This isn’t Takeout Lanka’s first time in Colombo, previously setting up shop at Union Place about 2 years back, their food was average at best. However, their glow up has been marvellous! Takeout Lanka is actually a Bangladeshi brand; starting out in Dhaka they quickly became popular because of their focus on customer service and fresh produce. Speaking to their head of business development we learned that this outlet is their 6^th branch and 1^st international branch. We were also told that the company focuses on producing high-quality food by utilizing the best of the local ingredients and community – from the vegetables to the chefs, everything and everyone was sourced right here in Sri Lanka. Takeout Lanka also prides itself on creating lasting and close relationships with their community and customers.

Drinks

Takeout Lanka is a halal restaurant and doesn’t serve any alcohol, but we did try one of their milkshakes

Chocolate wafer – LKR 450

Described by the waiter as a ‘Kit-Kat’ milkshake, we were super excited to try this out and let me tell you, this was AMAZING! it balanced the flavours of chocolaty goodness with hints of savoury wafer. The milkshake wasn’t overly thick and had some chunks of Kit-Kat in it – which got stuck in the straw sometimes but in true chocoholic fashion I just fished it out with a fork, we honestly couldn’t get enough of this milkshake – it’s a must-try.

Appetizers 

Fries – regular – LKR 200

When you get a good plate of fries, it’s impossible to be unhappy about anything. These fries were served to us piping hot and perfectly fried, and they were well seasoned with chilli and salt giving you a little tingle with every bite. With a side of a tangy thousand island-like sauce – this was simple yet golden. 

Mains

Take Out Lanka only does burgers – their menu has about 13 burgers: 6 beef, 6 chicken and one veggie burger.

BBQ Beef Burger with Cheese – LKR 500

We were given the choice of mild, spicy, or extra spicy as sauce options for this burger and in true Sri Lankan fashion we opted for the extra spicy. The Burger itself was decently sized with a nice, fat, cheese-topped patty in a soft toasted sesame bun with all the fixings ( lettuce, tomato onions). The patty was juicy, perfectly cooked and tasted deliciously smoky. The BBQ sauce added a mild peppery sweetness to the patty, and the extra spicy sauce was essentially a nai miris sauce, which packed a fiery punch – which if you’re a fan of anything spicy this would be the bomb – it had me sweating a little but I couldn’t put it down.

Chicken Burger with Cheese – LKR 400

This burger did not have a regular chicken patty, instead in place of a patty we got a juicy fillet of chicken, grilled to perfection. Again we were given a choice for the spiciness of our sauce, and for variety, we opted for just spicy, and it was fantastic, the spicy tangy sauce complemented the grilled chicken so well, it was fresh, light and was one of the best spicy chicken burgers we’ve had recently. This fillet was so juicy that with every bite the juices ran down our hands, but we just mopped the juices up with the burger bun and fries.  

Veggie Burger – LKR400

This was an interesting burger, the patty itself was huge, filled with veggies like corn, peas, chickpeas and potato. The intermingled larger pieces of vegetable was a good contrast in texture to the soft patty and crispy outer coating, which was much appreciated because usually veggie burgers are mushy and have little to no structural integrity. Again this was served on a toasty sesame bun, this burger came with its own special sauce, which was spicy, tangy, and salty, I wasn’t the biggest fan but it worked well with the flavours in the veggie patty. If you feel like having burgers with your friend this option allows your vegetarian friend to join in the festivities.

Ambience and service

Now occupying what used to be Mexican House, Takeout Lanka has a spacious colourful interior. Brightly lit and fully air-conditioned the ambience was welcoming, and aesthetically pleasing.

The place runs very smoothly with attentive, polite staff who took time to talk to us, walk us through the restaurant’s beginnings and also encourage us to come by again. Their burgers are available on uber eats, but it’s worth it to go to the actual restaurant because you’ll leave full and having made some new friends.

Tip –If you love some heat on your burger get the extra spicy sauce, and don’t forget to order that Chocolate Wafer Milkshake – the combo is stellar.