Sri Lankan food · Traveller guide
What to Eat in Hikkaduwa: A Food Guide for Visitors
What to eat in Hikkaduwa: rice and curry, hoppers, short eats, watalappan, curd and treacle, plus a hands-on cooking class.
Hikkaduwa has plenty of international menus, but the real flavour of the south is on the local plate. Here is what to look for.
Rice and curry
Rice with dhal, vegetable curry, sambol, mallung and perhaps fish or meat. Every kitchen makes it a little differently.
Breakfast
Hoppers, string hoppers, pol roti, pittu and kiribath, with dhal or coconut sambol. Ask what is available that day.
Short eats
Cutlets, patties and fish buns from bakeries and shops are perfect quick bites.
Dessert
Watalappan, rich and custardy. Buffalo curd with treacle, creamy and sweet. Seasonal fruit when available.
Ask about spice
Not everything is fiery. Ask for milder options, and mention any allergy clearly.
Cook it yourself
Eating introduces you to a dish. Cooking shows you how it is made.
Ceylon Cooking Class is a private experience in a garden kitchen about 5 km from Hikkaduwa beach. You cook a traditional meal and eat it. It costs $15 per person, includes a welcome drink, complimentary hotel pickup within 15 km, and a complimentary dessert of curd and kithul treacle.