The latest addition to Colombo’s café and restaurant line up – Busy Bean at Racecourse Promenade opened its doors to the public on 27 March 2022.
A part of the LSR Group of companies, Busy Bean will be their first café and speaking to Busy Bean Founder Janith Weerasinghe, he stated what they hope to achieve with this new outlet is to create a space for leisure especially considering that despite the Racecourse Promenade being a hot spot for people to socialise, there aren’t any bona fide cafés in the area.
“With Busy Bean, we’re creating a lively environment for people to enjoy delicious coffee, pastries and food throughout the day. We’re thrilled to be opening in the Colombo Racecourse Promenade where we will be part of a community that can share in our culture and is a hub for the neighbourhood to stop in for a coffee, work, or meet with friends,” he said.
We paid the café a visit and in the first instance what really stood out to us was the open floor plan. The seating space was cosy, comfortable, and flexible enough to accommodate both small and large groups. Because the interior is very muted, the ambience is incredibly warm and welcoming, the perfect space to spend extended periods just chilling.
Coffee shops very quickly transform into local cultural hubs, places where people can get together casually, recharge, study, read a book, or simply enjoy a comfortable space and we can certainly see Busy Bean turning into such a space. We were particularly impressed by their WiFi connection, cos what is life without internet, which also makes it ideal for those working from home looking for a change in scenery.
They aim to offer an all-day experience for guests to socialise alongside breakfast, lunch, and dessert items that include classic sandwiches, crêpes, burgers, a variety of coffees, and more. The space doubles as a co-working atmosphere, and they also have a conference room that can fit about eight to 10 people; the space can be booked for private meetings.
We have to make special note of their incredibly friendly staff, who were quick and efficient, and there was very little waiting time despite it being a first time operation.
As for the food, the menu is quite extensive for a café, with their menu featuring a mixture of old school classics with a smattering of popular favourite dishes including spicy grilled tuna wraps, roast chicken sandwiches, and a variety of burgers. Thankfully, the pricing is also really reasonable and paired with the top notch service it’s something you wouldn’t want to miss.
However, their true strength lies in their beverages. The coffee at Busy Bean is sourced from Aga Coffee; it is locally grown, brewed, and roasted. “Supporting local is a large part of Busy Bean. All our desserts and pastries are outsourced to home bakers. We have a prominent location in Colombo, a lot of talented home bakers struggle to find a location to present their products. We want to give them that opportunity,” explained Janith.
The café currently houses four local brands: Dessert Bistro, Ashi’s Crafty Cookies, Deiv’s Cake Factory, and Sara’s Granola, and they are looking to collaborate with any other home bakers looking for space.
Janith shared that Busy Bean at Racecourse is simply the first step and they hope to expand their initiative to other parts of the island very soon.
Busy Bean will operate every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
For more information contact (011) 2 677 866.
Instagram: @busybean.sl
