Quick answer
On a 5-day Sri Lanka trip, try rice and curry at lunch, egg hoppers and string hoppers at breakfast, kottu roti in the evening, and fresh seafood on the coast. Each route adds its own highlights: curd and treacle and wild boar curry around the Cultural Triangle, tea and Kandyan sweets in the hills, and grilled fish and ambul thiyal on the south coast. Eat freshly cooked food, drink bottled or filtered water, and ask for less chilli if needed.
Key takeaways
- Rice and curry, usually rice with several vegetable, lentil and meat or fish curries, is Sri Lanka's everyday lunch.
- Egg hoppers, bowl-shaped rice-flour pancakes with an egg in the centre, and string hoppers are classic breakfasts.
- Kottu roti, chopped flatbread stir-fried on a griddle, is the most popular evening street food.
- Ambul thiyal, a sour fish curry, is a speciality of the south coast around Galle.
- Freshly cooked food and bottled or filtered water keep the risk of an upset stomach low on a short trip.
The essentials for fifteen meals
The essentials of Sri Lankan food fit comfortably into the fifteen or so meals of a five-day trip. Aim to try each of the following at least once, ideally in a local restaurant or a guesthouse kitchen rather than a hotel buffet.
- →Rice and curry: rice with several curries, sambols and papadum, usually at lunch.
- →Egg hoppers: bowl-shaped pancakes with an egg, often with lunu miris, a chilli and onion relish.
- →String hoppers: steamed rice-noodle nests, with dhal and coconut sambol.
- →Kottu roti: chopped flatbread stir-fried with vegetables, egg or meat.
- →Pol sambol: grated coconut with chilli, lime and onion.
- →Curd and treacle: buffalo curd with kithul palm syrup.
What to eat on each five-day route
Each five-day route has its own food highlights, shaped by the region's produce and traditions. They are worth seeking out rather than eating the same dishes everywhere.
- →Cultural Triangle: village rice and curry, curd and treacle, freshwater fish, lotus root curry.
- →Kandy and the hill country: Kandyan sweets, fresh Ceylon tea at an estate, vegetable curries from the hill farms.
- →South coast: grilled fish, prawns and crab, ambul thiyal around Galle, fresh king coconut.
- →East coast: seafood, and Tamil and Muslim dishes around Trincomalee.
Where to eat well on a short trip
The best meals on a five-day Sri Lanka trip are often the simplest. A rice and curry lunch at a busy local restaurant, a home-cooked dinner at a guesthouse, or a kottu stall at night will usually beat an international hotel buffet.
A cooking class is a good use of an afternoon on the hill country or south coast routes, because it combines a market visit, local knowledge and one of the best meals of the trip. Your driver will know good lunch stops on each drive.
Tea, king coconut and other drinks
Drinks deserve a place on a five-day food list too. Ceylon tea is served everywhere, usually strong and sweet with milk; on the hill country route, an estate tasting shows how different the high-grown teas are. King coconut, the orange coconut sold at roadside stalls, is the most refreshing drink on a hot day.
Fresh lime juice, wood apple juice and faluda, a rose-flavoured milk drink, are all worth trying. Alcohol is widely available in hotels and bars, although sales stop on poya days, the monthly full-moon holidays.
Eating safely on a five-day trip
On a five-day trip, an upset stomach can cost a whole day, so a few simple precautions are worthwhile. Eat freshly cooked, hot food from busy places, drink bottled or filtered water, and be cautious with salads washed in tap water, ice of unknown origin and peeled fruit you did not peel yourself.
Sri Lankan food can be very spicy. Ask for less chilli, or for dishes to be served mild, especially on the first day while your stomach adjusts.
- →Freshly cooked, hot food from busy places.
- →Bottled or filtered water; carry a refillable bottle.
- →Care with salads, ice and pre-peeled fruit.
- →Ask for less chilli on the first day.
Vegetarian and other dietary needs
Vegetarians eat very well in Sri Lanka, because many curries are vegetable or lentil-based and Buddhist and Hindu traditions support vegetarian food. Vegans should ask about ghee, milk and fish in dishes, and about Maldive fish, a dried tuna often added to sambols and curries.
Gluten-free travellers can rely on rice-based dishes such as rice and curry, hoppers and string hoppers, but should ask about roti and kottu. Lankan Stays & Trails can pass dietary needs to hotels and suggest suitable restaurants on each route.
Frequently asked questions
What food should I try in Sri Lanka?
Rice and curry, egg hoppers, string hoppers, kottu roti, pol sambol and curd and treacle. On the coast, fresh seafood and ambul thiyal, a sour fish curry. Try them at local restaurants and guesthouses rather than hotel buffets for the best versions.
Is Sri Lankan food very spicy?
It can be. Many curries and sambols are hot, especially in local restaurants. Ask for less chilli or mild dishes, particularly on the first day. Coconut-based curries, dhal and hoppers are usually gentler, and a spoonful of curd or a banana helps cool the heat.
Is it safe to eat street food in Sri Lanka?
Generally yes, if it is freshly cooked and hot, from a busy stall with a high turnover. Kottu, cooked on a griddle in front of you, is a good choice. Be cautious with food that has been sitting out and with salads or ice.
Can I drink tap water in Sri Lanka?
It is best avoided. Drink bottled or filtered water, and use it for brushing teeth if you are sensitive. Many hotels provide filtered water, and carrying a refillable bottle reduces plastic waste on a short trip.
Is Sri Lanka good for vegetarians?
Very good. Many curries are vegetable or lentil-based, and vegetarian food is part of Buddhist and Hindu traditions. Vegans should ask about ghee, milk and Maldive fish, a dried tuna often used in sambols and curries.
What is a typical Sri Lankan breakfast?
Hoppers or string hoppers with dhal, coconut sambol and a curry, or milk rice, called kiribath, with lunu miris. Many hotels also offer Western breakfasts, but a Sri Lankan breakfast is one of the best meals of the day.