Colombo 16 in Hastings

12/10. Couldn’t have been better

Yum Absolutely delicious. Loads of flavour and nicely spiced.

lovely food and our waitress Odie was very attentive and helpful! service was amazing, will most definitely come back 😁

A fantastic dining experience of Sri Lankan cuisine with a touch of extra decadence. A huge variety of dishes were ordered by our party of 10 and none failed to impress. The ambience was excellent and the service was extremely attentive. Well worth a visit, would definitely return.

Food was incredible had the most amazing meal flavours I have not been able reach in Hastings so far

OMG the food here is off the hook! Flavours I’ve never tasted in the UK and real love and care in every dish. Just stunning. Will be back again and again. Special mention for the pork belly! Lush.

The food and service was incredible! It was my first time having Sri Lankan food and it was so tasty and well made. The atmosphere was lovely and also really enjoyed my cocktail! Thanks so much for a brilliant night :)

Stunning food. Taste was amazing and our waitress mentioned the spice can be tailored to individual preference. The chefs were friendly and their creations were the best we have eaten in the area. Service was friendly and perfect too.

We left quite disappointed and also hungry (we all ordered the recommended amount) . I understand this is small plates however the portion sizes are ridiculous, £16 for 4 TINY pieces of fish?? And this is meant to be to share? We were basically eating sauce with rice… at that price point I would at least expect a small fillet. The flavours are really nice but the portion sizes are a massive let down. Don’t get me wrong, we eat out a lot and certainly do not mind paying for nice food however this is just ripping people off.

Really delicious food. Friendly staff. Highly recommend.

Great service, very welcoming & attentive. Food was good but no idea if Sri Lanken or not! It was tasty either way so can’t complain!

We had an amazing time here for a birthday lunch. Food, drinks and outstanding and friendly service. Flavours are stunning. Thanks to you all and we'll definitely be back soon.

New cuisine experience for us. We chose three dishes- a chicken curry of some sort, white fish curry and aubergine dish. Oh and steamed rice. All delicious. Each dish had its own distinct flavours. Portions not large, but perfectly adequate for us. TBH it is pricey for me, but worth it. Would I go back? yes I would.

Food is always the star of the show at Colombo16. Caleb and his team really are talented cooks and the food is outstanding. Our lunch was excellent and the desert of a mango ice-cream "fusion" with a light biscuit 'crumble' and flower petals was delicious. I took my Trinidadian mother-in-law there and she raved about the ice-cream: real back-home food she exclaimed: it looked, smelt and tasted so authentic. I love eating at Colomb16 and when leaving. I always think about the next visit.

Amazing place. Cocktails at the Colombo bar were superb and then the food and the service in the restaurant itself were top notch. Such friendly and helpful staff too.

Really great dinner here - every dish perfectly cooked and presented by lovely staff. Keen to return and try the many other amazing looking things on the menu. Top notch!

We have never thought of a going to eat Sri Lankan food before but once we started eating we realised what we were missing!! We won a £75 voucher in a MND charity raffle, run by Goodman’s Barbers, and visited over the weekend. For a start the team are polite and attentive and always with a smile. We had poppadoms, prawns small plate, followed by rice, braised belly pork, Dahl curry, white fish curry and ribs. The poppadoms were amazing and our favourite was the Dahl however everything we ate was very good! We liked how the plates came out when ready so it felt like tapas. Everything was freshly cooked and hot. Cannot fault and look forward to returning soon. Many thanks to all the team for a lovely evening!

New experience for us to have Sri Lankan cuisine and thoroughly enjoyed it....good food, good service, nice setting...all good...will definitely return.

Popped in for a quick bite this morning, I was a little dubious about the menu but took a gamble. Can honestly say we both found it incredible, the meat super tender and the flavours incredible. Will definitely be going back to try more :-)

Highly recommend! Food was great, best I have had in a long time. All the vegan dishes were very, very tasty! The staff were great too. Will be going back for sure!

Had a delicious meal here, with loads of great veggie options. We had the cabbage curry, aubergine curry and banana blossom which were all very tasty. I would also give my girlfriend 5 stars for her company at the end of our holiday together.

