Vegan-friendly
European
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Cafe set in a garden serving mostly vegan food with a few vegetarian options. Reported to be under new management December 2021 and meat has been added to the menu. Open Mon-Tue 8:00am-8:00pm, Thu-Fri 8:00am-8:00pm, Sat 9:00am-4:00pm, Sun 8:00am-8:00pm. Can arrange custom hours upon request.


Venue map for Cafe Zen
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44 Reviews

First Review by SamanthaGreen

gijodi

Points +161

Vegan
28 Feb 2025

5 Stars

I wish it would let me give it 5 stars but I suppose because it’s not fully vegetarian/vegan anymore, it is not allowed - bit it is certainly deserving. Super cute atmosphere and even more delicious food. It’s on the main road that can get kind of busy, but the vibe is so chill you don’t even mind. There’s also some seating towards the back or inside if you’d like to be a bit more removed. I was greeted with friendly service and they have Wi-Fi! I have the Buddha lunch bowl and the vegan carrot cake with a turmeric coconut milk latte. I could not have been happier with my choices. I highly recommend if you are in town to check this place out.  they have a cute little shop and promote local tours. Seems like a good spot to sit and chill, have some delicious food, read a little bit or work. 

Pros: Zen vibes , Delicious food, Friendly service

Cons: Kitchen closes early – breakfast & lunch only, Outside = occasional flies & mosquitoes, Main road/sound of horns (this didn’t bother me)

JamysOMeara

Points +100

Vegan
06 Jan 2025

Bee blastal.

Vegan options plentiful, including a couple glutton free. Kottu was very tasty. Shaded, wooded, garden eating area, clean toilets, prices similar to other places on the tourist stretch.

Pros: Eating area, Food, Staff

Cons: Fish in pool

DaisyMayHickey

Points +18

Vegan
06 Jan 2025

Beautiful food, staff and energy.

A gem for anyone visiting Negombo, especially vegans. A varied menu with many beautiful dishes on offer, including clearly marked gluten free options, nut allergy warnings and all vegan dishes clearly marked. The staff are attentive, friendly and happy to help. Free chilled and filtered water is offered in abundance, served in reusable glass bottles, to help reduce the use of single use plastic. Tranquill music, glorious flora and gentle animals sleeping near your feet make the energy of this place sublime, a little pocket of calm away from the road. We have visited several times during our few days here and each trip has been a joy. Thank you Cafe Zen. Oxo

Pros: Clearly marked dietary options , Lots of choice, Friendly and happy staff

wonderlust

Points +48

Vegan
26 Oct 2024

Must go

Loved this cute garden vibe cafe. Great service & delicious food! Pancakes were amazing!

AnnikaKerrison

Points +42

Vegan
13 Jul 2024

Very nice

Very nice place in town. Many vegan options. Friendly stuff. Thank you!

Jasonleg

Points +123

Vegetarian
18 May 2024

Grear food and service

Loved Cafe Zen which has a great menu mostly vegan or vegetarian. Ordered the mango banana smoothie and a bean burrito. They were both so yummy and fresh. Loved the final order of a flat white. Great restaurant in Negombo.

Pros: Great menu, Great service, Nice variation of options local and international

TinFreiheit

Points +30

Vegan
26 Apr 2024

Vegan options

Very small cafe. Good menu for vegan and vegetarian. Love the home made cake

Pros: Vegan carrot cake , Vegan coffee , Vegan wrap

Klaud

Points +817

Vegan
23 Apr 2024

Very cute place!

The people working there are very attentive and the food was really good😊

I took Buddha bowl and it had tofu😍
Smoothy was tasty as well!

Highly recommended😊

Clarelp

Points +142

Vegan
18 Mar 2024

Fantastic cafe

Great cafe serving delicious vegan smoothie bowls and cake, plus excellent juices and coffee. A calm and shady garden setting and friendly staff. Perfect place!

Updated from previous review on 2024-03-18

zuendstoffel

Points +407

Vegan
14 Mar 2024

Sweet little Café, with a braod variet of vegan and vegetarian meals

Oh what a lovely shady place! I came here for breakfast and had the hummus plate. It was very good. Next time I will order the falafel aside.
Their coffee is also very good.
I will most definitely come again when I return to Negombo.

Updated from previous review on 2024-03-14

Pros: Lovely garden café, Great service, Many options for vegans to choose from

UlaEneaTrzeciakowska

Points +34

Vegan
08 Mar 2024

Delightfull Vegan kottu, open untill 8pm.

While just few days in Lankian streets we didn’t have much to compare to but kottu and budda bowl we tried were delicious . They make rotti on their own😄the place is lovely and open untill 8pm so dont wait and visit !

naturelloyd

Points +471

Vegan
02 Mar 2024

Quirky

Plants, good food and good service! Cool hippy aesthetics and a selection of homemade gifts (cosmetics and art). The café also prepares certain food items for takeaway.

