Gluten Free in Sri Lanka - Gluten Free Survival

After a recent trip around the south west of Sri Lanka, this post summarises my gluten free dining experiences plus a few travel tips too.

It concerned me that awareness of coeliac disease might be limited. On the other hand, I was pretty sure that curries and rice would be gluten free and easily available. As it turns out, I did indeed have a fair few curries but I did also enjoy a few dishes of grilled fish and even some pasta. A note about the chicken curries…some of these contained a lot of chillies.

As usual, there’s a Resources section at the end of this post with links and lists.

The Research

Some of my choices of restaurants came from Google searches and Trip Advisor recommendations. We had hired a driver for our trip as we were travelling around the south west of the country over 5 days. The driver took us to a few roadside cafes for lunch as we were usually travelling in the middle of the day. He would recommend places with suitable hygiene standards that would not upset our stomachs. Handily, he would also talk to the restaurant staff to explain my need for gluten free and they would advise what I could have.

Travelling

I requested my gluten free meals at the time of booking flights with Emirates. These were good overall. For some reason, I don’t like the eggs served on a plane…so I didn’t have much of the ‘breakfast’ meals.

Negombo

Negombo is a good place to stay for your first and last night in Sri Lanka. It’s easier and quicker to access the international airport than Colombo.

Our driver took us to visit a temple and the fish market before enjoying a sunset view on the beach.

Salt Restaurant, Negombo

Salt restaurant is part of the Terrace Green Hotel and Spa. It’s near the beach but due to heavy rain in the evening, we didn’t get a chance to walk the route. It had a lovely ambience with friendly, helpful staff and an open kitchen. I had dinner and breakfast here and was entirely comfortable that they would prepare my meals as gluten free.

Dinner was a butter chicken biryani followed by a dessert of curd and treacle. I wasn’t too sure about the dessert but it turned out to be a great combination of silky smooth curd with sweet treacle.

There was a choice of American or Sri Lankan breakfast which had to be ordered the night before. I chose the Sri Lankan breakfast which started with a selection of exquisitely presented fresh fruit. There were small bowls of chicken curry and vegetables, dhal and coconut sambol (a spicy coconut relish) served with milk rice.

Kandy

Highlights of our day in Kandy were the scenic lake, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth and a wander through the streets and market.

Here are the restaurants we ate at.

The Hideout Lounge

This restaurant was recommended on a Trip Advisor search for gluten free restaurants in Kandy.

It’s close to the lake and had a chilled vibe. There were two main meals available as gluten free plus a salad. I ordered the black pumpkin curry which was suitably light for lunch.

Jaide Regency

The waiter reviewed my gluten free cards and, after conferring with the chef, advised that I could choose something from the menu which they would look at adapting for me if required. I ordered the devilled tilapia fish with vegetables which had a sticky barbecue like sauce. This made a nice change from all the curries.

grand Serendib Hotel

The Grand Serendib Hotel is perfectly placed on a hillside with stunning views over Kandy and it’s lake. They offered a buffet breakfast with an omelette and hopper station. One of the chefs came out and walked me through the gluten free options. I was delighted to hear that they prepared their egg hoppers without adding wheat to the flour mix so I could finally try this traditional dish safely. I ordered an egg hopper and helped myself to a mix of traditional curry and rice dishes from the buffet.

Yala

Laya safari

We had a one night stay at Laya Safari Hotel due to its proximity to the Yala National Park. The rustic lodges were on the sea shore so that we went to sleep listening to the mighty roar of the Indian ocean. The chef came out to see me to discuss gluten free options.

As we had a 6am safari trip booked, we were going to miss breakfast so the hotel prepared a packed breakfast. They didn’t have any gluten free bread but were able to use some of my Schar loaf which I had packed with me. I was reassured that care would be taken in the preparation of my sandwiches. The breakfast box contained two cheese sandwiches, two small bananas, two frankfurters, a boiled egg and a carton of juice.

Unawatuna

coco bay

Cocobay Unawatuna hotel is a boutique hotel with a beach on the south coast. After a stroll along the main road, I came to the decision that it would be safest to eat at the La Mer restaurant in the hotel. My dinner was Asian flavoured fish in banana leaf with parsley potatoes and vegetables.

Breakfast in the morning was an elaborate affair, starting with fresh juice and vegetables. There were more hoppers…again, safe to eat. I had an egg hopper followed by plain hoppers served with chicken curry, dhal and coconut sambol.

Galle

As part of our trip, we managed to squeeze in a short afternoon walk around Galle Fort with its Dutch colonial buildings and quirky shops. If I get the opportunity, I would go back and spend longer here.

pasta factory

I was looking forward to a pasta dish ever since a Google search for gluten free restaurants in Galle had brought up the Pasta Factory.

It was pleasant, chilled restaurant that got quite busy during our visit. My pasta puttanesca was fresh and tasty, made with gluten free penne.

Olinia Airport Hotel

Dinner at this hotel was a little challenging. They didn’t have any curry but after some discussion they prepared grilled fish and vegetables. Breakfast was fresh fruit followed by an omelette.

Resource List

Website to research restaurants: https://www.findmeglutenfree.com

Tamil and Sinhalese Coeliac Restaurant cards available from: Gluten Free Restaurant Cards for Celiacs / Coeliacs (celiactravel.com)

Gluten Free Holiday Checklist:

restaurant links

My essential packing

Schar Fibre Seeded loaf (as it’s got air in the packaging to stop it getting squashed).
Nakd raw fruit and nut bars in Peanut Delight
Schar rich tea biscuits
Nairn’s fruit oat biscuit breaks
Granovito pate and M&S chicken pate for making sandwiches