Sri Lankan cuisine: the best places to taste it in Melbourne

The White Elephant On Barkly

86/100 (319 ratings)

Restaurants

Indian

Sri Lankan

Asian

Sri Lankan

Vegetarian Friendly

Dinner

Lunch

Curry

Lamb

Asian

Sri Lankan

Reservations

Seating

Table Service

Takeout

Dinner

Lunch

Mid-range

"Had dinner here with my husband. We ordered the pan rolls, a meal deal which consisted of rice, two veggie sides and a meat dish which I chose prawns..."

Little Pink Piggy

"We went on a Sunday night about half an hour before closing thinking of taking away but we were given the opportunity to dine in even after the..."

Fat Couple

"Wonderful family restaurant that serves amazing Sri Lankan food. Our family of four visited last night on the back of Facebook reviews on Wefolk..."

JasonLykke

"Have never tried Sri Lankan cuisine before, but am definitely keen to try more after visiting White Elephant. We ordered the coconut prawns which..."

Nalia

"Wow! Wow! Had Lampraise and kotu roti (goat curry). Great tasting food, huge portion size, quick service, nice ambiance and friendly..."

Samuel Kanagaraj

"Came on a quiet Wednesday night early in the evening. Food was delicious, especially the eggplant moju which was amazing! The deviled meat was..."

Frack

"I don’t usually do reviews, although this little star of a restaurant needs to be more recognised! I came in last night with a few work colleagues..."

Jenny

"OK let’s start by listing what the four of us shared, Pan Rolls, egg cutlets, cutlets, roti with dips, string hoppers with sambal, yellow rice,..."

Gerd

"Since opening its doors just over a year ago, White Elephant has become a local favourite for authentic Sri Lankan food. I don’t have too much..."

Beini

"Amazing food and amazing staff always. Food and service are excellent. What a great experience we had with them. My favourite kinda place. I will..."

Harman Dhillon

"Beautiful traditional home-style cooked food, coupled with excellent, friendly service. Great selection of starters, mains, and deserts - will..."

Guy Joseph

"We wanted a taste of Sri Lankan food and we sure did get more than what we asked for. The portion sizes were really good and also amazing for sharing..."

Sai Sappa

"The food and family that run the restaurant were fabulous. The food was made with a wonderful combination of love and spice. I can’t wait to go..."

Donna Lourensz

"😱Lizzie’s first impression: this humble Sri Lankan restaurant situated on the busy strip of West Footscray - I enjoyed every dish I had here...."

Lizzie Eats Melbourne

"Fairly unassuming place in a part of Footscray well travelled for North Indian food. It’s difficult to find a quality Sri Lankan experience in..."

Anees

"Really enjoyed my time here last night, the food was fantastic and the staff were well presented and genuinely there to cater to your dining..."

Anmar Affan

"I've never had sri lankan cuisine before and was very excited to try out this restaurant when we got the invite from Jessica. This was a family owned..."

Some Bunee Loves Food

"4.5. The White Elephant is a 15 minute walk from West Footscray station and the Whitten Oval. It is nestled among some Indian restaurants and..."

Two Sheds

"The white elephant Sri Lanka cuisine in West Footscray. Thanks for Jessica invite and appreciate the hospitality from the whole family. Definitely..."

Steven Gu

"Nice environment, welcoming staff, and delicious food’ would try’ lampraise, eggplant moju, chicken curry, coconut prawns, spicy chicken ribs &..."

Joshua Cumine

"I was a regular when a West Footscray local and recently discovered White Elephant on Menulog. Looking forward to being a regular again... The food..."

Chris

"This is our first visit here and we will be back the food and service is amazing first taste at Sri Lankan food and we are not disappointed we will..."

John Harper

"Had been meaning to visit this place for a while and so glad we did. Yum. Amazingly beautiful simple tasty food. Definitely a firm local favourite...."

Ozkt

"The most amazing night out my family has had in a long time !Great service and the most authentic Sri Lankan cooking you could find in Melbourne..."

Mick

"This restaurant had been on my visit list, so when i finally visited it didnt disappoint. Venue is simple yet the importance is on the food. We..."

Foodielover

"Recommended by a Sri Lankan friend to come and try the food out in this restaurant. Normally I would think that Sri Lankan food would be very similar..."

Pippo@yahoo.com.hk

"First time trying out sri lanka food. It was a special experience for me. But the waiter are nice enough to give me some recommendations when it..."

Life=Food

"I went here with a same day booking which went from a table of 5 to one for over 15 people at the last minute and the restaurant took this in their..."

Bug

"Top notch food you'll not fault a single item the finest restaurant on Barkley street worth the hour road trip. Cannot exceed the beautiful service..."

RazTaleb

"Great night out celebrating Deepavali with my closest buddies. What a gem of find!!! Best Sri Lankan restaurant in Melbourne. PS: Get the Fish..."

