The Curry Leaf

This place is closed, a new Pupusa restaurant has replaced it. So disappointed!

Worst dining experience of my life. Went for the Sunday buffet, was greeted with cold food, cold tortillas (where was the nan?) and a complete lack of service. Owner barely spoke English and charged us 10 dollars each for garbage on a plate. Fuck this place.

Im not an indian but i love Indian food and i can yell you i had the worst biryani rice from this store… Worst…

I read thru a few dozen reviews and it is easy to spot the fakes. There is no way one will award 5 stars or even 4 to buffet or take out locations. What will one award to a sit down waiter served with wine sommelier, dinner?
I went to the restaurant with a take out list from my co-​workers (work just down the street an pass by every morning). Went in and nobody is around to greet me. I wait and wait and finnaly I call out. A young woman comes half way from the back room and just looks at me. No Hello, no asking what I am there for. I read to her the take-​out list. She calls loud to the back room. A man in a very dirty T-​shirt comes out and stands next to the woman. She tells him in their native language what I want. He point at a tray of white rice with peas and carrots and another tray with chicken thighs in some dark liquid. The young woman says «that is chicken fried rice».
Enough said.

Owners have recently changed. Chicken Masala is too spicy. Chicken chucks are tough and hard to chew. Disappointing.
The new owner does not take Groupon. The posting at Gropon site is outdated.

Under new management. The «man» working there was so rude I got the impression that he didn’t even want customers. The food was soo awful they clearly don’t want customers. Stay away.

Sri Lankan food is not for the weak soul. The spice will cleanse your heart and soul. The buffet is a good representation of the island. Don’t forget to taste the coconut milk rice, pineapple curry and fish curry. The food is spicy and hot but it’s a treat for your taste buds. The people are very friendly, if you’re not sure how to eat what, just ask them.

Found a Groupon deal for this place and after further investigation ( Unilocal and
) we were hungry and REALLY looking forward to coming here. The reviews about the food sounded good from many customers and the price fit within our slim student-​budgets so it is safe to say that we arrived with a very positive mindset.
Parked the car and noticed that it is smaller than we expected, which can happen and is no biggie. Makes for a cozier experience. We entered and realized that there was some kind of gathering going on. The entire wall side of the restaurant had been turned into one long table with a group of friends or family. Awesome! Celebrations are always fun and we get to enjoy a little bit of that energy. Instead all three of us got stared down while we stood by the entrance trying to figure out how to make room for ourselves on one of the 2-​person tables that were left after the party’s remodeling, or if someone was going to greet us. After exploring all the table options and increasing awkwardness by the stare downs (according to my friends there was whispering going on as well but I can’t vouch for that) we decided to leave.
Major let down following a full afternoon of increasing excitement to try this place out.

We reached restaurant at 9:30 pm on Friday night. There were no one to greet, one guy saw us and dint even care for us. There was another couple who were speaking same language as his, and he has been treating them well and serving them.
the same guy, did not even come to us and ask if we needed anything, we went and asked for menu, he said buffet and said so many items do not include in the buffet, including bread.
we dared to take some items, none of them were hot and fried rice had spoiled smell too, we did not eat anything in the plates and were leaving the place, he also asked to show our groupon and redeemed it, when we hardly ate anything at all.
Worst ever experience at any restaurant. Would have given zero star, but Unilocal doesn’t have zero star

They had an all you can eat buffet at dinner time, which was a nice surprise since most are at lunch. Upon going in there very friendly and family oriented it feels like you’re eating at somebody’s house. Unfortunately none of the dishes had names on them so we had to ask what is this… And then what is this, which the owner kindly answered each time. All in all the food was slightly above-​average. The only negatives were that the dishes were kind of salty for me, but my girlfriend was OK with it. The second thing was the air conditioning was blasting at 9 PM in February.
All in all, 3.5 stars food and 4 stars great service.
Will be back.

We really enjoyed the food have a nice variation of different curry and spices ranging from sweet mild too hot nice selection of rice dishes overall good experience but the only thing that we didn’t like was all the food was cold but otherwise would definitely recommend

Food was excellent, ownership was friendly and engaging about the food. I learned quite a bit by asking about the various selections. Buffet style fits well with the cuisine, get your rice/​hoppers and pile on the tasty curry! The spice is good, with options, and not overwhelming. I’ll definitely be back for some weekend specials.
Oh and I almost forgot, at 9.99 the cost for the meal was very worth it!

