Hambu Café's upper deck and container building nestled beneath the jungle canopy in Girithale, Polonnaruwa

Girithale Lake · Polonnaruwa · Sri Lanka

A café & restaurant built into the jungle canopy, on the Girithale lake front.

Hambu is a small, nature-first café and restaurant on the Girithale lake front — reclaimed shipping containers and thatched pavilions tucked among the trees, home-style Sri Lankan cooking, live wood-fire cooking you can watch or join any time, a hands-on pottery workshop, and quiet views over Girithale tank, just off the road between Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya and Dambulla.

Get Directions See the Menu
3Signature experiences
1Tank-side deck
100%Sri Lankan kitchen

Our Story

Grown into the trees, not built over them.

Hambu started as a single container tucked under the jungle canopy in Girithale and grew upward and outward — a second-level deck, a thatched pavilion, a circular concrete nook, all threaded between the trunks of the trees that were already here.

Inside, the personality is hand-painted straight onto the walls: chalkboard puns, coffee quotes and a wood-carved Hambu sign behind the counter. Outside, string lights and the sound of the Girithale lake front take over once the sun goes down.

"Good day starts with coffee." — painted on the wall behind our counter

Hambu Café's multi-level container and wood building surrounded by dense jungle trees
Staircase winding up through jungle plants to Hambu Café's upper deck, built between the trees
Rusted scrap-metal Hambu sign mounted on a garden wall at the café entrance
Wood-carved Hambu sign on the counter wall, with hand-painted chalkboard art behind
Open wooden double doors set into a brick wall at Hambu Café's entrance
Wooden benches and tables on Hambu Café's upper deck overlooking the jungle and a pond
Elevated walkway beside a lily pond leading to Hambu Café's dining deck, surrounded by trees

Beyond the Table

Four experiences worth planning your visit around

The hand loom and wood-fire kitchen are open to visit any time — you can even be trained on the loom or the pottery wheel yourself. The evening ceremony is best arranged ahead, especially for groups passing through the Cultural Triangle.

A local weaver working a traditional hand loom at Hambu Café

Heritage

Hand Loom Weaving

A craft passed down since the days of the legendary Kuweni — we keep a traditional hand loom running on the grounds, still worked by hand exactly as it always has been. Keen to try it? Our weaver is happy to train you on the basics, right at the loom.

  • Watch a local weaver at the loom
  • Guests can be trained on the loom themselves
  • A living link to Sri Lanka's Kuweni-era craft heritage
  • Open to visit any time you're here
A young visitor shaping a bowl on the pottery wheel with a local potter at Hambu Café

Craft

Pottery Wheel Workshop

Sit down at the wheel with a local potter and shape your own piece of clay — a hands-on craft session set right on the café grounds. Our potter trains every guest step by step, from complete beginners to kids as young as five.

  • Guided, hands-on wheel-throwing — guests are trained, not just spectators
  • A favourite with visiting families and kids
  • Best arranged in advance for groups
Coconut sambol ingredients laid out on a traditional grinding stone at Hambu Café

Watch & Taste

Cooking Class

Join our wood-fire kitchen any time we're open — scrape fresh coconut, grind sambol on a traditional stone, and help tend a clay-pot curry over an open flame, then taste what you've made.

  • Hands-on, casual — drop by any time
  • Scrape coconut, grind sambol, tend the fire
  • Message ahead for larger groups
See the Cooking Class
Fire dancer performing during Hambu Café's traditional evening ceremony

After Dark

Traditional Evening Ceremony

As the sun sets, the grounds come alive with fire dancing, live drumming and a buffet dinner served under the canopy — arranged for groups by request.

  • Fire dance performance with live drumming
  • Buffet dinner served under the trees
  • Arranged for groups — book ahead
See the Buffet & Ceremony
An elder artisan in Lulnawa, Anuradhapura training a child on the pottery wheel
An artisan's hands shaping a clay bowl on the pottery wheel
A young artisan in Lulnawa proudly holding a handmade clay piece
SPARK

Social Impact

The clay piece with your meal is a cultural gift

Sri Lanka's pottery heritage is fading. In Lulnawa, Anuradhapura, elder artisans are training rural youth to keep a 1000-year-old craft alive — and the clay piece served with your meal at Hambu is purchased directly from them as part of the SPARK Project. Every meal here helps preserve this tradition.