Indran Purushothaman

"Excellent food. Beautifully presented. A cut above the other restaurants in Barkly Street. Must haves are the fish cutlets, okra, goat curry, chicken..."

Paul Singam

"I’ve eaten here a few times now and I’ve seen the recent negative reviews that have come up and I’ve decided to put in my two cents...."

Alberto Pulido

"OMG! This is some of the yummiest food i have had in such a long time. If you are a local you must try and if not this place is well worth the..."

Mezzy

"One of my friends suggested we come to this delicious family run Sri Lankan restaurant... can I just say we weren’t disappointed!!!! The food was..."

Kristina

"Serves some of the tastiest and best Sri Lankan dishes I have eaten including in Sri Lanka. Food is fresh, colourful and very tasty and authentic...."

Ray Pereira

"Yes/no? YessssHonestly Sri Lankan is how probably my new favourite cuisine after Turkish The lamprais was amazing!!! So many..."

YesNoMelbourne

"Will come back for:+ Okra+ Goat Curry+ Lambraise+ Curry CrabThis is one of those places where you come for the taste of..."

The Casual Diner

"Yummy and flavoursome food cooked with love! The restaurant has a lovely vibe and the food was so good. When the family came out and talked to us..."

Sanduni Fernando

"Excellent new restaurant in the West Footscray area! Delicious, freshly cooked, authentic Sri Lankan dishes, presented beautifully!..."

Binula

"This is a great little spot in west Footscray! I had the roti with trio of dips, spicy chicken ribs, and a lampraise. Boy did it taste good! The..."

Jasmine Chanel

"So what did You do on another wet and cold Footscray winter night? Stay home? Watch tv? Well, I went to the White Elephant on Barkly and I had The..."

Alex Carreno

"Great little spot! We had the coconut prawns to start, and the lamb and eggplant curries with yellow rice, and roti’s. All were delicious, the..."

Chips Before Dips

"Came with family, it was our first time to Sri Lanka restaurant in Melbourne. ordered a few vegetable dishes and roti as we are vegetarians. The food..."

Eat. Sleep. Create. Repeat.

"A great destination if you wanna try something different in Footscray. I like the flavours of the food much more than the local restaurants in Sri..."

EasterIsland

"When I received the invitation to visit White Elephant I wasn’t too sure. Until this point I haven’t been a huge fan or Sri Lankan cuisine and I..."

Good Food Good Mood

"We were invited to check out the menu at The White Elephant in Footscray West which was on the other side of town so quite the drive. I kept saying..."

Espy Eats

"We loved the hospitable service and the fantastic food. The recommendations from the staff were absolutely delightful and they really knew the finer..."

Melbourne Glutton

"White Elephant is a hidden gem of a restaurant in West Footscray. They serve up a delicious selection of home style Sri Lankan dishes. Perfect for..."

FOOD TRIP

"I’ve never been to a Sri Lankan restaurant before so I was really looking forward to trying out White Elephant. The menu had some good sounding..."

Split The Bill

"Food made from the heart! A cosy family run restaurant along the busy Barkly Street really delivers with all the flavours that Sri Lankan food is..."

Jay Mahen

"It is accessible by public transport (approx. 15 min walking distance from West Footscray Station) and plenty of on the street car park spots if you..."

Jeffry

"I believe that food made from the heart and made with love is deniably the best food. This family run restaurant evidently proofs the this is the..."

Nay Nay

"If you're looking for incredibly delicious authentic Sri Lankan cusine than look no further. Went here on a Sunday night with a large group of..."

Tamara Debreceni

"beautiful authentic food, blessed to have great food cooked in this area.cooked to perfection and taste buds in heaven.polite kind..."

Brandon Lee

"I haven't had Sri Lankan too often. So I was really excited to be invited to try this cuisine at the white elephant today. This spotlessly..."

Timinmelbourne

"Honest food, Authentic & Homey. Had the eggplant, curry and fried rice, curried potatoes, okra and roti topped up with some aromatic cashew rice...."

Michael Chong

"I tried.the white elephant sri lankan cuisine for the first time tonight and the food was great. The restaurant was nice and comfortable with the..."

Dr Lin

"So excited to find good Sri Lankan food in the west, and we were very impressed with this unassuming little restaurant. The staff are all extremely..."

Thefifth_element

"This is a local restaurant around the corner from me amongst a sea of Indian restaurants. The area is know for its Indian restaurants with a couple..."

Melanie Coates

"Absolutely delicious food. The curry that goes with the string hoppers is to die for. Will be back. Can't wait to work our way through the..."

Donna Walker

"Excellent food. Two of us went in for a late lunch and ordered the rice, curry and kotthu. Very decent servings and both were as authentic as you get..."

Abey

"Absolutely fantastic and very authentic! Staff were very friendly and the food reminded me of being back in Sri Lanka. Definitely will be a regular..."

Mel Bedggood

"It fantastic that Barkly Street, West Footscray now getting different countries cuisines besides Indian cuisine, don't get me wrong or mad but I feel..."

