Paradise Road Café

Paradise Road Café is the coffee stop of the Paradise Road group, the Colombo design and hospitality brand founded by Udayshanth Fernando that also runs The Gallery Café in Geoffrey Bawa's former offices and the Tintagel Colombo hotel. The café is at 213 Dharmapala Mawatha in Colombo 7, in the centre of the Cinnamon Gardens district, and it looks across to the city's monumental colonial Town Hall.

The café describes itself as a quiet retreat from Colombo's busy pace, and its offer is simple: all-day brunch, coffee and cake. That makes it a flexible stop at almost any hour, whether you want a late breakfast before a museum visit, a light lunch or an afternoon coffee and slice of cake after a walk in the park. The setting is calm enough for remote work and business meetings as well as catching up with friends, and the space can be booked for private events.

The view is a real draw. The Town Hall faces Viharamahadevi Park, the former Victoria Park, which was renamed in 1958 and is laid out with fountains, a large Buddha statue, a mini zoo and a children's play area. Sitting at the café is a good way to take in the architecture of this part of Colombo before or after a stroll through the park.

The café can be reached on its landline or through a WhatsApp number listed on the Paradise Road website, which is the easiest way to check opening times or reserve for a group, since the site lists several sets of hours for the group's different venues. Paradise Road's Colombo 7 shop, which sells homeware, kitchen items and gifts, is another reason to visit the area if you are looking for well-designed souvenirs.

The location is ideal for sightseeing. The National Museum, home to the throne and regalia of the last King of Kandy, is a few hundred metres south of the park, and Gangaramaya Temple and the Seema Malakaya on Beira Lake are a short tuk-tuk ride to the west. A morning at the museum and a late brunch here, with the Town Hall across the road, makes one of the most pleasant half-days in Colombo.