The 10 Tastings of Kandy With Locals: Private Street Food Tour
Description
Eat your way through Kandy's culinary scene on a private food tour. Go on a delicious journey as you try 10 of the best food items beloved by the locals: from savory to sweet and local drinks; this tour will leave every foodie satisfied! Enjoy tastings typical of the local cuisine and hand-picked by a local guide passionate about food like King Coconut and Chicken or Veggie Kotu. But that's not it! This tour is more than just food; it's a cultural experience! In between food stops, you'll also find city highlights making this experience a well-rounded tour that will satisfy every foodie. Withlocals The 10 Tastings Private Food Tour™ is one of Withlocals' signature tours available in major cities worldwide. We work with passionate local guides who earn a fair fee. We support local economies by only offering local produce and prevent over-tourism with only small non-intrusive groups. Our tours are carbon-neutral and away from the standard.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Fruity Flavors: Find your first tasting on the Kandy market, the perfect place to see the life of the locals and also the best spot to try some delicious local fruits Open Sesame: What better way to satisfy your sweet tooth than by enjoying some Sri Lankan candy, which is known to be a healthy sweetmeat containing sesame seeds and jaggery Buffalo Curd: Try some buffalo curd, a thick and smooth snack that’s perfectly complemented with a special sweet syrup and served on a clay cup - it is simply divine!
Prison Break: While making your way to the next delicious tasting, pass by this historical spot of which your local host will tell you the story behind, including the colonial architecture
Amazing Viewpoint: Join your local to this breathtaking viewpoint over the lake, where it’s optional for you to take a ride in one of the Joy Boats!
This stop might be included in the tour depending on the route your host takes
This stop might be included in the tour depending on the route your host takes
This stop might be included in the tour depending on the route your host takes
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Private tour: only you & your local guide
- Includes city highlights in between food stops
- Alternatives offered for those with dietary restrictions
Reviews(85)
The food tour with Rasheed was super informative. He is a native of Kandy and was able to explain a lot about the city and the food. We tried many different specialties and you should definitely come hungry.
Rashid made this tasting tour great in Kandy. We went to the local food plaza where local artisans prepared authentic Sri-Lankan food. We actually were swamped with food - highly recommended
I enjoyed the fresh food market tastings except I don’t think it’s necessary to taste all 6 banana varieties. It was filling but not the most interesting aspect about Sri Lankan food surely. I also don’t eat a lot of sugar so didn’t enjoy the sweet tastings. The savoury food tastings were all deep fried things. I don’t eat deep fried food normally. It would have been better if one of the lady cooks at the food stall came and explained how they made the dishes. The experience would have been better if the guide asked more questions about what types of food I wanted to taste. I was expecting more detail about the ingredients and how dishes were made. Perhaps add some curries and other savouries besides deep fried things. It was a very wet evening, the guide had an umbrella for himself but did not provide one for me. He also asked me to pay for some snacks as I was catching the train the next day. Given the gist if this tour I would expect the guide to offer the snacks as a gift. I didn’t feel it was value for money at all. I was asked at the end what was I going to eat for dinner. I was surprised by this question because this food tour was intended to be my dinner given the high cost of the tour. I had paid enough money for this to be a full dinner. I was full but not very impressed or satisfied. The best food tour guides I have experienced in various countries around the world are passionate and knowledgeable about the dishes they cook. They also go out if their way to make you feel taken care of. Both of these elements were missing in this case. I would like to request a refund.
Dear guest, Thank you for taking the time to share such thoughtful and detailed feedback. We are truly sorry to hear that your food tour in Kandy did not feel as personal, enriching, or satisfying as you had hoped. Our hosts are usually very happy to customize their tours according to guests’ dietary needs and preferences, and they can adapt tastings when they have a clearer sense of what someone enjoys or avoids. We are sorry that this was not explored more with you, and we are sure the host would have tried to adjust the experience had he known more about your preferences from the start. We also hear your concerns about the balance of tastings, the level of explanation, and the overall feeling of care during a rainy evening. These elements are an important part of what we want our experiences to offer, and we are sorry to hear that they fell short for you. Thank you again for sharing your perspective. Feedback like yours helps us continue improving so future guests can enjoy the passion, warmth, and customization that define a great Withlocals tour. Kind regards, The Withlocals Team
150 euros (176,000 LKR) for four street food snacks and a stop at an old local snack bar. That's ridiculous. The guide does his best and was super but probably goes home with a few rupees, while Viator misleads the place here. This is just a scam. NEVER BOOK
Dear Freek, Thank you for your feedback. I’m glad to hear you appreciated the effort of your guide, though I regret you felt the experience did not deliver the value you expected. I do want to clarify one important point: guides on our platform are fairly compensated, as we are committed to supporting our local partners and ensuring their work is rewarded properly. That said, your comments about the food variety and overall value are taken seriously. We will review the experience with our local team to make sure the tastings and presentation better reflect the price and give guests a clear understanding of what is included. We appreciate you sharing your perspective, as it helps us improve both transparency and quality for future guests. Kind regards, The Withlocals Team
Our street food tour with Buddhima was wonderful. Buddhima is so lovely, generous and knowledgeable, it was like spending the evening with a good friend, who took great care of us. Buddhima introduced us to lots of different foods, answered all our many questions, and shared so much about life in Sri Lanka. She also gave us some great tips for the rest of our trip. If we return to Kandy we would definitely do the tour again - there is always more food to discover. We have already recommended Buddhima's tour to other travellers.
My mother and I were in Kandy for our first night in Sri Lanka so opted for a food tour with Chandana and had a lovely evening. Chandana is very knowledgeable, friendly and kind and his choice of food was perfect. We had the opportunity to try many local Sri Lankan dishes at a variety of restaurants and markets, learned a lot about Sri Lanka, the culture, people and history and enjoyed getting to know Chandana. By the end of the tour, we were full and happy!
The food was great and there was plenty of it but all the locations that’s in the itinerary we did not go to we just walked around the city for 3 hours
Hi Emma, Thank you for your feedback. While we're glad you enjoyed the food, we're sorry to hear that the itinerary did not match your expectations. We aim to provide a well-balanced experience, and we regret that the tour felt more like a walk than the planned visits. Your comments are valuable, and we will review them to ensure future guests have a more fulfilling experience. We appreciate you sharing your thoughts and hope to improve. Cheers, Withlocals Team
Really enjoyed this tour, great tastings of local foods and a look around the markets. Chandan was a great host and provided a great commentary.
Omir (our guide) was great. We learned about the different foods and the Sri Lanka culture. You definitely need to come hungry!
Me and my wife really enjoyed our food tour with Buddhima. We had asked her to take us to places that served food with a spice level the locals eat, and she really delivered. The food was delicious and Buddhimas company and our conversations with her throughout the tour was a highlight of our stay in Sri Lanka. Would highly recommend to anyone passing through Kandy.
