Last Updated on March 5, 2024 by Lauren Melnick
A lot has changed since I moved from Johannesburg to Cape Town (8 years ago!? Whaaaaat…)
For one, my life is ruled by the whims of the wind, and second, I’ve become a coffee snob.
Before the big move, the only coffee I knew was the instant variety. I thought that’s how coffee was made, and I had never seen a pour-over, a French press, or a Moka pot.
Essentially, I was incredibly uncultured in all things coffee, and Cape Town’s coffee shops gave me the education I desperately needed.
While I haven’t approached obnoxious coffee drinker status (yet), I’ll still walk 20+ minutes from my apartment to grab a premium single-origin speciality coffee roasted to absolute perfection.
So if you’re in town and in dire need of a caffeine fix, here are some of the best coffee shops in Cape Town serving up some top-notch speciality coffee that’ll give you the buzz you need to crush your Cape Town itinerary.
Psst…Want more Cape Town, South Africa travel tips? Check out these other posts:
- 10+ Best High Teas in Cape Town You Need to Try ASAP
- 12 Best Hiking Trails in Cape Town With Jaw-Dropping Views
- 10+ Affordable Restaurants in Cape Town with a View
- 14 Delicious Vegan Restaurants In Cape Town You Need to Try
- Where to Stay in Cape Town: A Guide to the Best Neighbourhoods
- 45+ Incredible Things to Do in Cape Town [Updated 2023]
Table of Contents
The Best Coffee Shops in Cape Town
Ready to get caffeinated? Open up Google Maps, and let’s start pinning these cafes in Cape Town to your “must-visit” list.
Truth Coffee
36 Buitenkant Street, Cape Town City Center
It would be blasphemy to start a “best coffee shops in Cape Town” list without Truth Coffee in the number one spot.
I mean, it does hold the title of the world’s best coffee shop (for two years in a row, nogal!).
If that isn’t enough to entice you to pull through and taste their famous single-origin brews, wait until you see the interior.
Inside Truth Coffee, you’ll find a steampunk-inspired aesthetic with servers dressed up to the theme.
Come here for your morning coffee or a lunch break. Try the delicious Resurrection blend, and don’t miss out on the in-house pastries.
The pain au chocolat is delicious and would give the pastry chefs of Paris a run for their money.
The Electric
48 Canterbury St, District Six
The Electric is one of my favourite juice bars and coffee shops in Cape Town for a number of reasons:
- The Wi-Fi is fast and unlimited
- There are plug points
- The coffee is excellent.
That’s not all.
The Electric also sells a range of CBD-infused products (happy hour is at 4:20 every day *wink wink*), and it prides itself on its zero-waste policy.
If all of this isn’t enough to convince you to stop by, the building will do the rest. Located inside an old Auto Electrician building that burnt down, it has character that makes the Electric such a vibe to work from for a few hours.
Feeling peckish? You can’t go wrong with one of the flatbreads or pastries.
Honest Chocolate
64A Wale Street, Cape Town CBD
Do you have a coffee AND chocolate addiction?
Indulge all your vices at Honest Chocolate.
A small artisanal bean to bar chocolate cafe serving up decadent muffins, salted caramel tarts, brownies and more.
Order an Honest coffee (by Trump and Timbal), an indulgence of your choice, and catch up on emails or read a book in the courtyard.
Psst…Behind Honest Chocolate is a Secret Gin Bar. 12/10 recommend coming here for your first drink of the evening before exploring everything else Cape Town’s nightlife has to offer.
Vegan? Honest Chocolate is overflowing with delicious plant-based drinks and treats. Go wild!
Bread, Milk & Honey
60 Corporation Street, Cape Town City Center
Okay, I’ll admit it.
I’m a wee bit biased when it comes to Bread, Milk & Honey. It’s right by my house, and I come here at least once a week for their delicious iced coffee with a splash of vanilla syrup.
With floor to ceiling windows and plenty of natural light, Bread is one of the best coffee shops to work in Cape Town for a few hours.
I love coming here for my month-end admin. The coffee and food make the pile of invoices, expense reports, and analytic tracking feel a little less like my personal hell.
Molten Toffee
45b Kloof Street, Gardens, Cape Town
I stumbled across Molten Toffee by accident.
After coming off Lion’s Head from a sunrise summit, my friend and I were on the hunt for a coffee.
But we didn’t get to our original destination. While walking to another Cape Town coffee shop, we bumped into Molten Toffee, and it was love at first sight.
