Thursday Jul 30, 2026
Thursday Jul 30, 2026
Thursday, 30 July 2026 04:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Soaring on to the global stage Smoke and Bitters made history by becoming the first and only bar and restaurant in Sri Lanka to ever make the World’s 50 Best Bar list, competing with the best venues from around the world. The extended list, representing the ultimate international guide to the world’s top drinking destinations, awarded Smoke and Bitters #67 in September 2025 alongside bars from Melbourne, New York, London, Tokyo, and Mexico City.
Cementing this global trajectory, the venue made history once again in 2026 by winning the prestigious Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award for Asia, a testament to the homegrown team’s defining spirit of authentic Sri Lankan hospitality.
Being the only Sri Lankan-owned bar featured in both the World’s Best and Asia’s 50 Best latest lists, Smoke and Bitters is steady in its rise, having also been awarded the title ‘Best Bar in Sri Lanka’ four years in a row. Leading the charge for the region, this independent coconut-grove venue continues to set global hospitality benchmarks while remaining fiercely rooted in its local village community.
The first Sri Lankan owned bar to be featured in the top 100 annual lists in 2022, 2023,2024, 2025 and now 2026 -
Smoke and Bitters leads the charge for South Asia this year cementing its status as one of Asia’s finest, ranked #14 in Asia’s50Best 2025. A remarkable achievement for a venue that was opened by two best friends, with one goal: to offer its people a uniquely Sri Lankan culinary and cocktail experience.
Located on the stunning Pehembiya beach in Dikwella, in the southern tip of Sri Lanka, Smoke and Bitters has attracted both tourists and locals with its authentically Sri Lankan offerings.
All its dishes are cooked using wood fire, either smoked or chargrilled, as signified by the ‘Smoke’ in its name.
The ‘Bitters’ conveys the co-founders’ passion for creating their own bitters from locally sourced ingredients, which dominate the cocktail menu. The tenacity and passion of its co-founders Don Ranasinghe and Lahiru Perera have brought Smoke and Bitters to this noteworthy accolade overcoming significant challenges to gain international renown.
The drinks program Is influenced by ‘Tiki’ bar pioneers of the 1930s, Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic. Smoke and Bitters serves cocktails and dishes which draw inspiration from a myriad cultures around the world using indigenous Sri Lankan herbs and spices.
The menus are wildly inventive, with cocktails like Cherry Cherry Cola: a cherry flavoured bomb, breaking all the rules of classic cocktail recipe ratios, is bar manager Sameera’s own concoction. A unique take on the Rum and Coke reminiscent of a Soda Sundae topped with coconut foam
including white rum, butterfly pea, hibiscus, pineapple, house cola and angostura bitters.
The Bananarama wholly embodies the Smoke and Bitters drinks concept, with organic local ingredients, smoke and spices. It contains smoked wild bee honey harvested sustainably from the deep jungles, Rockland arrack the local coconut spirit, banana peel extract, falernum, smokedhellfire bitters all made in-house. It has a rich but smoky aroma. And the Mai Chai, the cocktail that has stood the test of time and remained on the menu for six years running. Made with Ceylon chai tea, a rum blend, and housemade triple sec, spiced orgeat, chai syrup and elemakule tiki bitters. A tropical Mai Tai, but with all the tannins and spices of the island.
Co-founder Lahiru Perera is the Head of Food Operations at Smoke and Bitters. In 2014, he founded what went on to become a hugely successful chain of bars and restaurants called Zephyr in Sri Lanka. Thereafter, in early 2020, he partnered up with his friend to set up Smoke and Bitters.
An alumni of the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School, Perera commenting on the ranking spoke about his culinary philosophy and how that contributes to the brand built by Smoke and Bitters.
Don and Lahiru have also had many international invitations from bar takeovers at Selva Oaxaca Mexico, to the Line Bar Greece, Honky Tonks Tavern Hong Kong, Moebius Milan and Paradox India to name a few. They were also invited to deliver a guest lecture at Nomad Bar Show in Almaty, Kazakstan, the first bar show in Central Asia. On all these occasions, they showcased dazzlingly what Sri Lanka has to offer food and drink enthusiasts, serving as unofficial ambassadors for the nation.
