You know what they say, ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of them all.” 

Whether you subscribe to this sort of thinking or not, there really is a case to be made for the importance of breakfast and nothing quite spells it out like a great spread. 

I for one, like my breakfast in all shades of all the continents and it’s safe to say I’ve had a run in with most of the breakfasts in Colombo. It makes sense then that I compile the most memorable of them in a review of the breakfasts in and around Colombo. 

1. Calorie Counter 

Keeping things healthy at the outset, Calorie Counter serves up a great selection of breakfast items including the featured Salmon and Avocado Open Sandwich. What sets Calorie Counter apart is its promise of a healthy alternative to the typical eating-out experience.  The breakfast choices are no different to the brand’s promise of healthy nutrition and I would imagine works wonders for those concerned with what their diets contain. 
The Sunny Side Up with the Baked Beans is another fan favourite seemingly and draws close parallels to some of the most indulgent breakfast spreads on this list, of course with the added benefit of being healthy. 

2. Coco Veranda 

Coco Veranda serves up a greatly understated breakfast spread with something of a more thoughtful design. The Chicken Bacon wrapped Cheddar slices are a charming touch to the serve-up and pairs well with the rest of the items on the spread. Of course, Coco also retains its greatest advantages of being privy to great coffee and nice locations, both aspects of which grant greatly to its breakfast offering. 

3. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

The Coffee Bean calls it what it is with their signature ‘Big Breakfast’ something of a generous serving for the big eaters consisted of Sausages, Baked Beans, Hash Brown, Salad, Toast, Scramble and Butter Jam. I couldn’t think of anything they left out when they decided to throw all of that into the mix and the portion size is satisfying to say the least. 

The Coffee Bean is a favourite of mine given the ungodly operating hours they work on which works wonders for some of us who finish work at 6 AM and crave giant breakfast servings. 

4. Java Lounge

The Java Lounge Breakfast is a modest, yet cosy affair with its exceptional coffee blend scoring extra points. Java Lounge also complements its food and coffee with the ambience of the location and this factors in perfectly for breakfast. Everyone loves the dim, window-gazing set-up of the workaholic-friendly café and breakfast at Java is no different in this way. 

5. Tea Avenue 

Tea Avenue does a lots of things right as far as my preferences for a café go and breakfast is definitely one of the things they do perfectly well. Whether you pick the traditional Egg, Toast, Sausage variety or the fine alternatives on offer (more on that in a sentence); the food is great, an adventurous range of beverages and desserts are also on offer and the place itself does well for a breakfast affair. 

Should you be feeling alternative, Tea Avenue whips up a great number of alternatives to the classics, a favourite of which is the Tuna, Pol Sambol Waffle dish. I couldn’t think of a better way to have my waffles in the morning to be honest and I’m sure most of you would agree. 

6.   The Commons

If you haven’t explored the breakfast deal at the Commons by now, you need to do some serious soul searching and getting in touch with the basics. Breakfast at the Commons is an everyday affair for most yuppies, as it should be of course. Aside from the slice of toast wedged as a base for the Scramble, the breakfast itself is fairly standard. The Coffee is great as per the usual and of course there are no complaints as far as taste goes. But, if you really were to award breakfast at the Commons with a credential, it’ll be for ambience. The Commons is rarely unoccupied and the buzz of the place is somewhat welcoming for those of us who don’t prefer the silent dining variety.

7. Whight and Co. 

Whight and Co. wins the Breakfast competition based on two distinct merits. Firstly, the view in the morning from the up-stair balcony is a killer touch. Secondly, two words; Pork Bacon. Being the only place on this list that serves up Pork Bacon, Whight and Co. wins by default. The breakfast itself is called Chillie Scrambled Eggs and really outdoes itself as far as taste goes with the Beef Sausage, runny Scramble and Pork Bacon adding the winning touches.