Lewis Place is known to be the ‘happening’ street in Negombo and with the tourist season in full swing the little ‘home-style’ restaurants as well as the more established were alive with chatter and laughter.
Words Udeshi Amarasinghe Photographs Indika De Silva and Isuru Upeksha
Starting from one end of the street, we walked following the sound of music or loud chatter. Tourists were coming out of their hotels to explore the street and find a good place to eat. There were groups, families and couples and a few venturing out on their own. Though it was a bit quiet at first as the night progressed the restaurants started to fill-up. The Negombo season begins in December and goes on until March, however with the sun kissed beach just at your door-step and with the many activities available, Negombo is a great place to enjoy a holiday throughout the year.
Situated in close proximity to the international airport in Katunayake and less than an hour away from Colombo (via the expressway), Negombo, especially Lewis Place is the ideal location to just hang-out in the evening or even to simply dine out. The street is lit up with colourful signboards and there are many souvenir shops with interesting knick-knacks along the way. Supermarkets with names such as Tesco and Euro were frequented by tourists, while shops with colourful local clothing attracted many.
The Negombo Season Begins In December And Goes On Until March
A street cart with a delicious selection of prawn vadai and roti was drawing a crowd. With the portable cooker on the cart the seller was frying the vadai, heating the roti and adding a flavoursome concoction
of onions, carrots and a spicy sauce. The many restaurants on Lewis Place represented various countries with their diverse arrays of cuisine; ranging from Sri Lankan seafood dishes to Chinese, Italian, German, Indian, British, fusion and many more. Most of the restaurants are open on to the street and with the music flowing and lively chatter; the ambience was very relaxing.
The tea centre on the street seemed to be popular with tourists selecting the blend they required. In most cases the children with their dads would occupy themselves on the street watching the vehicles and people going by, while their moms spent time browsing the collection. A little distance away was an interesting art gallery, where the beautiful paintings were creations of a deaf artist, who had not studied art at school but had discovered his talent by chance.
For A Laid-Back Night Out With Friends And Family, Lewis Place In Negombo Is Definitely The Place To Be
What was apparent was that ‘home-style’ restaurants seemed to be attracting the crowds. But, since there were many places to choose from and various cuisines to fulfil any cravings the more specialised restaurants too were busy. We were able to see the longest sushi belt in Sri Lanka and also listen to Anna from Italy who was performing
at the fully crowded fusion restaurant and gallery at Lords.
A cheerful bunch from the Netherlands who had been in Sri Lanka for five months was enjoying a few days in Negombo before heading back home. Laterns were lit in all most all the restaurants, initially we thought this was to indicate that a party was happening but that was not so! Negombo was more laid-back and had a more relaxing ambience as opposed to party, party, party. While thumping music was heard behind closed doors it did not disturb others on Lewis Place.
Colourful lanterns in various shapes added a distinct charm to this popular street and the numerous hotels offer a mix of everything. We made a short walk to the beach, which was very quiet and peaceful except for a few groups enjoying themselves. As there was nothing much to do here we returned to Lewis Place to munch on prawn vadai before heading back home.
For a laid-back night out with friends and family, Lewis Place in Negombo is definitely the place to be.
