Kothu Rotti Restaurant

I was so happy to find this place years ago. One of the only Sri Lankan food places in Ottawa, the other one being Ceylonta on Bank and from what I understand the present owner of Kothu was a cook there?? The first year I was a frequent regular, indulging in their vegetable Kut Rotti. The owner/cook made it to perfection, to my liking. He was always generous with his portions and gave me a complimentary coconut chutney on the side which was a small gesture that kept me coming back! He was always happy and smiling! Now, years later I can see how tired and worn out he is. He has no more smile on his face, the portions are still bigger than standard but less than his usual, the complimentary chutney is gone ( his wife made sure he charges me) and the perfect kut rotti is now imperfect. My last few trips there were disappointing, rotti was cold . He re cooked it in front of me but rushed through it. The time prior to that, something in the dish ( rotti or some of the pre made curried vegetable he added in) was tasting moldy and sour! Clearly I can see that this poor man is working himself to death and although I love his food I'm actually at the point that I feel so uncomfortable making him cook my order since he looks so tired and burned out. There is no doubt about it that the food is delicious but the owner/cook looks like he can use a holiday. There are only a few chairs to sit down and the place is always hot like an oven but somehow that never seems to bother me. I only hope the quality of his food doesn't go down.

My first time here and ordered "Mutton Kothu". The quality of the kothu was very bad. I tasted it as if some meat pieces in a vegetable gravy. Curry lacked the spices and aroma. Kothu was not cooked long enough. The guy just mix it all not letting it cook enough time on the griddle. I had few spoons and rest was put in the garbage.

As a fellow Sri Lankan I'm all about supporting sri lankan businesses. This definitely wasn't the best food I've had but also not the worst. I ordered the mutton kothu which was a tad too salty but otherwise was okay. The deviled chicken was also not bad and isn't as hot as I was expecting. The mutton rolls were a let down, as it was way too much bread. I would not order them. Portion sizes were good and the service was very courteous. Definitely mom and pop vibes here.

The BEST vegetarian thali I have eaten and one of THE best curries I've had in Canada! And only $25 for all this amazingness!!! The owner was delightful and the food prepared fresh and quickly. This place is the unsung hero of Ottawa! Go here for delicious curry! I wish this little gem was where I live ❤️🍛🍚👌

The couple that runs this place are so cute and so smiley and friendly. They bring the experience of 20 years old in the restaurant in Italy before they came to Canada on the up and up in five years. Food was very fresh and tasty and I would come back here for a quick lunch anytime.

I got the shrimp kothuroti. It wasn’t good. It cost $14-$15. It looks good but lacking a lot of flavour. It didn’t taste how kothu is suppose to taste. The shrimp was bland it was like it was cooked separately from the gravy. Much smaller portions compared to Toronto, would not recommended.

OMG, ONE OF OTTAWAS BEST KEPT SECRETS. The food that we had last night was epic. Price, flavor and service. From a montrealers perspective I wish Ottawa had more hidden gems like this. I will be back sooooo much more to try. Thank you again for a wonderful meal

Got Chicken kothu rotti and Sambar vada. Kothu rotti was good and spicy. Sambar vada was different from expected. It's hot inside and won't recommend for dine in. Only street parking.

I blame Canada for this. I'm going to be kind and give this place a 2/5 because it exists. That being said, there is better Tamil food out there, folks, the truth is out there. *** Go to THANJAI *** I believe the chefs here once upon a time cooked good food. I believe that. I blame Canada for the subpar dishes. Can you imagine a rasam that tastes like boiled water with a clove of garlic and two peppercorns in a teabag steeping in there for about 30 seconds? Can you imagine sambar that tastes like boiled water with several grains of lentils and about three peppercorns in a teabag steeping for about 90 seconds? Can you imagine medhu vada that tastes like deep fried stale pizza crust? The chai was boiled water with three cardamom pods steeped with coffee grounds in a gym sock for a few days. Another reviewer said "you've got to have a strong stomach to eat here" and I very much agree with that.

Came back from Sri Lanka this spring with a newfound love for all foods Sri Lankan, so when I stumbled across this frankly kind of underwhelming looking spot just outside the Byward Market on a trip to Ottawa, I figured I'd give it a go. Anyway, it was a great decision. My Rotti (mutton, spicy) is delicious and flavourful - just like the kottus of Ella and way, way too much food for a single person to eat for just 10 bucks and change. Don't miss if you like Indian food/Thai food/roti!

