Red Pepper Diner

Delicious Sri Lankan food and wonderful service from friendly staff. Everything was served promptly. The hot tea was delicious- served with a dark brown-sugar like nugget that you are encouraged to suck on in between sips of tea. Loved it! Dessert was also delicious- I forgot to take a picture. It was like a creamy flan. Very tasty. On a cold day (12 degrees) it was a bit cold in the restaurant. Not sure if their heating was not working that day. But it was fine, we just ate with our coats on and they set up heaters and made everyone comfortable. I found the dishes to be a little bit over priced ($18 for rice and eggs), but that also might just be par for the course in Beacon, NY. It was such a delicious and lovely experience that I would still come back even at those prices. Always happy to support local businesses.

What an amazing little gem we stumbled upon during our trip to upstate NY. Beautifully decorated, cozy vibe and amazing hospitality. The food was so tasty and the positions were perfect. We will definitely be back.

The best food experience I’ve had in a LONG time. Everything from the service, the chef coming to talk to us, the visuals on the screens to the light flavourful food - IT WAS PERFECT. Will come here again from upstate only to have some lunch. Must try. Keep up the great work. And OPEN MORE BRANCHES SOON.

All 7 of us ate every bite on our plates. Absolutely delicious! We loved speaking with the owner and hearing about why this cuisine is not only delicious, but healthy and nutritious. Highly recommend, and we are discussing going again tomorrow night because we want to try more!

After passing car dealerships, a Mavis Discount Tire, a laundromat, a Family Dollar, and a Car Wash, I arrived at the Sri Lankan promised land. Red Pepper Diner is a small brick building that looks more like a house or apartment building than a restaurant, but I find these types of restaurants generally have the most character. I walked in at 5:35pm to avoid a dinner rush, but when I opened the brown door, the place was dead. It was only 2 other patrons and I. I stood there awkwardly for a bit as there was no host stand or anything, and just took in the ambiance: Colored tablecloths, the walls littered with paintings and newspaper clippings with glowing reviews of the place, and a TV playing Sri Lankan ASMR sounds and cooking visuals. It felt more like a spiritual center or a spa than a restaurant. After about 30 seconds, the owner came out and met me with a big smile and a “Just for 1?” He welcomed me to sit anywhere, and I opted on taking a 4 top in the corner as it had the least amount of seating. He was doubling as my waiter, and I asked him what the move was. He kind of recommended everything ahahaha so I just went with one of the House Specialties (Deviled Pork), as I wanted something Sri Lankan authentic, and the Sri Lankan Special Fried Rice because who doesn’t like fried rice… I also got an appetizer sampler because I’m a beast. I know what you're thinking, yeah fine, I was a little chunkster When I asked the owner if this was too much food, he furrowed his brow and said “No! Just take whatever you don’t eat to go…” This was the exact answer I wanted as we both know this was way too much food for one person ahaha. Sometimes I just want someone to tell me what I want to hear. Respect. After ordering and sipping on an Authentic Sri Lankan beer, the food began to roll in. The appetizer sampler was my first victim, with the Vegetable Spring Roll being the standout. Next was the Sri Lankan fried rice with an egg on top, and the presentation was beautiful. It was an amalgamation of fried rice with shrimp, calamari, and chicken garnished with spring onions, fried onions, and fresh coriander sprigs. It was DELICIOUS. After I demolished fried rice, the owner came over and picked up the clean plate and said, “Look, no oil. Our ingredients the best!” in his heavy accent. He wasn’t lyin though! The deviled pork came last, and it was essentially just pork with sauteed onions, peppers, and Traditional Sri Lankan spices. I love how simple, yet flavorful these dishes were. It was filled with flavors my tastebuds have seldom come across, but was fantastic. It was at this point I think the owner saw me taking pictures of the food with my Canon G7X camera, and really turned the hospitality up to 11 ahahahaha. I was pretty full at this point as I had just MOGGED two entrees and an appetizer sampler, but he brought out an authentic Sri Lankan dessert called Kiri Pani for me to try. Kiri Pani is a buffalo curd with a palm sugar syrup. It wasn’t for me to be honest ahahaha. My tastebuds felt violated. I did the thing where I kind of mash it around to make it look like I ate more than I did. The food was really starting to settle, so I was FULL at this point. And after that Kiri Pani I just wanted the check, but he brought out another Sri Lankan dessert. I felt like the grinch judging the Who Pudding competition where they are just stuffing desserts in his face as he is just trying to survive ahahaha. But actually, it was super nice and thoughtful. He came over and explained to me what it was but I was so focused on locking in to eat this next dessert that I didn’t really hear him. It was something light wrapped in a green little tortilla that tasted coconut flavored. I finished all of it because I’m a warrior, and because it was pretty tasty. I got the check and the owner came up and gave me his business card, and asked me to write reviews on Yelp and google ahahahaha like bro that’s literally why I’m here. I got a quota to hit. IG @jnov_ Tiktok @jnov__reviews