I’m so glad cinnamon’s has reopened after the pandemic and the food is as delicious as ever! Great value for money too.
I have had my work parties there for the last 3 years ! Bookings ranged from 30-40! This year I booked for 20 ! Only 19 arrived : I was asked to pay for 20 anyway ! Very annoyed ! No more Cinnamon’s! Going elsewhere from now on ! 😡
Great Sri Lankan food with a smile. The buffet is amazing value for money and allows you to try a lot of different treats! Highly recommend
Excellent food. We tried set menu (can be shared between two people with some extra rotis) with roti and
3 veg curries - lentils and spinach, spicy potatoes and my personal favorite eggplant.
All the three curries were awsome. They just do some magic with eggplant.
Superb service, delicious food, value for money. Cheers🍻
Lovely!!! Craving Sri Lankan since we got home in November. Great buffet (don’t be put off by this; in Sri Lanka every meal is a buffet meal; so traditional) great to try all the amazing curries and they have hoppers which are my favourite. Really enjoyed it. Decor needs a tad of help but who cares when the food is so reasonably priced and delicious. Yummy!
One of my frequent lunch out places with work mates. Their buffet menu is simply superb for the price and the food is tasty. Even the portions are quite large. The only let down personally for me as a returning customer is that the buffet menu is always the same without a single change from last year. It would be nice if they can sometimes incorporate some other options 😊
Arguably the best Sri Lankan joint you could find in Melbourne, and I literally mean it. The hoppers plate was probably the best dinning-out hoppers we ever had outside our home, alongside with vegi kottu. Not to mention the delicious falooda.
Food is freshly prepared and it tastes super awesome, flip side of that being it takes ages for them to serve food (it took them almost an hour to serve our main course).
Staff were extremely polite and courteous enough to apologize for the delay. Ambience was super awesome too. Would definitely make another visit soon.
I’ve never had Sri Lankan cuisine food before so when my friend invited me to come to Cinnamons with her- buffet style, I couldn’t say no.
There’s a good range of curries, finger food, dessert etc. Some of my favourites were the chicken biriyani, spicy calamari and their fish fillets with melted cheese on top. The biriyani was flavourful and the rice was soft and fluffy. Topped up with some juicy and tender chicken, I was thoroughly impressed with this dish.
They even had a live singer at the restaurant. Not sure if this is a regular occurrence, but it sure was a pleasant surprise for me!
One of the most well-known Sri Lankan establishment. The venue is very spacious, perfect for small to medium function like birthdays. The food is also pretty good and tasty. Although portion is a little small for the price you paying.
My friend had her 21st here and it was a wonderful experience. I don't know many Sri Lankan restaurants in Melbourne, but this one seemed pretty good. The food was delicious, not too spicy to handle, and did I mention.. they do buffet!! All sorts of Sri Lankan dishes as well as desserts. There was live music and good service as well. Highly recommend, had a wonderful time :)
Tasty Sri Lankan cuisine in St Kilda, friendly and accommodating staff,Laid back atmosphere. I had the “Rice and Curry” offer, Goat and choice of two veges. Although tasty, I didn’t find it hot enough, so for most western palates it would be fine! The lentil and spinach vegetarian dish was delightful! Easy transport access and very spacious.
Great food! Been here a few times now! Got that authentic Sri Lankan taste to it, highly recommend the kottu rotti and biryani, will be coming back for sure!
This is one of the best restaurants in Melbourne. The atmosphere is stunning. Mum, dad and I came here on a sat night for the buffet and we were subjected to wonderful live music and a view of St.Kilda Road watching the trams and cars go by. The restaurant is clean and elegant but at the same time has a casual feel. The buffet was outstanding! So much to choose from. At the top of my head, there was plain rice, chicken biryani, spicy lamb curry, dry dark pork curry, seafood pad thai, baked fish, chicken tandoori, Sri Lankan potatoes, bbq pork, eggplant curry, chips,spring rolls, coconut sambal, cashew curry, deviled calimari, sticky date pudding, fruit salad, string hoppers and normal hoppers with an optional egg on top. The price of $34.90 per head is very very amazing. Cannot stress how wonderful quality the food is! This place is an absolute must!!!
