If you’re planning to visit Kandy on your way through Sri Lanka, then chances are you’ll be looking for the best places to eat around town.
At least, that’s the case for us anytime we visit a new city, but we really struggled to find quality, relevant information for the best restaurants in Kandy.
Luckily, we spent over a week in Kandy, so we got to try a bunch of different places to eat and determine for ourselves which ones were worth coming back to. But it’s not that easy for people with limited time in the city.
You want to make sure the places you choose for lunch or dinner are actually worth it!
So, here’s a list of all the places we loved! We made sure to include a restaurant for every situation, whether you’re looking for an ultra-cheap meal (Balaji Dosai), healthy options (Soul Food), or a late-night spot with live music (The Hideout).
Best Restaurants in Kandy
Kandy is a large enough city with a wide variety of options. While you can obviously find local Sri Lankan food, plenty of places cater to tourists and serve international dishes.
Here are a few of Kandy’s best restaurants that truly stand out above the rest!
1. Balaji Dosai
Address: 03 DS Senanayake Veediya, Kandy
Opening Hours: 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM (Daily)
Menu
Balaji Dosai is probably the most famous restaurant in Kandy, and there are now three locations.
The primary location is right next to the Queens Hotel on Senanayake Veediya. This is the busiest spot, and we usually eat there.
However, there’s another location further down the street towards Trinity College and a third location over by the Kandy Railway Station. These other locations have slightly more limited hours, but the food is just as good!
The kitchen is 100% vegetarian and serves a variety of dosa (a large, thin, flour pancake filled with veggies and spices). Every dosa comes with chutney, chickpea curry, and daal curry.
The eatery is one of the most affordable places to eat in Kandy (a total meal costs less than $2) and is full of both locals and tourists at all hours.
2. Cafe the Vibe
Address: 258/4/1 A9, Kandy 20000, Sri Lanka
Opening Hours: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM (Daily)
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Cafe The Vibe is an excellent restaurant with a casual atmosphere. You have to order at the front, but then they bring the food to you.
The menu has a nice mix of Sri Lankan and Western dishes, and everything is affordable! I got the Spicy Fried Kottu (I had a huge Kottu era in Sri Lanka), and Sarah ended up getting a Crispy Chicken burger!
There’s plenty of seating for groups of 2-4, but Cafe The Vibe has some group seating in the back that’s specifically great for large groups of up to 15 people!
3. Indian Summer / Global Kitchen
Address: No.2 Kumara Veediya, Kandy
Opening Hours: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM (Daily)
Website
Indian Summer is a popular Indian restaurant in Kandy that we went to on two separate occasions. The second time, we thought we were going to Global Kitchen, but it ended up being the same restaurant with the same menu—just under a different roof.
Despite the confusion, it was delicious both times.
We tried a couple of different curries, the chicken biriyani, butter naan, and mango lassi!
Everything was delicious, and international food in Kandy was relatively affordable ($5-7/plate). You can also get Chinese food here!
4. Kandayan Muslim Hotel
Address: 70 Sri Dalada Veediya, Kandy
Opening Hours: 6:30 AM – 9:00 PM (Daily)
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Don’t let ‘hotel’ in the name fool you. This restaurant is a crowd favorite and a staple on almost every list of the best places to eat around Kandy. A couple of locals even recommended it to us.
Unfortunately, both times we tried to go and visit, they were randomly closed for the day.
The menu primarily features Sri Lankan dishes with a couple of Indian specialties. The Kandayan Muslim Hotel is also a very affordable place to have dinner in Kandy, similar to Balaji Dosai.
5. Worldspice (KCC)
Address: 03 DS Senanayake Veediya, Kandy
Opening Hours: 7:00 AM – 9:30 PM (Daily)
Website
WorldSpice is a food court on the top floor of the KCC Mall in Kandy. It has five different restaurants in a single food court.
When you enter the food court, they give you a card that you scan each time you order. When you leave the seating area, you pay for everything. The restaurants there include;
- Thai Kitchen – Thai Soups, curries, Pad Thai, and other authentic dishes
- Indian Kitchen – Biriyani, Indian curries, and Tandoori
- Western/Veggie Kitchen – Sandwiches, Burgers, and Salads
- Chinese Kitchen – Authentic Chinese noodles, soups, and seafood dishes
- Italian Kitchen – Pasta, Pizza, and Grill items
The kitchens are genuinely authentic, and it’s fun to try food from around the world all in one place! e also found the prices very reasonable and were very happy with the portions whenever we came for dinner.
