The restaurant most people name when you ask about Sri Lankan food in London does not describe itself as Sri Lankan. Hoppers calls its food “inspired by Sri Lanka and South India”, in its own words on its own homepage. That is an accurate description and it is not the same claim as the one every round up makes on its behalf.
The three below are Sri Lankan without the qualifier, and one of the names on most lists has gone quiet.
Rambutan, Borough Market
At 10 Stoney Street, SE1 9AD, in the middle of Borough Market. The kitchen describes what it does as Sri Lankan diaspora cooking, which is a more precise claim than most restaurants bother with.
The kitchen runs Monday to Saturday from midday to 10.15pm, and Sunday midday to 9pm. Walk-ins are welcome, which in Borough Market on a Saturday is worth more than it sounds, because almost nothing else around it will seat you without a booking.
One caveat on those hours: the restaurant’s own homepage still carries a holiday notice from Easter 2025, so the page is not maintained weekly. Ring if you are travelling for it.
Kolamba, Soho and Spitalfields
Two rooms. Kolamba Soho is at 21 Kingly Street, W1B 5QA, and Kolamba East at 12 Blossom Street, E1 6PL, in Spitalfields. The cooking comes from family recipes in Colombo, which is where the name comes from: Kolamba is what locals call the city.
East has a menu with dishes written for that site specifically, a central cocktail bar, and the better room for a group. Private dining there takes up to 14 in the main dining area, up to 26 for the whole private room, and up to 96 for exclusive hire. The first two book through the ordinary reservations widget rather than an enquiry form, which is unusual and saves a day of email.
Two menus are worth knowing by name: Lunch Like a Lankan and the Saturday Island Brunch.
Hoppers, four sites
Soho, Marylebone, King’s Cross and Shoreditch. The menu is hoppers, dosas, rice, roast, kothu and arrack, and the description is Sri Lanka and South India together.
Take that at face value rather than as modesty. If you want Sri Lankan cooking specifically, Rambutan and Kolamba are the answer. If you want the fermented rice pancake with an egg in it, which is what most people actually came for, Hoppers does it at four addresses and the other two do not.
The Shoreditch branch runs Monday to Wednesday midday to 3pm and 5.30pm to 10pm, and Thursday and Friday midday to 3pm and 5.30pm to 10.45pm. Note the afternoon gap: between 3pm and 5.30pm it is shut, which catches out anyone planning a late lunch. The Shoreditch page has the full week.
Paradise Soho has gone quiet
The Paradise Soho website now redirects to a page headed “we will be back soon”, and publishes no hours, no menu and no booking route. It appears on most Sri Lankan lists in London and has done for years.
We are not going to call it closed on a redirect alone, because a restaurant refitting says the same thing. What can be said is that as of 3 October 2026 there is no way to book it from its own website, so do not build an evening around it without ringing first.
Choosing between them
For a walk in, Rambutan. It is the only one of the three that says walk-ins are welcome on its own homepage.
For a group, Kolamba East, because the private rooms are bookable online at 14 and 26 rather than by negotiation.
For hoppers themselves, Hoppers, with the proviso that it is a South Indian restaurant as much as a Sri Lankan one and says so.
For the neighbouring cuisines, the Indian rooms cover the starred end and the Thai list covers the other side of the region.
Rambutan
- Address
- 10 Stoney Street, London SE1 9AD
- Nearest
- London Bridge
- Hours
- Monday to Saturday midday to 10.15pm. Sunday midday to 9pm
- Booking
- Walk-ins welcome
- Price
- Sri Lankan diaspora cooking
- Standing
- In the middle of Borough Market
How to get in
Their own homepage still carries an Easter 2025 notice, so confirm the hours by telephone if you are travelling for it.
Kolamba Soho
- Address
- 21 Kingly Street, London W1B 5QA
- Nearest
- Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus
- Booking
- Online
- Price
- Sri Lankan, from family recipes in Colombo
- Standing
- The first of the two Kolamba rooms
How to get in
Kolamba is what locals call Colombo.
Kolamba East
- Address
- 12 Blossom Street, London E1 6PL
- Nearest
- Liverpool Street or Shoreditch High Street
- Booking
- Online, including the private rooms
- Price
- Sri Lankan, with dishes written for this site
- Standing
- The larger of the two, with a central cocktail bar
How to get in
Private dining takes up to 14 in the main room, up to 26 for the whole private room and up to 96 for exclusive hire. The first two book through the ordinary reservations widget.
Paradise Soho Closed
- Address
- Soho, London
- Nearest
- Piccadilly Circus
- Booking
- None published
- Standing
- On most Sri Lankan lists in London for years
How to get in
As of 3 October 2026 its website redirects to a page headed we will be back soon, with no hours, menu or booking route. Kept here because the lists still recommend it.
Where to go next
The best Indian restaurants in London cover the starred end of the neighbouring cuisine, and the Thai list covers the other side of the region.
Borough Market covers what else is around Rambutan, and Shoreditch covers the Hoppers branch with the afternoon gap.
Questions we get asked
What are the best Sri Lankan restaurants in London?
Rambutan in Borough Market, which describes its food as Sri Lankan diaspora cooking and welcomes walk-ins, and Kolamba, which has two rooms, in Soho at 21 Kingly Street and in Spitalfields at 12 Blossom Street. Hoppers is the best known name but describes itself as inspired by Sri Lanka and South India.
Is Hoppers a Sri Lankan restaurant?
Partly. Hoppers describes its own food as inspired by Sri Lanka and South India, serving hoppers, dosas, rice, roast, kothu and arrack. It has four London sites, in Soho, Marylebone, King's Cross and Shoreditch.
Can you walk in to Rambutan?
Yes. Rambutan says walk-ins are welcome on its own homepage, which is unusual around Borough Market. The kitchen runs Monday to Saturday from midday to 10.15pm and Sunday midday to 9pm.
Is Paradise Soho still open?
Its website redirects to a page headed we will be back soon and publishes no hours, menu or booking route as of 3 October 2026. That is consistent with a refit as well as a closure, so ring before planning an evening around it.
Where can you book a Sri Lankan restaurant for a group in London?
Kolamba East at 12 Blossom Street, Spitalfields. Its private dining takes up to 14 in the main dining area and up to 26 for the whole private room, both bookable through the ordinary reservations widget, and up to 96 for exclusive hire by email.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 196 in the guide.
Last checked 3 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
