Ella guide · Where to eat
Places to eat in Ella, with what to order and how comfortable each is for families and older travellers.
Updated
Ella has many casual cafes and small restaurants, most serving a mix of Sri Lankan rice and curry, kottu, Western dishes and some Indian-style food. Fully vegetarian kitchens are rare: after checking listings and directories, we found no restaurant in Ella that we could confirm as pure vegetarian, Jain or fully vegan, so none carries those tags.
What does exist are vegetable-led and vegan-friendly cafes. Rocky Ella and Cafe Samsara are listed by a vegan directory with clearly marked vegan dishes, and are tagged vegan-options, because their menus are mixed. Rainbow Cafe lists many vegan dishes, but the directory warns that some labelled vegan were not, so it is not tagged. Matey Hut leans towards vegetable dishes but is not tagged. For Indian food, Dosa Cafe serves South Indian dishes and The True Food lists Indian curries, but both also serve meat or fish.
If you eat pure vegetarian or Jain food, state your needs firmly at every meal, ask about stock, ghee, fish sauce and onion or garlic, and consider a hotel or resort that can cook to order. Sri Lankan rice and curry is easily made vegetarian, and vegetable curries, dal and sambol are staples.
Menus and kitchens change. If you follow a strict diet or have an allergy, confirm with the restaurant before you order.
Roadside, Ella (exact address not stated by the guides we read)
A roadside cafe in Ella with a varied menu and a reputation for burgers, described as laid-back and friendly. Two independent guides name it.
Slightly off the main road, Ella
An Italian restaurant slightly off Ella's main road that also serves other cuisines. A guide advises ordering simply, as quality varies between dishes.
Central Ella (exact street address not stated by the guides we read)
A locally owned, long-running Ella restaurant and bar serving Sri Lankan and Western food, open late with a DJ at night. Several independent Ella guides name it, so it is a safe benchmark for how a busy town-centre place works.
Ella to Passara Road, near the Nine Arch Bridge trail start
A cafe on the Ella to Passara road near the start of the Nine Arch Bridge trail, described by Wikivoyage as the place in Ella for lamprais.
Ella town (street address not stated by the guides we read)
A large, busy Ella restaurant spread over three floors, serving wood-fired pizza, pasta, falafel wraps, biryani and curries. One guide describes it as open 24 hours; check that before relying on it.
Police Station Road, Ella
A cafe on Police Station Road with a clearly marked menu and vegan Sri Lankan dishes, including lump rice and vegan curries, according to a vegan directory.
94 B-1 (First Floor), Wellawaya Road, Ella
A small cafe on Wellawaya Road serving South Indian food, including dosas and a vegetarian rice and curry lunch. It also serves chicken, so it is Indian but not vegetarian.
Central Ella
A casual kottu and roti place in the middle of Ella. Wikivoyage recommends the beef kottu, so it is a meat-serving kitchen and not for strict vegetarians.
No. 25 Wellawaya Road, central Ella
A Sri Lankan rice and curry restaurant on Wellawaya Road with a clearly marked vegan menu, including jackfruit, banana flower and beetroot curries. The menu is mixed, so it is not a vegetarian-only kitchen.
Wellawaya to Ella road, Ella; second floor via a side staircase
An upstairs restaurant on the Wellawaya to Ella road serving Sri Lankan rice and curry with several vegetable curries, kottu and fresh juices. Vegan marking is weak, so ask about each dish.
Near the tunnel in Ella town
A casual restaurant in Ella known to vegetarian and vegan visitors, with a menu that leans heavily on vegetables. Not a fully vegetarian kitchen, so ask about ingredients.
41 Badulla-Bandarawela Main Road, Ella
A cafe on the Badulla-Bandarawela main road whose menu a vegan directory lists with ten or more vegan dishes. The same directory warns some labelled dishes were not vegan, so ask staff about sauces and broths.
On a hilltop with valley views, Ella
A hilltop guesthouse restaurant above Ella where, per Wikivoyage, a multi-course dinner of about eight small dishes is served if you book ahead.
106 Passara-Ella Road, Ella
A cafe on the Passara-Ella road serving Western and Sri Lankan food, with clearly marked vegan dishes such as jackfruit kottu and vegan pizza.
Ella town (street address not stated by the guides we read)
A cafe in Ella known for coffee, large cookies and wood-fired pizza, with an upstairs open-air dining room and fast wifi. Two independent guides name it.
98 Wallawaya Road, Ella
A restaurant on Wellawaya Road listed as Indian, with Indian curries, Sri Lankan kottu and international dishes. The menu includes meat and fish, so it suits Indian-food cravings but not strict vegetarians.
50 Ella Road, Ella
A Sri Lankan and Asian fusion restaurant on Ella Road with a clearly marked vegan menu built around jackfruit, beans and mushrooms. It is a mixed menu, so check dishes with staff.
Downtown Ella; the guide gives no street name
A narrow restaurant in downtown Ella where mostly local diners eat a rice and curry lunch, with extra floors above that look over the town.
