Nuwara Eliya sits at 1,868 metres and has a climate that has shaped both its history and its food. The British colonial administration built this hill station as a retreat from the coastal heat, left behind a racecourse, a golf course, and a small town that still carries the architecture and — in a few places — the culinary habits of the late Victorian period. “Little England” is the nickname, and while it is partly a tourist construct, the Grand Hotel and the Hill Club are the genuine article: proper colonial dining rooms that have been serving dinner in jacket-and-tie surroundings since the 1890s. For activities to combine with your day out, guided tours in Nuwara Eliya include tea estate visits, Horton Plains, and highland excursions.
The cooler climate also means the food is heartier than on the coast — up-country curries are drier and more intensely spiced, breakfasts include string hoppers with coconut milk that actually warms you up, and the local market produces excellent vegetables and, in season, strawberries.
What to Eat
String Hoppers: the up-country breakfast standard. In Nuwara Eliya they are typically served with coconut milk, a dhal curry, and a sambal. The combination works particularly well in the cool morning air. Available at local tea shops from around 7am, from approximately LKR 150–250 ($0.50–0.80) per plate.
Up-Country Curries: the curries here are drier and more intensely spiced than the coconut-heavy southern style. Jackfruit curry, potato curry, and dhal are the staples. A proper up-country rice and curry lunch at local canteens runs approximately LKR 400–800 ($1.30–2.60) — one of the better arguments for leaving the hotel restaurant.
Strawberries: Nuwara Eliya’s high altitude produces the best strawberries in Sri Lanka, in season from December to April. They are sold at roadside stalls, in the market, and in cafés as fresh fruit, juice, and dessert toppings — a punnet of fresh strawberries from a market stall costs around LKR 200–400 ($0.65–1.30) depending on the season.
Tea: Nuwara Eliya sits at the heart of Ceylon tea country. The teas grown here — particularly the high-grown Nuwara Eliya single-estate teas — are lighter and more floral than the Uva teas grown further east. Properly brewed, served hot, with or without milk: this is the drink of the hill country.
Chinese-Sri Lankan Dishes: Nuwara Eliya has a small Chinese trading community presence reflected in a number of Chinese-run restaurants in the town centre. These serve Sri Lankan-Chinese hybrid menus — fried rice, noodles, devilled chicken, kottu-style dishes — and are popular with local families on weekend outings.
Where to Eat
The Hill Club: the most atmospheric dining room in Nuwara Eliya, housed in a colonial-era club building that dates to 1876. Dinner is served formally — jacket required, which the club will loan you if you arrive without one. The food covers roast meats, Sri Lankan curries, and puddings. Expect approximately LKR 2,500–4,500 ($8–15) per person for a full dinner with drinks. The experience is as much about the setting as the cooking. Book ahead. Rack Bar attached to the club is one of the better spots in town for a pre-dinner whisky.
The Grand Hotel: the Grand Hotel’s dining room serves a broader menu in a similarly colonial setting. Less formal than the Hill Club — no jacket required — and open to non-guests for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The lunch buffet (approximately LKR 1,800–2,500 / $6–8 per person) is popular with tour groups and offers a wide curry spread. The à la carte dinner menu is more manageable for smaller groups.
Araliya Green Hills Hotel Restaurant: the Araliya is the most comfortable modern hotel in Nuwara Eliya, perched above the town with views over the golf course. The restaurant is open to non-guests and serves both Sri Lankan and international dishes. A three-course dinner runs approximately LKR 3,000–5,500 ($10–18) per person. The Sunday buffet lunch is worth noting if you happen to be in town.
Milano Restaurant (New Bazaar Street area): one of the town-centre spots that locals and long-stay travellers rely on for a no-fuss sit-down meal. The menu covers rice and curry, kottu, fried rice, and short eats at prices well below the colonial hotels — a full meal comes in at approximately LKR 500–1,000 ($1.60–3.30) per person. It is unpretentious and reliable.
Local Market and Tea Shops: the Nuwara Eliya town market area has several small tea shops and canteens serving string hoppers, roti, and rice and curry at LKR 300–600 ($1–2). This is the best-value eating in town and the most authentic. The market is busiest in the morning; string hoppers sell out early.
