meat curry, chicken biryani, veg and non veg thali#
Favourite drink: Mango lassi
Favourite desert: Gulab Jamun
Go for a dip in the inviting pool at Hilton Hotel Colombo and when hungry, jump out to the Il Ponte, poolside Italian restaurant. With a wide range of Italian cuisines available during lunch and dinner, this is definitely a place to visit when in Colombo.
Made with ingredients freshly imported from Italy, everything from the garlic bread to the Tiramisu is deliciously flavoured! Menu consists of a range of pizzas and meat dishes and if its pasta you're after, ask for the pasta choice card. You can have your pasta made to order as per your wishes. Just tick what sort of pasta you would like, with which sauce and which special ingredients and voila! Its specially made for you.
The staff are courteous and always at your service, great place to enjoy a lazy afternoon lunch with a view of the poolside. Best of Island life!
Favourite food: Garlic bread, Spaghetti Carbonara, Tiramisu
Favourite drink: Fresh fruit juices
Set in a two storey house on Melbourne Avenue, Off Galle Road (sea side), this restaurant is an ideal setting for a night time meal. Fairy lights adorn the trees and walls and you can find seating either in the garden or upstairs balcony to further enjoy the sights.
The food is no frills authentic Thai food, greatly loved by the locals. Extensive menu and attentive staff makes this a real treat for the senses. The food tends to be spicy so if you can't handle spice, make sure to ask for a mellow version. Always busy so call ahead for reservations or go early for the meal!
Favourite food: Crab meat curry, Thai green curry (chicken), Fish in Lemon Sauce
Favourite drink: Fresh fruit juices available
Found off Duplication Road, in the corner of Queens Road, this old house has been converted to a cricketing memorabilia cafe. Very popular with locals, it offers a number of delicious burgers, steaks, drinks and deserts for reasonable prices.
Keeping to the theme, each item on the menu is named after a cricketing persona leading to some interesting names 'Jayasuriya's Triple Century' or 'Dickie Bird Burger'. Contrary to the somewhat strange names, this restaurant is one of the best in Colombo.
Its got a relaxed atmosphere and a host of tv sets pegged to the wall to offer live/past cricket matches for the sporting fans. There is also a seperate bar area where patrons can enjoy the latest match whilst sipping a cool beer or a mango juice!
Favourite dishes: De Silva's Burger, Cordon Bleu, Dickie Bird Burger
Favourite drinks: Mango fresh fruit juice, chocolate milk shake or Toblerone cocktail
Favourite deserts: Banana Fritters with Ice cream and Maple Syrup
