Sri Lankan Food for Beginners: What to Order First

A first-timer’s order, in order. What to get, what to skip for now, and what will make you come back.

Sri Lankan menus can be intimidating if you have never seen one. Here is exactly what to order on your first visit, and in what order to work through it.

Start with biryani

It is aromatic rather than fiery, everybody likes it, and it gives you a baseline for how the kitchen cooks. If a place makes a good biryani, the rest of the menu is probably good too.

Then get a kottu to share

Kottu roti is the dish that will make you a convert. Chopped flatbread stir-fried on a griddle with egg, vegetables and meat. Chicken or cheese kottu is the easy entry point. Do not order it as your only dish the first time, share it.

Add one curry

A chicken curry or a dhal. Dhal in particular is soft, mild and comforting, and it shows you what the coconut and roasted spice actually taste like without much heat in the way.

What to save for next time

Devilled dishes, which are the spiciest things on the menu and are meant to be. Hoppers, which are wonderful but a different kind of meal. Lamprais, which is a whole experience and deserves your full attention.

On heat

Ask for mild. Say it clearly. Any kitchen will do it and nobody is judging you. Sri Lankan food traditionally runs hotter than Indian restaurant food in Canada, and there is no medal for suffering through your first plate.

The one rule

Mix things. Sri Lankan food is not a main and sides, it is a set of components you are supposed to combine. Rice, a bit of curry, a pinch of sambol, all in the same bite. Do that and you will get why people are so attached to this food.

Where to start

We are a family-run halal Sri Lankan and Indian kitchen in Scarborough and we are used to first-timers. See the best Sri Lankan dishes to try, or read how spicy it really is.