Best local food to eat in Colombo - where do locals actually eat and what should I try?

Colombo is seriously underrated for food and you are right to seek out the local experience. Here is where locals actually eat.

Breakfast (before 9am):
- Pettah market area: string hoppers (idiyappam) with coconut milk gravy and dhal from the small Muslim-run cafes on Main Street. LKR 200-350 for a full breakfast.
- Maradana: kottu roti at small joints on Baseline Road from about 7am. Noisy, busy, completely local.
- Borella: thosai (dosa) with sambar and coconut chutney from the Tamil cafes around the hospital area.

Lunch (12-2pm):
- The real Sri Lankan lunch is rice and curry. Any "rice and curry" restaurant with a handwritten board rather than a printed tourist menu and a queue of office workers is the right choice.
- Manning Market area (Pettah): best concentration of genuine local lunch spots. Budget LKR 300-500 for a plate with 4-5 curries.
- Galle Road local "hotels": the word hotel in Sinhala means restaurant. Look for simple tile-floor rooms with metal serving trays and curry pots behind a glass display.

Street food I would not miss:
- Isso wade (prawn lentil fritters) - found at roadside stands from about 4pm
- Rotty (roti with filling) from the flatbread men pushing carts at dusk
- Pol pani (coconut pancake with jaggery) from Pettah sweet shops
- Thambili (king coconut) - sold from roadside carts, LKR 80-100, the best drink in the city

Neighbourhood for food walking: Pettah on a weekday morning is the most concentrated food experience. Slave Island and Bambalapitiya have excellent Tamil and Muslim restaurant clusters. Fort district for short eats from the small bakeries.