O Mirissa Cafe & Bistro

The perfect oasis from the coastal sun!

Mirissa has become a favourite destination for anyone looking to take a mini-vacation away from the hustle of the city and joining the row of eateries down the main Mirissa stretch is O Mirissa Café and Bistro, a quaint little café just a few strides away from the magnificent Mirissa beaches. The café serves as the perfect oasis from the coastal sun with a staff base that is extremely courteous and knows their way round the menu, and absolutely delectable food. Their open kitchen concept also adds a funky yet sophisticated touch and alongside the mosaic tiles, intricate ceiling décor and pretty murals, helps them balance that fine line between sophisticated yet youthful, welcoming both backpackers and luxury seekers alike.

Appetizers

One thing that really impressed us about O Mirissa is their starters. Not to take away from the brilliance of their mains, but if you were to order a few of these little dishes and share, it would still make one of the most exciting meals you’ve had.

O Mirissa Ocean Tuna in Sesame and Wasabi – LKR 800

We started off with the ocean tuna that was encrusted in sesame seeds and lightly seared, and then topped off with a drizzle of wasabi. This dish has a subtle balance of flavours and textures and boy, does it satisfy the palette! The wasabi, of course, packs a punch and went straight to my brain the first time around because I wasn’t careful but the freshness of the tuna alongside the crunch of the sesame really made it something to write home about. Definitely worth the price.

Prawn Popcorn – LKR 700

A fun take on the usual batter fried prawns, the Prawn Popcorn is served crisp and fresh. This was 6 pieces of butterflied jumbo prawns that were perfectly flavored with chilli flakes and a hint of garlic powder. The presentation was great and it was served with a bowl of sweet chilli sauce that we honestly didn’t even need because the prawns were great on their own.

Easy ‘N’ Crispy Calamari Rings – LKR 700

This dish was the perfect comfort food! Us Lankans usually go for the Hot Butter variety when it comes to calamari but these Crispy Rings were absolutely fine on their own. Fried to perfection and flavoured with just the right amount of seasoning, we’d be happy to eat this dish every day!

Mains

Getting down to the stars of the show, O Mirissa serves up everything from fresh seafood like Lobster, to Sri Lankan fare to wood fire oven pizzas and pastas so you’re guaranteed to have a variety to choose from.

The O Mirissa Fish & Chips – LKR 1000

The fish and chips are fried in a beer batter and served with a tartar sauce. The day we swung by, the fish was a little over-fried but those chips were heavenly and made up for the minor flaw. The dish is comfort food and we look forward to giving it another chance soon.

The Ghodamba Roti, Egg Plant Moju with Dhal Curry – LKR 500

Now the presentation on this dish was crazy. We loved that the curries were served in kesel muwa peels, giving it an added Sri Lankan touch but the flavours, oh man! Authentic, mouth-watering and absolutely delicious. We licked the plate clean even though the portion was gigantic and we absolutely loved it!

Spicy ‘DelTano’ – LKR 1600

A combination of chicken, onion, green chilli, bell pepper, black olives and mozzarella tossed onto a thin crust, wood fire oven pizza is just what the doctor prescribed. This dish can be easily shared between two and is packed full of flavour – we loved it!

They have a range of desserts to choose from like brownies and whatnot but we were honestly too full after all those delicious mains that we couldn’t move.

O Mirissa hosts a killer open mic night that everyone enjoys too so stay tuned to their Instagram page for more updates on that. They are definitely worth the drive down there so be sure to check them out for some incredible food and great company!

Tip: try the Prawn Popcorn, you won’t regret it!

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Pulse’s restaurant reviews are 100% unbiased. On no account do we claim to be qualified food critics; our aim is to simply share our personal experiences and  opinions with our readers.