7 Best Coffee Shops In Cape Town

Ah, the digital nomad life.

A lifestyle that promises unparalleled flexibility but can sometimes feel a tad repetitive, don’t you think?

I mean, there’s only so much inspiration the walls at home can offer us – they lack the creativity we so often crave and need! And not to mention, the load-shedding schedule you have to keep up with, especially if you don’t have a generator or inverter at home.

Now, say hello to Cape Town’s coffee scene – a potential game-changer for professional nomads like us!

But where do you find the best coffee in Cape Town; a city that’s brimming with cafes?

Fear not my caffeine-deprived friend, for I’ve ground through the options to brew a list of the best coffee spots in Cape Town. The coffee shops on my list are everything your caffeine-fuelled heart could wish for, and then some! And let me tell you, the Mother City certainly offers some of the best places to work from.

1. Most Unique Coffee Shop In Cape Town: Truth Coffee

• Reviews: 4.5/5 stars on Tripadvisor (with over 1,400 votes)
• Address: 36 Buitenkant Street, Cape Town (find another branch in Greenpoint [Prestwich Memorial, 1 Somerset Road])
• Trading hours: Monday, 07:00 – 18:00; Tuesday – Saturday, 07:00 – 22:00; Sunday, 08:00 – 16:00
• Price range: R36 for an espresso

I’ll tell you the truth: Truth Coffee definitely knocked my socks off and I’ve visited their flagship Buitenkant store a good few times!

It sounds cliche, but everything about this place, from its fantastic steampunk decor, skilled baristas, Wi-Fi, and deliciously baked goods (I’m talking about you, apple tart) had me coming back for more!

It has to be the best coffee shop in Cape Town – no wait – the world! Truth Coffee isn’t just the city’s finest, having claimed Tripadvisor’s Travellers Choice Award for 2023, but has been recognised as the world’s best coffee shop! Honored by the UK’s The Daily Telegram, this gem has grabbed the title for two consecutive years.

That means that Truth Coffee has beat the likes of top cafes in France, Vienna and Italy. I told you they were that good!

Apart from the uber-cool interior and the staff dressed in old Victorian attire, the coffee is out of this world and lives up to their slogan: No Sugar Required. This is great for me as I fast for most of the day, only drinking black coffee until about noon.

Truth Coffee has loads of communal working space and free Wi-Fi. I even struck up a conversation with a local businessman who is new in the affiliate marketing game! They have a backup generator so load shedding isn’t an issue and they only close at 10 p.m. on most nights (Tuesday to Sunday).

However, I wouldn’t go there to work this late, as the place tends to get a bit rowdy.

2. Best Outdoor Coffee Shop In Cape Town: Chardonnay Deli

• Reviews: 4/5 stars on Tripadvisor (with 200 reviews)
• Address: 87 Constantia Main Road, Constantia, Cape Town (find another branch in Kalk Bay [20 Main Rd] and a new Uitsig site opening in November 2023 [Constantia Uitsig Wine Farm, Spaanschemat River Road])
• Trading hours: Open daily from 07:00 – 18:00
• Price range: R39 for a latte

This has to be one of the best coffee shops in Cape Town and is my ultimate go-to on most days. My partner and I both work remotely, so finding a spot that has Wi-Fi and a cosy ambience is super important.

I absolutely love the Green Omelette Caprese and my partner’s favourite is the vegan breakfast which is loaded with fresh avo and carrot “salmun”. Chardonnay Deli even has a frozen meal section, making dinners a heck of a lot easier too!

The coffee is great, the food is great and the setting is great – I mean, what more could I ask? I often park off underneath one of the oak trees in the garden when the weather is good. However, the Wi-Fi can be a bit sketchy here, being a tad too far from the router.

All in all, this coffee shop in Cape Town definitely makes working hours fly by and is the perfect ‘day out’!

3. Most Unconventional Workspace In Cape Town: The House Of Machines

• Reviews: 4.5/5 star Google rating (with over 1,600 reviews).
• Address: 84 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town City Centre (find other stores in New York, Copenhagen and Chengdu!)
• Trading hours: Monday – Friday, 07:00 – 02:00; Saturday, 09:00 – 02:00; closed on Sunday
• Price range: R35 for an iced coffee

Now this place is a motorbike (and coffee) lover’s dream come true! Not far from the Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum and Greenmarket Square in Cape Town city centre, The House of Machines – or THoM – is the brainchild of Vida e Caffè’s co-owner, Brad Armitage.

It’s a hipster-ish coffee shop by day and a vibey cocktail bar by night. This spot is ideal for digital nomads looking for an unconventional workspace. However, it can be a little overstimulating and distracting at times, with so much to look at.

It has free Wi-Fi and charging stations which makes working remotely a breeze. And if you want to network after your work is done, stick around for THoM’s nightly live entertainment and strike up that conversation!

As the owners say “THoM exists to bring together man, woman, and machine, all built around genuine community, authentic history, and with a desire to create memories you’ll want to remember.”

4. Best Coffee Shop In Cape Town with Multiple Locations: Bootlegger Coffee Company

• Reviews: 4.5/5 stars on Tripadvisor (with 70 reviews)
• Address: 38 Victoria Road, Camps Bay, Cape Town (also branches in Blouberg [3 Athens Road], City Centre [185 Bree Street], V&A Waterfront [Dock Road, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront], amongst others).
• Trading hours: Open daily from 06:00 – 18:00 (times can vary between locations)
• Price range: R28 for an Americano

This Cape Town-based coffee shop franchise is incredibly trendy. They have 26 locations across South Africa, with the majority in Cape Town, followed by Johannesburg. Every store features a unique AC/DC song lyric illuminated in neon lights, paying homage to old-school rock ‘n roll.