Great to see these guys open again after their recent refurbishment. Went to the Friday lunchtime buffet and for $20 it's well worth the money. Approximately 3 meat, 1 fish and 4 veggie curries on offer with 2 flavours of rice and two types of dessert. Clear winners for me were the lamb and egg plant curries. What knocked them down compared to their CBD counterpart was the 'barely warm' spicy potato dish. Despite this, I will definitely go again and will definitely be taking my family to check the place out on a Saturday night.
We love going here for the buffet on Fridays night. Great range of meat and vegetarian options. Also great value drinks at the bar during happy hour. Curry is delicious and spicy with chicken, beef, lamb, and vegetarian to choose. The best is the crab curry but it's not for those that don't take spice very well. There are also non curry dishes as well such as spring rolls and calamari. Booking in advance is highly recommended and come on time at the start of the buffet hours to avoid disappointment as food are not regularly stocked and may run out or won't be as fresh.
We visited this joint on a Friday night, they were serving an all you can eat buffet for $35. It was hoppers night too. Their biryani rice was really nice and there was a variety of curries; dhal curry, mild chicken curry, devilled cuttle fish, potato curry etc. my favourite was the eggplant. Yum!👌
Wasn't a huge fan of the string hoppers, felt it was too dry and it wasn't the best. I also served some coconut sambol and it lacked it's spicy tangy flavour. Was too bland. They could do better..
We tried a few of the hoppers.. One plain and one egg hopper. It was really crispy and so good :)
For desserts they had wattalappam, biscuit pudding, caramel etc.
Biscuit pudding was a little too dry and the sweetness was overpowering. I really enjoyed the wattalappam. The flavours from the jaggery was well balanced.
2nd time I've been to Cinnamons, and still really amazing time. The spread of food is vast and the quality is very good. Every one left happy, and if you go with a big appetite you will get your money's worth.
The hoppers were my favourite, however there is a wait especially when the restaurant is busy. It would be good if the restaurant was to improve that, as that is the only draw back if any of Cinnamons.
Edit-- On my third visit of cinnamons, was disappointed. The restaurant was very quiet only half was open. The food was not constantly replenished like usual and some of it was dry and didn't taste fresh. The devil calamari although tasty wasn't as nice as is it used to be. The service also was a bit poor, we were rushed as they wanted to close up early and didn't get to enjoy our meal that much. May not return for a while till things get better.
I booked for a family celebration for Sat lunch. I found owner Patricia and her manager Marina an absolute pleasure . They were so cooperative and a great help in advising how to plan the function. Patricia is passionate about the food she serves . All our guests found the food amazing and plentiful. Great friendly service & well organised . I will highly recommend Cinnamons for functions.
Great Sri Lankan food, quite authentic and has a big variety. It is a fine dinning place and has great ambiance for catching up with friends. The buffet nights are great if you haven't tried Sri Lankan food before and would like to try out the different flavours. The #kottu or the #biriyani would be my favourites. The #hoppers (#SweetHopper shown in photo) can also be pretty good at the buffet. The buffet also has great desserts. Definitely a place to check out.
Came for dinner here, manager was amazingly nice, felt very welcome. Service was perfect, food was really great.
Special thank you to the manager!
Best place I've ever been too. Love the service. Love the people. Friendly manager. Would recommend to everyone!
Cheap drinks. Quality food!
I've often been to Cinnamons but was my first time at their Friday lunch buffet this week. (They don't advertise it so I didn't know about it until the new manager told me about it.) I haven't written a review before but I have to say, best time of the week to go! The service is amazing and even though there is a smaller selection of food than the night buffet, it's probably a good thing because who wants to feel bloated after lunch. Staff had great attention to detail, were friendly and I might even say familiar with other customers, by how easily they talked! It's a shame that there aren't more places that have a real friendly atmosphere these days, it's all insincere or too formal. 5/5 for the staff - many places in Melbourne have amazing food, it's the quality of the service that makes the difference!
