The service was excellent! The owner is extremely kind and so generous! You get A LOT of food and I would say the prices were fair. The tea tastes very good and reminds me of the tea my mom used to make at home. I had the devil chicken and it was very good. It was not too spicy but flavorful. None of the food was extremely spicy like other Sri Lankan restaurants so this would be a safe place for people who cannot handle spicy food too well but like the flavor. This place has a lot of Indian food options too but I did not try any of those since it is harder to find Sri Lankan food. (Sri Lankan and South Indian food share similarities but are not the same!) read more

Ceylonta Restaurant - Tea, rotti and coconut sambol - Indian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

See all

This was my first time having Sri Lankan food, and I was absolutely blown away by the depth of flavour of each dish! It is no surprise Ceylonta has been around for 32+ years. They were very accommodating with dietary restrictions as well. We were treated like family, and I can't wait to return to Ottawa to come back. read more

See all

This place BLEW OUR MINDS. In the best way! We ordered a few shareable plates and had one vegan in the group (me), and the chef came out to tell us he had a better idea to get everyone the most optimal variety and quantity of food for the same price. We said we trusted him and he delivered not just AMAZING food, but a very memorable experience for personalizing the meal. You must try the curries platter!! The beans are out of this world! read more

Ceylonta Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

This restaurant that specializes in Sri Lankan cuisine was recommended by new friends I made in Ottawa, one of them happens to be vegetarian and loves the food here (they usually get the vegetable thali). This is a place where sharing dishes will give you a better experience. I dined in here twice. Food: I will never forget the coconut sambol (recommended by Tony, one of the wait staff) - if you want an appetizer, get it with some paratha! I usually don't find shredded toasted coconut interesting, but mixed with dried chilies, onion, salt, sugar, and lime - it's a dance in your mouth. The taste is new to me and works so well with the paratha as a vessel. This is a must-try! The chicken palandi, skin-on chicken marinated in chilies Sri Lankan chilies and smothered with the chef's special ginger and garlic sauce. My nose was getting runny so definitely order something non-spicy along with this dish to balance out the heat if you're like me. Other than that, this dish was delicious, highly recommend it if you can tolerate some heat! The roast beef, curried beef strips stir-fried with onions and red peppers, was tasty - it was highlighted in Google reviews and I get why most people liked it. I had it with the paratha and enjoyed it. The meat thali and chicken biryani were great too. The non-alcoholic drinks should not be slept on, each one is unique and tastes amazing! Service/atmosphere: The wait staff (especially Tony) brings energy and knows how to describe the dishes well. One of the wait staff shared how best to eat the thali and after applying his method, my friend enjoyed her food much more. Don't hesitate to ask them any questions. Plenty of seating for couples and large groups as well. read more

See all

My wife and I went out on Family Day evening. There's ample seating, great decor, and a really pleasant atmosphere. We started off with a mango Lassi for me and tamarind ginger drink for my wife. Delicious. A thali with about a dozen different chutneys, was served and we also shared tandoori chicken (Sri Lankan style) and shrimp. We had white rice as an accompaniment and had no room for the myriad desserts offered on the menu. I totally recommend the Ceylonta Restaurant. By the way, the prices are reasonable and the street parking was a piece of cake. read more

See all

We stopped in entirely based on the smells coming out of the restaurant. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. We ordered garlic nan plus 2 dishes and everything was very good. I just don't know why they would put the papadam on the steaming rice, it came out soggy rather than crunchy. The bartender made some amazing cocktails, maybe the best in the city. We'd come back just for drinks. Ambiance is nice as well. Will be back! read more

See all

I have been hearing about ceylonta for years and was so excited to be finally trying it and it did not disappoint! The inside is really charming and welcoming and all the staff were incredible. Tony the juice man (how he introduced himself to us) made us some delicious hibiscus cocktails and then we were taken care of one of the long time staff who promptly recommended our entire order for us which was super helpful as the menu is extensive and none of us had been there before. Everything we had was super flavourful and came piping hot. The veggie dish was a sampling of different curries and prepared vegetables which was a really fun way to try a bit of everything! We had a great evening with friends and will definitely be going back to try other things on the menu. Thank you ceylonta!! read more

See all

My new goto place when in Ottawa. Second time and it was as magnificent as the first. Food was amazing, service was something that all restaurants should aspire to!!!!! read more

See all

Stopped in on our way through Ottawa. Friendly service and delicious food. Ordered a thali that had a delicious variety of savory and sweet curries. The ghee dhosa with coconut sambol was delightful. As was the chicken palandi which arrived sizzling on a cast iron skillet. A hibiscus juice drink and Ceylon coffee rounded out our meals. I wish I could say we'd be back, but not sure when we'll make it to Ottawa again! Definitely check it out if you're interested in Indian cuisine in the area. read more