The café also serves meat and eggs.

SimoneK.Stone

Points +358

Vegan
05 Feb 2024

Yummy

Beautiful cozy vintage cafe with good food. The mushroom bread was yummy. The also offer a view vegan options like beanburger, salads, wrap, falafel and carrot cake.

Pros: Yummy food, Beautiful cafe, Sweet animals

Mariebacktdas

Points +41

Vegan
05 Feb 2024

Bestes Restaurant in Negombo!

Dieses kleine Café/ Restaurant ist sehr gemütlich mit vielen Pflanzen und einem kleinen Teich ausgestattet - man kann hier wirklich sehr gut Energie tanken. Das Essen ist superlecker - wir konnten uns gar nicht entscheiden, was wir zuerst probieren sollen. 🙉 Es gibt eine große Auswahl an veganen Gerichten, die alle schön angerichtet sind und sattmachen. Die Säfte kann ich auch sehr empfehlen!

Updated from previous review on 2024-02-05

Pros: Leckere vegane Gerichte, Freundliche Bedienung, Idyllische Ausstattung

MerikWesterveld

Points +889

Vegan
17 Dec 2023

Delicious Western fusion food for good prices

A lot of vegan options which is very nice and it is delicious. Also the prices are pretty good here and the atmosphere is lovely. Would recommend.

wikipias

Points +128

Vegan
17 Nov 2023

Wish I could give 5*

Lotsss of vegan options and they are delicious too. The vegan carrot cake is one of the nicest I have ever had, very moist and delicious. Staff is lovely & there are very cute kittens roaming about.

Pros: Friendliness of staff , Delicious food , Vegan options

LotteB

Points +76

Vegan
04 Nov 2023

Lovely atmosphere and tasty food

We had a great meal in a comfy and chill setting. We loved the little kitties that were around! Would definitely recommend

ClemensStuebler

Points +63

Vegetarian
05 Oct 2023

Great atmosphere, amazing food

We spent our last day in SL here.
Best decision. Everything perfect here - you cant regret it

Pros: Atmosphere very chill, Great food with vegan and gluten free options , Cats :)

sweetestpotat

Points +591

Vegan
22 Aug 2023

10/10 falafel wrap

Loads of choice, delicious falafel wrap and iced latte with coconut milk! Really pretty location and friendly staff.

MamaDuck

Points +47

Vegan
14 Aug 2023

Lovely place

Lots of vegan options. Great tasting food - decent portions. Tranquil atmosphere.

GillianDulohery

Points +65

Vegetarian
16 Jul 2023

Lots of veggie and vegan options, chilled atmosphere

Really nice outdoorsy chilled out space. Great vegertarian and vegan food. Great coffee. Delicious juices. Had lunch and dinner here both excellent. The buddha bowl and poke bowl was our favourite. Also serves vegan carrot cake

Pros: Lots of vegetarian and vegan options, Really delicious food and drink, Lovely design and atmosphere

searchforsigns

Points +22

Vegan
07 Apr 2023

Greatful

Several vegan options with helpful staff.

Pros: A lot of vegan options, Very friendly Staff

blacknroses

Points +6778

Vegan
01 Apr 2023

Lovely cafe with a few good vegan options

Clearly marked vegan options, habe coconut milk for coffee, nice staff, food is great!

EstherGarcia

Points +43

Vegan
18 Mar 2023

Little cozy cafe

Little lovely cafe, plenty of vegan options

Pros: Lots of vegan options , Very cozy, They are super kind

mjan

Points +450

Vegan
20 Jan 2023

Geweldige plek, heerlijk eten

Wij hebben heerlijk gegeten in een klein stukje natuur in de stad , de koffie was heerlijk met Cocosmelk, vegan carrotcake als toetje. Helaas vergat ik foto's te nemen. De foto's zijn van de tuin en de dieren

Pros: Veel vegan opties, Heerlijke tuin, Vriendelijke mensen, mooie inrichting

duncanrice

Points +102

Vegan
14 Nov 2022

Vegan Food to die for

Run by an amazing South African woman, Jackie Hyland, this restaurant has an extensive vegan menu. The Buddha Bowl was incredible and the tofu just mouth-watering. I would highly recommend this place if you are vegan.

Pros: Lots of vegan options.

YohanⓋ

Points +6394

Vegan
16 May 2022

Cute little cafe with many vegan options.

Very cute cafe run by South Africans, with many vegan options and good coffee. The mango salad was particularly tasty. The Mr Mushy was not bad, but the hummus didn’t really match in my view. Loved the ambiance and the staff were friendly.

Pros: Many vegan options, Food was quite tasty, Beautiful space




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