If you want an authentic taste of Sri Lankan food that’s under $ 15 (with tip) I would highly recommend! It’s super spicy but they also have medium spicy foods too. Overall I had a fantastic experience and will definitely be coming back! The owner is super nice and friendly. Excellent food. Very clean.

Alright so I was a little conflicted what to give this place but ultimately it’s a 4.5 in my book (I round down because my reviews are almost always generous due to the fact I choose restaurant that suits my palette).
I came with my brother and when we got in we were confused as how to order. Immediately there was a couple in the restaurant with us, and it was just us four + the man behind the buffet line and the cook who peaks out front here and there.
I forgot to take a picture of the buffet line but there was probably around 6 different variety of curries and other spiced goods such as anchovies and spiced onions with potatoes.
I forgot to ask what the dishes were called but I can tell you one thing, the food was absolutely delicious. The chicken biriyani eaten with their pork spare ribs (?) sans the ribs were amazing. There was so much meat and flavor to it that I couldn’t help compare this to Indian curry. This place was definitely much more flavorful than Indian curry due to the fact that many of the Indian places I go to are vegetarian.
The hoppers that were brought out to me were a little burnt on the bottom but it’s indicative that they are made fresh and to-​order. I wasn’t a huge fan, but I have had string hoppers before at a friend’s house and much prefer those.
The buffet came out to be around $ 12.99 per person with tax it comes out to be $ 28.31 for two. At first it was a little awkward because my brother and I thought it was $ 20.50 so we gave him $ 26 thinking we’d tip over 20%, unbeknownst to us it was not so. So we were scrambling to calculate the new tip in our head, speaking in rapid Thai as opposed to English to avoid sounding rude, but I think the secrecy compounded leading to the guy explaining our bill to us.
Overall I like it. According to him if you come during lunch and non-​weekend hours the prices are a bit cheaper. I would choose this place over Indian curry any day.

One of my customer told me about this place and I was excited to taste Indian food less than a mile from my workplace.
It was really a horrible experience. The buffet trays were almost empty or empty.
The price for the buffet was really high $ 10 if compared to the options for the buffet.
Me & my wife ordered the Masala Dosa considering that is the only option I had which was quickly available and at the decent price. I was surprised when I was served. It was the smallest Dosa I have ever seen in my price and the price was high according to the portion. On top of that, it was offered without the Sambar (vegetable curry).
I insisted that I need Sambar with that as the Dosa cannot be eaten without the Sambar. I did get the Sambar when I requested, but there was another problem which I cannot stand for a minute.
The lady (Julie) was washing the dishes in front of us on the side of the wall and she used the same towel or napkin to clean our bowls (served with Sambar) which was right next to the dirty utensils and she did not even wear gloves or washed hands before cleaning our bowls from the side with the dirty towel.
I just walked right out after that.
P.S: Did I mention that the place looks nasty…

Super!!! Foods really good. Clean place and very friendly staff. Highly recommended!!!

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!
If I could give them zero starts I WOULD!
My sister and I walked in and it was deserted, we waited for a long time before someone came out and told us that they were open. We weren’t offered a menu. The man just pointed at the «buffet». He never told us how much it was and there was like 5 plates in total. We got whatever was left (they were almost empty). Then we sit down and try it. IT IS COLD!!! We didn’t eat any of it and I told the man that it was cold so we were going to leave. He had the nerve to charge me. I paid and left without touching my food. WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE.

As of March 2015, the restaurant is under new management, and has a much smaller menu than the previous management, which was disappointing to us. We ordered the chicken lamprais (rice, chicken, eggplant, and other Sri Lankan goodies wrapped in banana leaf) and beef ediyappa kotthu (a sort of stir fry with string hoppers instead of roti bread).
The lamprais was not super spicy, pleasantly so. But the surprising thing is that the rice was a bit dry as if it had been reheated. This appeared to be confirmed when I got a couple of bites near the center, which were actually cold. I believe this had previously been frozen, which was rather disappointing. That said, the taste was *still* quite good, and I would think that it would be amazing when eaten fresh.
The ediyappa kotthu, on the other hand, was good and hot and fresh, with a very nice flavor.
Despite my disappointment at the paring down of the menu and the apparently frozen lamprais, I want to try the lamprais again when it is fresh, or failing that, come back for the ediyappa kotthu.
The service was very friendly and attentive.