Been here for both lunch and dinner now, and on both occasions was really impressed by the food. Delicious flavours, quite spicy but really nice and things you don't often find in this part of the country

An old friend and I enjoyed a delicious lunch. Wonderful food, friendly staff, relaxing ambience. A great experience!

Bloody lovely. Amazing staff, amazing food and cocktails 😉

We had a lovely Sunday evening meal here - the food was delicious and the cocktails were great too - it felt like proper care had gone into both. Between two of us we had the poppadoms, chicken curry, fish curry, dhal and rice, which was definitely enough. It was quite hard to choose because the vegetarian options looked really good too. It's a shame the outside space isn't nicer - parked cars blocking the sea view - but it looked very nice inside.

Very delicious! Top Sri Lankan Restaurant in Leonrds-On-Sea. There are delicious tapas-style dishes to share. We particularly enjoyed the various curries with chicken, fish or vegetables. The team is also friendly and accommodating. Full recommendation.

Always such beautiful clean food and great friendly service

Very nice Sri Lankan food. My favourite dishes were the Mutton roll and the braised pork belly. Even though the rest of the dishes we tried were all nice none was anything extraordinary and in fact the flavours in all of them kind of blended into the same spice mixture. This does not mean in any way that the dishes were bad at all!!!

Such a lovely place. Delicious food, impeccable service, cannot fault.

Very good contemporary restaurant. Hats off to the chef taking risks

Absolutely delicious every time I visit. Most delicious curries I have eaten out. Dining out as it should be and very rarely is. Amazing.

Sensational experience all round! Everything was so so good. Highly recommend!

I've been 5 times now and been very impressed by the food and the staff are really friendly and knowledgeable.

I am blown away to how good this was. Came for lunch which will be a gentle introduction to their menu, so I expect the dinner menu will be fantastic! Beautiful slow cooked, warm spices, every mouthful was tasty. This place is what a lot of national food restaurants aspire to deliver yet rarely do. The fried rice, the beef curry, the sambol, the Dahl, wow wow wow. This is a large space so I imagine you will get a table or a short wait. Do it, you won't regret it. Oh and Hastings Brewing Brother beers, I am so happy!

This new restaurant brings a freshness, which is as welcome as the food is delicious. The chef is clearly talented and the food is high quality, full of flavour and very well cooked and presented. The menu offers several items that are not familiar but that's good and explanations were clear. The very helpful staff willingly explained the style, which is a fusion of flavours and dishes. The small starters of mutton, fish or potato cutlets are sort of rissoles, which are piquant and delicious: they have heat but don't burn. The C16 sounds like a London bus route but it's far more reliable and welcoming. It is the Sri Lankan equivalent of a good old fry-up and it is beautifully presented and heavenly.  Quality ingredients, perfectly cooked. My vegetarian friend loved The Kiri Bath or milk rice, infused with coconut. The only way to appreciate the food, is to go and try it: don't hold back, go now and you won't regret it. The menu is both short and comprehensive and it is very satisfying. Colombo 16 really deserves to become an established part of St Leonard's rich mélange of quality eateries and I highly recommend it.

This was by far the best food in all of hastings! Absolutely amazing and staff recommended the most authentic plates and explained what was what. Devoured everything! 🌟🌟 10/10

Great food and attentive service as always, despite being a busy Friday night. The mutton roll, beef curry, and dhal were particular highlights. Hot buttered squid was excellent too although packs a spicy punch. Great cocktails; the Arrack Sour was recommended by the servers as their house special and barman Troy did not disappoint. Will definitely be back!

Pretentious 'I'm a Londoner but I've moved to the coast' style restaurant which people go to more to 'look good' than anything else, and you pay for the privilege.

A really nice place with fab food and amazing service. I always look forward to a weekend visit. The muttai bun is a particular favourite! I really hope they keep it on the new menu. Definitely recommend a visit.

Quite simply the best food we have eaten in a long time. The flavours are out of this world. It seems pricey because you have to order a few plates but when you take into account the work put in, the ambience and service it is more than worth it. I can't recommend enough, left with mouths tingling. See you again!

Empty restaurant but we had to sit outside or the bar?

