Staten Island food guide: Little Sri Lanka and the ferry

Staten Island is the borough most visitors forget, and that is a reason to go. Its best-known food story is a Sri Lankan community concentrated near the ferry terminal. Take the boat, walk up from the terminal and order rice and curry.

How do you get to Staten Island?

The Staten Island Ferry runs between Whitehall Terminal in lower Manhattan and St. George Terminal on Staten Island. The trip passes the Statue of Liberty. Check the current schedule and fare on the city's site, as policies can change. From St. George, the neighborhood called Little Sri Lanka is a short bus ride or a walk away. A subway-style railway also runs along the island's east side.

What is Little Sri Lanka?

Little Sri Lanka is the name given to an area in Tompkinsville and nearby, along Victory Boulevard and Bay Street. The island has a large Sri Lankan community. Over the last two decades the community has opened restaurants, groceries and bakeries, and the strip is easy to walk. Many restaurants are small, run by families, and some are mostly takeout.

What should you order?

Sri Lankan food is built on rice and curry, with coconut, chili and spice. Look for rice and curry plates with several vegetable and meat curries, hoppers (thin bowl-shaped pancakes made from fermented rice batter, often served with an egg), roti, string hoppers (steamed rice noodles) and short eats, which are small fried snacks such as rolls and patties. Kottu roti, chopped flatbread stir-fried with vegetables and meat, is a street-food favorite. Spice levels can be high, so ask for mild if you prefer.

What kinds of places should you look for?

Look for small takeout counters serving roti, hoppers and rice and curry, a few sit-down dining rooms, and groceries that sell produce, spices and short eats.

What about Staten Island pizza?

The island is known for thin, crisp pies and family-owned pizzerias. Ask a local which one they grew up on.

How do you plan a half-day?

Take the ferry in the morning for the view, walk from St. George to Victory Boulevard, eat lunch, buy spices or sweets from a grocery, and take the ferry back at sunset. Allow two to three hours on the island. On weekends, some restaurants have buffets and shorter hours, so check ahead.

What should you know about prices and manners?

Prices are lower than in Manhattan. Sales tax is added at the register, and a tip of 18 to 20 percent is customary at a table. At a counter, tipping is optional. Take your time ordering, and ask staff to explain dishes. Bringing cash is wise for small shops.

What is the history of the Sri Lankan community?

Sri Lankan families began settling on Staten Island in numbers in the late twentieth century, drawn by lower rents, work and existing community networks. Sri Lanka's cuisine reflects centuries of trade, with Indian, Malay, Dutch, Portuguese and British influences on a base of rice, coconut and spice. Restaurants on Staten Island started as places to feed the community and grew as other New Yorkers discovered them. The same story applies to many immigrant neighborhoods in the city, and eating there is a way to support small family businesses.

A good rule is to go with an open mind. Menus may be short or handwritten, English may be limited, and dishes arrive when they are ready. Ask for recommendations, be willing to try something unfamiliar, and treat the visit as a meal and not a performance. Thank the staff, and leave a fair tip.

Finally, think about your return. The ferry runs around the clock at intervals that lengthen late at night, so check the timetable before you linger over dessert. In bad weather, a hot bowl of curry and a hopper is a good way to wait for the next boat, and the ride back at dusk gives views of the lit skyline that many consider the best part of the trip.

If you are bringing children, the ferry ride is itself an outing, and Sri Lankan food is easy to adapt: plain rice, a mild chicken curry and a hopper are good starting points for young eaters. Ask the kitchen to keep chili on the side so each person can decide.

A trip to Staten Island works best as a half-day. Take the ferry, eat in the neighborhood, and leave time to walk back toward the terminal or catch a bus. Many of the restaurants are small, run by families, and focused on takeout, so go in with an open mind and order a few dishes to share. Ask the staff for their recommendation, and tell them how spicy you like your food, because the heat can be considerable. Check the opening days and hours before you travel, since some places close on one day a week. Bring cash, in case a counter does not take cards.

How do you remember what to order in Little Sri Lanka?

Sri Lankan menus are full of names that are easy to forget: hoppers, string hoppers, kottu roti, short eats. In the Mosey app, rate each dish by name as you finish it, add a tag such as Must-Try or Good Portions, and keep your favorites in a list for the next ferry ride. Share the list with the friend who asked what a hopper is, and follow friends who eat across the five boroughs. A rating written the same day tells you what to order and how hot to ask for it.

Rate your first plate of rice and curry in the Mosey app and build your Staten Island list.

More guides to read next:

• Manhattan Chinatown food guide: dim sum, dumplings and bakeries
• Cheap eats in New York City under $15: where and how
• Gluten-free and vegan restaurants in New York City: eating safely

More in the US food guides and the ranked lists of places.