Paradise Road The Gallery

The Verdict

Paradise Road The Gallery opened in 1998 on Dharmapala Mawatha in Colombo 7, in a restored early-20th-century colonial townhouse. The property houses the Paradise Road design shop at the front and a courtyard restaurant at the back. The courtyard itself. White-walled, open-air, with frangipani trees and ceiling fans on palm-leaf rafters. Is the dining room's defining feature.

The menu is contemporary Sri Lankan with colonial-Ceylon accents: hot butter cuttlefish (the signature), Paradise Road black curry chicken, prawn sandwich (the high-tea staple), fish and chips, Sri Lankan rice and curry, and the wood-apple dessert program that closes most meals. Afternoon high tea. LKR 2,500 to 3,500 per person. Is the restaurant's secret offering.

Pricing runs LKR 5,000 to 9,000 per person at dinner. The cocktail program is strong and the arrack list. Strong on Ceylon Arrack, Rockland, Old Reserve. Is one of the best in the country. The design shop is accessible before and after dinner; it closes at 7pm on weekday evenings.

Why It Works for First Date

Paradise Road is the design-led Colombo alternative to The Gallery Café. A restored colonial townhouse surrounding a courtyard, attached to the country's best design shop (Paradise Road Design) under Udayshanth Fernando. The restaurant reads as a more social, less reverent room than the Bawa cloister at The Gallery Café, and better suits a first-date or high-tea afternoon than a reverent proposal.

Signature Dishes

Hot butter cuttlefish; Paradise Road black curry chicken; prawn sandwich; high tea; watalappan.

Also in Colombo

For the broader Colombo picture, see our full Colombo dining guide. Related rooms at this level: Ministry of Crab (Sri Lankan Seafood) and Nihonbashi (Japanese). For the first date cross-city picture, see our First Date directory. Travelling on? Consider New Delhi, Mumbai, or Bangalore for your next leg.