Colombo is a true gourmet paradise. Here, like history, and traditions, and culture, cuisines of many countries of the world intertwined – Indian, Malay, Thai, Indonesian and Chinese, Arabic, English, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, and of course – traditional Sri Lankan. If you have a desire and time, you can easily find a cafe or restaurant to your taste.
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Lankan cuisine.
So, for those who dare to try the local food, I recommend two places: Raja Bojun and Nuga Gama restaurants. Here they serve real Sri Lankan dishes, however, slightly adapted. Traditionally, you will be offered several types of rice and a huge variety of vegetables, legumes, meat, fish curries, curries made from crab and other seafood, kiribat (milk rice), appa (rice “caps”), papadam, etc. For sweets – also traditional Sri sweets Lanka, tea, coffee. And in that, and in another place – a buffet. Raja Bojun has a beautiful view of the sea, and Nuga Gama recreates the atmosphere of a Sri Lankan village and sounds live ethnic music.
Raja Bojun is located at Seylan Tower, Galle Road, Kollupitiya, (Colombo 03) – directly opposite Crescat Shopping Center, opening hours 12:00 PM – 02:00 PM, 06:00 PM – 11:00 PM.
Nuga Gama is located in the Cinnamon Grand Colombo complex, Kollupitiya, (Colombo 03), open from 12:00 to 2:30 p.m. (lunches on weekends only), 7:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. (dinners daily).
A few more authentic places that I myself have not yet visited:
Green Cabin Terrace, 453 Galle Road, Colombo 3. Tel: 2588811
Palmyrah, Renuka Hotel, 328 Galle Road, Colombo 3. Tel: 2573598
Curry Leaf, Hilton, 2 Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 2 Tel: 2544644
Chinese cuisine.
There is a huge selection of Chinese restaurants in Colombo due to the large number of Chinese living in the capital of Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, in some restaurants, Chinese food is somewhat adapted for Sri Lankans – it is spicier. The most popular old school restaurants are Flower Drum, Flower Lounge, Xilaton, and Chinese Dragon. The most authentic Chinese restaurants that gather the majority of Chinese immigrants are Seafood Palace, as well as Emperors Wok at the Hilton, Loon Tao, located on the beach at Mount Lavinia, and Long Feng at Cinnamon Lakeside, which specializes in the Singaporean version of the Chinese kitchen.
168 Seafood Palace, 8 Sea View Avenue, Colombo 3. Tel: 2573456
Emperor’s Wok, Hilton, 2 Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 2. Tel: 254464
Loon Tao, 43/12 College Avenue, Mt. Lavinia. Tel: 2722723
Long Feng, Cinnamon Lakeside, 115 Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 2. Tel: 2491000
Xilaton, 126 Havelock Road, Colombo 5. Tel: 2508887
Flower Drum, 26 Thurstan Road, Colombo 3. Tel: 2574216
Flower Lounge, 18 Bagatalle Road, Colombo 3. Tel: 2593032
Chinese Dragon, 11 Milagiriya Avenue, Colombo 4. Tel: 7808080
European cuisine.
For those looking for the familiar notes of European cuisine – a fusion of the culinary traditions of many European countries – there is also a lot to discover here. Chesa Suisse, a Swiss restaurant, is highly regarded for the quality of its food, especially its meat dishes. You can eat beautifully and deliciously at the Paradise Road Gallery Cafe, the restaurant with the most seductive atmosphere on the island. Gallery Cafe owner Shant Fernando has also opened a Tintagel boutique restaurant in Colombo 7 with a more intimate atmosphere. The best English restaurants are Spoons at the Hilton and London Grill at the Cinnamon Grand. Bay Leaf and Park Street Mews (both owned by popular restaurateur Harpo) are popular with Italian food lovers. Park Street is more informal with live jazz music on Sundays. The latest addition to Colombo’s list of great restaurants serving European cuisine is Lemon, run by Lanka’s most renowned chef, Mr. Koluu, with a signature blend of Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. For those looking for an inexpensive meal in a soulful atmosphere, we recommend the German Bavarian restaurant and bar opposite the Galle Face Hotel.
Chesa Swiss, 3 Deal Place A, Colombo 3. Tel: 2573433
The Gallery Café, 2 Alfred House Road, Colombo 3. Tel: 2582162
Tintagel, 65 Rosmead Place, Colombo 7. Tel: 4602060
London Grill, Cinnamon Grand, Colombo 2. Tel: 2497450
Spoons, Colombo Hilton, Colombo 1. Tel: 2437177
Park Street Mews, 50/1 Part, Street, Colombo 2. Tel: 2300133
Poolside Terrace at the Mount Lavinia Hotel, 102 Hotel Road, Mt. Lavinia Tel: 2715221
Lemon, Rooftop Gymkhana pool complex, 41 Maitland Crescent, Colombo 7. Tel: 2682122
The Bavarian Restaurant & Bar, Galle Face Court, Colombo 3: 112421577
Indian food.
