This place has become an absolute rip off.. I had gone here before Covid in 2019 when we visited SL and the food was amazing. We went there this time and the food was bland and horrible and prices that we paid was a rip off. Two of us ordered the set menu with mutton curry and my wife ordered a roti paratha. The set menu consisted of 3 vegetables which were green bean curry, potato curry and kesel muwa. It also came with a pol sambol. This was Rs 2000 each and cost a whopping 4000. Mutton curry was another 4000. The paratha was 1140 for two and came with a tomato curry. The bill was Rs 12570 for a pretty ordinary meal which tasted bland. We could have gone for a buffet in a hotel and would have cost us the same for 3 people. I have never been felt this much ripped off in a Sri Lankan restaurant ever. Would not recommend to anyone and would never visit this place ever again

Good food, wide array of choice. Slow service, arguably very slow. Alcohol: they don’t anticipate or clarify but only upstairs it is served. Food was fine but not inexpensive. *** UPDATE following second visit Only ‘apple beer’, underwhelming. No crab available. Moreover: roti and omelet were served almost cold, let’s say tepid. Soup was great though. No progress, on the contrary: downgrade. Disappointing. I should not have come again. I will not come again ☹️

I ordered the polos curry and polos croquettes with rice and soft drinks. Both dishes were very tasty and quite spicy, the way I like it and service was good. I do think at almost 4000 lkr this was expensive for what I had but the food was plentiful.

Indulging in the flavors of Sri Lanka is a delight at this authentic restaurant. From fragrant rice and curry dishes to fiery sambols, each bite is a taste of tradition. The friendly staff adds a warm touch to the dining experience, guiding you through the menu's diverse offerings. Don't miss out on the hoppers, a must-try Sri Lankan specialty. With its genuine culinary heritage, this restaurant transports your taste buds to the heart of Sri Lanka.

Excellent food!! Best crab curry I've ever had!! All food that our waiter recommended were really tasty. A bit pricey but worth it. Service was delightful and very professional. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone who is looking for authentic Sri Lankan cuisine.

If you search for Sri Lankan restaurants, Upali’s by Nawaloka will come up most of the time. So, it was on my list to try out. It is a simple restaurant inside, but spacious, and with a lot of local and foreigner traffic. It seems to also be a popular spot for tourist buses, bringing their customers for a taste of the Sri Lankan meal. Therefore, I came here with high expectations. To my surprise, and from the get go, my afternoon lunch unfolded into a bag of mixed emotions. Since I desired to taste as much as I could in one visit, I opted for their set lunch. That comes with a big plate or rice, a vegetable, a sambol and pappadum with fried red chilies and a hard fried sprat or two. This was all at room temperature. Then comes a cart, from which they serve you vegetables (3 in all, none looked appetizing). All of them at room temperature and really nothing to write home about. I had to ask for Dahl (also at ambient temperature), and if you needed a protein it is extra. I chose a fish curry, the gravy of which was flavorful, but the fish pieces were hard and it tasted old. A few bites of everything was all I could take. I was done. Overall, a lack of temperature, freshness and taste. Sri Lankan food is my favorite cuisine. As expected, there are several super establishments to satisfy this craving, in and around Colombo. Unfortunately, Upali’s will be my least favorite of them all.

Very bad experience. I had my birthday dinner in the private room reserved for 10 people. Whatever we decided to order, the serving guy had all sorts of excuses to say that the food was not available or had lesser quantity and was giving us options as to what we needed to pick, maybe to finish up the left over food for the day in the kitchen...The service given was very disappointing from a restaurant which used to be really good one in the past.

Pros: tasty food Cons: terrible service and attitude. This restaurant has so many customers that they have an air of arrogance that comes with this type of place where customers are easy and plenty. Unfriendly, impatient and no smiles. They also add an extra 30% to your bill which Possibly is only added to foreigners. Of the 30%, 10% they call service charge and 20% they call it a tax. The terrible server I got even had the gall to tell me to leave him an additional tip when there was already a 10% service charge because he said everyone shares that and he deserved a tip for himself in addition to that. I said sure not because the service had been terrible after which he gave me some evil looks and made a small fit.

