Banstead, Sri Lankan Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: “A must-visit on Tooting High Street” – this modest and “amazing-value” family-run café was one of the first in London to serve “authentic and delicious hoppers and other Sri Lankan specialities” when it opened 31 years ago. “The lunch menu is really good for a cheap ’n’ cheerful meal, but for the best experience go in the evening and eat in the back dining room”.

The high-octane flavours of Sri Lanka are married with British produce at this “excellent” contemporary Soho venue. Born in London to Sinhalese parents, founder Dom Fernando refined the concept further with a reboot in 2024 which has gone down well with reporters, who say “each dish is explained individually and with a great deal of care”. It’s a seven-course experience which takes two hours to unfold.

“The food is so spicy and interesting”, according to fans of this “authentic” Sri Lankan outfit “tucked away” in Soho, from fin tech escapee Eroshan Meewella and his wife Aushi. A second, more spacious branch has opened in the City, followed in summer 2025 by a more casual street-food spinoff called Adoh! in Covent Garden.

“Tasty, freshly prepared Sri Lankan food in a fun environment” has spelled success for this trio from JKS Restaurants, which have done much to popularise Sri Lankan and south Indian cuisine in the capital over the past decade (a hopper is a street-food pancake). The original Soho venue is “vibrant and intimately packed (at times a little too much so)”, while the newer branch at Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross has a terrace where “on a warm summer’s day, sitting at an outside table with fresh bites and a cold pint is just excellent”. Top Menu Tip – “the short eats – hot butter squid, lamb kothu roti, bone marrow varuval – are absolute knockouts”; the best-sellers are the hoppers and the dosa dishes.

“Tasty, freshly prepared Sri Lankan food in a fun environment” has spelled success for this trio from JKS Restaurants, which have done much to popularise Sri Lankan and south Indian cuisine in the capital over the past decade (a hopper is a street-food pancake). The original Soho venue is “vibrant and intimately packed (at times a little too much so)”, while the newer branch at Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross has a terrace where “on a warm summer’s day, sitting at an outside table with fresh bites and a cold pint is just excellent”. Top Menu Tip – “the short eats – hot butter squid, lamb kothu roti, bone marrow varuval – are absolute knockouts”; the best-sellers are the hoppers and the dosa dishes.

“Flavoursome and well-executed vegetarian Sri Lankan cuisine” is the draw to this East Dulwich two-year-old: a sweet, simple neighbourhood café, where “thali-style eating allows you to taste a good variety of the food – including different curries or sambals – washed down with innovative cocktails and pleasing desserts”.

“Go for the rotis alone” to this “amazing gem near London Bridge” (in Borough Market), where you’ll find “excellent Sri Lankan cuisine pushed to the higher end, but not at eye-watering prices”. Founder Cynthia Shanmugalingham’s “imaginative Tamil-based food is sometimes scorchingly fiery, even for a weathered palate” – and “really interesting: so much you can buy the owner’s book, which is very funny and informative”. Top Menu Tip – “the delicious beef and marrow rolls, and slow-grilled mackerel”.

“The food is so spicy and interesting”, according to fans of this “authentic” Sri Lankan outfit “tucked away” in Soho, from fin tech escapee Eroshan Meewella and his wife Aushi. A second, more spacious branch has opened in the City, followed in summer 2025 by a more casual street-food spinoff called Adoh! in Covent Garden.