Sri Lanka to Staten Island
What this foodstroll is
Ride the ferry to our favorite Sri Lankan restaurant in NYC!
Why this foodstroll works
We like the fact that the island nation of Sri Lanka is best represented locally by NYC’s own island nation, Staten Island. And while it may be no tropical paradise, Staten Island isn’t short of things to do in an afternoon. Even if you focus on just the east coast along Bay St, you’ll find several great parks and historical places, not to mention the largest concentration of Sri Lankan diaspora in the United States. The food is inexpensive, and everything else is free, so if you’re looking for a family and budget friendly adventure, this should be high on your list.
Strolling
We love all ferries, especially when they’re free. The Staten Island Ferry conveniently runs every thirty minutes on weekends, 24 hours a day! We can only imagine what the 4am ride from Manhattan looks like on a Saturday night. The ride itself is 20 minutes of picturesque perfection, passing the Statue of Liberty and Governors Island along the way.
It’s much quicker and cheaper than visiting Liberty Island, and while you might not get the same historical immersion, just remember the highlights…. Dedicated in 1886 as a gift from the people of France to the people of The United States, the statue portrays a woman walking forward, in part to symbolize a country emerging from the Civil War. It came to be closely identified with immigration into the USA, as memorialized by the words of Emma Lazarus’ "The New Colossus" (1883) - “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”.
Fort Wadsworth is a collection of fortifications on Staten Island which were meant to protect New York Harbor and Manhattan from attack by sea. It was occupied by the British during the Revolutionary War, untested during The War of 1812, and remained an active military installation until 1994.
You can walk the area in about an hour and see everything, including Battery Weed. When operational, it had four tiers from which 116 canons could be aimed toward the sea. After the British evacuated New York in 1783, thanks to these forts, along with others in Brooklyn, Governor’s Island, and Battery Park, no navy ever attempted to attack New York City again.
Stapleton Waterfront Park is a small area right outside Egger’s Ice Cream Parlor. It’s a cool place to see Manhattan and Brooklyn, and watch the ships resting in New York Harbor. The Verrazzano Bridge in the background was the longest suspension bridge in the world between 1964 and 1981.
The National Lighthouse Museum is an unassuming little spot next to the ferry terminal where you can gather some interesting information about the history and importance of lighthouses. The staff, all lighthouse enthusiasts, are very knowledgeable.
Food Spots
1. Lakruwana
Lakruwana is the best Sri Lankan restaurant in NYC that we know of. They have indoor and outdoor seating, and the only thing as good as the food is the elaborately decorated interior, which looks like a museum. Traditional Sri Lankan beverages like Mango and Passion Fruit Juice are popular with our kids.
The Assorted Sri Lankan Appetizer are a variety of fish and vegetable croquettes. They have a mild heat level, but our kids will eat them anyway.
Most menu items at Lakruwana can be ordered mild, medium, or hot. A good thing, because when they say hot in Sri Lanka they mean business. If you order the Spicy Sizzler, we recommend medium.
Kottu Roti is a traditional dish that kind of reminds us of Pad Thai. It’s stir fried carbs with onion, garlic, chilies, and egg, only instead of rice noodles, it’s made with shredded roti bread.
If you’re introducing Sri Lankan food to your kids for the first time, Kottu Roti is a good place to start. With curry sauce on the side, it’s very mild, and our kids just assume they’re eating pasta.
Lamprais is an intricately prepared dish where ingredients are cooked separately at first and then combined in a banana leaf and cooked again. It’s our favorite thing at Lakruwana, but be careful with how spicy you order it.
If you’re a risk taker, try ordering the Lamprais at full heat. You’ll make it about this far.
String Hopper Kottu (left) is similar to Kottu Roti, only rice noodles take the place of shredded roti. Sri Lankan Biriyani (right), not to be confused with Indian or Pakistani Biryani, tends to be spicier than it’s cousins.
There’s nothing Sri Lankan about ice cream that we know of, but your Foodstroll wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Egger’s, the 88 year old Staten Island only chain.
We know you may not be craving ice cream in the Winter, but we trust your kids won’t mind.
Transportation
The Staten Island Ferry terminal in Manhattan is right across the street from the Whitehall St - South Ferry subway station (1 and R trains). Ferry schedules are here.
The St George ferry terminal and Fort Wadsworth are 3.5 miles apart down Bay St, and the S51 bus connects them at all times. Both food spots are about half way between the terminal and Fort Wadsworth, so you could use a combination of walking and buses. All the places are quick Uber/Lyft from one another.