Quick answer
In Nuwara Eliya, eat rice and curry made with hill vegetables such as leeks, carrots and potatoes, kottu and roti from small town-centre restaurants, and short eats like patties and rolls with tea. Hotels serve soups and roasts at dinner and afternoon tea with scones. Strawberries are sold fresh around town. A local meal costs very little, while a hotel dinner sits within roughly the mid-range daily budget of US$80 to 180. Eat early; most kitchens close by about 9pm.
Key takeaways
- Rice and curry in Nuwara Eliya usually features hill vegetables such as leeks, carrots, beans and potatoes from nearby terraces.
- Many Nuwara Eliya hotels serve afternoon tea, a custom inherited from the British planting era.
- Strawberries grown around Nuwara Eliya are sold fresh, with cream or as juice at farms and stalls.
- Small restaurants in central Nuwara Eliya serve kottu, roti and short eats at very low prices.
- Most Nuwara Eliya restaurants and hotel kitchens close by about 9pm, earlier than on the coast.
What to eat in Nuwara Eliya
What to eat in Nuwara Eliya starts with rice and curry. The difference from the coast is the vegetables: leek curry, carrot tempered with mustard seed, potatoes in a dry chilli fry and green beans in coconut gravy. Fish is mostly dried or brought from the coast, so vegetable and chicken curries are the stronger choices.
Nuwara Eliya's cold also makes kottu, chopped roti fried with vegetables, egg or chicken on a hot griddle, especially welcome in the evening. Hoppers, the bowl-shaped rice pancakes, are a breakfast and dinner favourite, with an egg cooked into the centre.
- →Rice and curry: lunchtime is when it is freshest.
- →Kottu: the rhythmic clatter of the griddle marks the evening.
- →Egg hoppers: breakfast or early dinner.
- →Vegetable soup: the standard hotel starter.
Short eats, bakeries and tea shops
Nuwara Eliya's bakeries and tea shops sell short eats all day: fish or vegetable patties, Chinese rolls, vadai and buns. They are cheap, warm and eaten standing with a cup of sweet milk tea. In the cold, they are what most locals reach for between meals.
Nuwara Eliya's tea shops are simple places with plastic chairs and a glass cabinet by the door. Choose busy ones, where turnover keeps food fresh. Point at what you want; you pay for what you eat at the end.
- →Fish patty: crisp pastry with a spiced filling.
- →Vadai: lentil fritter, sometimes with a prawn on top.
- →Plain tea or milk tea, usually sweetened unless you ask.
Afternoon tea and hotel dining
Afternoon tea in Nuwara Eliya is the town's most famous meal. Older hotels serve sandwiches, scones, cakes and pots of local tea in panelled lounges or on lawns, usually from mid-afternoon. It is a treat rather than a bargain, and it is the easiest way to see a period interior if you are not staying.
Nuwara Eliya hotel dinners tend to be buffets or set menus mixing Sri Lankan dishes with soups, roasts and puddings. Quality varies. A smaller guesthouse cooking rice and curry to order often produces a better meal than a large hotel buffet.
Strawberries and sweet things
Strawberries are Nuwara Eliya's favourite sweet. Farms on the roads out of town and stalls in the centre sell them fresh, with cream, in milkshakes or dipped in chocolate. Wash loose fruit in bottled water, or buy from farms that grow under cover.
Nuwara Eliya's bakeries also sell cakes and biscuits that reflect old British tastes, from butter cake to jam tarts. Watalappan, a spiced coconut and jaggery custard, appears on many hotel menus and is worth trying at least once.
- →Strawberries with cream at a farm stop.
- →Watalappan for dessert.
- →A slice of butter cake with afternoon tea.
Budget, hours and dietary needs
Eating in Nuwara Eliya costs very little at local restaurants, where rice and curry and kottu cost a few US dollars. Hotel dinners and afternoon tea sit in the mid-range. Lankan Stays & Trails books afternoon tea for travellers who want it and suggests local places for lunch on hill country days.
Nuwara Eliya keeps early hours. Lunch runs roughly noon to 2.30pm, and many kitchens close by 9pm. Vegetarians eat well, since vegetable curries are the backbone of the cuisine; vegans should ask about ghee and fish in sambols. Alcohol is not sold on poya days.
- →Book afternoon tea in April and over Christmas.
- →Carry cash for local restaurants.
- →Ask for less chilli if you prefer: "sere aduwen" or simply "not spicy".
Frequently asked questions
What food is Nuwara Eliya famous for?
Nuwara Eliya is famous for its vegetables, its strawberries and its afternoon tea. Leek and carrot curries, fresh strawberries with cream and scones with high-grown local tea are the meals visitors most associate with the town. Kottu and hoppers are popular in the evenings.
Are there good restaurants in Nuwara Eliya?
Nuwara Eliya has good simple restaurants rather than destination dining. Small places in the centre serve fresh rice and curry, kottu and hoppers, and the older hotels serve afternoon tea and set dinners. A family-run guesthouse kitchen is often the best meal in town.
Where can I have afternoon tea in Nuwara Eliya?
Afternoon tea in Nuwara Eliya is served by several of the older colonial-era hotels, usually from mid-afternoon in a lounge or on a lawn. Non-residents are generally welcome. Book ahead during April and the Christmas holidays, and dress neatly.
Is Nuwara Eliya good for vegetarians?
Nuwara Eliya is very good for vegetarians, because its cuisine is built on fresh hill vegetables. Rice and curry is often entirely vegetarian, and dhal, vegetable kottu and hoppers are easy to find. Vegans should ask about ghee, milk and dried fish in sambols.
Is street food safe in Nuwara Eliya?
Street food in Nuwara Eliya is generally safe when it is cooked fresh and served hot, as kottu and hoppers are. Choose busy stalls and tea shops with high turnover. Wash or peel raw fruit, and drink bottled or boiled water.
What time do restaurants close in Nuwara Eliya?
Most restaurants in Nuwara Eliya close by about 9pm, and some small places close earlier. Hotel restaurants may serve a little later. Plan dinner for around 7pm, especially in the cold months when the town empties early.