Java Lounge in Jawatta has become our go to spot for casual meetings or we just want to grab a quick coffee. They've got an accessible location, some surprisingly good pasta dishes and coffee that hits…
Hotel de Pilawoos, one of the many Hotel de Pilawoos, is probably the best Hotel de Pilwaoos in town.
Min Han (or Ming Han) is one of our favorite Chinese restaurants. It's cheap, super tasty and the waiter Wijapayala orders for you.
Machang Nawala is at Nugegoda now. After the untimely death of their Nawala branch, Machang has claimed a new spot down Stanley Thilakeratne Mawatha.
Nalapaham is for those of you with a sudden mid-day craving for crab - besides the biriyani, idiyapam and kottu, they serve tasty crab, cheap.
To any sensible Sri Lankan the mere discovery of good fried rice should be a cause of great joy, but a shop dedicating every single drop of its oil, sweat and ajinomoto to the mixed up manna? Well, we we…
Don's Deli is a little bakery on Marine Drive that doubles as a favourite spot for lamprais, and they also serve seafood at Fat Crab upstairs.
Cafe Eklektik is a little courtyard canteen of sorts inside the German Cultural Center. It's good for lamprais, shorteats, fresh juices and some conversation under the trees.
Saraswathie Lodge is another pure-veg South Indian spot on Galle Rd in Bambalapitiya. The ambience isn't as charming as nearby Greenlands Hotel but the thosai is marginally better.
Greenlands is a budget South-Indian joint that wins for nostalgia.
It was with cautious expectations that we visited the Kohuwela Roots. But here, we're happy to say, the service is good and the juices, superb. The little glass cube jutting out of Tisara Plaza is…
At the point where Jambugasmulla runs into Old Kesbewa Road lies AMRO Vegetarian Cafe, a little oasis of calm amidst the noisy Nugegoda soundscape. Run by four charming aunties, AMRO serves up your basic kade…
With both selling their goods on the open market the stage is set for open confrontation. It;s the established Corleones (Il Gelato) vs the up and coming Tattaglias (Carinos) and of course YAMU is…
Local biryani doesn’t seem to get the attention it deserves. If you think about it though those plates of saffron tinged rice are a central part of life for millions of Sri Lankans.
We've had quite a few new ice cream parlors pop up over the past few years (no complaints from us!), but Il Gelato still reigns supreme when it comes to high quality ice cream. There's just this small…
The VOC is a one of the best places in the city to get lamprais, and we've heard their burgers are pretty good too.
Klassy is a really good pastry shop - reliable for savouries and milk toffees.
It’s called the swimming club, so this ought to be a good place for a swim - and it is. Apart from splashing it out in the pool, you can also dive into their excellent club-level food.
Yaal has stood steady in the same, stoic building down Marine Drive. They've managed to thoroughly maintain their quality of food and service over the years.
At the end of Marine drive its a little fenced off patch of land with seating out doors and a small covered structure for cooking between the train tracks and the sea. There are tables just two…
The Island Coffee shop is so utterly charming and captures perfectly the spirit of a Colombo that is now slipping from the collective memory - an age where nothing was imported and everything had to…
The Floor By O! has been around for a while now, we've been there before and we find ourselves going back more. With very reasonable prices, competent staff and good music, they seem to know what…
Bombay Sweet Centre does an excellent almond milk (Rs. 150) and beef samosa (Rs. 30). The samosa was the best I've had in the city - full of meat and gleaming green chillis, but not stomach…