It’s a super laidback spot with limited indoor and outdoor seating. It’s that go-to coffee shop on your way to work or for a quick remote work lunch session while nibbling on their famous toasties.
Read More: Lion’s Head Hike in Cape Town: Full Hiking Guide
The Ladder
136 Bree Street, Cape Town City Centre
The Ladder is another happy accident.
Again, it was the end of a sunrise hike (Kloof Corner this time), and we were sweaty, hungry, and in dire need of a caffeine shot to the heart.
I opened up Instagram, and for some reason, a picture from The Ladder popped up first. The rest? Delicious history.
Expect exceptional latte art from the barista, Rob, beautiful local art on the walls, a weekly craft club, and watercolour & wine events.
When it comes to the food, there is something for everybody. Swap out the scrambled eggs on toast for scrambled tofu, or replace the bacon on your eggs benedict with tempeh.
Read More: 12 Best Hiking Trails in Cape Town With Jaw-Dropping Views
Ground Art Caffe
160 Strand Street, Waterkant, Cape Town
Want some art with your cup of Joe? Head over to Ground Art Caffe on Strand Street.
With stunning views of Table Mountain and free Wi-Fi, it’s the perfect spot to appreciate some of the best coffee in Cape Town, local art and catch up on some work out of the office.
And the coffee? It’s worth the HYPE.
Ground Art sells a unique African Arabica blend. Using only top-scoring beans and micro-roasting methods, your taste buds can expect nothing short of an exceptional cup of coffee.
Origin Coffee Roasting
28 Hudson Street, De Waterkant
Opening its doors in 2006, Origin Coffee Roasting set the standard for coffee shops in Cape Town.
Located in a historic brick warehouse in De Waterkant, you can sip your way through an extensive variety of high-quality single-origin coffee curated from farms around the world.
A minimum of eight coffees and a seasonal blend are served daily, and you can select how you want your cup brewed: french press, Aeropress, Moka pot, siphon, or a pour-over.
Want to up your coffee skills? Origin has a thriving barista academy that’s trained over 4,000 people! Even if you don’t want to work in a coffee shop in Cape Town, Origin offers courses to improve your brewing abilities at home.
You can take classes on:
- Latte art
- Home barista
- Cupping sessions
- Alternative brewing
Heaven Coffee
38 Burg Street, Cape Town City Centre
Heaven is one of the coolest coffee shops in Cape Town.
What makes it so special?
Well, it’s quite literally inside the closest place you can get to heaven, a church!
The cafe is inside a historic Methodist church. Grab your coffee on the way to the office, savour it outside, or sit in the pews and take in the beauty of the building.
Psst…Want to know about the church’s history? Chat with the owner!
Deluxe Coffeeworks
Multiple locations in and around Cape Town
Deluxe Coffeeworks is one of the most well-known coffee shops in Cape Town. What started as a tiny cafe on Church Street has grown into multiple locations across Cape Town, Stellenbosch, and Namibia.
I like to think of Deluxe as the South African version of Starbucks…but with good coffee.
My favourite location? The one off Kloof Street. If you didn’t know it was there, you would miss it. It’s the perfect hole-in-the-wall coffee shop (especially if you’ve had a rough night and need a caffeine booster.)
…And in my opinion, their mocha is unbeatable.
Love the brew? You can get your favourite Deluxe coffee blend delivered to your house as often as you like. Subscriptions start at R52.00 per month for some of the finest premium arabica coffee.
Jason’s Bakery
83 Main Road, Green Point, Cape Town
One doesn’t simply go to Jason’s Bakery.
As one of the top coffee spots in Cape Town, it almost feels like you need to place your reservation weeks before your arrival.
Every single time I’ve found myself at Jason’s, empty tables don’t exist. As soon as someone gets up, their chairs are quickly filled from the lengthy line outside the cafe.
Is the wait worth it?
Absolutely!
The coffee is a firm 12/10, and the food is a cornucopia of all your favourite baked delights. You can even pre-order bagels, loaves, brioche, cookies, coffee (to name a few) and pick it up while grabbing your morning coffee.
Rosetta Roastery
Multiple locations around Cape Town
My late teens and most of my 20s were spent in dingy metal clubs, headbanging my heart out and not being able to move my neck for weeks after.
What does this have to do with coffee shops in Cape Town?
Well, Rosetta Roastery is the child of one of the Mother City’s metal bands, Citizen Kane.
