Where To Eat In Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka 

It's been 3 weeks since we left India and we enjoy this lovely surfer paradise town called Arugam Bay so much. All restaurants are located on main street which is around 2 km long and they're worth exploring! There are quite a lot and it's hard to choose from, especially when you're only here for a few days.

On the 23^rd -25^th of July Arugam Bay will host Red Bull Ride My Wave 2015 and I can't wait to see people coming from all over the world to arrive at Sri Lanka's surf capital. Whether you come here as a passionate surfer, tourist, as a flashpacker couple or around the world traveler, It's going to be quite crowded around the event and it might be easier to already know where to grab lunch or enjoy dinner. I have eaten throughout several restaurants by now and want to share my favourite places with you. Our focus is to eat in inexpensive places with good quality so you won't find any exlusive places in this guide. 

One of my favourites, if not my absolute favourite. It's just across Sea Rock Beach Hotel and I like the owner, Hanifa a lot. His staff is friendly, always smiling and give their best to ensure you have a great time there. Hanifa is a hard-working man who has some fun stories to tell and makes delicious food.  He worked a few years in Bahrain and speaks perfect English. That's also where he learned to make delicious cakes. So if you're a sweet tooth you will like this place just as much as I do. In the back of the restaurant is a table full with fruits, his smoothies are the best I had so far. 

Either for breakfast, lunch or dinner, everything is delicious. 

• Fresh fish with fries and salad

• Lemon chicken with fries and salad (I love the version with rice or a bigger salad) 

• Any of the delicious pancakes 

• Roti / Jaffle 

We liked this place a lot for lunch as it's never too crowded. The cook always comes to our table and has a small chat before he goes back to work. Also the entire staff is very friendly. Their home made ice tea is great as well as the lemon juice (best we had so far, ice cold!) and I really enjoyed their egg tomato cheese roti or their sufer's omelette (yum!) 

The cost for our lunch last time for two people was around 790 LKR ($5.91),  including two coffee, two roti and one banana, coconut, chocolate pancake. And everything is mouth watering tasty. 

Lots of dishes are more expensive, but as we stay longer we tend to go for the cheaper options. If you want to spoil yourself at dinner, try the Chicken BBQ Kebap, so delicious! 

A big thank you to the staff from Lemon Tree for having us. 

Burger lovers find this place just next to Surf n' Sand. I wondered why we didn't come earlier. We try to choose the inexpensive places but for dinner time the price is definitely ok. The staff is super friendly, the place is clean and most importantly,  their burgers are super tasty. I had a chicken burger with cheese and pineapple extra and it was fantastic. I'll definitely come back to this place. 

Tip: When you order your burger, ask for to add more fries. I can also recommend their spaghettis! 

Costs for 2 people: 1,750 LKR ($13.11) 

Located on the left side of the street, just next to YMCA hostel, this place offers a great atmosphere with colourful lights and music. Enjoy your dinner there with your bare feet in the sand and a cheap, cold beer (avoid Thursday when they double the price of the beer!) The food is great and the staff friendly, talkative and fun, always ready to party. In the middle of the restaurant is a round bar where people meet for drinks after dinner. The only minus I can think about is the music which usually starts changing into hard techno after dinner time. That's when we usually move somewhere else. 

My favourite meals here: noodles with prawns (500 LKR = $3.75), chicken salad and if you want to spend a little more (around 750 = $5.63) take the grilled chicken with a delicious sauce and fries. 

A small place with a nice view to the street, you feel a bit like in a hidden spot. The restaurant has around 5 tables and super comfy chairs. If you feel like a big lunch, just order an avocado cheese tomato roti, it's super delicious and you get a lot for the price (250 LKR = $1.88). I haven't been there yet for dinner, but I will try soon. 

A little restaurant in town where a woman serves you (quite uncommon in Arugam Bay). She's super sweet, funny and the food is delicious. Try out chicken curry to taste a true Sri Lankan menu. Any other food we had there was good as well. The portions are BIG! We'll come back to this place for sure. 

Costs for 2 people: 1,200 LKR ($9)

A place at the beach that just opened a few weeks ago, located next to Paradise sand at the beach. A local fisherman and his friends decided to start their own restaurant. We went there on the first night. Everything is quite basic and that's what I liked about it. The fish is fresh caught every day, the cook uses a headlamp while preparing the meals and the food is delicious. Imagine, you sit right at the beach in a nice little restaurant with a wooden fence, a candle is in a glass on your table and you talk to a local fisherman. A great experience! I can recommend this place if you want to eat lobster and support a local with his start-up business. 

Have you been to Arugam Bay or anywhere else in Sri Lanka? Which was your favorite place? Let me know in the comments. 

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