A lot of restaurants struggled through the pandemic. Some suffered due to lack of people willing to work, lack of availability of supplies, or lack of customers. Some that were family run were able to plug on and thrive. Red Pepper Diner, a family run Sri Lankan restaurant, is one of the fortunate restaurants to make it through.
Location Change

Red Pepper Diner changed locations in February. They are now in a red brick building at 441 Fishkill Avenue (Route 52) in Beacon, NY, next to the Dollar Store.
Sri Lankan Spices

Some of the typical spices used in Sri Lankan food include the following: cumin, cinnamon, red chilli pepper, black pepper, cloves, cardamoms, turmeric, fennel seeds, curry leaves, pandan leaves, lemon grass, and coriander.
Sri Lankan Tea

This tea is Ceylon tea that is grown in Sri Lanka. It comes with milk, but if you want it without just ask. I prefer it with milk. It also includes kithul and is flavoured with ginger. Kithul jaggery is unrefined sugar made from the sap of the fishtail palm tree (or jaggery palm).
Mango Lassi

Mango Lassi is a drink whose two major ingredients are yogurt and mango. Think of a healthy smoothie.
Deviled Chicken

Most items are gluten free and dairy free. Be sure to ask to be sure.
Rice Noodles with Vegetables

Pol Roti with Coconut Sambol

Pol Roti is a vegan appetiser with coconut sambol.
Hoppers

Hoppers are bowl-shaped pancakes cooked in a wok. They are made with rice flour, coconut milk and egg can be added in the middle. It is very thin and crunchy.
Sri Lankan Fried Rice

Watalappan

Watalappan is a custard made of coconut milk, palm sugar, cashews, cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, and nutmeg. It is very delicious!
Buffet

During Covid they did not have a buffet. When they opened their new location in February, Red Pepper Diner started offering a buffet on Friday nights.
If you are traveling on I-84, visiting DIA in Beacon, or traveling through the Hudson Valley, stop by Red Pepper Diner’s new location. The food is flavourful and healthy.
For more information, check out their Facebook page at:
Lovely pics, Sharon. The food and the location look incredible.
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They do a great job! Even the inside has character.
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Great photos, and the food looks SO appealing. Too bad the Hudson River is too far to drive for dinner!
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Not too many Sri Lankan restaurants around. It’s different from Indian food, which is great. Very flavorful and they can adjust the heat to your preference. Luckily in NY we have access to so many different restaurants representing different cultural groups.
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Looks delicious!
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Very! If you ever make it up to Beacon I highly recommend it!
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Looks divine! Wish it wasn’t nearly 6 hours away! I stayed at several Theravadan Buddhist monasteries for periods of time and, although we weren’t supposed to get excited about food, I always secretly rejoiced when Sri Lankan supporters brought food.
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A road trip to a weekend retreat? I know there are some Buddhist monasteries / worship centers in the area. One is in Woodstock an hour away. Others I think are closer. The food is great!
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https://palpungny.org. This one is in Wappingers Falls a few miles north of Beacon.
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https://kagyuktd.org This one is in Woodstock.
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Years ago when I lived in Torrington CT, I took a fall day-trip to Woodstock. I think I may have passed by this one. A little further north, but this is one I visited frequently:
https://forestmonastery.org/
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