Colombo is the best place on the island to taste authentic Indian food. The best Indian restaurants in Colombo are listed below:
Mango Tree, 82 Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 7. Tel: 5379790
Navaratna, Taj Samudra, 25 Galle Face Center Road, Colombo 3 Tel: 2446622
Agra, 100/10 Independence Avenue, Colombo 7. Tel: 4723333
Chutney’s, Cinnamon Grand, 77 Galle Road, Colombo 3. Tel: 2437437
Italian Cuisine.
The Hilton’s Il Ponté restaurant by the pool serves good quality Italian food and excellent wood-fired pizza. The Cinnamon Grand also has an excellent Italian restaurant called Echo. Bay Leaf, located in a colonial bungalow in Colombo 7, also offers a wide variety of pasta and pizza, all delicious and reasonably priced. Regina Margherita is a new but increasingly popular Italian restaurant with a very charismatic Italian at the head – this is very noticeable in every detail of the institution.
Il Ponte, Hilton, 2 Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 2. Tel: 2544644
Bay Leaf, 79 Gregory’s Road, Colombo 7. Tel: 2695920
Echo, Cinnamon Grand, 77 Galle Road, Colombo 3. Tel: 2497485
Regina Margherita, 151 Park Road, Colombo 5. Tel: 7394440
Japanese food.
Japanese cuisine is becoming more and more popular among Sri Lankans, and is very much appreciated by ex-pats living here (in Colombo), for example, me)). Nihonbashi, Ginza Ohsen, and the more informal Sakura are recommended.
Nihonbashi, 11 Galle Face Terrace, Colombo 3.
Nihonbashi, ODEL, 5 Alexandra Place, Colombo 7. Tel: 4718758
Ginza Hohsen, Hilton, 2 Sir Chittamplam A. Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 2 Tel: 2544644
Sakura, 14 Rheinland Place, Colombo 3. Tel: 2573877
Seafood.
To visit the capital of the island and not try seafood is an unforgivable business! The lagoon at the Cinnamon Grand is a superb place serving deliciously cooked seafood – highly recommended. Here, only high-quality fresh fish, which you yourself can choose and indicate your preferred cooking method. The Seafood Cove at Mount Lavinia Hotel is popular for its informal beachfront setting, but despite the delicious food, the service is slightly lame. A fun and inexpensive seafood meal on the beach at Mount Lavinia – a myriad of cafes offering fresh seafood for all tastes.
Seafood Cove, Mt. Lavinia Hotel, 102 Hotel Road, Mt. Lavinia Tel: 2715221
The Lagoon, Cinnamon Grand, 77 Galle Road, Colombo 3. Tel: 2437437
Golden Mile, 43/14, Off College Avenue, Mt. Lavinia. Tel: 2733997
Thai cuisine.
Royal Thai at the Trans Asia hotel serves Thai food in a formal setting, while Siam House in Dehiwela, for example, does it in a more informal and much more pleasant way. The more modern Jack Tree restaurant is also getting very good reviews.
Royal Thai, Cinnamon Lakeside, 115 Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 2. Tel: 2491000
Siam House, 17 Melbourne Avenue, Colombo 4. Tel: 4720249
Jack Tree, No.200, Park Road, Colombo 5, Sri Lanka. Tel: 5747788
Cafes and coffee shops
Also available in Colombo in huge numbers. Here you can sit in an informal setting, often outdoors, enjoying excellent coffee and desserts after a tiring shopping trip.
Barefoot Garden Café, 704 Galle Road, Colombo 3. Tel: 2553075
Cricket Club Café, 34 Queen’s Road, Colombo 3. Tel: 2501384
Delifrance, ODEL Unlimited, 10 Alexandra Place, Colombo 7. Tel: 2676860
The Commons, 39A Sir Ernest De Silva Mawatha, Colombo 7. Tel: 2694435
Urban Kitchen, 69 Dr. Colvin R. de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 2. Tel: 4734709
Fab, 474 Galle Road, Colombo 3. Tel: 2573348 and several outlets across Colombo.
Chariot, 308 Galle Road, Colombo 4. Tel: 2580569
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, 2 Maitland Crescent, Colombo 7. Tel: 4734980
Coco Veranda, 32 Ward Place, Colombo 7. Tel: 7635635
Fast-food chains, fast foods
They are also widely represented in Colombo. These are well-known McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, adapted for Sri Lankans – here, in addition to traditional hamburgers and pizza, you can take rice and biryani, and local Domino’s Pizza, Dinemore. On my own behalf, I want to recommend the local network Dinemore – amazing submarines – with chicken, tuna, beef, shrimps (they are served with fries, all together it will cost you about 100 rubles), and after 7 pm – almost mild Indian cuisine. Very tasty and inexpensive!
DineMore 60A, Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo – 03 0114-855855 0112-370230
DineMore Thurstan Road, Colombo – 070112-370100
Mutthaiah Road, Colombo – 02
New Marine Drive, Wellawatta
Bon Appetit!
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