Looking for a good coffee shop in Cape Town? Don’t worry, the city has hundreds of them. I was so blown away by all the amazing cafes in Cape Town that I found myself at different spots every single day of my trip!
While this Cape Town coffee guide is nowhere near complete (I will be adding to it on my next trip), I did want to share a handful of places that I think are worth adding to your itinerary if you’re heading to the city!
In this guide, I also included a few cafes with good food and vibes in addition to the delicious coffee.
So, if a cafe is not solely a place that focuses on specialty coffee, that is why. At the end of the guide, I have included a map of where to find these Cape Town coffee shops and cafes!
Also, note that these cafes are in various parts of Cape Town and the surrounding area (I stayed in Camps Bay, so a few are in that area).
Let me know if there are any Cape Town cafes you love that should be added to my coffee bucket list for my next trip!
In this post...
Delicious Coffee Shops in Cape Town
1. Okja
Okja has two locations throughout the city, and what I loved most about this cafe is that it was completely plant-based.
They had delicious coffee, tea, and matcha (along with fresh juice and other tasty offerings), along with a variety of plant-based milk products (using Italian oats).
Their original Cape Town cafe opened in Camps Bay in 2020, and it eventually gave way to the opening of the Kloof Str. location (where you can also grab a tasty pastry with your coffee).
They have an ex-Michelin-star pastry chef who is creating the sweet masterpieces they sell, and it sets them apart from other coffee shops in Cape Town!
📍 Locations: 77 Kloof St. and Victoria Road (Camps Bay)
🔗 Website: https://www.okja.co/
2. Plato Coffee
Another last-day discovery was Plato Coffee. The beautiful cafe in Cape Town was so friendly and welcoming that it ended up being one of my absolute favorite places I visited in the city.
I popped into their Sea Point location only to realize that this coffee shop had a lot of sister cafes across South Africa.
I guess I will be trying them out in various locations when I get back to South Africa because it was that good.
Their Sea Point location is at 120 Main Street and is open 7 days a week since opening in August 2023.
📍 Locations: several across South Africa
🔗 Website: https://plato.coffee/
3. Nøsh Cafe
I would have never discovered Nøsh Cafe had I not been seeking a place with immediate air-conditioning where I could cool off.
Nøsh is a new cafe located in the Time Out Market at the V&A Waterfront. The cafe showcases the best of Cape Town’s coffee culture as it offers beans from some of the top coffee brands in the country (Truth, Origin, and Tribe are a few). The founder is Joel Singer, who is also the founder of Origin Coffee Roasting.
At Nøsh, you can order everything from a Chemex to a flat white, and all can be paired with some scrumptious food choices like kimchi cheese steak sandwiches (and more). This is a fantastic place to add to your Cape Town coffee bucket list!
📍 Location: The Old Power Station, Dock Rd., V&A Waterfront
🔗 Website: https://www.timeoutmarket.com/capetown/eat-and-drink/nosh-cafe/
4. Pauline’s
Another Sea Point coffee shop is Pauline’s, a cafe that strives to connect the growers and roasters with the local community.
I popped in right before closing at 4pm (which I always feel so bad about) and they were incredibly nice. I ordered a standard flat white while my partner ordered a tea.
They had run out of what he ordered, as it was at the end of the day, but they (without asking) whipped him up a large drink and gave it to him on the house.
What a delightful experience! Cape Town has incredible customer service wherever I went, but Pauline’s was, hands-down, some of the best. Prioritize this cafe, please.
📍 Location: 277 Main Rd
🔗 Website: https://paulinescoffee.com/
5. Deluxe Coffeeworks
Deluxe Coffeeworks was founded in 2009 by Judd Nicolay (from New Zealand) and Carl Wessel.
Today, they have 5 cafes in South Africa, 2 in Namibia, and one in the UK. I had the opportunity to visit their small Bo-Kaap shop and loved it.
The coffee was refreshingly good and they had vintage posters from DRUM Magazine covers on the walls.
I believe there was a recent redesign in the cafe as the photos on Google search don’t look anything like what I walked into (I loved what it looks like now as it was so fitting for the neighborhood it is in). They are closed on Sundays.
📍 Location: 81 Rose Street (Bo-Kaap) but they have many locations
🔗 Website: https://www.deluxecoffeeworks.co.za/
6. Our Local
Our Local is another brunch cafe where I found super palatable coffee and food. They welcome guests with the motto “Imagine the perfect brunch in your botanist best friend’s greenhouse,” and that is exactly what it felt like!
They specialize in brunch but are now open for dinner from Wednesday to Saturday.
I ordered a flat white and shakshuka. I was there around lunchtime, and there was a line out the door, but since I was dining alone, they were able to squeeze me in pretty quickly. Just know that you will be waiting a bit for a table (especially if you’re visiting on the weekend).
Open from 8am-4pm (plus the few dinner nights), you can find breakfast items on the menu until 12pm like open-faced omelets and anchovy toast. During the afternoon, they serve a few types of shakshuka (including a vegan option), and more.
