With the pandemic becoming such an integral part of our lives these past couple of years, and the economy taking a nosedive there has been little to celebrate for entrepreneurs and business owners – especially the innovators looking to take a few risks and try something now.
It’s a rare thing these days to see a brand new physical restaurant coming up, with cloud kitchens growing into the mainstay of Sri Lanka’s food and beverage industry. However, despite the potential drawbacks, Burley’s – Colombo’s latest original fast food restaurant – opened its doors to the city on 21 February 2022.
Situated at No. 32, Galle Road, Bambalapitiya, Burley’s is pretty hard to miss – it’s right in front of Galle Road, and anybody looking to cross over to the seaside will get a sight of the stunning building housing Burley’s. Before we even get to the food, Burley’s hooks you in with a unique floor plan that is very aesthetically pleasing from the outside, drawing you in.
The open floor concept is pretty much all windows bathing the interior with gorgeous natural light balanced beautifully with the internal décor. Burley’s if not anything is the most Instagram-friendly fast food place in Colombo right now. No harsh fluorescent lights, tasteful furniture, the place is definitely looking to give its customers an elevated experience.
The moment you step into the building you are clued into what kind of fast food place Burley’s is going to be – it is slightly on the high end if we are to consider fast food, and a step above your everyday chain restaurants. Kicking things off with a single outlet, the management shared that they are looking to expand the property into a franchise, with the Bambalapitiya one being their pilot effort.
Once you’ve established that this restaurant is not going to be your average Burger King or McDonald’s, you can get started on getting yourself some food and right off the bat we can tell you – while the food was enjoyable, with a few misses here and there, Burley’s manages to have a few signature items which they do incredibly well. The first of which is their Corn Dogs, this is something totally new to Colombo’s foodies, if not for a handful of themed restaurants who specialise in the stuff, corn dogs are not a common menu item and definitely not at all a fast food restaurant item we’ve ever seen before.
Naturally the corn dog really got everyone’s attention, and the venue did a wonderful job at preparing a near perfect delicious corn dog.
Yet another highlight were their extensive selection of ice cream and most notably their beverages. The drinks at the place were next level. They offer your typical coffee drinks, including what they refer to as the “frappelato” which is a build-your-own drink option where you have your choice of base gelato – an incredibly varied list of options from vanilla, chocolate, strawberry to passion fruit, bubble gum, blueberry cheesecake etc. paired with your choice of toppings; whipped cream, chocolate sauce, cookie crumbs, caramel sauce and a number of other options.
However, what had everyone raving about the drinks at Burley’s was their “Chillerz”, a sort of slushy type crushed ice mocktail that was pretty perfect in all its numerous flavours. There were really far too many beverages to try, but our personal favourite was the Waikiki Sunset which comprised strawberry purée, passion purée, lime slices, mint syrup and 7 Up. There were a few other honourable mentions including their “dessert dunes” which features mango and raspberry flavours, and also the “Lush tropics” which was a kiwi and peach flavoured one.
In terms of food they have a variety of burgers, submarines, fried chicken, shawarma, and also some biryani. Although we have to say that these options, especially the burgers didn’t really stand out all that much, but this is not to say that they were not enjoyable, just that, considering the price point which is not cheap, they don’t seem to be doing anything too different with these standard menu items.
Regardless, considering that it is after all a fast food place, there’s an amazing variety of options for anyone to choose from and they do enough of those items incredibly well that it’s definitely worth your visit.
Instagram: @burleysfoods