Here are several hotels in and around Kandy that are consistently recommended for very good food — brief notes about what makes each one stand out and a source so you can read recent reviews or check menus.

• The Kandy House — boutique, heritage manor with an elegant veranda restaurant and frequent multi-course dinners that fuse local and Western flavours; praised for breakfasts and occasional big local-curry spreads. (thetimes.co.uk)

• Helga’s Folly — famously theatrical boutique hotel with a single, characterful restaurant; food is often highlighted by guests as part of the unique Helga’s experience. Good if you want memorable, creative dining in an eccentric setting. (en.Wikipedia.org)

• Cinnamon Citadel Kandy — riverside 4-star property in Kandy known for its Panorama restaurant, Café C and themed/destination dining; many guests praise the quality and variety of the buffet and river-view dining (some mixed reviews exist at times, so check current feedback for your dates). (cinnamonhotels.com)

• Mahaweli Reach Hotel — long-established riverside 5-star in Kandy with multiple restaurants and bars; well regarded for its riverside dining, variety of outlets and formal dining options. Good choice for reliable, classic hotel dining. (en.Wikipedia.org)

• Earl’s Regency (and Earl’s Regent) — large hill-locale hotels with several restaurants and varied cuisine (buffets and à la carte); many visitors note a wide choice of dishes and decent quality — useful if you want multiple dining options on-site (reviews vary by date/restaurant). (tripadvisor.com)

Notes and tips

• “Best” can depend on whether you want boutique/creative cuisine (The Kandy House, Helga’s Folly) or reliable multi-option hotel dining and river views (Cinnamon Citadel, Mahaweli Reach, Earl’s).
• Reviews fluctuate, especially for large hotels with buffets — if a specific dining style matters (vegetarian options, fine-dining a la carte, riverside table), check the hotel’s latest restaurant pages and recent guest reviews for your travel dates. The links above point to official pages and recent guest-review pages you can use to verify current quality and menus.
• If you’d like, I can: (a) compare menus and sample dinner menus for 2–3 of these properties, (b) pull recent guest reviews for a specific hotel and date-range, or (c) suggest boutique restaurants near the Temple of the Tooth instead of hotel dining. Which would you prefer?