Best Restaurants in Ella

Frequently asked

What's the highest-rated restaurants in Ella?

Rocky Ella Cafe is currently the highest-rated restaurants in Ella on Review Guru, with an average of 5.0 out of 5 stars from 19 reviews.

Which restaurants in Ella has the most reviews?

Café UFO Ella is the most-reviewed restaurants in Ella with 20 customer reviews. A higher review count typically means a more reliable signal — a 4.5★ rating from 50 reviewers is stronger than a 5★ rating from 3.

How many restaurants are listed in Ella?

Review Guru has 15 restaurants listed in Ella, aggregating 190 customer reviews across them. We only include a business on a "best of" page once it has at least 3 reviews so the ranking is meaningful.

How are these restaurants ranked?

We use a Bayesian-weighted average score that combines the business's own star rating with the volume of reviews it has received. This prevents a single 5-star review from outranking 30 consistent 4-star reviews. Read more on our methodology page.

Are the reviews verified?

Reviews on Review Guru come from two sources: native submissions written directly on our platform, and imported reviews from Google Maps that we rewrite for clarity while preserving the original rating, sentiment, and named entities. Source is tagged on each review for transparency.

What is the difference between train-view cafes and valley-side restaurants in Ella?

Train-view cafés and viewpoint restaurants sit on or just above the main strip, designed around the spectacle of the Colombo–Badulla line as it curves through the Ella Gorge — the best seats face the track and are worth arriving early to claim. The food is secondary to the setting at many of these spots, though several have improved their menus as competition has grown. Valley-side and terrace restaurants, particularly those above the lower end of town or along the road toward Little Adam's Peak, trade the train view for wider valley panoramas and a slightly quieter pace. These tend to attract more committed hikers and long-stay guests; the menus lean toward fresh salads, grain bowls, and Sri Lankan staples rather than tourist comfort food. Both are worth experiencing over a two-night stay — the train-view breakfast is an Ella ritual, and a valley-side dinner rewards the effort of finding it.

Are there vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants in Ella for hikers and trekkers?

Yes — Ella has one of the strongest vegetarian and vegan restaurant scenes in Sri Lanka relative to its size, driven by an international trekker and yoga-retreat clientele that has shaped the menus of most sit-down restaurants on the main strip. Smoothie bowls, grain plates, lentil-based Sri Lankan curries, and oat-milk coffee drinks appear across multiple listed restaurants. Traditional Sri Lankan rice-and-curry at the local kades is naturally rich in plant-based dishes — dhal curry, pol sambol, tempered vegetables, and jackfruit preparations are staples rather than afterthoughts. For dedicated vegan kitchens, look for listings with recent reviewer mentions of 'vegan' or 'plant-based' — several cafés near the Little Adam's Peak trailhead and along the upper main strip have built their menus around this preference and keep it genuinely consistent.

What is the budget range for restaurants in Ella — from street kades to sit-down dining on the main strip?

Ella's pricing spans a wider range than its size suggests. Street-side kades and local rice-and-curry shops along and just off the main strip serve full Sri Lankan meals — rice, three curries, papadum — for LKR 300–600, a price point unchanged by the tourist influx because the clientele remains strongly local. Mid-range sit-down restaurants along the main strip charge LKR 800–2,000 for a main course: pasta, grain bowls, curry plates, and fresh juices. At the higher end, a small number of viewpoint restaurants and hotel dining rooms charge LKR 2,000–4,000 for a meal with a premium setting. Coffee shops and smoothie-bowl cafés near Little Adam's Peak typically run LKR 400–900 for a drink and snack. Most restaurants operate cash-only or with limited card acceptance — carry smaller notes before heading uphill.