My pictures are few but holy moly. This place is so good. I went twice in a span of 3 days. Once with a group of friends and then another time with my husband. I was visiting town, and my friends had recommended it. The service is a little slow, so come knowing that and either knowing what you want from the get-go or taking the time to chat with the company you go with. read more

Ceylonta Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

See all

I was really looking forward to trying this Sri Lanka restaurant in Ottawa, overall I'd say a 4/5 for food but 3/5 for service. When we arrived the place had lots of space and we were seated right away! While waiting the server asked if we wanted to try some roti while we wait and we said sure, but we were under the impression that it was on the house only to find the $8 addition on our bill at the end. That aside, the food itself was delicious and vegetarian friendly. I'd highly recommend if you are craving south Asian food but do ask for prices of items when they ask! read more

Ceylonta Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

See all

Ceylonta has been here for what seems like forever and has always delivered on its promise of authentic, mouth-watering fare. This was our first time back since before the pandemic and they did not fail: top-notch, familial and friendly service, great recommendations, expedient timelines, and simply fantastic food. Highly recommended. Shout out to Osmani for letting us gab late into the evening and for making us feel extremely welcome. read more

Wowww This is a as fantastic meal! The place looks so so , but you must go beyong that ! If you like Indian food, you will find this place... delectable read more

I hadn't been to Ceylonta in many years, and my last experiences were great, so I was very excited to go again last week for a team lunch. Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed by the lunch buffet. There were no appetizers (one of the things I'd been most looking forward to - it seems to me they used to offer Kadalai Vadai and samosas with the delicious green coconut sauce on the buffet). The buffet itself was only ok, and many times they ran out of items and we had to stand around waiting for more. In terms of ambiance - the tables were pretty grimy, and we left the place smelling like we'd eaten in a restaurant kitchen - a smell that clings to clothing and hair! Not great when going back to the office for the afternoon. I want to go back to Ceylonta to give it another shot, but I'm just not sure when I'll prioritize going there again. read more

I really liked the food here. I got the vege thali and meat kottu Rotti for two people and it was so much food!!! Really worth the money and we ate it for 3 meals. The food was very flavourful. Great variety of things to order from. The Server (I think she was the owner) was very helpful in deciding what I should order. And I definitely will be returning. read more

See all

A text came in to meet at Ceylonta and I really wish I declined. I love Indian and Sri Lankan food but this place was far from good during this visit. The place is on Somerset on the bottom floor of an apartment/condo across from Hartman's on Somerset and beside Basmati. I arrived at 8pm and saw my friends had arrived a few minutes early and ordered some appetizers. I sat down for a few minutes and when our server come over a few minutes later we were told the kitchen would close in 15 minutes as they close at 9pm. We ordered the chicken palandi, string hopper kothu and kothu rotti. The chicken planandi was probably the best dish we ordered and didn't have great flavours. The other 2 dishes looked identical (with different colour) and I've had a lot better elsewhere. I wasn't the only person at our table who felt like the last 2 dishes tasted reheated. They tasted like food that was made a in large batch earlier in the day and reheated, then brought out during dinner service. We ordered naan and it was eerily similar to store bought naan and not like the in house naan a lot of the restaurants in Ottawa make. This review pains me to write as the staff are super friendly! read more

I guess here, you really do get what you pay for. We ordered an appetizer that never arrived (and in all fairness, weren't charged for) and noted a food restriction/alergy that was not respected. We ordered biryani and were told to order naan; I suggested it may not be a good choice due to dairy allergy and our server advised it was safe - their naan was vegan. When the glossy looking bread arrived I asked if that glossy bit was butter. She proudly announced "yes". I said there was an allergy to dairy to which she responded butter? No, not butter; only fresh naan has butter and this is old. The other server confirmed it did actually contain dairy. My dinner companion ate; I came home and made food. Oh, and the women's toilets weren't working. I had heard good reviews, I don't concur. I won't be back. The end. read more

we ordered the Chicken Palandi, the Roast Beef, and the vegetable Thali. portion of ChIcken and beef was good, the taste not so much. we also did not like the Vegetable Thali. we usually love Indian food, but were disappointed by this one. read more

