Image via Pixabay
Coffee is to Cape Town what Bacchus is to wine, and the city is home to a wealth of fabulous places to grab a cuppa joe.
Image via Pixabay
With a coffee shop on every corner, Capetonians have become quite picky about whether their beans are single-origin or ethically sourced, or whether their cappuccino has textured milk or foam. While a great cup of coffee is high subjective, we’ve put together a list of Cape Town’s best coffee shops to help you pick your poison.
This steampunk-inspired, 19th-century artisan coffee roastery is one of the best-known coffee brands around and has garnered a slew of accolades for its out-of-this-world coffee.
Boasting gorgeous industrial-chic interiors, vintage roasters, and steampunk regalia-adorned staff, the coffee house serves handpicked single-origin coffees in fabulous blends. Sip nutty pour-overs or chocolate flat-white blends accompanied by a range of delectable range of handmade pastries like chocolate éclairs, and lemon meringue pie.
36 Buitenkant Street, Cape Town City Centre Cape Town, Western Cape, 8000, Phone: +27 21 200 0440
The buzzing Origin Coffee Roasting in Cape Town’s De Waterkant was one of the first quality-focused coffee shops in the city and still delivers a finely brewed cup.
Boasting industrial-chic décor, the original home of artisanal coffee not only serves world-class coffee, but also produces award-winning baristas.
Coffee aficionados can choose from a range of eight single-origin coffees and seasonal blends and can learn more about the brewing method from friendly, knowledgeable baristas behind the bar.
28 Hudson Street, De Waterkant Cape Town, Western Cape, 8001, Phone: +27 21 421 1000
Despite the name, this is definitely not a been-there-and-done-that coffee shop.
South Africa’s first roaster of certified fair-trade coffee, Bean There has several outlets around the country and take pride in serving ethically-sourced, single-origin unblended coffees from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Sunny interiors have nostalgic décor and plush, comfy seating for kicking back and enjoying top-notch coffee.
58 Wale Street, Cape Town City Centre Cape Town, Western Cape, 8000, Phone: +27 879 432 228
With humble beginnings as a tiny coffee spot in Church Street, Deluxe Coffeeworks has grown into a multistore brand that is known for its no-frills, top-notch coffee.
Serving hand-selected and roasted in-house beans sourced from Brazil, Guatemala, and Ethiopia, Deluxe is all about what’s in the cup and doesn’t charge an arm-and-a-leg for it. Exuding a charming hole-in-the-wall ambiance, this a great spot for kicking back and watching the world go by over a great cup of coffee.
171A Buitenkant Street, Gardens Cape Town, Western Cape, 8001, Phone: +27 767 673 519
Based in the Old Biscuit Mill complex in Woodstock, Espresso Lab is the go-to coffee spot for a caffeine kick on a Saturday morning.
Don’t let the stark, clinical lab-like décor put you off – the aromas of freshly brewing coffee inject some warmth into the basement level shop. You’ll find blends made with beans from Costa Rica to Ethiopia brewed in a variety of ways to bring out the best of the beans. Well worth braving the crowds of market-goers on a Saturday morning.
375 Albert Road, Woodstock Cape Town, Western Cape, 7925, Phone: +27 214 470 845
Also read: Architectural heritage of Cape Town: A stroll through history