My recent visit to here with one of my foreign friends was amazing. From the moment we stepped in the service offered was excellent. The waiter gentleman provided excellent care where my friend was delighted to have. The food was top notch and it's a must visit place in Colombo if you want to try local food.

mediocre food and really expensive. i had the veggie kottu with cheese (2100LKR), and ended up paying almost 3000 because of all the taxes (this is outrageous). it was very dry and i could barely taste the cheese, actually the worst kottu i’ve had since being in sri lanka. at the end, the bill came and 1/3 of it was just taxes. i understand the VAT when prices are lower, but their prices were so high that I would’ve expected these to already be included. not to mention that there was a tourist tax and a building tax (?) i’ve never seen this before, at any sri lankan restaurant. on one of the menu it said “prices are inclusive of all taxes and are subject to change”. when i asked about this, the manager said that this was only applicable for the drinks (maybe be more specific and transparent with your customers). i don’t understand why locals continue to go here, i’ve had way better food for WAY better prices.

Very nice restaurant with Sri Lankan food. Restaurant looks really nice, service was very good and the food was very tasty. We had curry and rice, kottu with chicken, the roast chicken wrapped in banana leaf, salad and Pol symbol. Everything was really good. A bit pricey but worth a visit for a delightful meal.

Good place for tourists to try out sri Lankan food. Nice ambience, good food and courteous service.

We walked in at 15.00 and the place was still packed with the lunch crowd. Service is fast and friendly. We had the fixed lunch meal which was delicious, and a mutton varuval, salad, rice, caramel custard and wattalappan. The mains were excellent. Our waiter was very kind- I was confused at how dry the fixed lunch plate was, and he brought me a small bowl of Dal. The plate had a pumpkin curry, beetroot veg, dry coconut side and dry jackfruit vegetable. They were all delicious, as was the Dal. As was the mutton dish. For the uninitiated (like me) wattalappan was a difficult texture to appreciate. Would definitely go back.

If you would like to have srilankan local food please visit here. Good customer service. Tasty food. Worth for money. Recommended.

One of the Best places in town for Real Sri Lankan lunch and morning Hopper breakfast. Hopper quality is same as those days and the two young boys in the breakfast area are very helpful. Lunch is really good with traditional Sri Lankan rice and curry. A/C restaurant with parking available. Ideal for a business lunch as well as for a family breakfast 👍

Nice tasty food 👌

Used to come here frequently and love the food..today after a while took some dinner home, was really disappointed..The pittu was super dry and felt like it had dried up coconut instead of fresh coconut and the accompaniments were tasteless. The only thing that tasted good was the mutton waruwal. What happened to the really great standards Upalis used to maintain!!

Tasty Sri Lankan foods. Good Service.

The best place in Colombo for a proper Rice & Curry and for anything that is authentic Sri Lankan. Prices are on the higher end, but the quality speaks for itself. Quantity however is a matter for discussion. Being the picky, small-portion consumer that yours truly is, it was more than sufficient.. Keep up the great work!

One of Best foods around Colombo. Not taste in artificial flavors. Real taste of Sri Lanka spice’s. Classic and royal interior as well 🇱🇰

Popular foods eatery to enjoy delicious srilankan varieties food items (lunch and dinner) at Colombo city center. Recommended to overseas tourist to taste local food here.

Tasty real Sri lankan food with down - south (Matara) touch. Serves "Ambul thiyal" "maalu olu curry" which are very famous in down-south. Reasonable price.

