Ella Restaurant: Top 13 Spots to Eat & Drink
Ella restaurant honest reviews: I have collated the best Ella restaurants, cafes & bars that you must enjoy if you are planning a holiday to Ella, or are stopping there on your way travelling around Sri Lanka!
If you are looking for things to do in Ella, then you can find my full itinerary here.
Best Ella Restaurant: Top 3
1. Matey Hut
This is an absolute must-visit spot for dinner! Do not leave Ella without stopping here. They serve unreal Sri Lankan food at unbeatable prices (think £2-3 per curry…). The service here is also a lot slicker than most places in Sri Lanka! They give you menus in the queue so that you order whilst you’re still waiting… Maximum efficiency for them on table turn times, with speedy ordering & service for you. Win win in my eyes. They also do a cooking class, which comes highly recommended by two of my friends.
Walk ins only for dinner or whatsapp them for cooking class availability.
2. Cafe Chill
Cafe Chill is a ginormous restaurant with a buzzy vibe for dinner & a decent menu of both Sri Lankan & western food. Don’t let the size of this place fool you into thinking you can get a table though… This place is pretty much ALWAYS full! I recommend reserving a table to guarantee a spot, especially if you want to sit upstairs, which is much nicer than downstairs.
Whatsapp for a table.
3. AK Ristoro Ella Restaurant
An unlikely fusion of Italian & Sri Lankan food, but fortunately, they keep both menus separate!
I only tried the Sri Lankan portion of the menu, which was tasty, with options like devilled chicken (a bit like a Chinese sweet & sour), kottu, which is chopped rotti tossed with veg, egg & spices (if you haven’t tried it yet, you absolutely should), & lamprais (dish of rice, meat, veg & egg served in banana leaves, & baked).
I didn’t try the pizzas but they looked lush; cooked in their wood-fired oven!
AK Ristoro Instagram here.
Brunch Spots & Cafes
1. Rainbow Cafe
A perfect spot for a healthy & colourful brunch in a charming bamboo-roofed setting. Thoroughly enjoyed the food here & the portions are big. The service can be slow, as I found with many places in Sri Lanka, but the team are very friendly & helpful.
Rainbow Cafe: Ella Restaurant Instagram here.
2. Kiri Kopi Cafe
LOVED the interiors here! With a sand covered floor, lots of low & comfortable seating, & hanging bamboo lamps, this place oozes laid-back holiday vibes. Tasty coffee (often hard to come by in Sri Lanka) & ice cream – A great spot to rest your legs & unwind with a book after a morning of hiking.
3. Asanka
A very very simple cafe (essentially just a few chairs & tables on a ledge), but a good spot to stop for a drink & watch the train pass over the 9 arch bridge. We walked down to watch the 9.30am train but do check the schedule!
4. Isle of Gelato
If you’ve read my ‘Best Restaurants in Weligama’ blog then this name may sound familiar. This is a small chain of gelato stores, which deserves the multiple mentions! Oh me, oh my… If you’re a salted caramel, chocolatey fiend like me, then try the Holy Grail or the Puttalam sea salt & caramel! So deliciously sweet, irresistibly sickly, & with fantastic texture (crunchy nutty pieces & caramel swirls), this store comes highly recommended by me!
5. Meekiri
Okay, yep, there’s a theme – I have a sweet tooth, okay. A great spot for frozen buffalo curd – Don’t know it til you’ve tried it. Buffalo curd is a beloved & iconic delicacy in Sri Lanka, which is often served with kithul treacle (a syrup made from the sap of the kithul palm tree).
The frozen version gives frozen yoghurt energy, & is a healthier option than ice cream.
Be warned though, this place is a little pricey at 2000LKR for a tub with two toppings.
6. Fish & Chips Ella Restaurant
Ignore the horrible name, this place is great for a grab & go rotti wrap, perfect for when you are on your move to the next destination. Cheap, quick & also, very tasty.
Bars
1. UFO
A lively spot, which is great for delicious cocktails (yep, spicy margs are on the menu), & also, questionable, yet very enjoyable, live music. Think synth-, electronic- style covers of all your favourite classics…
Food was so-so… Perfectly fine Sri Lankan curries & also, lots of western options, but nothing to write home about.
2. 98 Acres Resort: Ella Restaurant & Bar
A great place to stop for a drink on your walk back down to Ella from Little Adam’s peak. Breathtaking views, relaxing ambience & cool beach-bar vibes. But beware, it is very very basic, replete with flower-laden swing & also, influencers doing their thing in the wild. Stop in the bar for a drink or you can get a pass for up to 4 guests for 16,000LKR to use their pools & also, facilities for 4 hours.
3. Dream Cafe
At the time of writing this blog (2025), Dream Cafe was the only spot in Ella with an unshaded rooftop to get some rays. Stop here to enjoy a cocktail, or also, some nibbles, in the sunshine.
4. The Journey Nightclub
The Journey is part of Cafe Chill. Now, I have to be honest here, I didn’t have the energy to party after all the hiking so I cannot give an honest review. That said, this is the only proper nightclub in Ella, so if you have then energy & also, fancy a dance, then this is the spot for you.
Ella Restaurant Honest Reviews
I hope you enjoyed this list of best places to eat & drink in Ella! Enjoy your visit to Ella 🙂