Love this place - very friendly and the food is delicious

Was very excited to visit Colombo as we’d tried previously but not been able to due to challenges with booking and connecting with them via the telephone. Now that we could book by Opentable it made the process much simpler. We booked for Sunday brunch and were surprised that it was mostly not Sri Lankan at all, but there was a Sri Lankan special which looked delicious. We ordered it, and it appeared to come with a side which we ordered although having a sausage with a Sri Lanka dish seemed weird. The dish was delicious, but I was surprised when the bill came to find that the sides had been added as extras. It was only £5.50 extra, but we really wouldn’t have had them if it hadn’t had implied they were included. Rather then just leave a bad review I expressed my concern with the manager who quite frankly wasn’t interested. She said she was sorry, but that’s the way it was priced. I’ve included a copy of the menu - make your own mind up. For me, I won’t be returning which is a shame as their evening meals look lovely, but I’m not willing to go to a restaurant that doesn’t listen to customer feedback and doesn’t try to resolve a misunderstanding.

Nice to find something a bit different. Great coffee, fabulous food and friendly, efficient service.

We booked this restaurant for a birthday brunch and the local area can be hit and miss with the reviews. But from the moment we walked in, the only way I could describe the experience was ......perfect. Ambience, food, and drinks were exceptional. I am not going to bore you with a long review, but I will say, with having an open kitchen and all the staff being very attentative, this was a wonderful experience and will definitely be back for the evening menu next time and can't wait !!! A great vegan and non vegan restaurant.

Loved it! Food was outstanding. Some exciting vegan choices and so tasty. The staff were also exceptional and friendly. Had a lovely evening with friends here. Will definitely come again

Amazing meal, really good service. The squid was incredible, highly recommended.

Amazing food, the brisket sandwich was incredible. Staff were absolutely lovely, they enjoyed chatting to us and the chef appeared to absolutely love her job and creating the dishes. We really enjoyed our lunch here and hope to visit for dinner soon.

Thank you so much for hosting my 18th birthday party! Everyone enjoyed the food, loved the cocktails xx Highly reccomend for larger groups too

Interesting food with very distinct spicy not hot favours. I enjoyed the experience...but I think I will opt for cocktails and beer to compliment the spicies

Fantastic birthday meal, really enjoyable. Couldn't fault the service or the food.

I was thrilled by the exciting new flavors I experienced in an enjoyable environment.

Love! Love! Love! Came here with a friend for lunch, sat near the kitchen so could see the magic happen! Staff so friendly, head chef was fantastic. I had questions about parts of the menu as I eat a plant based diet and he was SO helpful and nothing was too much hassle. Heard great things about this place and it over exceeded my expectations. Will make the journey from London to Hastings specifically for this restaurant. Cannot recommend enough!

Had a fabulous brunch here today so had to review. Menu is creative and offers a twist on the normal offerings. Creative food which looks and tastes amazing. Lovely staff. Cant wait to return for dinner!

Almost a year since my last review and this restaurant is still wowing me. Started our Christmas holiday meal with cocktails, then two bottles of wine and plenty of food (came to under £50 a head). The menu had been changed a little but everything we tried was delicious, All our party were blown away by the banana blossom curry. I assumed it had meat in it but it was just banana - absolutely delicious. Was disappointed the chai ice cream had run out but I'll have that next time. Will always try to get a table at this restaurant when I can. The staff are delightful too.

Recently, my sister and I, had the opportunity to visit Colombo 16. This restaurant served fusion Sri Lankan food. During our short stay in Hastings, we booked in for one brunch and 2 dinners on 24 & 25 November 2023. Our birthplace is Sri Lanka, hence we were used to Sri Lankan culinary food. For many years we lived away from Sri Lanka. Tasting the food at Colombo 16 had a flash back of our childhood and the food we were used to. The food served brought in flavours of traditional food but with a fusion which complimented the original recipes. The polos curry (young jak) along with sweet potato puree was so amazing as both vegetables did blend very well. Moreover, the small plate served was just the right portion to enjoy a meal. Additionally, you could order rice as a side dish. The flavour and the texture of the mutton curry was way above one's imagination. The aubergine dish was amazing too. Every dish that had a Sri Lankan base was excellent. Our best wishes to the young Chef who initiated the extraordinary theme of introducing the natural flavours of the Sri Lankan cuisine with a twist, to the western world.

