Bar Tales: Deep Dive In Colombo

From noon till midnight, a father and son explore the lesser-known watering holes of Sri Lanka’s capital

- Julian Manning

A surf and soak along Sri Lanka’s coastal hamlets hit the spot like a chilled pint of Lion, but that doesn’t mean the capital is merely a place to catch an outbound bus. Just like popping up the backplate of a crab and peeling open a trove of meat, Colombo has a lot going on beneath the surface, especially for those keen on eating and drinking their island experience.

Visiting gourmands often venture to The Pagoda Tearoom for jaggery-infused coconut custard (watalappam), or dive into a banana leaf’s worth of lamprais—a jumble of curry, plantain, and sambal served over stock-cooked rice—at Cyril’s Green Cabin or The Dutch Burgher Union. For more seasoned travelers, mealtimes are enjoyed amidst steaming plates of post-pub kottu at Hotel De Pilawoos or crispy prawn vadai and egg hoppers from street carts. Colombo is a place where the price of good food is not necessarily judged by what’s in one’s wallet, but rather their willingness to explore.

However, an affordable pint is where the city seems to falter. There are several quality pubs in town, but many charges enough to take the joy out of a sundowner. Yet, just like Colombo’s food scene, curiosity pays dividends, one just has to try a little harder when it comes to hunting down the city’s choice dive bars. The reward? Down-to-earth hangouts filled with laidback locals, ample arrack, and platefuls of devilled pork.

1. Ex-Service Men’s Institute Bar