Meet the Artisans

Plan Your Visit

Come find us under the trees in Girithale.

Whether it's a quiet coffee on the deck or an evening ceremony for your group, we'd love to have you at Hambu.

Get Directions Visit Details

Find Us

Girithale Lake Front, Polonnaruwa

On the Girithale lake front, along the Habarana–Polonnaruwa road, inside Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle — about 45 minutes from Sigiriya and under an hour from Dambulla.

Location

Hambu Café, 54th Mile Post, Girithale, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, on the Girithale lake front — a short stop for anyone travelling between Sigiriya, Dambulla, Polonnaruwa's ancient city and Minneriya / Kaudulla National Parks.

Get Directions

Getting Here

Hambu Café sits on the Habarana–Polonnaruwa road in Girithale, a natural stop in Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle:

  • Polonnaruwa Ancient City — about 12 km (15 min)
  • Habarana — about 25 km (30 min)
  • Sigiriya Rock Fortress — about 43 km (50 min)
  • Dambulla Cave Temple — about 55 km (1 hr)
  • Minneriya National Park — about 15 km (20 min)

Hours

Open daily. The wood-fire kitchen and hand loom are open to visit any time — message ahead to confirm hours for the pottery workshop or the evening ceremony.

Contact & Bookings

Call or WhatsApp +94 77 885 6043, or email contact@hambucafe.com — best for the pottery workshop or the evening ceremony.

Good to Know

Frequently asked questions

Where is Hambu Café located?

Hambu Café is at the 54th mile post in Girithale, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, on the edge of the Girithale tank (reservoir), within Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle.

How can I contact or book a table at Hambu Café?

Call or WhatsApp +94 77 885 6043, or email contact@hambucafe.com. Hambu Café is also on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok as @hambu_cafe.

What food does Hambu Café serve?

Home-style Sri Lankan rice and curry, wok-tossed fried rice, club sandwiches, fresh salads, breakfast bowls, specialty coffee and Ceylon tea.

What makes Hambu Café's design different?

It's built from repurposed shipping containers and thatched pavilions raised into the jungle canopy, with hand-painted signage, industrial-rustic furniture and a two-level deck overlooking the trees and the Girithale tank.

Is Hambu Café right on the Girithale lake front?

Yes. Hambu Café's two-level deck sits on the Girithale lake front, looking out over the Girithale tank (reservoir) through the surrounding jungle canopy — one of the best water views in the area.

Can I book a pottery workshop at Hambu Café?

Yes. Hambu Café offers a hands-on pottery wheel workshop where a local potter trains you at the wheel yourself, popular with visiting families and children. It's best arranged in advance.

Can I see the hand loom weaving at Hambu Café?

Yes. A local weaver works a traditional hand loom on site at Hambu Café, a craft passed down since the days of the legendary Kuweni. It's open to visit any time you're here, and our weaver is happy to train you on the basics yourself.

Can I watch or join live cooking at Hambu Café?

Yes. Hambu Café's wood-fire kitchen is going any time we're open — drop by to watch clay-pot curries and coconut sambol being prepared, or jump in and try it yourself.

Does Hambu Café offer an evening ceremony?

Yes. Hambu Café arranges a traditional evening ceremony with fire dancing, live drumming and a buffet dinner, typically arranged in advance for groups.

Is Hambu Café suitable for tour groups?

Yes, Hambu Café regularly hosts tour groups for meals, pottery workshops, hand loom demonstrations and evening cultural ceremonies. Advance notice is recommended for larger groups.

What are Hambu Café's opening hours?

Hambu Café is open daily; hours can vary seasonally. Message ahead to confirm hours, especially for the pottery workshop or the evening ceremony.

Is Hambu Café close to Polonnaruwa's ancient city or the national parks?

Hambu Café sits in Girithale on the Habarana–Polonnaruwa road, about 12 km (15 minutes) from Polonnaruwa's ancient city and roughly 15 km from Minneriya National Park — a convenient stop for visitors travelling between Polonnaruwa's ancient city and Minneriya and Kaudulla National Parks.

How far is Hambu Café from Sigiriya and Dambulla?

Sigiriya Rock Fortress is about 43 km (roughly 50 minutes) from Hambu Café, and Dambulla Cave Temple is about 55 km (roughly an hour) away, both reached via Habarana — making Hambu Café a convenient breakfast, lunch or coffee stop for guests touring Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle.