Eat and drink

• Small family places on the roads behind the bay serve rice and curry, often as a buffet at lunch, and kottu in the evening.
• Roti huts on the beach road sell sweet and savoury roti, samosas and kottu.
• Dikwella town, 5 minutes away, has roadside rice and curry places, bakeries and a market next to the beach. Ask locally which day the market is busiest.
• King coconut stalls stand by the roads and at the beach.

Curd and treacle is sold in clay pots at stalls along the southern roads, mostly further east, towards Hambantota and Tissamaharama.

The first cafés opened around 2015 and 2016. Today there are dozens, on the sand, on the road above the west side, behind the east side and up Hiriketiya Road. They are known for smoothie bowls, poke bowls, brunch, coffee and pizza, with Sri Lankan dishes on many menus. Guides in 2026 say the busiest ones fill up fast, and one noticed several raising their prices in March 2026.

• Don’t drink tap water. Use water from a sealed bottle, or water that has been boiled or properly filtered, also for brushing your teeth.
• Be careful with ice unless you know it was made with safe water. Tea and coffee made with just-boiled water are fine.
• Some guesthouses have a separate drinking-water line from the water board. Ask your host.
• Carry a bottle and refill it where you can. We found no public refill point at the bay.
• Since October 2023, single-use plastic straws, cups, plates and cutlery are banned. Since November 2025, shops must charge for plastic bags with handles.

Every full moon is a Poya day, a Buddhist holiday. On Poya days alcohol can’t be sold anywhere, not even in hotels. Around Vesak, in May, the closures are longer: in 2026 liquor shops shut for two days and meat shops for three. Some shops and businesses close on Poya days, and drinking in public then can offend.

You must be 21 to buy alcohol in Sri Lanka.

• Vegetarians and vegans eat well: rice and curry is built on vegetable curries and dhal, and many cafés have vegan bowls.
• Coconut is in a great many dishes: its milk, its flesh and its oil. Tell the kitchen about any allergy.
• Spice: chilli relishes often come on the side, and kitchens will make a dish milder or hotter if you ask.
• Eating with your hand is normal with rice and curry. Spoons and forks are always fine too.
• Food safety: hot food that has just been cooked is the safest. Fruit you peel yourself is usually fine.

Most small places take cash, and some take only cash. Some cafés take cards. There is no ATM at the bay: the nearest are in Dikwella town, about 2 km away by road. Bigger businesses add a tax of 18% (VAT). Tipping is not expected, but it is welcome.