Little Sri Lanka (Tompkinsville, Staten Island)

The northeastern Staten Island neighborhood of Tompkinsville has one of the largest Sri Lankan communities outside of that country. The name “Little Sri Lanka” has been in use since at least 2009, when New York City government promoted it as one of nine unique and authentic neighborhoods within the five boroughs of the city.
 
   
Wikipedia: Tompkinsville, Staten Island
Tompkinsville is a neighborhood in northeastern Staten Island in New York City in the United States. Though the neighborhood sits on the island’s eastern shore, along the waterfront facing Upper New York Bay — between St. George on the north and Stapleton on the south — it is reckoned as being part of the North Shore by the island’s residents.
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There is also a Sri Lankan community. The Little Sri Lanka in Tompkinsville is one of the largest Sri Lankan communities outside of the country of Sri Lanka itself.
     
NYC.gov—News from the Blue Room
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 198-09
May 5, 2009
MAYOR BLOOMBERG, SPEAKER QUINN AND COUNCIL MEMBER MARK-VIVERITO LAUNCH “NINE IN ‘09”
New Campaign Showcases Nine Unique and Authentic Neighborhoods in all Five Boroughs and Encourages New Yorkers to Experience the World in Their Own Backyards
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. Little Sri Lanka (Staten Island): Sri Lanka’s rich mix of Indian-, Dutch- and Portuguese-influenced cuisine can be found in a 15-minute walk from the St. George Ferry Terminal. The neighborhood’s restaurants and shops offer a taste of traditional Sri Lankan food such as crepes, rice and curry.
 
NYC.gov—The New York City Council
SPEAKER QUINN, COUNCIL MEMBER KENNETH MITCHELL EMBARK ON A ‘STAYCATION’ TO STATEN ISLAND’S LITTLE SRI LANKA
THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
June 26, 2009
Release #059-2009
Thompkinsville, June 26, 2009 – Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Council Member Kenneth Mitchell participated in a unique tasting tour of Little Sri Lanka as part of the “Nine in 09” campaign. , Mogan Chinniah, owner of Dosa Garden restaurant, New York City and Company, the Staten Island delegation, Assembly Member Matthew Titone and members of the Sri Lankan community joined the Speaker and Council Member in the tour.
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Little Sri Lanka
It used to be that Sri Lanka and Staten Island shared nothing in common…except for the fact that they are both islands that start with the letter “s.” But over the years, the South Asian country’s rich culture and delectable Indian-, Dutch- and Portuguese-influenced cuisine have made their way to Staten Island—and the free, 25-minute ferry ride from Manhattan makes it easy for both visitors and locals to take part in the experience. A 15-minute walk from the St. George Ferry Terminal, the hub of Little Sri Lanka is located between Bay Street and Victory Boulevard, where most of the neighborhood’s restaurants and shops are clustered. Be sure to arrive hungry to taste Sri Lankan food like crepes and rice and curry. If the closest you’ve gotten to Sri Lanka is buying an M.I.A. album, Staten Island’s version of the country is well worth the trip.
     
New York (NY) Times
$25 AND UNDER
Exotic and Vibrant on Staten Island
By BETSY ANDREWS
Published: September 8, 2009
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Farther up the road, in the heart of Tompkinsville’s Little Sri Lanka, are hidden a pair of Albanian restaurants masquerading as run-of-the-mill pizza joints.
     
Twitter 
Jonathan Levy
‏@jonathanelevy
Little gem discovered while mapping Staten Island. Tompkinsville has Little Sri Lanka, one of the largest Sri Lankan communities in the US.
2:36 PM - 14 Jan 2013
   
Google Books
The Encyclopedia of the Sri Lankan Diaspora
Edited by Peter Reeves
Singapore: Editions Didier Millet in association with Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore
2013
Pg. 102:
Of these, the New York City metropolitan area claims the largest community of Sri Lankans as well as the highest number of legal permanent resident immigrants. ‘Little Sri Lanka’ in Staten Island, New York City, is one of the largest Sri Lankan communities outside the homeland itself.
 
Vimeo
Off The Eaten Path w/ Skiz Fernando | Little Sri Lanka, Staten Island NY
from John Carluccio
July 23, 2013
 
DNAinfo
City Promotes Staten Island’s ‘Little Sri Lanka’ as Tourist Destination
By Nicholas Rizzi on March 6, 2014 3:05pm
TOMPKINSVILLE — The city has launched a campaign to draw tourists to Staten Island’s “Little Sri Lanka.”
 
Tompkinsville is the latest area to be featured in NYC & Company’s Neighborhood x Neighborhood promotion to drive visitors to spots often overlooked by tourists.
 
The monthlong feature on the neighborhood, which is a short train ride from the St. George Ferry Terminal, showcases local destinations including the stretch of Sri Lankan restaurants and grocery stores along Victory Boulevard and Bay Street known as “Little Sri Lanka.”
 
New York (NY) Times—Magazine
Sri Lankan Kottu Roti, by Way of Staten Island
By FRANCIS LAM
NOV. 26, 2014
In the atlas of “Little” neighborhoods — the Little Italys, Little Tokyos, Little Indias of the world — New York’s Little Sri Lanka may be the littlest. It’s just one and a half blocks, and its groceries and restaurants share the Staten Island North Shore streetscape with bodegas and an Albanian pizzeria. But around here is where you’ll find one of the largest Sri Lankan communities in the United States — roughly 5,000 people, many of whom came to escape their homeland’s decades-long civil war, starting in 1983.
 
On the blocks straddling Victory Boulevard and Cebra Avenue, a restaurant visit can become a crash course in Sri Lankan cuisine.
   
Untapped New York
02/21/2020
7 Places to Discover in Staten Island’s “Little Sri Lanka”
by Noah Sheidlower
About a fifteen minute walk from the Staten Island ferry terminal exists a quaint, unassuming area home to one of the largest Sri Lankan communities outside of Sri Lanka itself. Historically home to a large Irish and Italian population, “Little Sri Lanka,” situated in the areas of Tompkinsville and Stapleton along Victory Boulevard and Bay Street, houses over 5,000 people of Sri Lankan descent. The area has attracted celebrities and food connoisseurs like Anthony Bourdain.