After avoiding this place for 6 months after my really, really disappointing experience last July (see previous review), I received a tearful apology from the server via my husband. Last week, a colleague arranged a lunch meeting here. I figured there would be little harm since it was a buffet. It turned out to be a good experience. The server didn't hover and brought drinks, including Chai, promptly (!). We had a nice time and the food was delicious. The day we were there some of my favourites were on offer: curried green beans and curried beef (too salty) and curried chicken (delicious). I tried the soup but it was also too salty. The naan was plentiful and cooked to perfection, and there was a nice array of desserts from which to choose. read more

I've been here a few times for the dinner because its a very convenient place to take vegetarian/vegan friends and family. I find the food/service to be very hit or miss. Each time I've visited I've gotten the vegetable thali. For roughly $16, you get enough food to feed two people easily. The only problem is that sometimes the curries are piping hot, spicy, and delicious and other times, they have been cold and bland. I quite like the roti but my absolute favourite thing in the entire restaurant is the coconut sambol. If you aren't one of those people who hate coconuts and spicy food, give it a try. The service here, while friendly, is often quite slow so its probably not the place to go if you are in a rush. read more

This is a charming, unique place that is a favourite amongst Vegetarian's and meat-eater's alike. Sri Lankan cuisine has a lot of similarities to Indian food, but has its own distinct features that makes it worth checking out. They take their time in preparing the food carefully, and go per location tradition of bringing all the dishes out together, so the wait can be long, but undoubtedly worth it. The servers are polite and friendly, and will even provide helpful informative instructions on how to eat the traditional Sri Lankan way! As for the menu, the Vegetable Thali is a must-have for vegetarians (and non vegetarians too); it consists of six separate scintilating vegetable dishes combined with basmati rice and pappadum. The curried chicken is a favourite of mine, as you can taste the spices such as coriander, cumin, and fennel that have been pre-roasted to a deep brown coffee colour, making it uniquely Sri Lankan. Cap off the night with a galub jamun dessert and Ceylonta's special tea, and you will have yourself a lovely evening! read more

Food here was flavourful and the owner was friendly and helped us wtih picking what to eat, we went here for the lunch buffet. I have never had Sri Lankan food before and I'm glad that I tried it out, I actually liked pretty much everything that I tried here. Lots of vegetarian and vegan options were available at this restaurant. We all had the chai here and it was amazing, probably the best tea I've had in a long long time. I would highly recommend trying this Sri Lankan - Indian Fusion mix restaurant to anyone who is in the mood of trying something new. I will definitely go here again, this is one of my new favourite restaurants for Ottawa. read more

I went here for the lunch buffet with a friend, because I'd heard so many good things about it. It was the worst Indian meal I'd ever had in my life. The quality of the food was awful. It was as if they reheated things out of a can, and served it up to customers, and then charged 15 dollars for it. Just ridiculous. At the most I would give it a 1.5, because the service was not terrible. When you go somewhere for the food, and it turns out like this, I would not recommend it to others. read more

Wow, I'm a huge fan! My wife and I were in the area and looked for a place to eat when we passed by this place. The sign said vegan options (my wife is a vegan) and she was super excited when she realized that 80-90% of the food options are vegan (hooray). For 15$ an all you can eat buffet of high quality perfectly spiced food is a great deal. The only downside of this place that after you eat you are so full you cant leave your seat. I MUST revisit soon :) read more

I have eaten here for years and always love the food. I appreciate that they cook with coconut oil instead of cheap vegetable oil. My husband lived in Sri Lanka for a while and he claims the food is very authentic to the region. The staff are always so warm and friendly. The masala dosas are top notch! The chicken and lamb curries are wonderful. I also enjoy the simple cabbage dish. They make a great lentil dal. read more

First things first, if you're the type of person to be put off by the location of a restaurant, you might want to steer clear of this one as it's nestled in the basement of a high-rise apartment building. As for the food and the service, the food was not spectacular and the service was great until we received our food, but as soon as that part of the dining experience was over, the wait staff wanted nothing to do with us. Trying to pay was a lesson in patience and culminated in one of us actually leaving our table to find someone to hand a credit card over to. And as a side note, the restaurant was oven-hot on a summer night and the lighting was much too dark, so it doesn't even get any ambiance points. I would try one of the many other Indian/Sri Lankan restaurants in town before heading back here again. read more

I'm not sure why I was so generous with my first review, probably because it was one of the first ones I ever made. Anyway, I've tried their curry chicken, their kothu roti and their devilled chicken. The curry chicken was so gross my dad and I sent it back, their excuse was at the end of the night the food quality can decline too. So apparently if you're coming at the end of the night expect your food to suck. The kothu roti was also disgusting. It was mushy and it was obviously reheated. I don't know if I just find the dish to be gross or if it's the way this restaurant makes it but I'd say it's probably one of the nastiest things I've eaten. I feel like I'm being so harsh, so I'll cushion the blow a bit... The devilled chicken is good, really good. Although I find the chicken kind of tough the sauce it comes in is mighty tasty, delicious on rice. Their samosas and vegetable rolls are also fantastic and I would recommend them. The service is also wonderful, so I feel bad giving them a bad review. They're so polite and are happy to explain what goes into the dishes. The decor is also pretty neat. read more