An unexpectedly great little find!! Vegetarian fry up (with added bacon) was AMAZING

This is absolutely the best restaurant we’ve visited for *months*! Brilliant service. Our waitress ordered everything for us as we had no clue and it was all delicious. A little on the spicy side for some of us but not a problem. If you’ve not tried this place yet, just book it now. You won’t regret it!

Recommended by a friend- thanks -had the Brunch C16 Breakfast - best breakfast I’ve ever had!! The chef bought me out some extra chilli 🌶️ which was awesome. Well done 👏 Will definitely be coming back here!!

Beuatiful and accomodating. Food was incredible and catered perfectly for GF

Food is good, if pricey, though dishes arrive in odd order. Not sure why sambals consistently come at the end of the meal instead of start so you can eat them with the dishes. When ordering the oyster mushroom dish be forewarned - it is blisteringly hot! Atmosphere is really loud. The space could use some soft furnishings or acoustic tiles to dampen noise and make it easier to have a conversation with your table mates. Don't bother ordering the desserts. Tiny tarts in store bought pastry cases not worth the money. Mutton curry and Aubergine dish are divine.

We had a wonderful meal here last night. Delicious food, beautifully spiced with every dish having it's own distinctive flavours. Good service and atmosphere too. Would definitely go back to this hidden gem.

Food was so incredibly tasty! So unique, every dish was a flavour explosion. I've definitely never tasted anything like it.

A beautiful restaurant on the seafront with one of the most delicious aubergine dishes I've ever eaten. We booked for Friday night dinner and I'm glad we did, it is rightly very popular. I'm looking forward to coming back

This is an absolute find. Fresh, zingy small plates, great service, lovely environment. Honestly one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. I will be back!

I visited with my son Nate and his family. Caleb you did your Mum and Grandmother proud. The many dishes you served us was an explosion of incredible flavours and you exceeded my expectations tenfold. Thank you for sharing your culture and cuisine and l applaud you for showcasing your dishes using ingredients from your homeland. It was Thursday and your restaurant was full...congratulations. If you came to Australia you would make a killing....my only regret was going home the following day otherwise l would have come back!

Just left this brilliant restaurant. From the moment we arrived we were greeted by friendly, smiling faces. The decor looks so cool and industrial with a cosy vibe. We had the window seats so got to people watch whilst waiting for our food. Highly recommend the Chenin blanc! Really easy to drink. Now the best bit the food!! We had the oyster mushrooms, dhal, aubergines and spring greens with popadoms on the side. Perfect amount for 2 people without feeling uncomfortably stuffed. Every bite was delicious, the chefs presentation was gorgeous and the flavours made us both want to book a table for brunch immediately! Lots of vegan options which is brilliant for the area. Highly recommend and will definitely be back soon! Thanks Chef and the whole team, you’re all doing a great job!

Best breakfast I have ever eaten out, the flavour was amazing. The atmosphere and service were wonderful. Definitely will eat here again. Wow the coffee!!!! So good.

Their croissants are fantastic. Especially the plum jam filled. What a find.

What a fantastic Sri Lankan restaurant! The food was outstanding and the service really lovely. I cannot fault it at all. I loved that the majority of dishes were within a range of hot that I can handle, as often, Sri Lankan food can be a bit too hot for me. I also loved that there are loads of options for vegans. If I lived in Hastings, I'd be here all the time!

Really disappointed that I did not try this place sooner. Damn! I am always moaning about the lack of good places to eat in and around Hastings, especially Asian food. This place is spot on. I would compare it to Dishoom, in London. I’m going to visit regularly from now on. We had the trout to start. AMAZING! Mushroom, chicken and aubergine mains. Nothing was average. Everything food wise was so well thought out. Service was great. I can not wait to go back!

My partner and I have been wanting to come here for a while and so his birthday was a great opportunity to try it out and we were not disappointed! The food is a real experience, full of flavours and textures and beautifully presented. The staff are absolutely lovely. We will absolutely be back!

