Where to Eat in Kandy: Best Restaurants and Local Food

Kandy sits at the centre of the island’s cultural and culinary traditions. As the last capital of the Sinhalese kingdom and a major pilgrimage city, it has a food scene built around local rice and curry establishments, old-fashioned bakeries, and the kind of market food that doesn’t change generation to generation.

The tourist restaurant strip along Dalada Veediya near the Temple of the Tooth caters primarily to visitors; the better eating is a short walk away in the streets around Kandy Market and toward Peradeniya.

What to Eat in Kandy

Rice and Curry: the centrepiece of the Sri Lankan meal and Kandy’s most important food. A proper rice and curry lunch in Kandy involves three to six small curries served around a mound of steamed red or white rice — a vegetable, a protein (fish, chicken, beef, or jackfruit), a dhal, a pol sambol (coconut relish), and a papadum. The best versions are found in local restaurants away from the tourist centre.

Hoppers (Appa): bowl-shaped fermented rice pancakes cooked to order, best in the early morning or evening. Egg hoppers are the standard upgrade. String hoppers (idiyappam) are also widely available. Many guesthouses serve hoppers for breakfast — this is genuinely what locals eat, not a tourist-facing compromise.

Kandy’s Spicy Dry Curries: the hill country style of cooking tends toward drier, more intensely spiced curries compared to the coconut-milk-heavy southern style. Jackfruit curry (polos), mushroom curry, and breadfruit curry are particular to the up-country tradition.

Kavun and Kokis: traditional Sinhalese sweets — kavun is a deep-fried oil cake made with treacle and flour; kokis is a crispy fried pastry in flower shapes made for special occasions. Found at Kandy Market and bakeries.

Where to Eat

Kandy Market (Pettah area): the covered market and surrounding streets are the best place for cheap local food. Rice and curry counters serve from 11am; short eat stalls (rotis, rolls, samosas) from morning. The market itself sells local fruit, spices, and vegetables in a setting unchanged for decades.

Devon Restaurant (Dalada Veediya): one of Kandy’s oldest restaurants, serving Sri Lankan and Chinese food for decades. Popular with locals and tourists alike. The rice and curry lunch is reliable; the portions are large. Not the cheapest option but consistent.

Slightly Chilled Lounge Bar (above Kandy Lake): rooftop seating with lake views. Food is Western-leaning with some Sri Lankan dishes. Primarily a drinks spot with food, but the setting is excellent and the kitchen is competent. Popular for sundowners.

Bake House / Panaderia: old-fashioned Kandyan bakeries produce breads, buns, and pastries reflecting the Portuguese and Dutch colonial influence on Sri Lankan baking. Look for seeni sambol (caramelised onion) buns, kimbula banis (crocodile rolls — sweet bread rolls shaped like crocodiles), and fish buns.

TJ’s Bakery and Café (near Lake Roundabout): reliable for breakfast and light meals. Good coffee by Sri Lankan standards; Western-style sandwiches and Sri Lankan options side by side. Popular with travellers staying in the central area.

Practical Notes

• Kandy’s restaurant scene is more developed than many Sri Lankan cities — vegetarian, vegan, and dietary-specific requests are handled better here than in smaller towns
• The streets around the Temple of the Tooth have the highest density of tourist-facing restaurants; quality is variable — read recent reviews before committing
• During the Esala Perahera festival (July–August), restaurants in the procession route area are extremely busy on the final nights — book ahead or eat early
• Street food is safe in Kandy’s busier areas; the turnover is high and the cooking is fresh