Good food, service had issues. Waited 40min to order, despite several waiters around and telling them more than once that I was ready. Must have been miscommunication between all the staff because it went smoothly after ordering. All the food I tried was good, with the chicken, okra and their homemade lemongrass ginger beer standing out. Worth nothing for some people: this establishment does not have a liquor license and does not serve alcohol

A bit touristy restaurant in Colombo. It was great to see the spices exhibited that they use. Portions are not so generous, Kottu was a bit dry but he shrimp flatbread with a curry was delicious (and really spicy). Short waiting time and really clean palace.

Really good food even if it is bit expensive. We have ordered some Sri lankan dishes and it came out really well. We really enjoyed the food. Service was okay.

Food was awesome and the service was great! A rich Colombo dining experience. No wonder this is a popular place for so many Sri Lankan celebrities.

One of the best restaurants in Colombo if you are craving for Sri Lankan cuisine. My recent visit to this place was amazing. The service was excellent from the moment we stepped in. The waiter gentleman was so welcoming and friendly whereas he explained all the dishes one by one. We tried the battered cuttle fish and their Pot Biriyani which was delicious. Portion sizes were decent and very well priced. Last but not least, their Watalappan (Sri Lankan Dessert) was amazing and is a must try. I would definitely visit this place again and would recommend it to anyone (local or foreign) who loves Sri Lankan dishes.

Specifically told them to make the chicken curry red, but it was as you can see, not red. Cheese roti literally had no cheese. Very disappointed with the experience since they used to be very good in the past. Hope they improve their food quality in the future.

As all the reviews are saying food is superb, But the service is terrible. It seems if you have white skin they'll prioritize. It took them 33 minutes to take my order after seating, thats fine they might be busy. But there were people who came after me, their order was taken and food was servered even before they took my order. Also all the other tables were given water. Not mine. Disappointed, its not foreigners who kept you afloat during easter bombing corona and financial crisis us sri lankans did, dont prioritize us but treat us equally 😔😓

Overall nice authentic Sri Lankan food. Black pepper Mutton and Mutton kottu very tasty. However the prawn curry very watery with no taste except strong smell of the raw prawns. Little expensive as well with around Rs 5,000 per person

Not a great selection on food and menu clarity. The service was horrible. Felt unwelcome.

Great sri lankan food. The meal is a must try. A lot of local cuisines to surprise your taste buds.

Really really TASTY FOOD!!! I had the mutton kottu which was suggested by my cousin and it was DELICIOUS!!! Great ambience as well. 😍

Good traditional Sri Lanka food that will always make you overeat. This was on our list of places to go to during our visit to Colombo. The gentleman who helped us was super helpful and very polite. He was happy to recommend dishes for us. We enjoyed the meal and loved everything we ate.

Way too pricey.. Still pretty crowded (I don't know why!!!?!) Sri Lanka food just like you make at home. Maybe ok for a foreigner. But for a local... Why pay so much for regular food!? Baffles me Oh... Service... Meh... So bad for a such a big place... Again.. Baffles me

Nice place to hangout with friends and family. They serve variety of tasty food; menu includes Sri Lankan traditional dishes too. You can reserve your own hang-out space and dine with no disruption from outside. ☺️ 😁

Upmarket, authentic, freshly prepared Sri Lankan food. Great for groups, we also saw several big groups of locals dining. We had the dried fish curry which was very delicious but a tad bit too salty. We also had the 2000 year recipe vegetable curry, tasty but served in small portion. The special daily juice is refreshing and well-prepared. However we feel that the steamed white rice was too overpriced, nearly 400 Rp per portion.

If you are looking for some good authentic Sri Lankan food then Upalis is your place. They have some amazing dishes and Maalu Oluwa (Fish Head Curry) is one of them, its safe to say its enough for four. We really enjoyed this and the Jaffna crab curry. The dishes are really spicy so if you want your dish less spicy its better to mention it to the waiters during the time of order. We would also recommend their mutton curry, its really spicy and perfect to have with Kade paan. The Kaju Sudata Uyala (Cashew Curry) is so soft , I mean the cashews are so well done that they literally melt in your mouth. For Desserts one must try out their Chocolate biscuit pudding as they are pretty awesome. #natnzin

Brilliant food

Not happy

Food was great like always!