Sammie Top

"We have dined here three times. Food is spectacular and cooked fresh to order. Takes around 30-40 minutes to be made like all fresh food. Concerted..."

Kent J Finlayson

"Dropped in to TWE with two friends who live locally. Keen to try out this new place in West Footscray's Barkly Street where Asian food competition..."

Graeme Henderson

"Really enjoyed this new addition to Barkly st. They did have a few teething issues with service though everyone was so lovely and it's clearly a..."

Kris Miezis

"A great breakfast experience, roti with curry was delicious, nice bit of spice and a very generous serving. Western style “big breakfast” was..."

Carla

"The food was really authentic , tasty and spicy!The meal took 20 to 25 minutes to arrive as it was freshly cooked, but its worth the..."

Joe Close

"4.5. The White Elephant is a 15 minute walk from West Footscray station and the Whitten Oval. It is nestled among some Indian restaurants and..."

Two Sheds

"Great family run Sri Lankan restaurant - judging from the other comments we received our food at about the average time of 45-50mins. We had the crab..."

Joey Lam

"This is a restaurant not only worth trying but also worthy of being amongst the best you can find in the West of Melbourne. If you haven't tried hen..."

Ed Arias

"I'm a regular here. Dishes are always tasty, service is friendly and it's quiet enough to chat. Excellent value, too! It's my go to place for a good..."

Tony Hienz

"This place is fantastic! The staff were really lovely and helpful, and the food was amazing! The lentil curry was one of the best lentil dishes I can..."

alex donald

"Have found a lot of Indian restaurants to be very same same and generally enjoy my own curries more. Freshness does make a difference and this I..."

Mel c

"Delicious and authentic Sri Lankan food! Every plate we ordered had it’s own tasty flavour. Servings were plentiful. Friendly service from a lovely..."

Desi Rée

Cinnamon's Restaurant & Bar

81/100 (839 ratings)

Restaurants

Asian

Sri Lankan

Indian

Sri Lankan

Asian

Vegetarian Friendly

After-hours

Dinner

Lunch

Curry

Lamb

Sit down

Asian

Sri Lankan

Indian

Live Music

Reservations

Seating

Table Service

Wheelchair Accessible

Serves Alcohol

Full Bar

After-hours

Dinner

Lunch

Mid-range

"I’m so glad cinnamon’s has reopened after the pandemic and the food is as delicious as ever! Great value for money..."

Sharon Yunn Li Chen

"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..."

Christine Aquilina

"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..."

Saranee De Silva

"Excellent food. We tried set menu (can be shared between two people with some extra rotis) with roti and3 veg curries - lentils and spinach,..."

Radhika Mhatre

"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..."

Plummy Loves 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..."

Epicureans

"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..."

Pramitha Ranshika

"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...."

Decent Feed

"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..."

Debby

"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..."

Kylie

"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..."

DC

"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..."

Thushan

"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..."

Luke Spiezia

"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...."

Spaghetti Monster

"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...."

Hungry Hieu

"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..."

Maheeka Samayadasa

"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..."

Ray

"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..."

Thangam Naidoo

"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..."

Prageeth Silva

"Came for dinner here, manager was amazingly nice, felt very welcome. Service was perfect, food was really great. Special thank you to the..."

Proshanto Hazra

"Best place I've ever been too. Love the service. Love the people. Friendly manager. Would recommend to everyone!Cheap drinks. Quality..."

Kiri Param

"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..."

Duncan Holland

"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..."

Finy

"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..."

Ruchi Khare

"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..."

Jürgen Vaughn

"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..."

Sjhawk9

"Saturday buffet dinner is awesome. Loved all the Sri Lankan dishes. Good value for $35pp. Would have loved if they change/ add variety in..."

LifeForFood

"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..."

Chris Win

"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..."

Tazio Flinders Lane

"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..."

Forbesgirl

"What a pleasant surprise. Was v sceptical about a buffet but everything was fantastic. Desert table needed some variety but overall a fantastic night..."

Nathan Gurarie

"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..."

NHM

"Eye Kandy. This Sri Lankan restaurant was recommended to us sometime ago but we only recently visited on a Saturday night. Initially we were..."

MC Hummus

"Great food there. All you can eat on the saturday is grear value for..."

Dublinese

"Seriously amazing egg..."

Blackspot

"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...."

Smb0579

"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..."

Bella Munchies

"Great meals and lots of variety for vegetarians! Delicious traditional Sri Lankan..."

Mel Bedggood

"I had the buffet on Saturday evening. The food was great and the service was extremely friendly and attentive. Bring your chilli tolerance along..."

Eat My Shorts

"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..."

Ivaan Londar

"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,..."

Tash

"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..."

Katie

"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..."

Coco

"Work in progress. Its about time Melbourne had a Sri-lankan fine dining restaruant that served freshly made authentic Sri Lankan dishes.The..."

Spiceitup

"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..."

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