46, Sri Kathiresan Street, Pettah
Open 12:00PM to 4:00PM & 6:00PM to 10:00PM
Mayura Hotel serves great rice and curry on banana leaves, and excellent Jaffna crab.
Mayura Hotel is an epic place to stop by for some of the best crab we've had in ages. Just step aside, Ministry of Crab, Yaal and Yarl, you're no match for this little hole-in-the-wall inside Pettah's marketplace.
They only serve rice and curry here - with whatever side you'd like, whether egg, chicken mutton or seafood. The prices are from Rs. 170 to Rs. 390 (the highest being for crab). It's all served on a banana leaf, and though we just made a trip for the crab really (having heard of its fame in these parts), we were pleasantly surprised by how delicious the rice and curry itself was. Much fresher than rice and curry usually served in bath kades, and served with veggie sides, parippu and a nice omelet.
So let's get to the crab! It arrives bright red and looking spicy as ever with a side of dynamite crab curry (my favourite part). Now usually crabs piss me off because they're so delicious but you need to pick at them incessantly and I personally don't feel like there's ever enough meat in there to compensate for all the manual labour it took to retrieve it. This crab, though not jumbo or anything, an ordinary size, was loaded with meat.
Look at this fat guy. Whether at the center or at the claws, there was plenty of meat for a proper satisfying filling meal. The meat was extremely soft, spicy, and as authentic as Jaffna crab curry gets. Zero complaints about this meal, absolutely worth the trip. Plus, being so excellently prepared, you don't have to sell your soul for a bajillion bucks to pay for the meal like at Ministry of Crab for example. Just a crab without rice costs Rs. 300.
Mayura Hotel is a little kade you would never suspect of containing such superb cuisine if you were just strolling by. It's quite small, clean, but for obvious reasons, can get very crowded for lunch and dinner.
This is a crowded lunch hour. It's loaded with men probably from nearby businesses in this Pettah hub. The tables and chairs despite the crowd are kept very clean and service was great (everything arrived super fast), with just a few Tamil staff running the whole show. You'll see them walking around with big tins of steaming rice, ladling them onto banana leaves.
How you order is you just go to the end of the shop and tell the guy what you want and they've got a prepared batch of everything, though the omelettes come hot-hot. This is also where they pack it up for you if you want to take-away, like a lot of people do, if you don't like the crowded atmosphere.
Mayura Hotel crab and rice and curry were pretty amazing. If you're on the lookout for good rice and curry, and excellent crab, we definitely recommend take-aways from here.
Address
46, Sri Kathiresan Street, Pettah
Directions
Sri Kathiresan Street is very near the Central Gold Market in Pettah, it's just a skip away from the Main Street roundabout. Walk down from that end and you'll find it on your right.
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Open 12:00PM to 4:00PM & 6:00PM to 10:00PM
Price Range
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Ratings Breakdown
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Douche
Yes. Bajillion is a word.
Shifani
Totes.
foodie
Shifani, " a few tamil staff running the show" ?? I think it's racist. Why not say, " a few staff " ? Do you always refer to people's ethnicity when you write reviews?
Shifani
@foodie, I'm sorry if that sounded racist. If it was a Muslim-run joint I would have mentioned that too - some places have their own distinct personality, like the Kandy Muslim Hotel for example. It's a lovely thing though.
foodie
Thank you. Appreciate your explanation…
Krypto
is the jaffna hotel "Jeyashri" right next door still there?
would you say the crab is better here?
Athula R
Have you done a review on the Kandy Muslim hotel . Will be SL soon for new year and drop the overrated crab joints and try Mayura. Muslim hotel had a mean Bistake on the 60's!
Arjuna Cooray
Not sure whether it's Muslim / Tamil or Sinhalese running the show, all what matters is the food, how it tastes and the quality as far as I know. For me the food amazing, so taty
Oh nice hotel
Suzette
Loved their rice and curry… The crab was the best with so much of meat in it!
Aruna
Had the crab and fried fish lunch. Delicious!! Each curry had its own distinct flavour. Brilliant!! Highly Recommended.
Haz
Crab is so juicy and full of meat. I didn't like the ambiance and the seating there. However, I forgot all about that once I had the Crab and Fried fish, mutton curry and the omelette… amazing food!!
Kushan J
Went there for the lunch today. We have ordered the crab meal with samba rice and an omelette. Crab was not that big but was tasty and soft. But honestly it was not kind of big deal for me, but it's worth the price you pay, 480 per person.
One important thing once you finished is, you need to put your kesel kole to the bin there by your self.
That was not something I have done in any other places so far (but only at home :) )
Sivasharmilan Sivanesan
hands down best crab curry in sri lanka … yes ive tried ministry
Suresh
Went there today. The crab rice and curry was tasty but cost a cool Rs. 750 so prices have gone up.