We came here friday night and just wow! The staff were great and explained the menu so well, helping us make a decision as we wanted to order everything on the menu with how good it sounded. The food was AMAZING, presented beautifully and the taste incredible.. some of the best food we've ever eaten! Cant wait to come back and try some more of the dishes!

Visited here following on from a recommendation and didn’t disappoint. As soon as you walk in and smell the aroma of spices you knew it was going to be good!! The food was absolutely delicious. Belly pork was my favourite along with the cashew nuts. Couldn’t fault anything, staff were friendly and helpful when ordering. We will definitely be returning and introducing friends and family to this super find!

This was absolutely the best breakfast I have eaten out since a long long time. People are super kind and the vibes very chilled. Cant wait to come back!

We had brunch and will definitely be back to try out the dinner menu. The chef is a creative genius! The food pays homage to Sri Lankan flavours with a very innovative twist. The restaurant has an amazing atmosphere and the staff are so warm and welcoming!

Currently the best food in Hastings and St Leonards. Go there immediately and eat!

Amazing food with an interesting twist… will definitely return for more.

We had a delicious meal of small plates. Particularly liked the Dahl, the Spring Green Magull and the Mackerel Cutlets. The service was excellent - relaxed, informed and welcoming. Highly recommend

Absolutely fabulous meal, great service, fabulous food and lovely ambience. The chicken curry and pork were both delicious! We'll definitely be back!

This restaurant has potential but is a long way off being good. Looks great inside, albeit very noisy. It embraces the new fad of 'small and sharing plates' which in my experience always means you pay a lot and leave hungry. They make a big point of telling you the food will come out to you when ready, not necessarily together. This indicates a kitchen that can't manage its orders. The dishes varied from delicious to awful. The Pol roti being three small hard tasteless discs served with a heap of butter and the fried aubergine otherwise tasty, ruined by being covered with a massive heap of raw, red onion. My friends loved the chicken curry and the oyster mushrooms were amazing. The staff were friendly but there were real issues with how the orders were processed. We ordered two rice and one came out with most of the order. We chased the other rice and at the same time asked for some more mushrooms to go with the second rice as we'd eaten everything else. The sever had made a point of telling us to order more dishes if we wanted them. The rice then appeared went cold whilst we waited 15 minutes expecting the mushrooms. Eventually we got a server's attention and she seemed at a loss how to help as she said dishes 'stacked up in kitchen ' and she had no microwave to reheat our rice. the solution should have been obvious ' sorry for the delays we'll bring fresh rice with the mushrooms ' would have been the appropriate response. And would cost pence to the restaurant to give us more rice. We subsequently cancelled the mushrooms and asked for the cold uneaten rice to be removed from the bill which they did. The menu is pretty small so they should be able to manage to get the dishes out together. We were only a party if three. Service already added at 12.5 % which does not seem appropriate when it was poor. We left feeling hungry

No reservation but luckily was given the last table - this was 7pm on Sat so would definitely advise booking at the weekend. Delicious food and friendly attentive staff. Dhal and coconut roti were our faves, devilled beef was so tasty but very spicy, even for us who enjoy spicy foods - so definitely look at their chilli ratings which we didn’t, so totally our fault. We only wished they did a yoghurt based side to help us out with the beef. However we cannot wait to return and are so happy Columbo 16 is in St Leonard’s!

This place bucks the trend, offering good food, cooked on the premises and flavoured to perfection. The C16 is without doubt the best brunch dish in Sussex: no fat or grease but perfectly cooked produce with poached eggs. My companion's brisket sandwich was inspired and delicious with a unique flavour. Today was my first visit, without Caleb at the helm and I am delighted to say that today's cooks, doubtless motivated by Caleb's high standards, didn't disappoint. The food was delicious and the service is top class. I love this place, which is such a fantastic part of the St Leonards "vibe."

The food was very nice but it was not authentic Sri Lankan at all. I don't know why they even call themselves a Sri Lankan restaurant. No spice at all. The desserts were cheesecake and tart. No faluda or anything. Not impressed. If you are looking for authentic, don't bother.