Wanted to try Tamil cuisine and wanted to have kotthu parotta. The owner was a friendly person. Ordered the vegetarian version and they make it right in front of you. I would recommend to have a friend to have the dish. It's definitely not meant for one person you need to either share it or have it for the next meal. They give a lot and it's affordable as well. The spice level was perfect. Since it's close to a take away place but they do have some seats to dine in.

Kochin Kitchen was closed so I decided to try Kothu Rotti. I'm not overly impressed. I got samosas, naan, butter chicken and mango lassi The samosas were really good. Decently spicy, crispy pastry. The lassi was also pretty good, average though. Now onto the butter chicken. It wasn't good at all. The chicken was practically swimming in sauce, it didn't come with rice despite costing $16 and the sauce was really sweet. It barely had any tomato flavour and had no spiciness to it. Actually it kind of tasted like extremely sweet and bland tomato soup. The naan was also really weird looking/tasting. It was overly crispy and looked like it had been toasted in a toaster rather than fired in a tandoor. Probably wouldn't order from here again unless I was desperate. Next time I'll settle for another cuisine when Kochin Kitchen is closed.

Authentic, super flavourful & delicious. This is the perfect place to grab a delicious quick meal for a very good price. The portion sizes are great for sharing. Vegetarians: they take care to clean the grill really well before preparing your meal if you mention that you are vegetarian. I love the veggie kothu roti which is made fresh to order. I've also tried their curry combo which is super flavourful. Just a heads up that the green bean curry is sweet (I wasn't expecting that, though it still tastes so good regardless). The staff is super friendly and considerate. There is limited seating, however there seems to always be a spot available as the place doesn't get too busy at lunch.

My husband and I went here for a late lunch today. It was our first time there but will not be our last. I am so excited to have a South Indian takeout place downtown. The man there told us they are part of Ceylonta Restaurant, but I've eaten at Ceylonta, and honestly, I liked the Kothu Rotti at Kothu Rotti much more than at Ceylonta! Anyway, I was really worried that the place would be busy, but we got there around 12:45pm and it was empty. We walked in and the man working there greeted us right away. He was very friendly and asked us if we had been there before. We said no and so he explained the menu to us and what they had to offer. That was when he told us they were part of Ceylonta Restaurant. I got the Chicken Kothu Rotti ($8.99) and my husband had Combo 3 (2 meat curries and 3 vegetable curries, with steamed rice or naan (we chose steamed rice) $7.99). We also had 2 pops ($1.49 each). We got 2 free papadams. Whoo hoo! I love free stuff :) They were small, but crunchy and delicious. The Chicken Kothu Rotti here is so awesome. I had Kothu Rotti for the first time many years ago in Montreal and fell in love with this dish immediately. Most Indian restaurants serve North Indian food, so they do not have Kothu Rotti. In case you don't know what it is, it's chopped up pieces of flat bread, stir-fried with onions, green chilies, egg, spices and chicken. It is so flavourful and has the right amount of spiciness. The man working there did tell me that the beef one is spicier. I'm a bit of a spice wimp, so that's why I chose the chicken. But if you love spice, you might want to try the beef. Kothu Rottis are made to order, so he stir-fries it for you when you order it. It was so delicious, I can't rave enough about it! My husband's combo was also great. There was a beef curry (very spicy) and a chicken curry (still spicy, but milder than the beef). Both were lean meats and full of curry flavour. The vegetable curries were also delicious. They had 7 to choose from. Chickpea, spinach, potato, squash, cabbage, green bean, and lentil. We were told that their selection does change daily though. My favourite was the chickpea curry. The chickpeas were al dente and not mushy. The pureed spinach curry was creamy goodness. The green bean curry was a little sweet. I've never had green bean curry before, so I don't know if they are all sweet, but this one was, and I liked the slightly unusual taste. The curries are pre-made and sit in little metal trays. There are not many South Indian restaurants in Ottawa, so I was so happy to have found this place. The food was awesome and the service was amazing. I have never tipped a takeout place the same amount that I would at a sit down restaurant, but I did here because I was just so happy :) Just a note that there is very limited seating. There are 2 tables of 2 and a long counter with about 5-6 seats. The only minor thing I would change is I found the temperature of the vegetable curries to be too low. They were hotter than room temperature, but not as hot as I would like them. The meat curries were a higher (more acceptable) temperature. I should mention though that I like my food really hot (I have often microwaved my food until it exploded). If I can't see steam coming out of it, it ain't hot enough! My husband thought that the temperatures of the curries were fine. Since my Chicken Kothu Rotti was made to order it was piping hot (with steam coming out), just the way I like it :) I will be back again and again.