A friend of my told me about this place since I have never eaten Sri Lankan food. I definitely liked it. It was spicy (I love spicy) and they had a really good assortment of different dishes with different tastes.
The owner was very nice, he made sure I tasted everything and explained the dishes to me. They had this one dish made with bitter melon that I really liked. I grew up eating bitter melon so it was nice to see it cooked in a different way than the way I had it when growing up. Also at the end of my meal, he made sure I got their house tea.
I recommend this place to my friends and I’m looking forward to going again.

Curry Leaf is one of only 3 Sri Lankan restaurants in Los Angeles. I gave it a try after a disastrous experience at Apey Kade that I visited a couple months ago. When I walked into Curry Leaf, I was a bit surprised to see how small the restaurant was. There were only 6 to 8 tables and the dining area was smaller than some hotel bedrooms.
I elected to have the lunch buffet because buffets allow me to sample Sri Lankan cuisine which I am not too familiar with. I’m aware that food on steam tables may not be the most fresh, but it was difficult to pass up an extensive spread consisting of 4 specialty rices including lemon rice and chicken biryani, 8 types of veg and non-​veg dishes specifically unique to the Sri Lanka island, and several trays full of foreign condiments (chutney) which I assume are used by Sri Lankans to supplement their «rice and curry» meals. Judging based on variety alone, there’ would be no reason for me to go back to Apey Kade where the buffet was the same price at $ 8.99.
I did notice that at both restaurants, coconut milk was a recurring ingredient in most of the curries. I think that it is because coconut is a staple grown in Sri Lanka and coastal countries of Southeast Asia. I also noticed that Sri Lanka cuisine is distinct from Indian cuisine. It’s delicate yet complex, utilizing a variety of spices from Portuguese and Malaysian influence and its own tropical crops, while its foundation is based on sophisticated recipes from its neighbor India.
From what I’ve read, Curry Leaf’s buffet spread of malum (kale), papadum, pumpkin curry, dhal, beetroot, eggplant curry, and fish curry are fairly standard of a simple Sri Lankan «rice and curry» meal. Most of the vegetable curries were cooked more mild than the ones at Apey Kade, which was shocking because most of Apey Kade’s curries were overly fiery hot. The dhal was most interesting because the soft and creamy lentils was covered with a thin crust on top. The fish curry contained tiny bones which is probably not American-​friendly. Malum and beetroot were solid recognizable cold vegetables (citrus and sweet flavors) sliced to individual bite size pieces which could be eaten alone without rice.
My favorites in the buffet were the pumpkin curry, consisting of sliced pumpkin in a mild-​medium coconut gravy similar to a Thai curry but with different spices, and the chicken biryani, which was steamed in a rice cooker with a traditional Indian recipe. Although the biryani was a bit dry due to several hours of storage in the cooker, it’s cooked with homestyle flavors, containing with all the spices even including the cinnamon sticks and cardamom and not just with a masala mix that many lazy Indian buffets use. I completed the meal with several slices of mango and pineapple, which was refreshing enough that I did not complain about there not being any sweets in the buffet.
I really enjoyed the unique flavors and large variety in Curry Leaf’s buffet. Most of the items are unique to Sri Lanka and are far from what is served at typical Indian buffets in America. Service, on the other hand, was one aspect that I was not pleased with. The owner was on the phone for half the time I was in the restaurant, and although he did hand me a glass of water, he did not refill it or speak with me the entire time even though I was his only customer. He could have asked if I wanted Sri Lankan ceylon tea or coffee (which I later found out was complimentary) or he could have asked if I liked his food. I don’t think there was a language barrier because I praised his curries as I paid the bill and he thanked me for coming. I had to think for a very long time before I decided not to write a number down on the tip line of the receipt.