REX
IBSON'S
CHOICE
CHOICE
▶ REX DE SILVA TRIBUTE ▶
🌸 🌸 🌸
████████████████░░░░ 78% — A legacy still playing
1970s
Rex de Silva — veteran journalist
Creator of the beloved Ibson pocket cartoon character
2021
Café 1 opens — Nawala
Cherry blossoms, pop culture, coffee — a tribute to Rex
2022
Ibson's Choice Café 2.0 opens — Colombo
Life-size characters, retail shop, event space
2024
Ibson's Brew Box — City of Dreams
Clean, minimal kiosk format at The Shoppes
2025
Courtyard · Galle 3.0 · Unawatuna
Six locations. From Colombo to the South Coast.
◈ Origin Story
Born from a
Born from a
pocket cartoon,
built for every adult who
forgot to play
For decades, Sri Lankans opened their morning paper and smiled at a tiny figure in the corner — a pocket cartoon named Ibson, created by veteran journalist Rex de Silva.
When Rex passed, his son Dilan found a way to keep that joy alive — not just a café, but an entire universe. Cherry blossoms overhead, life-size characters around every corner, a retail shop full of things that make adults feel like kids again, and a DJ on Sundays to make sure nobody forgets to have fun.
Six locations now. The joy Rex put into every cartoon, we put into every cup.
"We didn't want to build a café. We wanted to build a place where everyone who walks in
becomes a kid again."
— Dilan de Silva, Founder
— Dilan de Silva, Founder