Love this place. The food is fresh, full of flavour and amazing. The people who run this restaurant are incredibly nice and attentive. Great for both take out and eat in. read more

This is the only Sri Lanka and Indian buffet restaurant I could find in the area. With my girlfriend being Sri Lanka and me being Indian, it was nice to have a restaurant that catered to both of our cultures. The location isn't that great, it is not a fancy restaurant by any means. In fact, it does feel a little crowded especially where the food is kept at. The quality of the food was average but nothing out of the ordinary. The staff were friendly which is a nice plus. Overall, I would recommend this location to a friend. read more

After being asked by the proprietor many, many times to bring my family (and only doing so once) I was asked to stay away. I guess the buffet is a loss-leader to get nighttime customers and if you're not going to be a regular one of those, your lunchtime business isn't valued. I'll miss the place, but I don't like how I was treated. In retrospect, perhaps it would have been better for me to just be honest. "Sorry Ranjan, my family hated it." But now I won't be back either. read more

One of my favorite places to eat in Ottawa. The Sri Lankan cuisine is very much like Indian with a fruit twist -- i.e. a lot of fruit sauces and garnishing, such as coconut and mango. Also, if you like hot, they have hot if you want. And you should definitely have to check out the lunch buffet. It's a great price and assortment. read more

So far my favorite indian restaurant! nice owner, their lunch buffet to go is a plus!! try the green bean curry, the best!

OMG this was one of THE best suppers I've had in a long time! My friend and I shared the Kadal Vadai and Coconut Sambal as an appetizer then dug into the delicious Vegetarian Buryani and Vegetarian Kothu Rotti. Of course I had a nice glass of reisling/gewertz to go with that. We were both like whaaaaat. So so good. We can't wait to go back and we were deciding whether we were going to order the same thing or try something new...guess we'll see! read more

This place should be renamed to something else as it doesn't deserve to bare a name with Ceylon in it. There was nothing Sri Lankan about the food we ate. It was subpar Indian food at best. If you're looking for authentic Sri Lankan food, this is not it. The buffet was extremely bland and over priced. Will never eat here again. read more

This little restaurant is a really unique to eat. The Sri Lankan dishes they prepare here cannot be found anywhere else in Ottawa. The service may be a little slow, but they are friendly and the food is definitely worth the wait. If you're not familiar with Sri Lankan food some good dishes to try are the Kothu Rotti, the Dosa or the Thali. Kothu Rotti is a mix of vegetables and/or meat with small chewy cubes of bread. Dosa's are large half moons of crunchy dough with a variety of curry fillings. Finally, the real customer favorite is the Thali. A selection of 7 or 8 different curries, with rice and a pappadum. The curries change often but frequently include chick peas, sweet potato, lentils and even beets! It's not a vegetarian place though, most dishes can be orded with beef, chicken or lamb. If you're looking for something truly different to eat , try this place. You'll be coming back a lot! Mmmm. read more

Great service, food was amazing. Only here for the night before I have to fly home or I would come here often. Highly recommended

Went to the lunch buffet. Pretty disappointed with the selection and quality of the food. None of the food seemed freshly made. The nan is not crispy at all. And our favorite butter chicken is not there... Even among Indian buffets the food is below average. Don't understand the good reviews this gets on yelp. read more

Food was good. The owner was quite forceful in up-selling items from menu and kept insisting that we eat something else. Wanted to order fish curry, he suggested we try chicken instead. Wanted to order egg kothu roti and he insisted that we try vegetable kothu roti. He insisted that we eat the thali and the vegetables were cold, not even lukewarm. The papadam was stale and not crispy. He brought paratha out and placed on the table, and we thought it was free appetizer like the bread rolls in other restaurants, and then got charged nearly $15 for it. Overall felt stressed after eating the food that we didn't want, and then spending over $120. read more

Excellent! What can I say, it was inexpensive, authentic and quick(did the lunch buffet)

The best Indian food I've ever had. In addition to the amazing food, the service was exceptional and the atmosphere was very comfortable. At the end of our meal, I asked for a doggy bag and our server went above and beyond and practically gave me a complete meal (more than what I left on my plate). read more