Sigiri New York City

First time at Sigiri and enjoyed every bit of food. They were fresh, nicely seasoned and tickled my tongue with its authentic taste. We kept eating, and bought more to take home. I would recommend Sigiri Sri Lanka resturant to anyone. Best in everyway. Only downside is they don't sell alcohol and you have to pay in cash. But it's worth it. You can bring your own liquor.

Sigiri is a Sri Lankan restaurant, planted amongst Indian restaurants in the East Village. a walk-up restaurant from the sidewalk—small/medium space full of warm colors, some Sri Lankan decor items. the vibe is casual and welcoming. the menu of Sri Lankan dishes is small but but offers a lot of range. however, the general theme is relatively spicy hot even when asking for “mild”—the entrees errs toward bringing the heat. you were warned! faves for appetizers: the fish cutlets and/or fried spring rolls. both are deep-fried and have crunch exteriors—each filled with a unique savory filling. each is great as a starter. faves for entrees: chicken lamprais, dish of rice, chicken, eggs, eggplant, and a bunch of other foods baked in banana leaf. it’s awesome. Kothu roti, shredded roti bread stir fried with veggies, spices, eggs, and more. you can chicken or beef added in but the vegetarian version is perfectly delicious and the way i prefer it. deviled chicken is basically a sautée of chicken, veggies, and tomatoes in a bunch of Sri Lankan spices, served with rice on the side. savory, flavorful. all curries are tasty / spicy if you are looking for something more simple. all are coconut milk based. i prefer the chicken or prawn. the Aapas— which is more of a shareable side dish are great. bowl-shaped pancakes served with either a onion sambol or coconut sambol. i like ordering these with any of the curry dishes and dipping pieces of the pancake in or just pour a little bit of the curry in the whole pancake. definitely sharing is both caring and the way to go in terms sampling the breadth of the menu. the kitchen being slow is a constant at Sigiri. most of the dishes just have long cook times and factor in multiple tables ordering dishes like that will eventually cause a traffic jam of orders. that is just a fact that can’t be cured. and nor should anyone want the kitchen to speed up bc the food will suffer in terms of quality. my best advice is to come to Sigiri just as they open for lunch or dinner—the kitchen will still move slow but you won’t be a stacked-up behind a ton of other orders. no amount of complaining will speed up the food, Karen. it’s just the way. the service itself is friendly and casual—home-style in ways. it’s like eating at a friend’s place waiting as the smells of mom’s cooking permeate the home and your stomach growls. there’s not a lot of formality or pretense. the food is ready when it’s ready and there’s no way to rush that. again, prepare to wait.