📍 Location: 117 Kloof Str.
🔗 Website: https://www.ourlocal.co.za/
7. Naked Kitchen and Coffee Bar
Naked Coffee is a Johannesburg coffee shop that opened a location in Sea Point in 2019.
I visited on my last day in Cape Town as I was trying to make up for lost time from the days I was sick, and I popped in right before they were going to close. Therefore, I only tried their coffee.
They had the usual suspects like Americanos, flavored lattes, and flat whites. I opted for a simple flat white and enjoyed every last drop of it.
The vibe was cool inside the cafe and the staff was exceptionally friendly. I will definitely visit when I am back in Cape Town, as I am curious to taste something from their brunch menu (which contains a lot of egg dishes—my favorite!).
📍 Location: 2 Wisbeach Road
🔗 Website: https://www.facebook.com/NakedCoffeeWisbeach/
8. Mantra Cafe
My first breakfast in Cape Town was at Mantra Cafe in Camps Bay. They opened at 8:30am and had an array of menu items that all sounded so great after landing so late the night before.
Mantra Cafe offers sea views, local homemade gifts, and fabulous food and coffee options.
Ed, my partner, ordered avocado toast while I opted for their marrow and potato hashbrowns topped with kale, tomatoes, a poached egg, and dukkah.
My flat white was made to perfection and was the ideal start to a day exploring the streets of Cape Town.
📍 Location: 43 Victoria Road (Camps Bay)
🔗 Website: https://www.mantracafe.co.za/
9. Jarryds Brunch & Bistro
I had planned to visit Jarryds Brunch & Bistro for a sit-down breakfast later in my trip (I ended up sick, sadly), but I am glad I had a chance to visit and at least grab a to-go coffee while there!
I walked away with a flat white (and Ed took an English breakfast tea), and it was delicious! In addition to good coffee, Jarryds has various brunch choices like fluffy pancake stacks, gyros bowls, and more.
They also stay open late and have a diverse dinner menu. This is a top spot if you’re strolling around Sea Point.
📍 Location: 90 Regent Rd
🔗 Website: https://www.facebook.com/JARRYDSEATERY/
10. Shift Espresso Bar
Shift Espresso Bar has a few locations scattered about town and it is easily one of the best places I had coffee in Cape Town.
Established in 2014, Shift has an entire menu of artisan coffee options, from flat whites to red cappuccinos and beyond.
They also serve a mean iced coffee for those hot, summer days. Plant-based milk options include oat, almond, and macadamia.
If you show up hungry, they have everything from bowls (salmon, mince, chickpeas, and more) to bagels with a variety of toppings. I visited their Kloof Street location but they all have great reviews and deserve a stop if you’re in the city!
📍 Locations: there are 11 locations, and you can find them on their website below
🔗 Website: https://www.shiftespresso.com/
11. The Pottery Camps Bay
With five locations nationwide, The Pottery was a one-of-a-kind coffee experience in Cape Town. Their Camps Bay location opened in December 2021 and has been a hit with locals ever since.
They have a limited food and beverage menu (but the pizza and coffee are SO good!) and sell Wonki Ware crockery and other pottery pieces.
The Pottery also offers the opportunity to design and paint your own ceramics in-house, which is super unique and something great for both kids and adults.
📍 Location: 41 The Drive, Camps Bay
🔗 Website: https://campsbay.thepottery.co.za/
12. Bootlegger Coffee Company
Bootlegger Coffee Company has locations all over Cape Town, but they don’t seem to compromise quality despite being everpresent.
The coffee shop was started in 2012 by three friends and it has expanded all over the city and even up to Johannesburg! The one I ‘went’ to was in Camps Bay, and it was one of their new pop-ups.
And by ‘I went there’, I didn’t. I was super sick, and Ed went and grabbed me a coffee from there, as I had it on my list to try before leaving.
The coffee was heavenly and did just the trick. They roast their beans in Ndabeni, Cape Town on Giesens, and they also offer food with local produce at locations. Bootlegger is a great choice if you’re looking for consistently good coffee in Cape Town.
📍 Locations: many; check their website!
🔗 Website: https://www.bootlegger.coffee/
Cape Town Cafes: On a Map!
I have included a map of the locations I went to for every place. Please note that many of these places have multiple locations (I note that above).
Are there any Cape Town cafes that should be included on this list? Let me know in the comments. Thanks!
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Megan is a travel blogger and writer with a background in digital marketing. Originally from Richmond, VA, she now splits her time between Frankfurt, Germany and Arctic Finland after also living in Norway, Armenia, and Kazakhstan. She has a passion for winter travel, as well as the Nordic countries, but you can also find her eating her way through Italy, perusing perfume stores in Paris, or taking road trips through the USA. Megan has written for or been featured by National Geographic, Forbes, Lonely Planet, the New York Times, and more. She co-authored Fodor’s Travel ‘Essential Norway’ and has visited 45 US states and 100+ countries.