I went for a buffet on friday night. The food was very good. There was live music going on, which was a bit slow and boring. But the food was worth the money ! Dessert options were limited. I am definitely coming back for a buffet here.
Tasty food, very pleasant service and good ambience is how I would sum up my experience at Cinnamon's.
We tried buffet on a weekday, the spread was decent with 3 veg and 3 meat varieties. Enjoyed wattalappam as dessert. Price was $32.50 per person, not cheap but well worth the money. I think the extra care by staff made a big difference. Overall, it's a must try place!
I choose to dine at Cinnamons for lunch as often as possible during the week as it's relatively close to my workplace on St Kilda Rd. I like the fact that the food is always fresh and the service is - always - impeccable. Everything always seems
to arrive in plenty of time for my colleagues and I to be able to enjoy the food,
view, atmosphere and conversation before we have to return to the office.
...But only If we have too!
BTW, the spicy calamari dish (one of the photos attached) is delectable.
Went on a non-buffet night, I would have to say it's a good place to satisfy a hoppers craving.
Tried the devilled prawns and it was a miss..tasted like tomato sauce and way too sweet.
But if it's hoppers, sambol and chicken curry you're after..then I recommend!!
Saturday buffet dinner is awesome. Loved all the Sri Lankan dishes. Good value for $35pp. Would have loved if they change/ add variety in desserts.
Pleasant atmosphere with live band however I do think they need to improve the sound system.
Service is friendly and quick.
Love it. Friday night use to be best hang out with happy hour all night. Food was great very tasty and value for money. Very welcoming staff especially Michelle she's awesome. But now buffet style on Fridays at $34 a head.
Fantastic Curry. Having been in the hospitality for over 15 years it's great to see that genuine family restaurants still exist. We had an amazing chicken curry which was cooked to order as one of our party couldn't have anything too hot. The eggplant special was fantastic too and I think it's their signature dish. Service was friendly and the venue had a very welcoming family atmosphere. We got to BYO our own wine too which was which was a definite plus. Couldn't be happier with our evening.
Wow. The food was incredible and so good to see other sri lankins eating here. The food range is enormous. So many spicy things to try and then the deserts. Leave room! Entertainment was wonderful. A band that sang all night to pretty cool songs using their own instruments. I'm definitely coming back and I'll be bringing my interstate and international visitors here.
Well done cinnamons. You do sri Lanka proud :)
What a pleasant surprise. Was v sceptical about a buffet but everything was fantastic. Desert table needed some variety but overall a fantastic night out. For $35 odd, well played !
Went to the buffet on a Saturday evening. Food was, in general, quite good. The crab curry and the hoppers were a stand out. There was live music as well. The music was nice, however, a bit too loud for any conversation.
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Eye Kandy. This Sri Lankan restaurant was recommended to us sometime ago but we only recently visited on a Saturday night. Initially we were disappointed to learn it was a buffet arrangement on Saturday nights but the staff were pleased to show us around so we could decide whether we wanted to dine or not. When we saw the vast array of inviting food on offer inc string hoppers, both meat and veggie curries, rice and arguably the best roti we have had since a holiday in Malaysia we were hooked! The flavours/spices were all there (you can smell them in St Kilda Rd!), and in fact the buffet is a great way to take small samples of the many dishes and decide whether or not it is right for you before loading your plate: some of the dishes are pretty fiery and not for everyone. At about $35 per person it was very good value. As well as having a very attractive bar you can also BYO wine for a $5 corkage charge which is very fair. Staff were friendly & efficient, and there were plenty of ex-pat Sri-Lankans enjoying the food as much as we did. We look forward to our next visit when we will bring some friends along too.
Great food there. All you can eat on the saturday is grear value for money.
Seriously amazing egg hoppers!
