The Empire Cafe is located in the heart of Kandy right next to the Temple of the Tooth. We are open from 8.30 am to 8.30 pm, serving relaxed cafe-style food.

If you are searching for restaurants in Kandy city, escape the crowds and slip down Temple Road where you will spot the glowing pink and turquoise haven that is the Empire Café. Take a seat on the breezy verandah over-looking the Temple of the Tooth, indulge and spend hours watching the world go by.

The café is housed in the colonial, Olde Empire Hotel a designated UN conserved building that has been around since the 1890s. During its time the Olde Empire building has been used as a coffee factory (Kopi Kade), a rollicking pub and since the 1970’s a tourist guesthouse and restaurant frequented by lawyers and legal workers from the once neighboring district court and many others. In January 2014 Manor House Concepts took over the lower floor of the building and renovated it into the now vibrant Empire Café, one of the best restaurants in Kandy.

For restaurants in Kandy Sri Lanka, only the freshest and locally sourced ingredients are used in our menu and we aim to adapt our dishes to the seasonal produce available to us. We offer a selection of Sri Lankan, Western and our signature Empire Classic with a Lankan twist, which will keep you fuelled to take on the sights and sounds of Kandy.