Cape Town has become our latest city crush. It’s a city that suits everyone from the nature lover, the beach bum, culture vulture and those annoying folk that insist on taking photos of their food – yes us. Blessed with outstanding natural beauty – Table Mountain, beautiful beaches and luscious farmland – Cape Town is a great destination for delicious eats. You’ll find a wealth of food markets and cute coffee shops that keep you well sustained throughout your holiday. We certainly didn’t go hungry.
Hani is a both a coffee geek/snob and a cappuccino addict. I’m just a coffee snob. So, the first thing we put together when forming our travel itinerary was a list of coffee shops *pushes glasses firmly back up on nose*.
Here’s our hit list for the best coffee in Capetown.
185 Bree Street
A must visit. Really. Jason Bakery is vibey and worth the wait for a table. This café-cum-bakery offers up good coffee, great pastries and an interesting breakfast menu. From the rather saintly green chilli and veggie pancakes topped with poached eggs (a surprising choice for our Hani) to hearty sandwiches (I just couldn’t say no to bacon and avocado on crisp ciabatta) and its famous buttery bacon croissant, Jason’s is the coffee shop we wish we had here in Doha.
We cut our Cape Town teeth here during our first morning and our visit proved that our foodie hit list was well worth the effort. We also picked up breakfast on two other days of our 1 week stay. So, that should tell you everything. Hani balanced his doughnut (or rather doughssant – a doughnut and croissant hybrid) for breakfast choice with a beetroot latte one morning so there’s plenty of choice to keep you going back. If we lived and worked here (which I really wish we did) Hani would win the customer of the year award. I might come runner-up.
45B Kloof Street
Alas we only ventured into Molten Toffee on our last day in the city. Actually we got up early to make sure we could visit before our lunchtime flight. This bustling little café serves up fresh sandwiches, toasties and cakes. But the COFFEE needs to be tried here. It was my (Nats) favourite coffee of the holiday. They use local roasters Deluxe’s beans and boy did they hit the wake-me-up spot.
The toasties we devoured were ace – nice bread – and a good mix of simple ingredients: I went for the FAB (Feta, Avocado and bacon), and Hani opted for the salmon with cream cheese and lemon. Simple food, well executed. The interiors were easy on the eye too.
58 Wale Street
This bright, light spot smells heavenly. Coffee is roasted on site, right beside the tables, so if coffee nerds like our Hani can see what goes into making his perfect brew. They offered two brews that day and we decided we’d have to try both. The beans were a little to fruity for my taste, but Hani and Dad were impressed. Hani even bought a few bags to take home (I think he lost count of how much he’d previously bought).
64A Wale Street
Just up the road from Bean There is Honest Chocolate Café, where they sell artisan chocolate as well as serving up specialty teas, coffees and hot chocolate. After 4pm the café closes and the Secret Gin Bar opens. I can’t talk about the interiors as this is somewhere Hani popped into to grab himself a takeaway cappuccino. But I did spot the grin on his face once he’d had his first slurp and the disappointment he showed as he realised his cappuccino had come to an end.
We tried the café at V&A Waterfront food market
Most coffee gives me acidity so Truth was a welcome blend. Truth was on our hit list and had come highly recommended by a bunch of people, and we stumbled upon them at V&A food market. Their spot within the market isn’t much to harp on about, but the coffee tastes smooth and has a kick without being acidic. Huzzah! Plus their clean, modern packaging had me at first glance.
Of note…
Coffee was very reasonable priced – the average cup of joe will set you back around 26 Rand for a cappuccino, less for an Americano. Having said that cup sizes are small so we’d often get two. Flat White is a popular option everywhere, and most places offer some interesting tea lattes too.
There were lots most on our hit list that we couldn’t quite make it too due to time and logistics and therefore couldn’t make it our best coffee in Capetown post. They included:
RCaffe on Long Street
Deluxe Coffeeworks – We order their coffee through their online store regularly.
The Haas Collective
Origin Coffee Roasting
Espresso Lab Micro roasters – The Old Biscuit Mill
Cape Town we’ll be back. Good coffee. Good eats. And those views to drink in. You won our hearts and stomaches. If you liked our choices for the best coffee in Capetown, have a look at our other post about our favorite affordable food in Capetown.
Lemon & Mint
1 comment