Awesome and authentic food..

Good service but expensive

Food was delicious

Excellent Sri Lankan cuisine at its best! Served freah, hot and packed with flavor! Loved it! Will keep going back.

Good

Best Sri Lankan authentic food in colombo ..!!!

Food was excellent. But their service quality used to be better.

Good Sri Lankan food.

High prices with no reason.

Good place to have Sri Lankan food

The best place for Sri Lankan food in Colombo!

THE best place if you want to flaunt authentic Sri Lankan food to your oversees friends. And the best place to have home-like lunch if you are bored to cook. Their food is delicious and their service is excellent. 6 stars!!!!

Nice authentic Sri Lankan dishes.if need to try flavor of Sri Lankan food they should try this place.

Tasty food,

Tasty food served by a friendly staff. Good place for authentic Ari Lankan cousine

The reputation of this place is great so perhaps expectations were a little high, but we had Cashew curry, fish curry, brinjal modju, rice and pineapple juice. The pineapple juice was warm. The cashew curry was basically very dilute coconut milk with cashews in it, this should have been a thick gravy, the brinjal was great and the fish was very tasty, rice just you basic white rice from any old rice cooker. Bringing all that together for the price, can sadly say with reluctance can think of many asa kade that can serve better food than this for a fraction of the cost. So was a little dissapointed. I would not actually recommend this place for authentic sri lankan food as it felt like the chefs have not cooked with heart and soul but more profit and loss in mind. Perhaps i was unlucky this time but i probably won't make another attempt.

Upali's is cursed with a staff who have found the exact formula of losing its customer base. The security guy picked a temperature of 38 degrees while we were at the best of our health. Meantime he had managed to pick a customer documented at 34 degrees who was healthy enough to walk in and have his lunch! So please replace your thermometers before everything else. We ordered two of Upali's signature rice and curry meals, one veggie and one non veggie, just to find out the mere difference of them is having 3 of the smallest සාලයා fishes served in a common plate with dried tempered chilli and papadam. The butler wasn't kind enough to go through the menu, and the resturant wasnt even half filled. We were disappointed and surprised to find no fruit salad available in the so called "upmarket" local resturant in the middle of Colombo when asked for one. Moments later we find some cups of fruit salads with ice cream offered to a near by table! In a nutshell, if you want to have a pricy rice and curry lunch with average taste and amount, and also to be treated as an unworthy customer at the same time, Upali's is the right place!

Food is good but Priced high

Not worth the money

The interior needs a revamp...starting to look old and tacky. Everything looks mismatched now. Food was ok...probably could get far better Sri Lankan food in so many other places.

Lovely place to get authentic Sri Lankan food with great ingredients and ambiance. Roast pan available hot hot

Dined in with old friend. Good place for local dishes...

The worst ice coffee I ever had in Sri Lanka.they never consider quality nowadays.

If you like to try local food that is made at its finest this is the place to go, everytime I'v gone there I have never come out disappointed. However I do like to point out that lunch is a slightly better experience for me because fewer people are around. If you do go for dinner they may have less options due to high demand.

Authentic Sri Lankan food served hot and fresh. Ambience is rather beautiful and and clean. Felt like food were a little overpriced for such small portions. But worth trying for the variety of delicious authentic dishes.

Exellent food. Good atmosphere. Take away section is separated and they offer good quality service.

Nice restaurant to have authentic Sri Lankan meal in the heart of Colombo. Clean and healthy foods. Can recommend to anyone and i am taking may parents regularly there.

Good place to try authentic sri lankan food. Can be very croded during peak hours.

Genuinely good food at competitive prices for eating local delicacies. Portions are also reasonably sized and can be stated as value for money.

