Colombo 4: the sea, good food and the city within easy reach

Where to eat and drink

Coffee and quick bites 

Barefoot Garden Café. A quiet garden café on Galle Road. Go for breakfast, coffee or a slow afternoon.

Java Lounge and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Reliable coffee, pastries and a table to work from.

Keells and Cargills Food City. Supermarkets for groceries, snacks and anything you forgot to pack.

Sri Lankan food 

Upali's by Nawaloka. Traditional rice and curry, hoppers and other local favourites.

Hotel de Pilawoos and Green Cabin. Colombo institutions for casual local food. Order the kottu.

Palmyrah Restaurant. Jaffna-style cooking from the north of the island.

A special dinner 

Ministry of Crab. Sri Lankan crab in the old Dutch Hospital complex. Book ahead.

Monsoon Colombo. Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian-inspired dishes in a smart setting.

Things to see and do

Galle Face Green and Mount Lavinia Beach. Walk the seafront at sunset and try isso vadai from the street stalls.

Gangaramaya Temple and Seema Malaka. Two of Colombo's best-known Buddhist sites, both around Beira Lake.

Viharamahadevi Park and the National Museum. Side by side, and an easy half day together.

Shopping. One Galle Face Mall, Marino Mall and Colombo City Centre have shops, restaurants and entertainment.

Electronics. Unity Plaza and Majestic City are the places for phones and gadgets.