| Sri Lanka Street Food Overview |
Sri Lanka offers a diverse range of street food, commonly found at roadside stalls, small eateries, and mobile vendors. These foods include meals, short eats, sweet buns, and snacks. |
| Meals |
Hearty and filling options like kottu, String Hoppers, rice, and curry are popular. These are served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at various eateries and stalls. |
| Short Eats |
Small, savory pastries such as patties, Chinese rolls, and fish buns filled with spiced vegetables, meat, or fish, commonly sold in bakeries and tea shops. |
| Sweet Buns |
Soft, sweetened buns like seeni sambol buns, maalu paan, and coconut buns, often enjoyed with tea and sold at bakeries or choon paan tuk-tuks. |
| Snacks |
Quick bites like isso wade, Achcharu, and roast paan — offering flavorful, authentic street food experiences at markets and beachside stalls. |
| kottu |
A signature Sri Lankan street food made of chopped roti stir-fried with vegetables, eggs, and meat, flavored with curry or gravy, and prepared with rhythmic chopping. |
| Hoppers (Appa) |
Fermented rice flour and coconut milk pancakes with crispy edges and soft centers, often eaten with lunu miris or curry. Egg hoppers include a whole egg in the middle. |
| String Hoppers (Indi Appa) |
Steamed rice flour noodles served with dhal curry or sambol, offering a light and delicate texture, usually eaten for breakfast or dinner. |
| Coconut Roti (Pol Roti) |
Flatbread made with grated coconut and flour, sometimes with onions or chilies, served with sambol, dhal curry, or fried egg common breakfast food. |
| Roast Paan |
Crusty Sri Lankan bread baked in wood-fired ovens, offering smoky flavor and crispy texture, often enjoyed with butter or curries. |
| Chickpeas (Kadala) |
Popular snack made from chickpeas either curried with coconut milk and spices or deep-fried into fritters called Kadala Wada. |
| Green Porridge (Kola Kenda) |
Nutritious herbal porridge made with rice and green leaves like gotu kola or moringa, often flavored with coconut milk, eaten for breakfast. |
| Fish Bun (Maalu Paan) |
Soft bread filled with spiced tuna or fish curry mixture, baked until golden brown a favorite snack or light meal across Sri Lanka. |
| Seeni Sambol Bun |
Sweet and savory bun filled with caramelized onion relish (seeni sambol), combining rich and spicy flavors, enjoyed with tea. |
| Egg Bun |
Bun filled with a spiced scrambled egg mixture, slightly sweet and soft, a quick snack or breakfast option. |
| Sausage Bun / Sausage Roll |
Soft pastry filled with spiced sausage meat, flaky and savory, popular at bakeries and food stalls as a convenient on-the-go snack. |
| Chinese Roll |
Thin wrap filled with spiced meat and vegetables, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried until crispy a flavorful fusion snack. |
| Samosa |
Triangle pastry filled with spiced potatoes or meat, deep-fried to golden perfection, offering a rich and aromatic snack experience. |
| Vegetable Roti |
Flatbread filled with curried vegetables and spices, griddled until golden and crispy a filling and flavorful vegetarian snack. |
| Egg Roti |
Flatbread stuffed with scrambled eggs, onions, and chilies, then fried until crispy a popular street breakfast or snack. |
| Kimbula Bunnies |
Soft bread rolls shaped like crocodiles, filled with spiced meat or vegetable fillings hearty and unique to Sri Lankan bakeries. |
| Jam Bunnies |
Sweet rolls filled with pineapple or strawberry jam, fluffy and golden a classic tea-time favorite. |
| Tea Bunnies |
Soft bread rolls served with coconut sambol, egg, or cheese filling, enjoyed with tea as a light meal or snack. |
| Parippu Wade (Dhal Wade) |
Golden lentil fritters made from ground split peas and spices, crispy outside and soft inside, served with sambol or chutney. |
| Prawn Wade (Isso Wade) |
Deep-fried fritters made from lentils and prawns, spiced with chili and curry leaves a crunchy seafood street snack. |
| Crab Wade |
Fritter variation with spiced crab meat and lentils, deep-fried until golden a flavorful seafood delight found at food stalls. |
| Ulundu Wade |
Fritters made from urad dal (black lentils) mixed with spices and onions, crispy on the outside and soft inside, served with chutney. |
| Achcharu |
Pickled fruits or vegetables marinated with vinegar, chili, and mustard a tangy, spicy snack served at food stalls and festivals. |
| Manioc Chips |
Thinly sliced cassava chips fried until crisp and seasoned with salt or chili a light, crunchy street snack found across Sri Lanka. |