Yummy Srilankan dishes !! At reasonable price

nice place,

Superb

Good place to enjoy sri Lankan food

Great authentic food

Best place to get every meal options in this place.

Lovely place for sri lankan cuisine

Good custmer service.& The food is very tasty.highly recomend this place

Today I purchased some fried rice as take away. That was the worst meal I ever had. Chilli paste provided is full of sugar grains. The varity of rice used is terrible. A chef should teach them how to cut vegetables for a fried rice. Not worth for money at all. In colombo there are lots of other places to have a perfect meal.

Good

Tasty good food

Dining great for lunch

Best Sri Lankan cuisine, never disappoints. Highly recommended

Good place

great sri lankan food

Amazing food is super I say try this it's good

A great place to have an authentic Sri Lankan meal.

Specially Lunch set is great. Delicious.

Food v. good. Place is nice n comfortable too

Good food but lacks enough parking spots

Nice clean place, a little bit expensive !

Tasty food has that homely feel and taste

Good food

Superb

Center of Colombo, although the it has limited number of parking space, valet makes your life easy. This place is specialized in traditional Sri Lankan food, large spread of food,any thing, any kind , any time sorta place. Overall one of the best Sri Lankan dishes in the Colombo city. Countless amount of visits, Highly recommend!

Sri lankan authentic foods

Even though I've been a regular customer here, I have missed to write a review. Still to date the most authentic Sri Lankan restaurant in town and amazing service by all staff. Should commend Gayan and Wasantha out of the lot who make sure to offer a very professional personalised service to all customers.

The food,the vibe,the service.....all has this homely feel that you can't experience anywhere else 🥰 Loooooved the food ❤️ Do try their Chandra's passion fruit and king coconut concoction 😍

Wrong information provided by the waiter there and finally we ended up in buying Kottu more than we eat

Awesome authentic sri lankan food

Lovely place to hang out! The staff was ok with us coming in shorts after a walk. Friendly staff who served quickly.

Good food. Delicious. Rather expensive however. It takes a little long to serve food though.

Last time we went there we gave it 5 starts. This time it is not even worth 1 star. It was a rip off for our money. We ordered the set menu for lunch. It comes as veg and non veg Rs. 585 for each. So we went for the non veg option which we assumed was chicken. Plus we ordered wood-apple juice for the both of us as well. After we had the lunch it wasn't that tasty. It was bland and the portion sizes are smaller compared to last time we ate here. Then the bill came so they charged us separately for the chicken curry even though we chose the non veg option. Apparently according to them non veg means only dry fish. How pathetic. For a lankan styled lunch we paid almost Rs. 3000/- which is not worth it at all in my openion. Would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Biggest rip off for our money.

5 on 5... It's a must have if you are in Colombo... A place filled with Lankan cusine with well mannered and friendly staff... The deco make you you feel like a celeb.. the food out here is like home cooked. Truly loved it.. the pricing is apt and the taste is awesome... A thumbs up to this place and a must visit (recommend to all) will definitely come when am back in Colombo

රෝස් පාන් here is the best with පොල් සම්බෝල and the mutton curry for dinner... Its a complete rip off this time (1st August 2021) around when we visited them for a veg meal after a much awaited visit to Sri Lanka. The prices are on the high side and the portions are small. The staff was very attentive as usual.

Best place to have excellent local food in Colombo. Went with my wife around 7pm and it wasn't that busy and there were no waiting for a table. Had string hopper kottu with cuttlefish curry, it was one of the best dishes that I had in my life. Toilets are clean and well maintained. Only downside is the parking spaces are limited. Also prices seems to be bit pricey, but for the food quality, can't complain about it. Highly recommended if you are in Colombo.

Best Sri Lankan food experience

Sri Lankan cuisine. They are not inexpensive. The Rice and curry was disappointing. Service staff though eager need more training. I think Sri Lankan fare could be much much more exciting and certainly much better prepared snd presented.

