Quick answer
Try rice and curry, the everyday meal of several small curries with rice; hoppers, bowl-shaped crepes, at breakfast or dinner; lamprais, a Dutch Burgher parcel of rice and curry baked in banana leaf; Sri Lankan crab curry in Colombo; devilled chicken or prawns with a beer; and isso wade prawn fritters on Galle Face Green. Ask for less chilli if needed, eat at busy places, and try the fruit.
Key takeaways
- Rice and curry is the everyday Sri Lankan meal, with several small dishes.
- Hoppers are bowl-shaped crepes, eaten at breakfast or dinner.
- Lamprais is a Dutch Burgher dish baked in banana leaf.
- Colombo is famous for crab curry.
- Ask for less chilli; most cooks will adjust.
Everyday dishes
Rice and curry is the meal you will eat most: a plate of rice with several small curries, usually dhal, a vegetable or two, a fish or chicken curry, a sambol and a crisp papadam. Lunchtime rice-and-curry shops near the grounds serve it fast and cheaply.
Hoppers, or appa, are bowl-shaped crepes made from fermented rice flour and coconut milk, crisp at the edges and soft in the centre. An egg hopper, with an egg cooked in the middle, is a classic. String hoppers, nests of steamed rice noodles, come with curry and coconut sambol at breakfast.
Kottu, chopped roti stir-fried with vegetables, egg and meat, is the late-night favourite after a match.
Vegetarians eat very well in Sri Lanka, as many curries are naturally plant-based, from dhal and jackfruit to beetroot and cashew curry. Tell the cook, and they will often add extra vegetable dishes.
- →Rice and curry for lunch.
- →Hoppers and string hoppers.
- →Kottu late at night.
Dishes worth seeking out
Lamprais, a Dutch Burgher dish, is rice cooked in stock with a mixed meat curry, frikkadels (meatballs), sambol and egg, wrapped in banana leaf and baked. Several Colombo bakeries and restaurants make it, often to order.
Sri Lankan crab curry is famous, and Colombo has restaurants built around it, cooked with pepper, garlic, chilli or curry sauce. Devilled dishes, chicken, prawns or pork stir-fried with chilli, onion and capsicum, are the classic match for a cold beer.
Lankan Stays & Trails often suggests a crab dinner in Colombo as a celebration meal at the end of a series.
Regional food is worth seeking out too. Jaffna in the north is known for crab curry and seafood soups with a deep spice, the south coast for sour fish curry, ambul thiyal, and the hill country for simple estate-style meals.
- →Lamprais in Colombo.
- →Crab curry.
- →Devilled dishes with a beer.
Street food and snacks
On Galle Face Green in Colombo, stalls sell isso wade, crispy lentil fritters topped with prawns, as the sun sets over the sea. Short eats, such as fish buns, rolls and patties, are sold at bakeries and make an easy snack before the ground.
Fruit is excellent: mangoes, pineapples, papayas and bananas year-round, with rambutans and mangosteens in season, often mid-year. King coconut is the perfect drink in the heat.
Sweets are worth a try as well: watalappan, a spiced coconut custard, kavum oil cakes and creamy curd with kitul treacle, a classic dessert after a curry dinner.
- →Isso wade on Galle Face Green.
- →Short eats from bakeries.
- →Tropical fruit and king coconut.
Spice levels
Sri Lankan food can be very spicy, especially sambols and some curries. In tourist restaurants, food is often toned down; in local places, it may not be. Ask for less chilli, and use rice, yoghurt or curd and coconut sambol to cool things down.
Many dishes are mild and fragrant, flavoured with cinnamon, cardamom, curry leaves and coconut, so the heat is not everything.
- →Ask for less chilli.
- →Curd and coconut cool things down.
- →Many dishes are mild.
Eating safely
Eat at busy places with high turnover, choose freshly cooked hot food, and drink bottled or filtered water. Be careful with salads and cut fruit from street stalls, and with ice in very local places.
Wash or sanitise your hands before eating, especially if you eat with your hand, the local way.
Frequently asked questions
What should cricket fans eat in Sri Lanka?
Try rice and curry, hoppers, string hoppers, kottu, lamprais, crab curry in Colombo, devilled dishes with a beer and isso wade on Galle Face Green. Short eats from bakeries make easy snacks, and the tropical fruit and king coconut are excellent.
Is Sri Lankan food very spicy?
Some dishes are very spicy, especially sambols and certain curries, but many are mild and fragrant. In tourist restaurants, food is often toned down. Ask for less chilli, and use rice, curd and coconut sambol to cool the heat.
What is a hopper?
A hopper, or appa, is a bowl-shaped crepe made from fermented rice flour and coconut milk, crisp at the edges and soft in the centre. An egg hopper has an egg cooked in the middle. Hoppers are eaten at breakfast or dinner with curry and sambol.
What is lamprais?
Lamprais is a Dutch Burgher dish of rice cooked in stock with a mixed meat curry, meatballs, sambol and egg, wrapped in banana leaf and baked. Several Colombo bakeries and restaurants make it, often to order, so ask in advance.
Where can you eat crab curry in Colombo?
Colombo has several restaurants famous for crab, cooked with pepper, garlic, chilli or curry sauce. Sri Lankan mud crabs are large and meaty. A crab dinner makes a good celebration meal at the end of a series. Book ahead for popular places.
Is street food safe in Sri Lanka?
Street food is generally safe at busy stalls with freshly cooked hot food. Be careful with salads, cut fruit from stalls and ice in very local places, and drink bottled or filtered water. Wash or sanitise your hands before eating.
What should you eat after a day at the cricket?
Kottu, chopped roti stir-fried with vegetables, egg and meat, is the classic late-night meal after a match, cooked with a rhythmic clatter of blades. Devilled chicken or prawns with a cold beer, or isso wade on Galle Face Green, are other favourites.
Is Sri Lanka good for vegetarians?
Yes, Sri Lanka is excellent for vegetarians, as many curries are naturally plant-based, including dhal, jackfruit, beetroot, cashew and pumpkin. Rice-and-curry shops usually have several vegetable dishes. Tell cooks if you avoid fish, as Maldive fish flakes are used in some dishes.