Chinese Restaurants in Town: the town centre has several Chinese-run restaurants — the ones clustered near the market and along Park Road — that serve fried rice, noodle dishes, devilled prawns, and Chinese-Sri Lankan curries at approximately LKR 500–1,200 ($1.60–4). They are unpretentious, filling, and popular with local Sri Lankans and Tamil tea-estate workers on days off. A good midday option for something other than rice and curry.
Pastry shops and bakeries: several small bakeries along the main street sell cream horns, Welsh cakes, and Sri Lankan short eats — a legacy of the colonial hill-station era. Worth a quick stop for breakfast pastries at around LKR 100–200 ($0.33–0.65) per item.
The Windsor Hotel Restaurant (Windsor Hotel, Kandy Road): a mid-range hotel restaurant that is open to non-guests and useful as a lunch or dinner option in the New Town area. The menu covers Sri Lankan rice and curry, grilled meats, and simple Western dishes. The set lunch (approximately LKR 1,000–1,800 / $3.30–6) is the most practical option. Quieter than the market canteens and more affordable than the colonial hotels — a useful middle ground when the Hill Club formality feels like too much.
Best Restaurants in Nuwara Eliya: Our Picks
- Best overall experience: The Hill Club — book ahead, jacket loaned on arrival, order the roast meat and stay for a whisky in the Rack Bar
- Best colonial atmosphere without the formality: The Grand Hotel buffet lunch (LKR 1,800–2,500) — wide curry spread, open to non-guests, no jacket needed
- Best views with a full meal: Araliya Green Hills Hotel — modern, comfortable, overlooks the golf course
- Best local value: Milano Restaurant or the market canteens — a full meal for LKR 400–800, no tourist markup
- Best breakfast: local tea shops in the market area — string hoppers with coconut milk and dhal from LKR 200
- Best seasonal treat (December–April): strawberry stalls near the market — a punnet of fresh Nuwara Eliya strawberries for LKR 200–400, better than anything you’ll find on the coast
Practical Notes
- The Hill Club requires advance booking for dinner; call or book through your accommodation
- Strawberry season runs December–April; outside this window, availability drops significantly
- The town is genuinely cool (average 16°C); a warm evening meal makes sense — plan for dinner rather than eating late at street stalls
- Tea tastings are available at several estates near the town, typically included in a factory visit — Horton Plains guided walks combined with a tea estate stop are one of the most popular full-day excursions from Nuwara Eliya
- Local canteens do not serve alcohol; the Hill Club and Grand Hotel have licensed bars
- The market area is busiest in the mornings; most canteens close by mid-afternoon
- Exchange rate guide: LKR 300 ≈ $1 USD (as of 2025)
Booking Tips for Nuwara Eliya Restaurants
The Hill Club is the only restaurant in Nuwara Eliya where advance booking is essential. Reserve at least one day ahead, two days for weekend dinners. Book via your accommodation (most guesthouses in town can call on your behalf) or phone the club directly. Ask specifically for a table in the dining room rather than the bar area. The dress code is enforced: jacket and tie for the dining room at dinner. The club loans jackets if you arrive without one; ties are also available. The Rack Bar does not require formal dress and is a good option for a casual drink before or after dinner.
The Grand Hotel dining room accepts walk-ins for lunch and dinner most days, but the Sunday buffet lunch attracts tour groups and benefits from advance booking. Non-residents book through hotel reception. Ask for a window table in the main dining room — the views over the garden are the best seats in the house.
Araliya Green Hills Hotel takes reservations via the hotel front desk. Terrace seating overlooking the golf course is the best option on clear evenings — request it when booking. The Sunday lunch buffet runs approximately LKR 2,800–3,500 and is the most popular service of the week.
For local canteens and tea shops: no booking is needed, but timing is everything. String hoppers at market tea shops sell out before 9am. Rice and curry at local canteens runs dry by 1pm. Fresh strawberries at market stalls are picked over by mid-morning during December–April season.
If you want to combine a meal with a tea estate visit, guided Nuwara Eliya tours that include factory access and a tasting at an estate bungalow run approximately LKR 3,500–6,500 per person for a half-day — better value than paying separately for entry and transport.