Recommended Italian restaurants

With an aesthetic touch, Echo offers a vast array of Italian dishes. You have the choice of selecting from a range of homemade pastas, risottos, antipasti and seafood, accompanied by the best French wines. Don’t miss the aromatic Bellissimo coffee! The background hues of red add a friendly touch to the atmosphere. Blending in with it, you will find the steel lamps highlighting the Echo logo. Be it lunch or dinner, you’ll enjoy the ambience at Echo. A simple yet tranquil atmosphere, it’s a good choice for a business meeting or even a date. 

Harpo’s Pizza and Pasta Parlour in Nugegoda is situated at an easily accessible location on Stanley Tillekeratne Mawatha after the street has branched off towards Mirihana. It has introduced wood-fired pizzas and homemade pastas at this location. The parlour is equipped with seating for 20 and takes pride in serving the largest pizzas in Colombo with 16 pieces. Harpo’s Pizza and Pasta was first introduced at Bayleaf in Colombo 7 and later opened its parlours in Nugegoda and Mt Lavinia. They offer its patrons a range of 30 toppings in four sizes of pizza, with the Gigantic 19" and Square 22" being the signature offerings. Nugegoda dine-in reservations: (+94 11) 432 3023 | Hotline: (+94 11) 486 9000

Il Ponte trattoria is located beside a transquil swimming pool in a peaceful and breezy setting. It has abundant seating options – tables of all sizes for business lunches or family meals, and booths for a romantic dining mood. Tucked away from the main premises of Hilton Colombo, on the other side of Lotus Road (there’s an overhead bridge from the hotel), the restaurant serves an array of Italian delicacies prepared right before your eyes. You can take your pick from Italian specialities like homemade pasta and wood-oven baked pizzas. Meals that combine your choice of toppings and seasonings are prepared on request. Il Ponte also offers other savoury favourites such as lamb and lobster, in addition to its trademark Italian cuisine. On Fridays and Saturdays, the soothing tones of a local band playing jazz music complements the scenic view of the evening and helps create a captivating environment.

Colombo Courtyard, located by one of the busiest thoroughfares of Colombo, houses the Scarlet Room. Not surprisingly this a room painted deep red. Paintings of black and white grace the contrasting walls, alongside muted colours of the fine and modish table settings – definitely a topic of discussion for modern interior décor enthusiasts. In keeping with the diverse décor of the restaurant, the menu is diversified too with items from European cuisines, along with Mediterranean dishes and Asian flavours. The Scarlet Room exudes a creative and positive ambience to support its innovative dining options.

In Colombo’s embassy area, The Bayleaf has been pleasing discerning guests’ palates for over a decade in this magnificent century old Colonial home. As well as the charm of the mansion with its, beautifully maintained garden the Bayleaf offers options to dine in any part of the house, on the terrace, the balcony or in private dining rooms upstairs. On the ground floor there is a retro-style bar that’s popular in the evenings. The Bayleaf has an extensive menu that might require time to study and most of the food has an Italian accent, and includes homemade pastas and thin crust Italian Pizza. The restaurant is part of popular man-about-town Harpo’s local chain.