A beloved Sri Lankan restaurant has reopened after a car crash forced the venue to close for seven months.

A silver Audi smashed through the front of Ceylon Junction on Cobden Avenue in May 2024, but the restaurant kicked off 2025 with a bang by reopening with a special lunch buffet.

Owner Madhawa Ranmandala is originally from Sri Lanka but has lived in the UK for the last 20 years, and runs the diner with his wife and family.

Speaking to the Echo, he said: “It has been very stressful for a long period of time for our staff, we lost a number of our regular customers.

“We still had people come down and talking to us while we repaired the shop, and people have come in to say they are happy we are back.

The outside of Ceylon Junction on Cobden Avenue.The outside of Ceylon Junction on Cobden Avenue. (Image: Newsquest) “We thought January 1 was a special day and we wanted to get back to business in the strongest way.”

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Madhawa opened Ceylon Junction two and a half years before the crash, wanting to bring a taste of his Sri Lankan home cooking to the local community.

His restaurant is the only Sri Lankan diner in Southampton and serves an all you can eat buffet of starters and main course curries.

The starters at Ceylon Junction's buffet.The starters at Ceylon Junction's buffet. (Image: Newsquest) Ceylon Junction uses authentic Sri Lankan cinnamon, curry powder and also serves Lion lager – a popular beer from the South Asian island.

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“We are bringing something from thousands of miles away to Southampton,” Madhawa said.

The newly-decorated interior at Ceylon Junction.The newly-decorated interior at Ceylon Junction. (Image: Newsquest) “People used to travel thousands of miles to taste these foods, and now you can get them right here.”

A lot of attention has been paid to the atmosphere too, with the music and décor transporting punters straight to Sri Lanka.

The owner explained that Ceylon Junction will be trialling new additions to the menu throughout January to find what works best now that they have reopened.

Owner Madhawa said he cannot wait to get back into the ‘routine’ of being open, explaining that he was excited to once again bring ‘his culture’ to Southampton.