This place is amazing. The food was delicious and the staff extremely efficient and friendly. Couldn't fault it. Can't wait to go back.

Outstandingly delicious fare served by a warm and attentive team. Amazing flavours and presentation. The sea trout is especially of note. Worth travelling to. Well done guys.

We visited Columbo 16 last Saturday evening. Our group consisted of 4 adults and 3 teenagers. It was our first time eating in a a Sri Lankan restaurant and we were not disappointed. The food and drink options catered for all of us and it was absolutely delicious. The service was something else. The staff were knowledgable and attentive without being over bearing. We all loved it and will definitely be visiting again. Thank you so much.

We had a fantastic evening at this restaurant. It has a relaxed environment and the tables weren’t crammed together so you didn’t feel like conversations were overheard. We picked three dishes each which was ample. Every dish was completely delicious - particularly recommend the chicken curry, dhal and the cured trout. The staff were all attentive and lovely. We plan to return regularly and take some friends along too. Thank you and good job

Managed to get in on the off-chance and what a charming lovely place, very friendly, yet professional, so it feels special. The food was really well thought out and was delicious. Fish on mango wonderful and esp the beans in coconut curry. Slight off note...

AMAZING! The soft hint of spice in the air greeted us on arrival creating a sense of the exotic! The food was a feast for the eyes. Each dish exceeded our expectations with wonderful layers of flavour. Somehow they even manage to upgrade the humble poppadom. Really friendly staff and deservedly packed on a Saturday evening so the atmosphere was buzzing just like my taste buds! Cannot wait to go back!

Great new restaurant in St Leonards. Tapas-style menu, large portions, spicy and delicious. Packed out when we turned up without booking but the friendly and helpful staff managed to squeeze us in. Good wine list. On our 'favourites' list!

where do I start…food drinks vibes it’s got it all, get ur self down to Colombo16. best grub as far as the eye can see, beautiful sea views authentic flavours of southern asian with coffee and cutles to match. If you can’t bring a date bring a mate I can assure you I you won’t regret it! The staff are great and chefs are never late!

We popped in by chance and were so pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Sri Lankan inspired food. Menu was varied and you’re encouraged to choose different dishes to share. Great flavours and mix of meat, fish & vegetarian options. Hugely satisfying meal!

Outstanding. This was my first visit in a couple of months and I was delighted to find that is even better than it was, when I first visited. Unusually for me, I simply can't find fault as the food is delicious, the service excellent and...

This place is fantastic. If you're looking for an intimate night out, I highly recommend. The food is exquisite, but the standout had to be the pork Belly! Its tapas style so you'd order 5/6 dishes and there is enough choice to suit all. A real asset to st leonards. Hit up cactus hound for a tequila based cocktail first and you'll have a winning night.

Visited for a late Saturday dinner and the whole meal was delicious. We had the mutton cutlet (kind of like a croquette), the whiting, the aubergine, the chicken curry, the dhal, rice some cashews and some poppadoms. I honestly couldn't tell you which dish we liked most as they were all so good! The food prices were very reasonable, though we added a couple of very good cocktails which bumped the total by £20. I really recommend a visit.

I visited last weekend for a friend's birthday. We were a large booking of 12 people. I was very impressed with everything, from the service, the setting, and the quality of food. The servers were all friendly and attentive, and the food was amazing. There were no complaints around the table, and it all looked delicious. I had the 'Grandma's Chicken Curry' and it was incredible - I'd say the best chicken curry I've had in a long time! Highly recommend this restaurant, and I hope to visit again when I am next in Hastings.

Don’t let the lack of google reviews put you off because this is a gem! It was fully booked, so wondering if locals are keeping this to themselves 😂👀 Delicious sharing plates, highlights included the beetroot curry and the green beans. Only criticism is the roti - wasn’t authentic roti and was a bit of a basic plain naan. Recommend they change that/you skip ordering those and get something else. Highly recommend!

Super delicious food, attentive staff, and great vibe to the restaurant. Fried Island Aubergine is a must. Would highly recommend a visit!

Fabulous Sri Lankan dishes - so tasty! Amazing service and a great menu. So in love with the beef curry dish. Columbo 16, open a branch near me please!