Café
Barefoot Garden Café
The courtyard café behind Barefoot's Galle Road shop, serving daily specials, sandwiches and drinks, with Sunday jazz sessions that have run for about 20 years.
The Fort Café
A café opened in 2025 by Tasty Caterers in Colombo Fort's Australia Building, serving barista coffee, artisanal teas, light meals and high tea on request.
At a glance
- Type
- Café and tea room
- Area
- Fort, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Price
- $$ · Mid-range
Good to know
- High tea on request
- Open daily
Why we recommend it
The Fort Café is a recent addition to Colombo Fort, opened in 2025 by Tasty Caterers, a Sri Lankan food business with more than four decades in the industry. It occupies part of the Australia Building in the Fort, and it was designed as a place for office workers, shoppers and visitors to stop for coffee, a meal or a meeting during the day.
The menu mixes Tasty Caterers' long-standing favourites with dishes created for the café format. Expect light snacks, main meals and desserts, together with barista-style coffee made from premium beans and a selection of artisanal teas. A high-tea menu with fine finger food can be arranged on request, which makes the café a useful option if you want an afternoon tea in Fort without heading to a hotel. The company's chairperson, Kanthi Jayamaha, has described the aim as a warm and inviting atmosphere that makes you want to linger.
The interior combines modern style with warm touches, and the café presents itself as suitable for casual meetings, business lunches, private functions and coffee breaks. It opens seven days a week, and weekend offerings were planned when it opened. Contact details and hours were not published in the launch coverage, so check locally before making a special trip.
The café is well placed for a day exploring Fort and Pettah. The Old Dutch Hospital, recorded in 1681 and now a shopping and dining precinct, is close by, and Sri Lanka In Style's morning heritage walk starts there before looping past landmarks such as the Central Bank, the Old Post Office and the Cargills Building. A coffee before the walk or a light lunch afterwards fits neatly into the day, and the walk's 2.5-hour route ends back at the Dutch Hospital, a short distance away.
From Fort it is a short walk east into the Pettah markets, with the Red Mosque and Wolvendaal Church, and a short walk south to Galle Face Green for the evening. The Kingsbury, also in Fort, whose Sky Lounge rooftop bar has live music from 5pm, is close if you want to move on from coffee to a sunset drink.
The Fort Café FAQs
Who runs The Fort Café?
Tasty Caterers, a Sri Lankan food company with more than four decades in the industry.
Where is it?
In the Australia Building in Colombo Fort.
When did it open?
In 2025.
What does it serve?
Light snacks, main meals, desserts, barista-style coffee and artisanal teas.
Can I have high tea there?
Yes, a high-tea menu with finger food is available on request.
Is it open at weekends?
It opens seven days a week.
Who is it aimed at?
Office workers in Fort, shoppers and visitors, as well as people holding meetings or private functions.
What is nearby?
The Old Dutch Hospital, Pettah and Galle Face Green.