Colombo Kitchen Putney - Hopper and Kottu Bar — Restaurant in London

We visited Colombo Kitchen in Putney on a quiet afternoon, and from the moment we walked in, we were welcomed with warmth and genuine hospitality. Dinuka greeted us with a friendly smile and took great care of us throughout the meal. At the bar, Kanishka crafted all of our drinks with calm precision—each one prepared beautifully and served with care.

We started with the sharing platter, which was a perfect introduction to the vibrant and authentic flavours of Sri Lanka. For our mains, we had the lumprais, mutton kotthu, crab curry, and parathas. Each dish was cooked to perfection—rich in flavour, comforting, and deeply satisfying.

Our drinks included a nostalgic cream soda, two refreshing mango lassis, a Lion lager, and a tropical toddy cocktail—each one adding something special to the meal, thanks to Kanishka’s expert touch behind the bar.

For dessert, we enjoyed the milk jaggery hopper and the chocolate biscuit pudding—both sweet, nostalgic, and the perfect finish to an incredible meal. Just when we thought we couldn’t be more delighted, Chef Sachi came over to our table, shared stories about his dishes and upcoming ideas, and generously sent us a complimentary pineapple dessert—a refreshing and thoughtful final note.

The afternoon atmosphere was calm, laid-back, and full of quiet charm. The food was not only delicious but soulful—rooted in tradition and made with clear passion. Most of all, the warmth of the Sri Lankan hospitality shone through.

We left feeling full in every sense. A heartfelt thank you to Dinuka, Kanishka, Chef Sachi and team for turning a simple afternoon meal into something memorable. We can’t...

The food was very disappointing not authentic very bland. The starters were badly fried the pastry full of oil and the fish inside didn’t taste nice the rolls were not covered in breadcrumbs fully as they should be so again not done properly it lacked seasoning and spice. The chicken main tasted really off we could not eat it not nice cuts of chicken too large and not cooked properly the chicken tasted boiled and completely unseasoned then like it had been sautéed in a pan with some sauce over it and again tasteless the godamba rotis were loaded with oil and not cooked properly they were hard like a biscuit. It’s such a shame we were really disappointed as we had high expectations after reading all the good reviews and being recommended the restaurant also it being in a lovely area the restaurant itself is nicely designed and comfortable also with an outside terrace. We gave our comments/feedback to the waiter and manager hoping it would help them make changes as it’s a new restaurant and I don’t like writing negative reviews especially as they were both lovely and apologetic but sadly we won’t be returning as the food was extremely disappointing. Also to note the prices are extremely high it’s more expensive than the west end eating at Kolamba or Hoppers or futher away Virundhu and the taste no where near. It’s sad as this is not a true representation of authentic traditional Sri Lankan food so a lot of people who eat here who are locals unless having eaten Sri Lankan food before won’t know whether this is authentic or not. I do hope they will revise the dishes also find a better supplier for their ingredients and improve...

We were a group of 10 that visited for a Sunday lunch. It is quite a large space split over multiple floors, but it was very quiet with only a handful of other tables occupied.

Having visited their original location in Worcester Park, the menu here looked very similar, apart from a notable jump in prices. Our group ordered a wide variety of items to share including the mutton rolls, curry puffs, hot butter squid, a few curries (chicken, mutton, prawn), aubergine, chilli paneer, the seafood kottu, and a few parathas. We tried a variety of their desserts as well. The food was generally solid, and in line with our experience at the other location, except for a much lower spice level (despite requesting medium spicy in both places).

Service was a weak point. The staff were friendly, but quite inattentive. The meal progressed at a slow pace, taking over 3 hours despite there being hardly anyone else there. Staff members most stayed out of sight, so it would always take a while before we could flag anyone down.

The bill for the 10 of us (6 adults plus 4 young kids) came to £358, of which £60 was spent on drinks. While the menu prices did appear punchy, portion sizes were generous and the actual bill was very reasonable in my view. We even had food leftover to take home. Overall, a decent meal and to my knowledge the only Sri Lankan restaurant in the area, however they do really need to sharpen up their service and I’m not sure if I would return in its current form, especially if visiting with...