Kirulapone is a residential lane in Colombo 5. We have lived on it for ten years, and most of what we know about Colombo, we learned by walking it.
What follows is what we tell our guests when they ask. It is not exhaustive. It is not objective. It is the kind of guide a neighbor writes for a neighbor — one who has just moved in and would like to know where to get their bread.
The morning, six to nine
Walk left out of our gate, past the temple wall, and you'll arrive at the Kirulapone market in seven minutes. It opens at six and runs hot until nine. Mangoes, jackfruit, banana, papaya, pumpkin the size of a child's head. Two of the women on the left side have been selling vegetables in the same spot since before we opened. They will give you the right price without being asked. Bring small notes.
On the way back, stop at the bakery on the corner of First Lane — the one with the green sign and the soft butter cake in the window. Buy the butter cake. Buy two if you have any sense. There is no good reason to walk past it.
The middle of the day
For lunch, you have three serious options without leaving the neighborhood. The first is our own restaurant, but we'll skip that one — you can find it on its own page. The second is a small rice and curry place two minutes south of us, no English sign, no menu, just whatever is good that day. Eight curries on a banana leaf. The auntie who runs it remembers what you don't eat from the second visit onward.
The third is a kottu place under a tin roof, three minutes east. The chopping is loud, the chairs are plastic, and the chicken kottu is among the best in Colombo. Go at one. Don't sit too close to the griddle.
A walking route, if you want one
If you would like a longer walk through the neighborhood, here is the one we send people on. It takes about two hours at a slow pace.
Start at the Kirulapone market in the early morning. Walk it slowly. Buy something — a mango, a wedge of jackfruit, a small pineapple. Eat it standing up.
Walk west along Havelock Road to Havelock City Mall. About fifteen minutes on foot from the market. The mall is glassy and air-conditioned and exactly the cool half-hour your morning will start to need by then. There is a coffee shop on the ground floor and a bookstore upstairs. Both are useful for sitting.
Take a tuk-tuk from Havelock City to the Nawala jogging track. About LKR 400 to 500. The track is a flat loop around an open green field, popular with locals in the early morning and late afternoon. Walk it once, twice if your legs are up to it. There is shade at the perimeter and a small cart selling thambili — king coconut — at the corner.
Tuk-tuk back to Kirulapone. About LKR 500 to 600 the other way. By the time you arrive home, lunch will feel earned.
The afternoon
Viharamahadevi Park is about LKR 500 in a tuk-tuk from us. Take a book. The trees are old and the benches are worn smooth. You can spend an hour without spending anything else.
If you have more time, the National Museum is around the corner from the park. Free for residents on certain days, ticketed for visitors. The bronze Buddha on the ground floor is reason enough to go.
Wellawatte Beach is about USD 1 in a tuk-tuk in the other direction — roughly LKR 300 to 400 depending on time of day. The beach itself is for walking, not for swimming. The roti shops along Galle Road are for eating, especially the one with the long queue at five in the afternoon.
The evening
Galle Face Green at sunset is not a secret, and there is a reason for that. Kite-flyers, isso vadai sellers, families spreading mats, lovers pretending not to see each other. Take a tuk-tuk at half past five.
For a quiet evening drink, the bar at the Cinnamon Grand is fine and predictable. For a less quiet evening drink, our garden is open until eleven and the bartender knows what she is doing.
And then there is the egg hopper man. He sets up a small cart in front of the Kirulapone market in the evening — usually around six or seven — and stays until the batter runs out. The hoppers are excellent. The cart has been there for as long as anyone we have asked can remember. Bring cash.
How to get back
If you forget the address or get lost, tell any tuk-tuk driver "Seconds Colombo, Kirulapone, next to LINK LANKA" and most of them will know. The 138 bus stops at our gate from Fort, Slave Island, Town Hall, and Havelock Town. The walk from Kirulapone Railway Station is five minutes. Look for the gold sign at number 44.
If you are arriving for the first time, this is also useful: how to get from Bandaranaike Airport to Colombo 5. For the wider neighborhood, the complete guide to Colombo 5 covers everything beyond Kirulapone.
Common questions
What is Kirulapone known for?
A quiet residential lane in Colombo 5, an early-morning fresh produce market, small bakeries on First Lane, a temple at the end of the road, and family-run rice and curry shops. Local life carries on largely undisturbed by tourism.
Where is Kirulapone in Colombo?
Part of Colombo 5, in southern Colombo. Kirulapone Avenue runs off Havelock Road, between Pamankada and Wellawatte. The 138 bus runs through it. Postal code 00500.
What time does the Kirulapone market open?
Six in the morning, runs hot until about nine. Fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, household staples — mostly to local families. By mid-morning the crowd thins and the best produce has gone.
Is Kirulapone a good area for walking?
Yes. The lanes are flat, mostly tree-shaded, and quiet enough that pedestrians and tuk-tuks share the road comfortably. Our suggested route — market to Havelock Mall to the Nawala jogging track — takes about two hours.
Where can I find good rice and curry in Kirulapone?
Several family-run shops, most without English signs or menus. The simple ones serving eight curries on a banana leaf at lunch are usually the best. Vinya Garden, our restaurant on Kirulapone Avenue, also serves rice and curry alongside its broader menu.
— Written by the front desk, with help from the gardener and the kitchen. Updated May 2026.