Never tried kothu rotti or egg dosai before so we decided to try this place out. It was definitely the best idea for dinner. The kothu rotti was bursting of flavors and the mutton was soft and melts in the mouth. The egg dosai was milder but still good. This place looks more like a take-out venue even though there are tables there to sit down. We decided to have our meal there and I wish there was a better ventilation system because our clothes are smelling from sitting there. I wonder how it must be during winter! Tip: don't bring your best clothes if you're eating there! Also I wish they had dishes when you decide to eat on location rather than eating in plastic containers when you decide to eat there - you know, save the planet ? Otherwise, the meal was great and we will definitely come back again for more kothu rotti.

Excellent food! I went back the next day after going for the first time.. I recommend the kothu roti (chicken or mutton). I would give 5 stars if restaurant seating area was better maintained, chairs wobbly and not a lot of space, tables were sticky. I would come back for takeout food anytime! Very big filling portion for the price, yum.

Nice for quick pick ups as they have a wide to go options. Busy location, so hard to park your car. Kothu rotti and mutton rolls are authentic and awesome.

I just tried this place for the first time after wanting to try it for years - everything tasted very dry I couldn't eat it I ended up spending $30 for a little bit of disappointing basmati rice.

Delicious South Indian cuisine and astonishingly good prices. I got their namesake kothu rotti with chicken and it's a massive portion, enough for two persons, and it's moreover absolutely delectable. For lunch, it was $8,99. I could not pray for such value where I live in Calgary. The place is an overheated dump but I still got it for "here" and enjoyed the experience. It was a 37 degree humidex but when I departed, full and happy and with half of my dish to enjoy the next day, I felt cool and comfortable- part of it was the afterglow of such a great, and great value, meal, but part was also that it was so bloody hot in the resto that it felt cool outside by comparison...and somehow that felt perfectly right.

Truly awful. Got the mutton curry Thali delivered. The mutton curry was so bad, I took a few bites and threw it out. The meat was unidentifiable and did not taste like it was meant for human consumption. The pappadam tasted like it was fried in old, used oil. The daal and veggie dishes were pretty mediocre as well. My first and certainly last experience with Kothu Roti.

I'm so happy to have moved offices to be just around the corner from Kothu Rotti, which is one of my favourites in the Market area. They're actually Sri Lankan, not Indian, but if you're apprehensive because you don't know what it will be like, Indian isn't a terrible baseline for your expectations. My favourite dish is, in fact, the kothu rotti. That translates to "chopped rotti", so the dish is a kind of stir-fried bread (rotti) with Sri Lankan spices, eggs, and meat. The texture is chewier than rice or noodles would be, and it feels like real stick-to-your-bones food. They can adjust the spice as you like since they make this dish to order, and are happy to toss in some extra spice that you can stir in or not, depending on your taste. The portion is generous - one is enough to split between two people for lunch, which means the price is really hard to beat. They also have a great selection of curries and breads - all the ones I've tried have been good, and you can get a selection of two or three as a meal. The staff is super friendly and you'll get your food fairly quickly, even when they're making something to order like the kothu rotti. Ambiance isn't amazing because it's a tiny little place, so come for the delicious, cheap food instead. It reminds me of my favourite Indian place in Mississauga - no frills necessary, just sweet people and good food.

I think honestly this is one of the worst reviews I have ever written. So, I am walking down Dalhousie street looking for this place and crossed it a couple of times before I identified it. Small nook. It was chilly outside but the door was open and I was surprised. I stepped in and was greeted by a hot blast of air and immediately started sweating. Seems to be a husband and wife run shop. Not a place to dine in unless you are on a quick break from work. I ordered the chicken kotu roti and the biryani and took it back to my hotel. I was not happy with either of them. The kothu roti was bland at best. Generous portion and plenty of chicken pieces but it didn't seem to mix well. The biryani was the same. I had to throw the food out and settle for my kettle chips and ice cream for the night. Maybe it was a night off for the couple but I won't be going back to update my review.

Food was soso... People were nice but not very hygienic... Didn't use gloves and used bare hands to handle meat then goes and accepts your cash without washing after also no AC so don't come in the summer

Excellent! It's so hard finding Sri Lankan restaurants around, so when you do find one, you hope that the food is good... and it was! The dine-in space is small, but we usually do takeout anyway so that wasn't an issue. The service there was incredible. The owner is so kind and personally tries to have a conversation with you and ask you how the food it. We once ordered mutton rolls and they were a bit cold, so not only did he reheat them for us, he threw in a couple extra for free as well - now thats how customer service should be! Our favorite dish from here is the Khotu Roti - specifically the mutton kind. The chicken is good too, but we prefer mutton. I always ask for extra spicy, since I feel that adds to the flavor well. The portion of food is a lot for the price - more than enough for 2-3 people to have a full meal. Overall, this is by far my favorite Sri Lankan restaurant I have ever tried. The food and service were perfect. The only gripe I have is in regards to the location - it is sometimes tough to find parking since it is on a busier street and they don't have dedicated parking, so you have to circle around or park elsewhere sometimes. Either way, highly recommend this place to anyone looking for authentic Sri Lankan food in Ottawa!