Not only do they have great taste in music, but the coffee is great tasting (and ethically sourced) too!

Bootlegger Coffee Company is a micro roastery, that roasts beans in small batches to ensure freshness and quality. I cannot tell you how superb my Americano was, beating some of the best coffees in Europe – I’ve become quite the ‘coffee snob’ as of late!

The Bakoven branch is just 1.4 km from Camps Bay Beach. I often grab a takeaway coffee and walk down to the beach to soak up the sun rays while on a break from my laptop. The stores offer free Wi-Fi, and backup generators and have loads of plug points, making this the ideal remote-working setting for me – no matter which branch in the city I may find myself!

But on sunny days, I recommend choosing a table out front. Oh, and you have to try their salmon trout bagel, just saying!

5. Best Brew Bar In Cape Town: Rosetta Roastery

• Reviews: 4.7/5 star Google rating (with over 550 reviews)
• Address: 97 Bree Street Cape Town City (find another branch inside The Yard restaurant at the V&A Waterfront).
• Trading hours: Weekdays, 07:00 – 16:00; Saturday, 08:00 – 16:00; Sunday and most public holidays, 08:00 – 14:00
• Price range: R36 – R40 for a flat white

Bree Street is the epitome of what Cape Town has to offer – sprinkled with fine dining restaurants, designer bars, organic eateries, and great coffee shops!

Rosetta Roastery is one of the quieter spots to work from in the city, as it’s preferred for quick grab ‘n-go coffees as opposed to sit-down dining. This could be because they have a very limited menu, only having cakes and two variations of sandwiches to choose from.

Either way, this spot works well for me as it isn’t too crowded. Rosetta’s calm, minimalist decor is a peaceful working environment. Their service is casual – but not too laid back – and the staff (who now know me by name) leave me to tinker on with my work.

Rosetta is an award-winning speciality coffee roaster and both their stores are fully operational during load-shedding. It really is a terrific coffee shop in Cape Town to work from and their world-class coffee definitely keeps the energy levels high!

6. Best Coffee Shop With A View: VIEWS by De Grendel Wines

• Address: 5821 Tafelberg Road, Table Mountain (Nature Reserve), Cape Town
• Trading hours: Open daily from 08:00 – 19:00
• Price range: R420 for a return ticket on the cable car

A while back, I was looking for a different place to do my work. I wanted to soak up exquisite views, sip hot coffee and work on my laptop. I ticked all of these boxes at VIEWS by De Grendel Wines, one of four spots that make up the restaurants on Table Mountain. It was a costly venture as I had to take the cable car up to the summit (R420 for a return ticket) but man, what a view!

If you’re looking for a refreshing change of scenery, then this Cape Town spot is for you.

It wasn’t the best place to work from if I’m honest – as I knew it was a tourist hotspot – but luckily it was on a day when I didn’t need to take any calls. And the views of Cape Town made up for it! I was literally on top of the world and it certainly got my creative juices and inspiration flowing.

I wouldn’t make this an everyday execution but it is a fantastic way to break the humdrum cycle of remote working from time to time. The cafe offers free Wi-Fi and plug points to charge phones and laptops and is open during loadshedding. A small price to pay for an exciting and refreshing day out, where you can feel like a tourist whilst getting some work done!

Side note: As the name suggests, you can enjoy a glass of wine here too.

7. Best Coffee In Cape Town: Deluxe Coffeeworks

• Reviews: 4.5/5 stars on Tripadvisor (just shy of 50 reviews)
• Address: 25 Church Street, Cape Town City Centre CBD (also branches in BoKaap [81 Rose Street], Gardens [171a Buitenkant Street and 8 Kloof Street], Stellenbosch and Paarden Eiland)
• Trading hours: Weekdays, 07:00 – 16:00; Saturday, 08:00 – 13:00; closed on Sundays
• Price range: Take their house blend home for R80 (250 grams)

The Deluxe Coffeeworks coffee shops in Cape Town are renowned for their no-fuss, straightforward approach to coffee. What started as a small, hole-in-the-wall cafe has now turned into a caffeine-driven mecca. They have five stores in South Africa, two in Nambia and one in the UK, and they seriously know how to brew a cup of coffee!

The Church Street branch, in the heart of Cape Town’s CBD, is their flagship store and is the main roastery site. It opened back in 2009 and quickly became known as the home of “the R10 coffee”. There are no frills about their coffee, so don’t expect a Starbucks-style “short, half-and-half single shot skinny soy latte” here.

I love this spot because the clientele is so varied – from lawyers to digital nomads like myself, all while the odd skater-punk comes streaming through their doors. While there are loads of tables to work from, you’ll need to hotspot from your phone or mobile LTE device when working here though, as they don’t offer Wi-Fi at any of their stores. Their philosophy and focus is simple: good coffee.

FAQs

Can you work remotely from Origin Coffee Roasting in Cape Town?

Origin Coffee Roasting, nestled in the Mother City’s chic De Waterkant neighbourhood, is ideal for digital nomads. With a selection of 10 to 20 single-origin coffee blends, their skilled baristas seriously know how to make a mean cup of Joe!

The spacious communal tables and free Wi-Fi provide an ideal workspace and they’re open 7 days a week!

Where is Espresso Lab Microroasters situated in Cape Town?

The Espresso Lab Microroasters are situated at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, Cape Town. They have been roasting small batches of coffee since 2009. Espresso Lab Microroasters is open Monday to Friday from 08:00 – 16:00 and Saturdays from 08:00 – 15:00 and are certainly one of the best coffee shops in Cape Town, that’s for sure!