Galle guide · Where to eat
Places to eat in Galle, with what to order and how comfortable each is for families and older travellers.
Updated
Galle's everyday food is Sri Lankan rice and curry: a plate of rice with dhal, vegetable curries, mallum (shredded greens with coconut), and fish, chicken or egg dishes beside them. Hoppers, string hoppers and pol roti are common at breakfast. Cafes inside the fort cater to visitors with western menus, and the Old Dutch Hospital precinct has a cluster of restaurants and cafes under old colonnades.
For vegetarian diners, the plain truth is that fully vegetarian restaurants are uncommon, and I could not confirm any pure-veg, Jain or fully vegan restaurant in Galle that is currently open, so none are tagged on this guide. Ask for rice and curry with vegetable curries only, and check every dish for Maldive fish (dried tuna) in sambols and for meat or fish stock. Useful phrases are 'Mama mas kanne naha' (I do not eat meat) and 'Malu kanne naha' (I do not eat fish). Plain hoppers and dhal are usually vegan.
Jain travellers should expect to explain no onion, garlic or root vegetables each time. Hotels and guesthouses will usually do this best if told in advance; the larger hotels can arrange simple meals. North Indian dishes appear on some fort menus, but I could not confirm an Indian restaurant that is both open and vegetarian-only, so treat any directory listing with caution and check by phone first.
Menus and kitchens change. If you follow a strict diet or have an allergy, confirm with the restaurant before you order.
62 Leyn Baan Street, Galle Fort
A formal Italian restaurant at 62 Leyn Baan Street inside Galle Fort, in a Dutch-era mansion, serving pasta rolled daily, bread baked on site and a cellar of Italian wines.
40 Church Street, Galle Fort
A Moroccan and Middle Eastern restaurant on Church Street in Galle Fort, listed with labelled vegan dishes such as falafel and hummus.
26 Church Street, Galle Fort
The restaurant of the Fort Bazaar hotel on Church Street, with Sri Lankan curries, hoppers, and a vegan-capable Thai green curry.
Baladaksha Mawatha, Galle
A local-style restaurant on Baladaksha Mawatha serving curries, dhal, coconut pancakes and hoppers, with early opening hours on most days.
36 Lighthouse Street, Galle Fort
A small restaurant on Lighthouse Street in Galle Fort serving curries, dhal and pasta, including vegan choices according to HappyCow.
181 A Matara Road, Galle
An Indian restaurant on Matara Road in Galle, where HappyCow lists vegetable dishes such as bhindi masala and chana masala with naan, roti or jeera rice.
7 Parawa Street, inside Galle Fort
A small family-run place in Galle Fort serving about ten curries with rice, where HappyCow says all but one fish dish are vegan or vegetarian.
92 Pedlar Street, Galle Fort
A cafe at 92 Pedlar Street in Galle Fort, in a former British post office, serving sandwiches, milkshakes, brownies, banana pancakes and Sri Lankan curries.
72 Leyn Baan Street, Galle Fort
A Sri Lankan restaurant on Leyn Baan Street in Galle Fort, with many vegetarian and vegan dishes and a small shop, according to HappyCow.
Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct, Hospital Street, Galle Fort
An all-day bistro in the Dutch Hospital precinct, Galle Fort, serving Sri Lankan classics such as lamprais and crab kottu alongside burgers, sandwiches and breakfast dishes.
Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct, Hospital Street, Galle Fort
A seafood restaurant in the Dutch Hospital precinct inside Galle Fort, serving Japanese-style dishes such as tuna sashimi, nigiri, crab pasta and pepper crab.