When I was a starving college student in Ottawa forever ago Ceylonta was the place I would beg, borrow, and steal to have whenever I could. Flash forward years and years... Visiting Ottawa after forever and my schedule is just too busy to find a way to get over to Ceylonta to have all those dishes I craved over the years, chicken kothu rotti, palandi, vegetable thali and my beloved deviled chicken. Then lo and behold at the base of my hotel (Les Suites) sits Kothu Rotti, owned by Ceylonta! Best day ever. Everything tasted exactly as I remembered and it was good. Better even was now I have more money so I bought everything I craved. Leftovers for days. The service is friendly and the food is full of flavor. The deviled chicken is my favorite and the kothu rotti is a must have. Thank you universe.

This place has some fantastic value for your money. They have a handful of lunch specials and I've tried various items from here. Lunch special with 2 meat curries and 3 vegetable options are roughly $7.99 if you drop in and you get a large container full of rice and some papadum. You can also get 1 meat with 3 vegetables or just vegetable options as well and those meals are cheaper than $7.99. The meat curries (usually a chicken and a beef) taste like they have the same sauce but the vegetable options have a lot of different flavours. Chicken kottu roti - it's not bad but doesn't rival anything you'd find in the GTA. Mutton and chicken buryani - did not like this dish. Something tasted really off but it might have just been that day. We've also had various of the entrees and I liked the deviled chicken dish the most. Give that a try but some will find it spicy. The special portions are all large and depending what you order you'll get a lot of flavours. You'll definitely get some cheap eats here and the staff are always friendly. They have a delivery menu but if you go pick up the items it's significantly cheaper.

Ok, so my friend couldn't have said it better. If the place is called Kothu Rotti don't get anything else lol So we went for lunch today and she got mutton kothu rotti mmmm ($10 is a little steep though, compared to Mississauga and Brampton so not really fair) she got medium spicy and it was good, it was fried up in front of you and many chunks of mutton and perfect level of dryness. But for my next fix, i'll stick to the tried and true in Mississauga. I got the cone dosa... but somehow he said oh you mean the ghee dosa... and I said no cone dosa. He said we only have ghee dosa so I just said yes... mistake... it came out looking so limp and sad with a very watery sambhar and chutney I almost cried for $10. Thankfully my friend was sweet enough to share her kothu roti with me... more than half of the meal was wasted and so was my excitement for south indian cuisine in Ottawa. Next time I'll take her advice...

Excellent! My food was a bit bland when I sat down but the staff enthusiastically gave me extra sauce and chiles to add. I think they felt bad for not asking me how hot I wanted my food to be. The seating is limited but the space itself is actually pretty swanky for the style of restaurant. I'm really excited to go back!

Fantastic find! I always get the chicken kothu roti. The packing boxes look small but the portions are large. Leftovers from lunch are generally good enough for dinner. I like ordering my kothu roti with extra spices, it's done just right every single time. This is the kind of food that you can have for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They made an immediate regular out of me on my first visit.

Excellent kothu roti! Spice was done right. The portion was huge so you won't come out hungry. I also got vadai but they're nothing to rave about. They have other options such as biryani, fried rice, dosa which I didn't try. Most dishes are $7-$8. The owner is friendly and provides quick service. Recommended - go even if just for the kothu roti.

upon digging into the leftovers from our 1st purchase, i was loathe to discover a piece of beef or mutton in the vegetarian biryani. of course these things happen from time-to-time, but it ruined the meal for me. there's nothing worse than finding a piece of animal in your mouth when it's just not something you eat--it made me feel terrible. perhaps because of the aforementioned, i'm admittedly upset so take the following with a grain of salt: i want to again stress that the food was offensively overpriced. rice, chickpeas & eggplant is not worth $17! it's pictured with peas, cauliflower, carrots & a gorgeous hard boiled egg--none of which was present. additionally, all biryani i've ever eaten has dried fruit, nuts & is served with raita. again, absent.

