Zephyr is a happening new bar/resto on the Mirissa strip. We’d heard a lot of good things, and it’s worth all the hype. The food was pretty good, but it was the ambience that was most exciting.
Also, fun fact, Zephyr gets its name from a Red Hot Chili Peppers song.
Location & Ambience
These guys don’t have to try very hard to set the mood, because its location – the Mirissa beach stretch – is just amaze. The beach here is arguably the cleanest and most photogenic one on the island, you can read more about that here.
They’ve also got a big collection of cheerful looking beanbags that you can loll around in if you’re here in the day or when it’s not rainy. We visited at night after a bit of rain, so we couldn’t get a picture of that – the one above is from their Facebook page.
At night the place transforms into something else. Fairy lights and candles everywhere, a very good sound system, and lots of chatter from a mostly young Colombo/tourist crowd. During our visit, it was the most exciting place on the stretch, and for a while it gave off a very club-ey vibe – thumping music, and the guy at the next table standing on a chair and singing along with his friends. It felt kind of bizarre at first because one moment they’re playing an Ofenbach remix and it’s a club and the next it’s a slow Train song and feels like a restaurant again – but it grows on you. It works well as a bar, and at least during the night, it’s not a place for uncles and aunties (we saw one in the far corner looking a bit uncomfortable).
Service & Food
Considering the vibrant ambience and the crowd at Zephyr that night, we were pleasantly surprised by how well the waiters attended to everyone. Probably because it’s still a small space. Two guys rotated the room while the other was behind the bar. They were friendly, blending in with some of the dancing customers, and were available when we had questions.
They’ve got a decent menu that seemed run of the mill, except for the mains section – which had some interesting ones like ‘Negombo style crab curry’ and ‘chili jaggery beef tenderloin’. Our Zephyr burger was really, really good. It cost Rs. 850, and typically comes with a spiced beef patty, crispy bacon and egg (though I skipped the bacon part). The patty is delicious – looking at it you expect it to be heavy, but it’s actually wonderfully light and crumbly on the inside. The fries that came with it were good too. We definitely recommend Zephyr if you’re in Mirissa and feel like having a burger.
Our ‘deep south’ prawn curry tasted great too (Rs. 1000). The prawns were juicy and came in a lovely light spicy gravy, and went really well with the mango chutney, pol sambol and rice – a very simple but reliable mix of things.
We also asked for a banana milkshake, which tasted alright (best place for banana milkshakes is Mirissa Eye on the same stretch). Dessert was a simple brownie and ice cream, for Rs. 550. The brownie came hot-hot and crumbly, and super chocolatey – a treat for the tastebuds with the cold, mild vanilla ice cream.
Conclusion
We genuinely love Zephyr, it’s one of those places we’ll visit again if we’re down South. If you order just mains you can get away with about Rs. 2500 for two, but drinks and desserts can double that amount. All in all, it‘s a fun, vibrant place, they make quality food, and it’s a great way to spend the night if you’re in Mirissa with friends.