True Authentic Sri Lankan Food. A hidden gem! An authentic Sri Lankan experience. Service a little slow to start however the food worth the wait. String hoppers & hoppers awesome. Most of the family has the lumprais which was fantastic. One of the best in Oz! Good serving sizes and atmosphere ok. Happy hour all Friday night a bonus! Would go there when in Melbourne again & suggest to all family :)
Went here with a group of friends on Sat nite which is International Buffet nite, lots of dishes & some are very spicy! Desserts are good. Guy cooks hoppers on the spot for you... good food!
Great meals and lots of variety for vegetarians! Delicious traditional Sri Lankan food...
I had the buffet on Saturday evening. The food was great and the service was extremely friendly and attentive. Bring your chilli tolerance along because it is Sri Lankan food. They did have some mild options though. It was a good dining experience overall.
Amazing!. Such good food! I absolutely hate eggplant, but their eggplant curry is amazing! The only problem is that I always order mild and it's still too hot!
I've been the twice. Great Sri lankan food for reasonable prices. Well done to the chefs. However the staff (waitresses) were poor. They were slow, and got orders wrong both times i went. Service definitely needs some work.
Tasty Food. I've dined three times at Cinnamon's, twice for dinner and once for lunch, ala carte. I really enjoy the food there. I can only tolerate so much of the pleasurable pain of the really spicy meat dishes so I tend to go mainly for the wide variety of vegetarian plates and the mild seafood offerings such as the salmon fillet with coriander and the mild prawn curry. Plenty of flavour that isn't overwhelmed by the heat of chilli.
The portions are very generous so you never go away hungry. I've never encountered any issues with the service, which I've always found to be friendly. The restaurant is new and some of the junior staff seem inexperienced but by being clear with my instructions I've always received what I expected in the time-frame I expected.
I agree with all the comments below. Great potential but missing the mark. We love Sri lankan so having it so close by is great but we've bought takeaway and not received everything, we've been denied hoppers on more than one occasion for various reasons, we've waited an hour for a meal with no explanations but the food is great 8 times out of 10. Wish they'd step it up a bit cos at this stage we are reluctant to take friends. I really hope they get it together. Great potential but not quite there yet.
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Work in progress. Its about time Melbourne had a Sri-lankan fine dining restaruant that served freshly made authentic Sri Lankan dishes.
The ambience is subdued and relaxed. Im glad there wasnt the background eastern music one is accustmed to in most run-of-the-mill curry houses.. We were in a group and we could actually hear each other speak.
The food was very good. Recommend the chicken curry and hoppers ( BYO Salt and Pepper!!). Egg plant moju was a highlight ..the yellow lentil curry was very popular among the group.
Where the diniing experience fell apart was in the service...the waitress and waiter were unfamilliar with the menu ( at least it appeared so). The drinks and food took a long, long time to be served and we were left wandering how the place would have coped if it filled up.
Overall, a friendly but not very professional impression left by the waiting staff, more than made up for by the lovely food.
Will return in the hope that teething issues will be soon ironed out.
This restaruant has the potential to deliver, but is yet a work in progress.
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A great banquet.. After flying in for a Christmas party I can say the food at Cinnamons was worth the flight. The ambience and interior was welcoming and classy. The bar area served as a perfect place to grab a drink and chit-chat with people before formally sitting down to a huge table of 20 for the perfect banquet. The acoustics was good... I could actually hear what the person beside me was saying unlike those floor-boarded trendy establishements where I have to lip read.
The service was unintrusive and prompt. The chef even came out at the end of the meal!
I was impressed that the dishes weren't just 'sauce' with a few bits of meat/veg floating in it. My favorites were the mild prawn curry, the goat curry (although that was really spicy), the spicy okra and the lentil and spinach curry. I'm not a big fan of eggplant but that dish was nice.
For entree I recommend the Gilled pink salmon with lime coriander and chilli served with vegetable fritters. This was delicious and I could have just had this as a meal by itself....but alas I was forced to stuff myself with the rest of the banquet.
And as Arnold Schwarzenegger famously says in the Terminator movies 'I'll be back'.....
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