South Africa is positively brimming with trendy speciality coffee shops where passionate roasters and baristas brew the perfect cup.
If you are wondering where to grab a latte to go, hook up to free wi-fi or people-watch over an after-dinner cappuccino, we have rounded up some of the best coffee shops to help you out.
Cape Town
Origin Coffee Roasting
Origin was started by Joel Singer in 2006. Singer wanted to offer South Africans exceptional, quality roasted coffee from around the world. Origin supplies some of the finest cafés and restaurants and hotels in South Africa with exceptional coffee, barista training, and ongoing quality support.
Benefiting from preferential relationships with some of the world’s leading quality coffee farmers, Origin is able to source some of the world’s finest coffee beans. All of their green beans have been grown, harvested and processed by growers who have been selected for their immense passion and dedication to quality.
They focus on ensuring they have the widest selection of single-origin coffees in SA. They also stock a curated list of equipment for you to make exceptional coffee.
Located: 28 Hudson Street, De Waterkant, Cape Town
Call: 027 21 421 1000
Ground Art Caffe
Ground Art Caffe offers a combination of the artistic endeavours of a barista, a chef and an art curator. The coffee, food and art are treated with equal respect and attention to detail, as they believe each is an art in itself.
Situated in the quaint and vibrant area of De Waterkant, the space offers all-day natural light, stunning views of Table Mountain and free wi-fi, which makes it the perfect place to appreciate Cape Town’s best coffee, healthy food, exquisite art and a peaceful place to catch up on some work out of the office.
Ground’s own unique African arabica coffee is sourced and roasted by their dedicated artisan roaster, using only top-scoring beans and micro-roasting methods to create healthy, low-caffeine, naturally sweet and most significantly, fresh coffee.
Located: 160 Strand Street, Cape Town
Call: 021 418 1331
Johannesburg
Monate Coffee
Established in 2017, Monate Coffee is a proudly South African brand dedicated to producing high-quality speciality African coffee.
They are committed to sourcing and roasting coffee beans from the finest arabica-producing regions in Africa, including Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia.
Their coffee boasts unique and complex flavour profiles, ranging from fruity and sweet to rich and nutty, as well as brightness, clarity and smooth finishes. As far as possible they aim to capture and retain the natural taste profile of the bean and achieve this by maintaining a medium roast across their range.
Located: Cedar Square, Cedar Road, Fourways – inside Eighteen13 Wine Shop and Tasting Room
Call: 065 385 5455
Sihle’s Brew
This unique coffee brewery has its company’s speciality blends made from start to finish by the coffee originator, roaster and barista Sihle Magubane. Magubane personally selects the beans and blends, roasts and retails them himself.
He sources his beans from Africa’s best coffee plantations in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania and takes care personally to ensure that his quality standards are met at every step of the process.
Magubane’s comprehensive approach takes patience, dedication and skill, but you can taste the difference in every sip. If you are looking for a versatile coffee brewery with quality service, you have come to the right place.
Located: 218 Olievenhout Ave, Northgate, Randburg
Call: 010 065 0342
Durban
Only Coffee
Only Coffee was conceived with the idea of bringing the finest cup of coffee to their clients. They set out to explore the extraordinary world of coffee and tried hundreds of coffee cups to find the perfect cup of coffee.
This had to be an incomparable brew. Their search came to an end on one of the coffee excursions that brought them to Terbodore, which offered everything they had been searching for. They knew that this was a hidden gem that had to be brought to the world stage.
With a deep-rooted culture of innovation, Only Coffee strives for perfection at every stage of bean sourcing, preparation and servicing of their select coffee. Choose from their extensive variety of fine hot and cold coffee creations to discover a world of premium coffee.
Located: Shop K07, 1 Bell Street, uShaka Village Walk, 1 King Shaka Avenue, Point, Durban
Call: 084 709 0438
The Fat Frog Kitchen
The Fat Frog Kitchen is a charming coffee shop and frozen-meals magnet in the heart of Morningside. They provide home-cooked goodness in an eclectic yet familiar vibe that puts smiles on dials and tummies.
The Fat Frog Kitchen is run by Jenny Clark and Claire Allen, two of Durban's favourite food makers.
Both have long-running catering careers making all kinds of deliciousness. Clark is a specialised baker and Allen is a frozen-meals whizz. In 2017 they decided to combine their forces and The Fat Frog Kitchen was born.
Located: 384 Lilian Ngoyi Road, Morningside, Durban
Call: 082 923 8328