Premier choice
Dumplings Café
A Galle Fort café pairing dumplings with house-roasted coffee, known for cold brew and V60 pour-overs.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Cold brew
- Pour-over
- V60
Coffee Brunch Galle Fort
An upstairs café inside Galle Fort serving locally grown specialty espresso and a creative brunch menu.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Specialty coffee
- Sri Lankan coffee
- Brunch
Grind
A popular brunch and specialty coffee spot at Access Towers, with a strong vegan menu.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Matcha latte
- Mango matcha
- Lychee matcha
t-Lounge by Dilmah
Dilmah’s tea lounge in Fort, with a huge selection of single-origin Ceylon teas, tea cocktails and light bites.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Ceylon tea
- Single-origin tea
- Tea mocktails
Department of Coffee
A calm coffee shop on Colombo Street with an extensive coffee menu and a glass wall looking out over the street.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Pour-over
- Cold brew
- Single origin
The Empire Café
A café in a restored colonial building next to the Temple of the Tooth, serving rice and curry, sandwiches, juices and good coffee.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Rice and curry
- Fresh juices
- Coffee
Café Kumbuk
A relaxed, garden-style café off Independence Avenue known for healthy brunch, local produce and plenty of vegan and gluten-free options.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Flat white
- Sri Lankan coffee
- Brunch
Café Divine Street
A café in a colonial-era bungalow on Colombo Street, known for smoothie bowls and its Divine Burger.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Smoothie bowls
- Brunch
- Burgers
Natural Coffee
One of Kandy’s first proper coffee shops, near the Temple of the Tooth, serving Sri Lankan fair-trade coffee, waffles and ice cream.
- Budget
- Café
- Sri Lankan coffee
- Fair-trade coffee
- Espresso
Peppermint Café
A 24-hour, pet-friendly café in Colombo 7, popular with locals for sandwiches, pasta and fish and chips.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Open 24 hours
- Pet-friendly
- Fish and chips
Seed
A bright brunch café on Horton Place with healthy and vegan options and indoor and garden seating.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Specialty coffee
- Single origin
- Healthy brunch
KIKU Colombo
A Japanese-inspired café and restaurant on Layards Road, known for matcha lattes, specialty coffee and fresh seafood.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Matcha latte
- Lavender matcha
- Matchagato
Barefoot Garden Café
A leafy courtyard café at the Barefoot store, with relaxed brunches, Sunday jazz and a bookshop and gallery next door.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Brunch
- Garden seating
- Live music
Isle of Gelato, Ella
A gelato and specialty coffee bar on Ella’s main street, with flat whites made from a Sri Lankan single origin.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Flat white
- Single origin
- Sri Lankan coffee
Cloe Café
A neighbourhood café in Nawala, known for its matcha latte sweetened with honey.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Matcha latte
- Honey matcha
- Coffee
Café Koi
A small café a short walk from the Temple of the Tooth and Kandy Lake, known for homemade cakes and good coffee.
- Budget
- Café
- Homemade cakes
- Coffee
Café Secret Alley
A hidden café at the end of an alley near Kandy City Centre, serving smoothie bowls, healthy lunches and its signature iced latte.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Cortado
- Sri Lankan coffee
- Iced latte
Butter Boutique
A Colombo cake café best known for its tres leches, plus cinnamon rolls, brownies and good coffee.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Matcha latte
- Hojicha
- Flavoured matcha
The Cauldron
A vegan café blending Sri Lankan flavours with plant-based cooking, popular for creative bowls and comfort food.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Vegan
- Plant-based
- Smoothies
Black Cat Café
A pet-friendly café in a restored 1920s mansion in Colombo 7, known for homemade ginger beer and all-day brunch.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Ginger beer
- All-day brunch
- Pet-friendly
The Commons Coffeehouse
A laid-back coffeehouse on Flower Road with a menu ranging from American breakfasts to kottu.
- Mid-range
- Café
- All-day breakfast
- Kottu
- Milkshakes
Milk & Honey Café
A mostly vegetarian café on Horton Place with an all-day breakfast menu and healthy options.
- Mid-range
- Café
- All-day breakfast
- Vegetarian
- Healthy bowls
Coco Veranda
A popular Colombo 7 café using Italian beans, with a long food and drinks menu.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Italian espresso
- Iced drinks
- Milkshakes
Tea Avenue Jawatte
An old-world tea house with a long menu of Ceylon teas, light meals and a relaxed setting for work or catching up.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Ceylon tea
- Iced tea
- Laptop-friendly
The Garage Café
A fun, garage-themed café on Peradeniya Road with graffiti walls, tyre seating, kottu, burgers, shakes and waffles at budget prices.
- Budget
- Café
- Kottu
- Burgers
- Milkshakes
Kiri Kōpi
A specialty coffee shop in a grand colonial-style building, with single-origin coffees, Sri Lankan beans and an all-day brunch.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Specialty coffee
- Single origin
- Sri Lankan coffee
Buono
A first-floor coffee bar in central Kandy, known for excellent espresso, avocado toast and fresh lemonades.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Espresso
- Avocado toast
- Lemonade
Soul Food
A relaxed, healthy café near Kandy Lake for wraps, bowls, fresh juices and vegan-friendly dishes.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Smoothies
- Fresh juices
- Wraps
Department of Coffee, Colombo 7
A specialty coffee brew bar near Independence Square, with pour-overs, Aeropress, syphon, cold brew and rotating single origins.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Pour-over
- V60
- Aeropress
Isle of Gelato, Galle
Gelato and specialty coffee on Pedlar Street, perfect for a break while exploring Galle Fort.
- Mid-range
- Café
- Gelato
- Specialty coffee
- Flat white
Some links are affiliate or partner links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Sri Lanka’s café scene
Sri Lanka grows coffee as well as tea, and a new wave of specialty cafés is roasting local beans alongside imported single origins. Colombo leads the way, especially around Colombo 7, with Kandy, Galle Fort and Ella catching up fast.
What to order
- Flat whites, long blacks and cortados made with Sri Lankan-grown specialty coffee.
- Pour-overs and cold brew: brew bars now offer V60, Aeropress and syphon with rotating single origins.
- Matcha: matcha lattes are everywhere, from classic to mango, lychee, hojicha and lavender.
- Ceylon tea, done properly: tea lounges serve single-estate teas, iced teas and tea mocktails.
- Brunch: avocado toast, smoothie bowls and all-day breakfasts, with plenty of vegan options.
Good to know
Where can I get matcha in Colombo?
Butter Boutique (flavoured matchas and hojicha), Grind (mango and lychee matcha) and KIKU (lavender matcha and the matchagato) are our favourites, with Cloe Café in Nawala known for its honey matcha latte.
Where is the best specialty coffee in Colombo?
For pour-overs, cold brew and single origins, try Department of Coffee in Colombo 7, Kiri Kōpi on Flower Road and Seed. Café Kumbuk is known for its flat whites made with Sri Lankan-grown coffee.
Is there good coffee in Kandy?
Yes. Department of Coffee on Colombo Street has pour-overs and cold brew, Café Secret Alley does a great cortado and Sri Lankan coffee, and Buono and Natural Coffee are reliable for espresso.
What is the difference between a long black and an Americano?
Both are espresso and hot water. A long black is made by pouring a double espresso over hot water, which keeps the crema and a stronger taste; an Americano adds water to the espresso, so it is milder.
Does Sri Lanka grow coffee?
Yes. Coffee was grown on a large scale in the 19th century before tea took over, and a new generation of farmers and roasters is reviving it. Many specialty cafés now serve Sri Lankan single origins.