Where to drink good coffee in Hiriketiya and Dikwella

Good coffee is easy to find around Hiriketiya and Dikwella now. Several cafes within a few minutes of each other pull a proper espresso, and some pour beans grown on the island. Below are seven places we checked were open in 2026, what "specialty coffee" means, and what a cup costs with us.

What does "specialty coffee" mean?

The word is older than most cafes that use it. It was first used in 1974, for beans with a flavour of their own, grown in a particular place. Today it has a number behind it. Trained tasters score a coffee out of 100 on the form of the Specialty Coffee Association, and a coffee that reaches 80 points or more may be called specialty.

The score is only the end of the story. To reach it, the cherries have to be picked ripe, by hand, and sorted so that very few damaged beans are left. Then the roaster and the person at the machine have to keep what the farmer made. So when a cafe says "specialty", it should be able to tell you where the beans grew and who roasted them. Ask. A cafe that knows is usually glad to say.

Is coffee grown in Sri Lanka?

Yes, and it was here before the tea. By 1860 the island was one of the three largest coffee producers in the world. In 1869 a leaf disease called coffee rust arrived, and within a generation most planters had moved to tea.

Coffee did not disappear. Small farms in the hill country still grow arabica and robusta, and over the last ten years or so more cafes have begun to buy island beans. Our house beans are from Damn Fine, a Sri Lankan roaster that works with growers in the central highlands, and we pour their dark roast.

Where to drink good coffee in Hiriketiya and Dikwella

This guide is written by Ohana. We are on the list, and we say where we think we fit.

• Malkoha, Pehembiya Beach, Dikwella. A specialty cafe that opened in the building where Verse Collective used to be, about ten minutes on foot from Hiriketiya bay. Recent guides praise the coffee and the food, and it stays open later for drinks. Go here when the coffee itself is the reason for the walk.
• Ohana, Turtle Beach, Dikwella. That is us, less than five minutes by road from Hiriketiya. We fit when you want a well-made cup in front of a calm bay, with a book, a laptop or children. No alcohol is served and there is no loud music. If you want a tasting of filter coffees, another place on this list suits you better.
• MOND, Hiriketiya. A cafe and design hotel on the hill above the bay, with a rooftop. Guides mention breakfast, cold-pressed juices and coffee, and one writer who works remotely went every morning for her flat white. It also serves drinks in the evening.
• La Luna, Hiriketiya. An open-air cafe and guesthouse opposite the beach, opened at the start of 2025. Coffee and brunch by day, pizza in the evening. It suits people who want to stay close to the surf.
• Bunch, Hiriketiya. A small roadside cafe with a garden. Guides speak of strong coffee, smoothie bowls and a menu with many vegetarian plates. A quiet stop on the way to or from the bay.
• Salt House, Hiriketiya. A guesthouse with a yoga shala and a cafe a few minutes from the beach. Breakfast and coffee are served on a back porch. Good for a slow hour after a class.
• Dots Bay House, Hiriketiya. A hostel on the beach with a surf cafe, a bar, music nights and many events. It suits surfers and people who want company more than quiet.

Places on this coast open, move and close with the seasons, and some keep shorter hours between May and September. Look at the cafe's own page before you set out. For the difference between the two villages, read Hiriketiya or Dikwella.

What does a coffee cost at Ohana?

Coffee is made from 08:00 to 18:00. Every cup is ground and pulled to order.

• Espresso, 800 LKR. Espresso Doppio, 1,000 LKR. Americano, 900 LKR.
• Cappuccino, 1,000 LKR. One shot under a deep cap of milk foam.
• Flat White, 1,100 LKR. A double espresso with glossy microfoam, more coffee and less froth.
• Cortado, 1,100 LKR. Latte, 1,200 LKR.
• Cold Brew Coffee, 1,200 LKR. Steeped for twelve hours in cold water, served black over ice with a twist of orange.
• Coconut Cold Brew, 1,500 LKR. Cold brew shaken with coconut milk, kithul and coconut ice cubes.
• Caffè Shakerato, 1,250 LKR. Espresso shaken hard with ice until it wears a pale foam, the Italian way.
• Blue Lagoon Latte, 1,500 LKR. Butterfly pea, coconut milk and a double espresso over coconut ice cubes.
• Iced Americano, 1,150 LKR. Iced Cappuccino, 1,200 LKR. Iced Mocha, 1,250 LKR. Iced Latte, 1,300 LKR.

You can change a cup. Oat milk is 700 LKR, coconut milk 550 LKR, an extra shot 600 LKR, and a spoon of kithul treacle, the island's palm syrup, 300 LKR.

What goes well with the first cup?

Breakfast. We serve it from 08:00 to 11:00, and our page on breakfast, brunch and coffee near Hiriketiya shows the plates. If you do not drink coffee, read about matcha and oat milk by the sea. For children there is a Babyccino, warm frothy milk in a small cup with no coffee in it, and it is free.

Good to know

• We are at Turtle Beach, Dikwella, less than five minutes by road from Hiriketiya, open every day.
• Coffee and matcha are served from 08:00 to 18:00. Breakfast is from 08:00 to 11:00, lunch and dinner from 11:00 to 21:00.
• Prices are in LKR, plus a 10% service charge.
• Filtered water is on the house.
• There is Wi-Fi and there are power sockets, if the coffee comes with a laptop.