Halal

Being a Muslim foodie in Colombo can be somewhat limiting, but when you stop to count your blessings, it turns out there's quite a variety of cuisine to be had. We've checked, double-checked and made sure that the following places are so halal that even the chef is circumcised. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but, for real, these places are legit halal. We called them and asked whether they use halal ingredients and take care to ensure hygiene in their preparation. So leave your worries at the door, say 'bismillah' and dig in.

Dinemore

60A Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 3

Dinemore's never struck me as an exceptional place. I've always enjoyed the food and found it tasty, but it's not the kind of place I'd actively choose to go to – it was more of an oh it's just round…

Cafe Beverly

475/C, Sri Jayawardenapura Mawatha, Rajagiriya

Cafe Beverly is a comfortable, affordable dining space in the premises of the Beverly Street shopping complex in Rajagiriya.

August by Mama Aida's

61, Dudley Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo 08

August By Mama Aida’s is the newest addition to Colombo’s Middle Eastern restaurant repertoire. With authentic dishes, exceptional service and a chic, relaxing setting, August looks like it’s here…

Tom Yum

330, Galle Road, Colombo 04

Tom Yum has some good Thai street food. But...?

Aahaara

46, Initium Road, Dehiwala

Aahaara is a caterer that does wood-fired biriyani and rice and curry.

Saffron Persian Delights (Good Market)

Nuga Tree Car Park, Colombo Racecourse, Colombo 07

Saffron is a popular Iranian stall at Thursday's Good Market in Battaramulla. They serve some great Persian favourites, both sweet and savoury.

Hazari's

556/2, Marine Drive, Colombo 3.

Hazari's has managed to maintain their Middle-Eastern standard while moving to their new Marine Drive location.

Hulftsdorp Streetfood

Abdul Hameed Street, between Quarry Road and Oilman's Street

A street with a wide variety of food in the center of industrial Colombo. Find everything from mutton brain curry to devilled cuttlefish eggs.

Fazly's Halal Refreshment

1, Vellons Passage, Colombo 2

Fazly's Halal Refreshment is one of Colombo's most popular streetside haunts, known for their delicious, mayo dripping, affordable fare.

Maharaja Palace

1 A, Rajakeeya Mawatha, Colombo 07

Maharaja Palace is one of the few fine dining Indian restaurants in Colombo. The prices are high but the portions are actually quite large now. Their food was always pretty good and it…

Tenderfresh

400, R.A de Mel Mawatha, Colombo 03

A Singaporean franchise that does fried chicken with sambal sauce, and serves food super fast. As it should be.

Paan Paan Sandwich Bar

6B Alfred House Road, Colombo 03

Paan Paan makes great bread which turns into great sandwiches, melts. etc. It's not cheap but you're getting good, healthy value for money.

Big Bite (Mount Lavinia)

485 Galle Road, Mount Lavinia

Big Bite in Mount Lavinia is one of the few places where you can get yourself a proper Pakistani biriyani. It's spicier than most, but it's still damn good, specially coupled with their barbequed…

Pot Biriyani

29, Kadawatha Road, Off Anderson Road, Kalubowila

If you're having people over and don't want to cook or just having a family meal, we highly recommend Pot Biriyani for takeaway or delivery. It's run by a friendly family and they make…

Rio Ice Cream (Wellawatte)

Marine Drive, Wellawatte, Colombo 6

Rio Ice Cream, a Jaffna franchise that's about forty years old (according to Raja at its Wellawatte branch), is idyllic and affordable for ice cream lovers - they're creative with flavours and mix it up…

Chana's

50, W.A. Silva Mawatha, Colombo 06

Chana's has been gaining popularity for sometime now and it's easy to see why. They do a pretty good take on North Indian cuisine and their biriyani is one of the best in town.

Agra

100/10, Independence Avenue, Colombo 7

Agra is another one of those rare fine dining Indian restaurants in Colombo. They're not cheap but we think their food is definitely worth the price.

Galle Caterers

122, Kadawatha Road, Kalubowila, Dehiwala

Galle Caterers are one of the older caterers in Colombo with quite a large customer-base. We've tried their stuff on numerous occasions and they offer great value for money on top of consistent taste.

Subway

347, R. A. De Mel Mawatha, Colombo 03

The international franchise Subway has come a long way since they first set up shop here. Our recent visit however, proved that Subway is now sub-par when it comes to their food.

Malay Restaurant

115 Hill Street, Dehiwela

Malay Restaurant in Dehiwala is hugely popular, and after trying our their stuff we can see why. The portions: massive, the flavours: excellent and the prices: reasonable.

Kandoori

17, Charlemont Road, Wellawatte

Kandoori is an Indian restaurant that serves just biriyani and other Indian food.

The Manhattan Fish Market

31 Deal Place, Colombo 3

The Manhattan Fish Market has delicious seafood and ridiculously friendly stuff - it's an awesome place to dine at if you can handle the bill.

Raheema Hotel

Cumaratunga Munidasa Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka

If you're in Colombo 7 and you're craving a good biriyani, Raheema is one of the first places that will come to mind. That's exactly the situation we found ourselves in, and we're glad we dropped in.

It goes without saying, but, in case you were wondering, all saivar kadeys are halal as they do not involve meat. At most places, it's okay to ask whether the meat is halal and that your dish is prepared without any contact with haram products. Dietary preferences ought to be respected, regardless of whether you're vegan or Muslim, so don't ever feel bad about it. Do you know of other restaurants serving halal food? Let us know in the comments.