Kid-friendly restaurants in Hiriketiya and Dikwella

Hiriketiya and Dikwella have plenty of places where children are welcome, though few have a kids' menu or a high chair. Here are nine that suit a family, what each is good for, and what to ask before you sit down.

How to read this list

This guide is written by Ohana. We are on the list, and we say where we think we fit.

One thing first, from a parent who writes about Hiriketiya and visits with a toddler: most places here have no children's menu and no high chair, and most cafes will make a babyccino. So a place earns its spot on this list with space, a calm corner, or simple food, more than with a special menu.

We give no prices or hours for other places, because they change. Every place here appeared open in 2026 on its own site or in recent guides. Send a message before you go, most of all outside the high months.

Where is there sand or a garden to move in?

• Ohana, Turtle Beach, Dikwella. Ours is a beach restaurant in a private beach garden on a calm round bay, less than five minutes by road from Hiriketiya. There are two swings under the palms, shade, tables on the sand, and five beach dogs who live here. Food is not spicy unless the dish says so, there is a Little Ones menu served all day, and no alcohol is served. We suit families who want to stay for hours, from breakfast until an early dinner.
• Malkoha, Dikwella. A specialty coffee place at Pehebiya, the east end of Dikwella beach, in a garden with a view of the sea, serving breakfast and lunch. Guides describe it as quieter than Hiriketiya, and a parent's guide suggests its avocado toast for children. It also has a bar. It suits parents who care about their coffee.
• La Playa, Hiriketiya. Right on the sand of Hiriketiya beach, with pizza from a wood oven, pasta and seafood. A parent's guide names the pasta and the plain pizza for children, and the bean bags on the beach. It is a beach club with music and a bar, so it suits families who like some life around them, earlier in the day.

Which cafes work for breakfast and brunch?

• BUNCH, Hiriketiya. A vegetarian and vegan brunch cafe on the beach road with seating in a leafy garden: rosti, smoothie bowls, toasts and crepes. One guide lists it as good for families. It suits a slow breakfast with children who like fruit and pancakes.
• La Luna, Hiriketiya. A spacious open-air cafe just behind the beach, with brunch plates and coffee by day and pizza in the evening. A parent's guide suggests its avocado toast for children. It suits families who want room around the table.
• Salt House, Hiriketiya. A guest house with a cafe that serves brunch through the day, mixing Sri Lankan and international dishes, with pasta that guests have praised for children. It suits a late breakfast after a parent's yoga class.
• Malu Poke, Hiriketiya. Bowls built to order, smoothie bowls and juices. A parent's guide names the smoothie bowls for children, and a bowl you build yourself is useful with a child who eats only three things.

Which hotel tables are worth a call?

• Jasper House, Hiriketiya. A small hotel a short walk from the bay. Its own pages say the restaurant offers high chairs, children's cutlery, kid-friendly dishes and early dining times for families with small children. Ask whether the table is open to guests who are not staying.
• Halcyon Mawella, Mawella. A hotel on Mawella bay, about fifteen minutes east by tuk-tuk, with a beachfront restaurant where seafood leads. A parent's guide praises its kids' menu. Call ahead to ask whether outside guests with children are welcome that day.

For an evening with music, surf talk and a crowd, Hiriketiya's beach front suits better than we do. Go early with children, and come to us for the calm day.

What should you ask before you go?

• Is there a high chair? If not, a fabric travel seat that ties to a chair weighs almost nothing in a bag.
• Can the kitchen cook without chilli? Almost every kitchen here will. Say it for each dish. We explain what is mild in what children eat in Sri Lanka.
• How long does the food take? Kitchens here cook to order. Order for the children first.
• Is there music tonight? Some places are calm at noon and loud after dark.
• Where is the shade at midday?

What is on our Little Ones menu?

• Kids Fish and Fries, 2,800 LKR. Real snapper, cut into fingers here and coated in crunchy crumbs, with fries and our own mayo for dipping.
• Kids American Pancakes, 1,800 LKR. Small, soft and fluffy, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and our own chocolate sauce.
• Kids Toast and Eggs, 1,500 LKR. Eggs boiled firm and halved, with sourdough toast cut into little triangles for small hands.
• Little Watermelon, 800 LKR. Fresh watermelon juice in a child-sized glass with a straw.
• Babyccino, free. Warm frothy milk in a small cup, with no coffee in it.

The Little Ones are served all day, from 08:00 to 21:00.

For the whole table, the Ohana Family Breakfast, 21,900 LKR, is a little of everything for two grown-ups and one or two children, with nothing spicy. Later in the day, the Grilled Catch of the Day, 7,900 LKR, and French Fries, 1,800 LKR, are easy to share. We have high chairs, a changing table and snorkel masks in children's sizes, and the kitchen leaves the chilli out on request.

The full menu lists the allergens of every dish. A whole family day with us is described in Dikwella with kids, and on our page for families on the south coast with kids.

Good to know

• Ohana is at Turtle Beach, Dikwella, less than five minutes by road from Hiriketiya.
• Breakfast is served from 08:00 to 11:00, lunch and dinner from 11:00 to 21:00, every day.
• Food is not spicy unless the dish says so. No alcohol is served.
• Prices are in LKR, plus a 10% service charge. Filtered water is on the house.
• Sunbeds are free for the whole day, one for each person, when each person spends 10,000 LKR on food and drinks; otherwise they cost 1,000 LKR an hour each. A towel comes with every sunbed.