Ordered the chicken Kothu Rotti, generous portions but very dry and lacking in punch in terms of flavour. Very little chicken given. Price was decent for the portion, good filler if you're starving but most of it was carbs (potato and roti).

Chicken biryani: was like masala rice with chicken pieces... no sides... never think of buying it here

Was interested in trying Sri Lankan last night, so glad to have found this place! Delicious and spicy cuisine! Flavors were great and portions very generous. I had combo 3, highly recommend!!

Family-owned and run street-food style food from South India and Sri Lanka. They have combos that are very affordable. My fav items are combo 2 with chicken and beans, squash and daal or chick peas. The chicken Kothu rotti is also excellent and unique. There is place to sit down and eat if you don't mind the pungent heat and smell. Otherwise it's best to take out.

Had the beef and chicken curry as take out. Quick service, delicious flavors, reasonable price. Would definitely recommend!

In Ottawa for a few days and this place although a hole in the wall makes the best butter chicken I have ever had, so crazy delicious! The khothu rotti was very yummy and the naan was fresh, soft and warm. The proprietor of the business was friendly

Kothu Roti is a take out place. It does have limited seats to dine in. The lady cooked our food to order. The food was tasty and spiced just right. I had a vege kothu. My friend had the mutton kothu. Don't get the masala dosa as it was not good. Service was quick and friendly.

To be honest, I was impressed. The food was good and fresh. When we first walked in, we were immediately hit by the humid air inside, and the powerful smell. It really captured the senses that you feel in India. Because of this though, we smelled like Indian food for the rest of the day and had to launder the clothes we wore. I was thinking that it would be "fast food," but she (the chef) combined the different parts of the order together in front of our eyes. Her making the food fresh, however, meant that orders took a long time to fill, and other customers came and left with how long our party's order took. The only thing I was worried about was the hygiene. The cook answered the phone to take an order and touched a couple of other things, then went back to making the food- without even thinking about it. This bothered me the whole meal, and I was thinking about getting sick. I nonetheless enjoyed the food. Also, I believe that they need more workers for better service. We had 7 people in our group and about 10 people came and left without ordering because the cooks were taking care of us. There were only 2 people working- the owner and his wife. The owner was a happy guy who had pride in his restaurant. He gave us free indian chips and free water because he of the amount of business we gave him that night. I felt happy that I was enjoying their food, as he was excited and smiling by the fact. We had a nice conversation with him, and he was happy with our business.

Went here twice this week. Excellent food for the price. Very friendly service. This will become a regular place for my girlfriend and I when we want good food without breaking the bank.

I would give this place ten stars. The food is AMAZING..I tried the vegetable combo and kothu parata..it was awesome..this is a non descript restaurant, but the prices and food quality is really awesome!!! The owner takes a personal interest and is really friendly!

Delicious food, butter chicken is the best we've ever had. Naan bread, coco squash ... Wow . Very nice service, go the extra mile. Definetly a place to go back.

Run by a really friendly Sri Lankan couple. Food is really tasty. And great price.

Worst food i've ever had. We had kottu roti and veg biryani here. Both tasted almost same..and it was very bland and tasteless. The staff there seems to be uninterested in serving good food. And lastly, not so hygienic place.,very disappointing.

I tried their combos. The curries were very bland without any flavor. This is a take out place with very limited (2 tables) seating.

Delicious eats. Deceivingly large portions. Not easy to find kothu in downtown Ottawa, but it's definitely worth checking out. Tasty short eats, too.

Amazing Indian food at a great price. Tastes MUCH better than many expensive Indian restaurants. Plus, the owners (who work there) are super nice.

We serve vast varieties of dishes for Vegan, Vegetarian, Meat lovers (Halal), Sea food lovers and also we have special Gluten, Dairy and Nut free choices! come and Enjoy your favourite meal.

We went here based on Yelp recommendations. We considered leaving as it is very small with no atmosphere, but decided to stay because of the recommendations. SO glad we did. The food was delicious and fresh and the owner was charming. One of us had 3 veggies curry. Each was different.....all really delicious. One of us had Naan bread (freshly made) and butter chicken which was mouth watering good. Don't be put off by the unpretentious place....enjoy your meal.

Amazing meal! Had butter chicken, mutton and chicken biryani, kothu roti, and mutton curry. Chef was alone there and also made us some interesting bean dish. He was friendly and his place was very reasonable. I think this place is full of quality with a savings on a budget. Just an fyi we are all people who can handle true indian spicy-ness. If you cannot do so ask him to make it mild. Enjoy this hidden treasure.

sweet guy and friendly. regarding the food, i've had better sri-lankan food. unfortunately.