Nuga Gama — Restaurant in Colombo

Where I am concerned, and after tasting foods from at least 45 different countries (and counting), there is no match for the vibrant, rich, flavorful, diverse and robust tastes of Sri Lankan cuisine. It is my absolute favorite and I like searching for new dining destinations that offer the same. One golden find is Nuga Gama, a buffet style Sri Lankan food restaurant at the Cinnamon Grand, in Colombo. What makes Nuga Gama unique is that it has a village vibe and an outdoor set up. There are real trees, vegetation as you walk in. Seating is in the middle amongst these beautiful nature rich surroundings. Or you can sit on the periphery, at well appointed tables (and when it rains). There is live, mellow Sri Lankan music to relax the senses. There are almost 100 different items spread over several well staffed stations.

Hoppers are made fresh, and I started with the beet root hopper and requested for them to add an egg to it. The lightly colored maroon hopper does not taste like beets, but enhances the optics. I had two of these and they were prepared perfectly. I filled my plate with a little bit of different foods 3 times. Here is a sample of what I tasted (and you can see it all in my pictures): Egg roti bites, breaded and fried halmasso (sprats, fantastic), garlic pickle (a first for me, not over powering at all), pol sambol, katta sambol, seeni sambol (superb), kochchi sambol (a first for me), chicken curry, tempered beans, red rice, parippu (Dahl), kadala (garbanzo beans), 2 types of vadais and sting hopper biriyani. For dessert, I had the chocolate biscuit pudding. Unfortunately, no texture or layered mouthfeel. Seems they oversoaked the Marie biscuits. It tasted and textured more like a mousse. Finally, papaya slices, they melted in your mouth. Service was exceptional. I was so impressed, that I personally complimented both the Head Chef and the Executive Chef. They often joined me during my food selections, helping me to choose and even came to my table to make sure everything was okay. Overall, an amazing, one of a kind experience, in an unparalleled environment. A never to forget evening and an absolute treat to all the...

As someone who lives and breathes Sri Lankan cuisine, I walked into Nuga Gama with my expectations set high.

The atmosphere? Breathtaking. The warmth and hospitality of the staff? Absolutely godlike. From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel right at home — and for that alone, the team deserves the highest praise.

When it came to the food itself, however — while it faithfully echoed the comfort of a traditional Sri Lankan home (which is exactly what many tourists come for) — I couldn’t help but feel something was missing. That spark. That surprise. That evolution.

As a long-time fan of Cinnamon properties, Nuga Gama has been on my bucket list for ages. But I kept wondering: why hasn’t modern creativity been allowed to flow here? Why not elevate our beloved dishes without losing their soul?

There’s so much potential to reimagine heritage flavors through thoughtful fusion — drawing from authentic local ingredients and turning them into something bold, exciting, and uniquely Sri Lankan. A celebration of our roots and our future.

I’m not talking profit margins here — this is a five-star hotel. The infrastructure exists. The opportunity is there.

For first-timers and tourists, Nuga Gama remains a five-star experience. But in today’s landscape, where Gen Z drives curiosity, influence, and even family outings, the lack of culinary innovation might miss a golden opportunity.

Personally, I was content. But that signature wow I’ve felt in other Cinnamon dining spaces? It just didn’t echo here.

Still — massive kudos to the genuinely wonderful staff and gracious service team. You were the soul of the experience. And to the chefs: there’s so much room to rise, evolve, and truly inspire.

Would I visit again? Absolutely. But next time, I hope to taste something familiar… with a twist I...

Nuga Gama is a restaurant at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, located in the garden under a large Nuga tree. It is set up like a typical village. Most of the tables are out in the open air and there are a few tables indoors in the verandah. The setting is quite quaint.

The restaurant was full, I believe. There was an incredible selection of typical Sri Lankan food including Sri Lankan sweets. There is also a 'Hopper' (a crisp coconut based pancake) station with all the traditional accompaniments. I believe this is largest variety of Sri Lankan food that I have seen in Colombo.

The food was quite authentic. I served myself only a fraction of the food and I found the mutton black curry delicious but a bit too salty. The fried prawns were also a bit salty. Overall the food was pretty good.

Our server, Sannasgala, was very helpful and obliging. He went out of his way to re-set a table for us at a better location. However, there were no plates at the dessert table and there were no servers to be seen. We had to go find plates ourselves. The desserts were not labelled and we had no idea what most of them were. There was no one at the dessert table to ask either.

There was a local band playing, with one guy singing local songs to go with the general theme. He sang well but as it was one person and the same type of slow songs, it became monotonous after a bit. Also the sound was a bit muffled and a couple of notches too loud. We were unable to carryon a normal conversation.

I would also like to point out that the 2 lifts going to the garden were not working. We had an older person with us who found it difficult to take the flight of stairs down...