6. The Whizz
Address: 155 S. W. R. D. Bandaranayake Road, Kandy
Opening Hours: 11:30 AM – 10:00 PM (Closed Monday)
Facebook Page
The Whizz is a famous rooftop terrace in Kandy with a classy atmosphere, great food, and cheap drinks.
Unlike most restaurants on this list, it’s on Kandy Rd (next to the train station), so if you’re staying in downtown Kandy, you’ll likely need to get a tuk-tuk here.
The menu is varied, but you’ll see mostly pasta, fried meats, sandwiches, fries, and traditional Sri Lankan dishes like fried rice and Kottu.
The Whizz is honestly a great place for a date night in Kandy. It’s also a little more upscale, so you can go with a small group of friends and enjoy the view of the city while you hang out.
7. Soul Food
Address: 48 Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe Mawatha, Kandy
Opening Hours: 7:30 AM – 9:30 PM (Daily)
Menu
This tiny shack is the definition of a hole-in-the-wall, but it was one of the most unique places we visited, and we really enjoyed the food here.
It’s a two-story cafe, but there is barely any room on the first floor, so you’ll likely want to climb to the second story for more space. You’ll find low seating and very homey decor there, making it feel super laid back.
Soul Food offers a variety of healthy food options, like smoothie bowls and avocado toast in the morning. In the evening, it still offers many of the same dishes, but we ordered some of their pizza, which is baked in a handmade clay oven!
Best Late Night Lounges in Kandy
Kandy has a decent nightlife scene due to its large student population. Multiple universities are in town, including the University of Peradeniya (the largest in Sri Lanka).
However, instead of bars and clubs, the nightlife scene is made up of lounges that serve dinner and then have music and drinks available late into the evening.
Here are some of the best ones to visit for a late-night bite.
Note: Be very careful if you go to a restaurant or bar at night in Sri Lanka. While the people of Sri Lanka are very respectful and courteous, this doesn’t always extend to the nightlife. We rarely saw Sri Lankan women out at night, and we’ve heard from multiple young females who have been approached by men at bars or clubs in a way that made them uncomfortable.
8. Slightly Chilled
Address: 29A Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha, Kandy
Opening Hours: 11:30 AM – 11:00 PM (Kitchen Closes @ 9:30)
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Slightly Chilled Lounge & Restaurant is one of the most popular places for foreigners and Sri Lankan people to hang out after dark in Kandy.
It was recommended to us by several other travelers and friends we met in the city.
In addition to drinks, you’ll also find an extensive dinner menu of Asian fusion dishes, like Chinese Sichuan friend park to Thai Spring Rolls and Deviled Beef. The lounge serves food until 9:30, but the bar remains open until 11:00 PM.
9. Hideout Lounge
Address: 03 DS Senanayake Veediya, Kandy
Opening Hours: 7:00 AM – 11:45 PM (Closes @ 2:00 AM on Saturday)
Website
This restaurant/lounge is certainly not the cheapest place to eat and drink in Kandy, but it serves some of the city’s highest-quality food, and its excellent ownership contributes to that.
We ordered the vegan and beef burgers here, which were DELICIOUS! Later on, we came back and shared a couple of different pizzas with friends, and all of them hit the spot.
Ultimately, you won’t be disappointed no matter what you order.
There are also live musicians or DJ sets every Friday/Saturday night from 7:00 PM onwards!
Final Bite
If you’re looking for a great restaurant in Kandy, any of these options are going to be a great choice. It really just depends on what kind of atmosphere you’re looking for.
Plus, all of the restaurants we mentioned (even Hideout Lounge) are more affordable than any standard restaurant in the US, Europe, or Australia.
But if your main goal is to travel on an ultra-tight budget, Balaji Dosai or Kandayan Muslim Hotel is your best bet!
We hope you enjoy this city as much as we did. If you’re still planning your itinerary, we highly recommend adding a day trip to Ambuluwawa Tower (still underrated). Also, check out our favorite cafes in Kandy to grab coffee each morning!
