Recommended Chinese restaurants in Colombo

Opened on the lobby floor of The Kingsbury Hotel, Yue Chuan is a contemporarily decorated restaurant concentrating on dishes from different regions of China. The menu is long but there are set meals that feature sample dishes at a fixed price so it’s easy to choose. There is a glass-walled kitchen where diners can see the cooks at work under the watchful eye of a Chinese chef. Service is sometimes as bland as the food and more suitable for a relaxed meal than a quick business lunch.  

Owned by one of the few of Sri Lankan Chinese families, the Flower Drum Chinese restaurant has for over two decades been identified as the corner restaurant situated at the entrance to Colombo’s Fifth Lane. Located in a house with architectural elegance of a by-gone era, the Flower Drum has retained its white walls and red Chinese lanterns over the years. And also its excellent menu. Hot Butter Cuttlefish, Kan-Kun Beef, Chilli Chicken with Cashew Nuts and its special dishes of fried rice are still firm favourites, with loyal patrons repeatedly returning for more. Popularly described as ‘The Drum’, this restaurant continues to be showered with commendation for maintaining quality and taste in the Chinese food made for the Sri Lankan palate. For a family enterprise that is now into the second generation, quality restauranting is a priority and making scrumptious food is a passion. 

The Golden Dragon presents signature preparations by Chinese Chefs, serving a vast selection of Szechuan Cuisine. Exotic and exciting dishes like shark fin soup with crabmeat, Peking duck with pancakes, lobster with hot garlic sauce and Singapore chilli crab are among the restaurant’s tempting fare. The bar at Golden Dragon is well stocked with wine, beer and cocktails.  This spacious and sublimely decorated restaurant accommodates rich in Oriental motifs seats up to 110 people, and also offers a Private Dining Space for 12.

The Great Wall Restaurants are a popular chain of Chinese restaurants located in Colombo and its suburbs. The interior has many features that portray Chinese art and Chinese accessories. Wooden partitions depicting paintings of Chinese life and Chinese art adorn its walls. Large vases and human figures of porcelain beautify the corners of a pond and the interior of a room. Long lanterns add to the concept. The first Great Wall Restaurant in Colombo 03 started operations in 1991 and has grown from strength to strength by demonstrating its adherence to taste and quality. This chain of restaurants serves a range of flavours of China to suit any occasion; a private gathering, a celebration or a corporate get-together, with emphasis on innovation in food preparation and mixing being the hallmark of its popularity.