Inside Cafe Geek HQ: A celebration of geek culture

Hidden inside Frankfort Place in Bambalapitiya. From the outside, it looks like any other café. But the moment, you fling those doors open its clear that this no ordinary café. This is a place that aims to celebrate everything that fans of comic books, movies, and Japanese anime love. Welcome to Geek HQ.

Stepping inside a new world of Cafe Geek HQ

On the right are posters from comic books, including one to the late Stan Lee. On the right is a massive diorama of action figures protected by a glass barrier. At the centre, I saw the characters from the classic PS2 game Metal Gear Solid. Towards the bottom left is the terrifying Xenomorph from the Alien movies. Above it is another figure of Spiderman climbing towards Robocop. The list goes on.

Inside the dining area, the first thing to catch my eye was the massive stone statues. Known to fans of The Lord of the Rings as The Gates of Argonath, they almost hide a shelf. On this shelf is a collection of figures from the series that’d make any fan green with envy. And then I took a step back to examine the surroundings again.

The walls are decorated with framed drawings of comic book characters. Next to a staircase are another collection of figures. This collection includes characters from movies in the 1990’s such as the Matrix and Spawn. But the greatest of figures are behind the counter and protected by a cupboard with a glass door. One of them being of the Batman villain Deathstroke, which is likely the size of a small child.

With this grand collection of figures that create the unique ambience of Geek HQ. But one of its greatest decorations is above. On the entire ceiling is a grand painting. It features characters from comics, movies, cartoons, anime, and video games. This is a grand painting that can only be described as a geeks Sistine Chapel painting.

Despite this, one can’t help but miss some of the finer details from Geek HQ’s past. Previously, it was filled with sounds of songs from iconic TV shows like the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Similarly, there was also a table around the couch, which was designed after a game resembling chess from Star Wars. While the collection of figures and artworks still create a strong geeky ambience. One can’t help but miss the finer details of its original ambience.

Biting into the food

Yet, ambiance isn’t all that’s there to a café. There’s the food, which is the most important factor for many. Geek HQ continues its theme with each item on the menu full of pop culture references. For example, its smoothies are named after characters from the X-men series.

But behind the interesting names, you’ll find your usual assortment of dishes that you’d expect at most coffee shops. From cappuccinos and milkshakes to waffles and potato wedges. Much of the food and drinks are like those of any other coffee shop in Colombo. The prices of most items are around Rs. 500 for both drinks and snacks.

However, their mains, such as the Clobbering time burger and the Sushi Platter are the exception. At over Rs. 1000, these portions of the mains are massive. Easily enough for two normal people or three gym freaks on a diet. But with such prices, one could argue that the portions may not match the steep prices.

Yet at the time of writing, there’s a small experimental menu at Geek HQ. This menu features items with cheaper prices albeit with smaller portions. It also features more exotic additions like a burger with a green patty, which is called the She-Hulk.

For the community by the community Geek HQ

Walk up the staircase to the first floor of Geek HQ. You won’t find another set of tables for diners. Rather, you’ll find a small room and an office. Inside this room, you’ll find books, T-shirts, trading card games, and artworks. This is the geek’s store. It features products from known vendors that host products for geeks such as Red Dot Geek and Collectique.

This is why one can’t simply judge Geek HQ merely by its ambience and food. From its inception, Geek HQ has actively been a part of the local geek communities. This is why it offers a space for vendors that offer products for local geeks. To that end, it manages every aspect in this store including the sales for the vendors.

But this involvement of the community doesn’t stop at the store. Geek HQ constantly hosts events for the community as well. Such events happen regularly every week. These range from heated trivia nights to exciting games of Dungeons & Dragons. Alongside these weekly events, it also keeps its doors open for monthly meetups and other small events by the local geek communities.

At the end of the day, Geek HQ aims to be a place where geeks of all kinds in Sri Lanka can relax. For the most part, it’s succeeded. From the many figures and artworks to the geek store to its weekly events. This is place by the geeks for the geeks of Sri Lanka. Granted, their prices for food and drinks are arguably steep. Yet, their experimental menu shows that they’re listening. If only they could return to utilizing their original playlist, they’d have an even greater atmosphere for the local geek community.