Sixty covers, one view, and an à-la-carte-or-buffet kitchen that runs from breakfast to last orders at half ten. EKHO Ella is the dining room of the EKHO hotel above Kithalella, and the reason to climb to it is the deck: an open terrace that frames the Ella Gap almost dead-centre, with the valley dropping away to the south. The kitchen cooks across Sri Lankan, Western, Chinese, Indian and Arabic registers, and will build a personalised Sri Lankan rice-and-curry spread on request. Dinner runs roughly 6,000 to 11,000 LKR a head.
The Kitchen
EKHO Ella is part of the EKHO Hotels group (formerly the Amaya line), and the restaurant runs as a hotel kitchen rather than a chef-led room: there is no single named head chef in the public record, and the brigade is credited collectively. What it does well is range and consistency across a broad menu, with both à la carte and a buffet service depending on occupancy.
The cooking is strongest when it stays Sri Lankan. Ask for the house rice-and-curry and the kitchen will lay out a personalised spread — dhal, jackfruit or pumpkin curry, pol sambol, a fish or chicken curry, and papadam — cooked to your heat tolerance with a day's notice. The Ceylon black-pork curry and the deviled-style preparations are reliable, and the Western plates (grilled meats, pastas) are competent rather than ambitious. The Arabic and Chinese sections exist mainly for the tour groups who fill the room in season. Drinks lean to Lion lager, a short wine list and a decent arrack pour. Expect 6,000 to 11,000 LKR per person for dinner with a drink.
The Room
The draw is the deck. EKHO Ella's main restaurant opens onto an outdoor terrace built to look straight down the Ella Gap, and that framed valley view is cleaner here than at most of the cliffside competition because nothing crowds the foreground. Inside, the room seats about sixty under a high pitched roof, with banquette and chair seating and generous spacing between tables. The sound level is an easy hum, lighting is low and warm after dark, and mountain air keeps the deck cool enough for a layer in the evening. Dress is smart-casual; nobody will turn you away in hiking kit, but a collar suits the room. The terrace tables go first, so reserve them by name.
Best for Team Dinner
Book the terrace for a relaxed group dinner. EKHO Ella suits a team or family of six to twelve better than the tighter cliffside rooms for three concrete reasons: the deck has the spacing and table flexibility to seat a long group without splitting it; the broad menu means picky eaters, vegetarians and a client who only wants a steak are all covered; and the kitchen will pre-arrange a shared rice-and-curry centrepiece so the table eats together rather than waiting on separate à-la-carte tickets. For a birthday, the staff will bring a cake and a candle to the deck at sunset with a day's notice. For a client dinner, the view does the impressing and the bill stays sane.
Not For
Not for a diner chasing a chef-led tasting menu or a quiet two-top: this is a broad hotel kitchen and a sixty-cover room that fills with tour groups in season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EKHO Ella worth it?
Yes, mainly for the view and the group flexibility. EKHO Ella is not the most refined kitchen in Ella, but its terrace frames the Ella Gap better than almost anything else on the ridge, and the broad menu plus a made-to-order rice-and-curry spread make it the easiest room in town for a mixed group. Reserve a deck table; the interior is far less special.
How do I book a deck table at EKHO Ella?
Book directly through the EKHO Hotels site or by phone, and ask specifically for a terrace table by name when you reserve. Deck seating is limited and goes first, especially at sunset between roughly 6 and 7pm. The restaurant is open to non-hotel guests, but walk-ins in high season may be seated inside, so a same-day call ahead is worth the effort.
What is the dress code at EKHO Ella?
Smart-casual. There is no formal dress requirement, and the room is used to guests arriving from a day of trekking, but the deck reads better with a collar or a light layer for the mountain evening air. There is no jacket requirement and no enforced policy; comfort and a clean change after the trail are the practical call.
What should I order at EKHO Ella?
Ask for the personalised Sri Lankan rice-and-curry spread, ideally arranged a day ahead, and the Ceylon black-pork curry. These local plates are the kitchen's strongest work. The Western and pan-Asian sections are competent backups for fussy eaters rather than the reason to come. Pair with a Lion lager or an arrack sour and book the sunset slot on the deck.
Is EKHO Ella good for a team dinner?
Yes. With around sixty covers, generous table spacing and a kitchen that handles big mixed orders, EKHO Ella is one of the better rooms in Ella for a group of six to twelve. The shared rice-and-curry centrepiece keeps the table eating together, and the deck gives everyone the same valley view. Book the terrace ahead and flag the headcount so they can set a long table.