If you’re South African and in the metal scene, you’ll know it’s not the most…profitable music genre.
So to keep up-to-date with their bills, the band turned to their next passion, coffee.
The result? The best coffee in South Africa.
And I’m not pulling that out of thin air. Rosetta won the title two years in a row (2018 and 2019, respectively).
But back to the coffee.
Rosetta class their speciality brews into two categories: Progressive and Classic. The Classic is perfect for french press and Moka-pot brewing, especially if you like cafe au lait. The Progressive goes with any brewing method using a filter and is best served black.
As someone who lives half a block away from a Rosetta coffee shop, I can confirm a good deal of my salary goes towards keeping their doors open.
P.S. Try the treats! The vegan chocolate bar and the homemade cakes are delicious!
Lazari Coffee Shop
Located in the heart of Vredehoek, a visit to Lazari offers three important things:
- Incredible views of Table Mountain
- Delicious vegan shakshuka (my go-to on their menu)
- Flat white perfection with beans from Rosetta
Bringing your dog along for your coffee date? No problem!
Lazari has in-house treats for your furry friend.
Want to catch up on work while getting your caffeine fix? You’re 100% sorted.
Lazari has fast, reliable internet, comfy seats, loads of natural light and, most importantly – freshly baked cakes and croissants.
More Cape Town Coffee Shops to Get Your Caffeine Fix
Got time for a few more cafes in Cape Town? Try these spots too:
-
Saint James Cafe: Located in Observatory, it’s a small but cute coffee shop in Cape Town that’s also dog-friendly!
-
Kamili: One of the best cafes in Cape Town on the bustling Long Street.
-
Tribe Coffee: If you’re in Woodstock, don’t skip out on having a coffee here and picking up one of the in-house blends.
- Espresso Lab Microroasters: A speciality coffee roastery based at The Old Biscuit Mill, Woodstock, Cape Town.
Map of the Coolest Coffee Shops in Cape Town
vWhere to Stay in Cape Town
Visiting Cape Town? These are my favourite hotels in the city for any budget.
Gorgeous George
Gorgeous George lives up to its name. A boutique hotel in the heart of Cape Town’s CBD, its rooms have a modern industrial flair, and the rooftop restaurant and bar (Gigi’s Rooftop) is one of the best spots to spend a summer afternoon or evening.
Plus, if you’re a guest at the hotel, you get to use the rooftop pool!
The Grand Daddy
For something unique, book a night at Grand Daddy. Located in a 120-year-old heritage building, you can fall asleep inside a bespoke airstream trailer.
Each of the seven rooftop trailers has a unique theme representing a South Africa road trip. My personal favourites are the Beach House, Cape Winelands, and the Gold Rush (for when you’re feeling bougie).
Once in Cape Town
On a budget? Check-in to Once in Cape Town on Kloof Street. It’s one of the best hotels in Cape Town and is within walking distance of the city’s nightlife.
Book a bed in a dorm or opt-in for a super affordable private room.
I love Once in Cape Town because it’s made for solo travellers. There are daily free activities (think pub crawls or day trips to Cape Town’s top attractions), making it easy to link up with other travellers exploring South Africa.
Read More: The Best Hotels in Cape Town: Where to Stay for Every Budget
Did I miss your favourite coffee shop in Cape Town? Hit ya gurl up and let me know in the comments below!
Siyabonga Cyril says
Hi. Cyril here. I hope you are all good, you and all your loved ones.
I have recently moved here in Cape Town, I think it’s my 3rd month now if my memory serves me correct. I came this side for employment reasons first but to also to find my independence, I have been at home for the past 25 years, I am 25 years by the way, so I thought let me take a leap of faith and see what I can be able to do on my own. I saw your content on Instagram and also here on your website I love it so much as someone is very adventurous and a seeker of beautiful things, moments and places, as someone who loves creativity and freedom. You really inspired me with your content. So any piece of advice that you would give me as someone who is a wanderer or desires to be one but who is not employed or in a good financial position as yet? Because almost everything needs money at the end of the day.
I hope to hear from you as soon as you read this comment, be safe, continue wandering and seeking, that is one of the most beautiful ways to live and experience life, life is an adventure and we only get to live it once.
Thanks, bye.
lauren says
Hey Cyril,
You answered your question 🙂 Everything needs money. We live in a capitalist society. So figure out how you can make money to fund your travels.
Tractor Corner says
What a yummy post. I am so excited to visit there.