We used to frequently come here but the experience we have had is nothing in comparison to what it used to be. The service was very poor and the food was overpriced. It was not tasty and did not have the value for price.

Excellent authentic Sri Lankan food is available with all the good spices..

We used to take our guests here very frequent. Good place to introduce some staple Sri Lankan dishes to foreigners. I have a feeling that the quality has been compromised compared to our previous visits. Our mutton dish was so salty, but they replaced it with a new serving.

Superb....... Plenty of food items were there to select.. Specially I loved the srilankan dishes... They were super and worth to the price. Service was good. They had homemade icecreams too. And had a tea at last which was superb and made my taste buds up.....

Great place for lunch. The set menu is a good option to have and sample the great Sri Lankan cuisine. Grab a Thambili coconut to go with the sumptuous rice and curries

The food wasn’t great- quite bland, which is a surprise for Sri Lanka (yes I’ve asked for an authentic spiciness level). I also think I got something else rather than what I’ve ordered, but the waiter hasn’t really been able to explain. Service is attentive but not professional- they simply do not know how! Overall not bad but not worth a visit - there are way too many great places around

Easily the best Sri Lankan restaurant I have been to yet. The hoppers especially stand out from other places I've tried. Definitely recommend if you're staying in the city.

This was the best food I had during my visit to colombo. The taste of the food was unmatched. Staffs are really helpful with great recommendation. The food recommended was so nice that we ended up eating more than appetite . Ginger cold tea was also amazing. If you are in colombo,must try .. fish fry and red rice was amazing.

Grate food and service, fish head curry was amazing. Last night was my 3rd time I visited this place, every time am in Sri Lanka never forget to have a meal here

I had the most amazing Sri Lankan lunch here. Karawila Saladia (bitter gourd salad), Kakulowo Parata (crab Paratha) and Hathmaluwa (7 vegetables curry). So delicious. It was everything I expected and more.

I had Maalu Kirata (fish stew) with steamed rice. Their signature caramel dessert, Watalappan, was uniquely sweet, and the fresh passionfruit juice was the best I’ve had in a very long time. My server was a lovely older man, who showed a genuine interest in where I was from.

Food was so yummy but prices were absurd compared to their early days of the business. I had mutton(with bones) curry with Roast paan and Coconut sambol and it cost me almost Rs. 4000/-

A recommended restaurant for Sri Lankan cuisine...located in heart of Colombo with easy access and parking. Meals are delicious and potions are reasonable. Prices seem bit higher but still worth for paying since the tsate and potions are good. Restaurant was visited by many nationally and internationally recognized personnel. A nice place and a decent family restaurant. Staff is so friendly and outstanding.

Was here 4yrs ago and thought I'd try it again - still great! Authentic Lankan food. I had the string hopper kottu with boneless chicken. It's a big serving - probably for two people - but it was so good I ate it all in one sitting. Keep up the great authentic flavours!

A must visit place in colombo for simple traditional food served with great service. The best service we have had in colombo. The waiter was very attentive and explained the food options nicely. The food came out at a decent time, and the transitions were spot on. The lunch set with yellow rice wrapped in banana leaves was really good. It had far too many inedible spices or stems (so be mindful), but keeping them aside, the flavor profile was top-notch. The desert yogurt with honey was simply just good. Their fresh fruit juices were good too.

Authentic Sri Lankan restaurant with branches In Melbourne, Australia. Their Fish head curry was outstanding. Looks like most cricketers have been to this place to taste their authentic srilankan cuisine.

I visited in September 2023 and found it a very good option; tasty food, pleasant atmosphere, polite staff. Do tell the staff about your spice tolerance as Sri Lankan food tends to be quite spicy. I ate Kottu Roti (boneless Chicken) and found it amazing. I’ll definitely come back if I visit Colombo again 😊