By Jessica Mathiasz

I didn't choose the brunch life. The brunch life chose me. But there was a time when I used to stress about picking a good brunch spot to eat. Those days are over. After countless mediocre meals and a few truly transcendent ones, I've cracked the code. These are the places that never let me down, the five spots I return to when I want to guarantee good food and good vibes. 

Barefoot Cafe

A Colombo classic. Barefoot Cafe is where I go for brunch with soul. It has good food, good coffee and a great atmosphere. The cool jazz music, that perfect Colombo breeze, and the kind, smiley staff all add to the experience. There's a beautiful art gallery to visit, a cute bookstore, and the Barefoot shop with its iconic handloom textiles and artsy products.

What I wouldn't give right now to be planted at my usual table, tearing into their roast beef sandwich while sipping a Passion Fruit Bellini. If I'm being truly honest? Barefoot has my heart and it is irreplaceable. 

Life’s Good Kitchen 

Life's Good Kitchen is what happens when someone looks at a regular café and says, "but what if we made it alive?". There's actual nature here, proper trees, real breeze, the whole package. Every time I eat here, I feel like I’m brunching in a secret garden rather than a café. Food is always on point too. I love their pasta dishes and wraps, but what I crave the most when I think of Life’s Good Kitchen is their cassava chips. I’d order them every day if I could.

The staff here are some of the kindest people, always smiling, always making sure you’re taken care of. If brunch in nature had a name, it’d be Life’s Good Kitchen.

Cafe Kumbuk 

There's something about Cafe Kumbuk that feels like home, if home had incredible coffee and grandma in the kitchen secretly spiking everything with love. Their Kochchi Prawn Spaghetti is everything! Silky noodles, plump prawns, crispy eggplant with just enough kick of spice. It's the kind of place where you'll catch yourself planning your next visit before you've even left.

The Stache

The food at Stache has personality. It’s super unique. Their Siam Ceylon dish is my favourite. It is comfort food turned up to an 11. Kiribath with Thai curry, seeni sambol fried with caramelized bacon ends. It is like a dream. Then there’s the pancakes! A tower of fluffy goodness with kithul cinnamon butter, strawberries and caramelized banana. It is sweet, tangy and impossible to resist. The portions here are massive. I could never finish it by myself. The flavours are even bigger. It is an amazing place for brunch overall. 

Brown Sugar Cafe 

I wanted to write about Brown Sugar Cafe mainly because of their doughnuts. Their food is great, no question about that, but the main reason I go there is the doughnuts. And I don’t even like sweets that much, so that says a lot.

I also love their beef sandwich. It’s juicy and packed with flavour. But those doughnuts? They’re on another level. They might just be the best I’ve ever had.