Naked Kitchen and Coffee Bar
With the soaring number of vegan cafes opening in the food hubs of Johannesburg, you barely have to venture far for your hourly fix of conscious consumption. You can have your pick of boutique, beautifully decorated cafes and gourmet coffee shops that pride themselves on craftsmanship and championing the superfood trend.
The Naked Kitchen and Coffee Bar is a trendy gourmet deli and coffee concept in Morningside, and the brainchild of Shaun Els and Victor Barbosa - the pair behind Naked Coffee, which started in Melrose Arch. This comfy, casual, cool and contemporary coffee office just opened up another branch in Sandton City Shopping Mall, and it makes vegan food that’s is so good, you can literally taste its integrity.
Try a selection of the Naked Cubanos which is a Latin American inspired toasted sandwich filled with a variety of meat, cheeses, pickles and mustard. Picture by Bhekikhaya Mabaso
Millennials are the most frequent customers at this upmarket establishment as the Naked Kitchen appeals to several scruples this generation shares and refuses to compromise on, such as a menu with variety, convenience, the ability to experiment with different food without needing culinary experience, quality, freshness, an appropriate focu on coffee - and of course, food lovingly and respectfully prepared from carefully sourced ingredients.
It is undeniably one of those shopping mall restaurants quiet enough to actually get some work done and still trendy enough for people to be quietly impressed at how you spend your work days. The decor is clean, and reminiscent of a European style - fusing wood and copper table tops. One of the Naked Kitchen’s finest traits is that is is incredibly Instagrammable. It’s filled with natural light and a constant stream of fresh air. The moment you walk in, you’re immediately compelled by the social media Gods to post what you’re eating and drinking. It is photogenic, and in this day and age a photogenic restaurant is just as important as having a delicious menu.
Try a selection of the Naked Cubanos which is a Latin American inspired toasted sandwich filled with a variety of meat, cheeses, pickles and mustard. Picture by Bhekikhaya Mabaso
Their menu is comprised of an ever-changing assortment of offerings in proper delicatessen style - with more gluten-free friendly options. You haven’t really been to Naked unless you’ve tried their signature brown butter banana bread with almond butter on the side. It’s not too moist, or too spongy - it has the perfect texture and the almond butter brings out the bananas natural flavors. If you have a gluten intolerance, a great substitute is the date, banana and walnut bread with almond butter.
Naked Coffee isn't like the stereotypical mall-restaurants we're used to. Picture by Bhekikhaya Mabaso
Ingenuity is always key when working with a summertime meal like this one, and they’ve nailed it. Another one of the trending topics of Naked’s menu is the acai berry. Acai is a superberry which originates from the Amazon rainforest. Ths bright purple berry is eaten raw because of its richness in antioxidants, but more importantly, it is hailed as the number one superfood in the world as it is high in omegas and low in sugar.
Try the Naked Acai Bowl with acai, banana and mixed berries blended with almond milk, buckwheat, Naked’s signature muesli and seasonal fruit for an invigorating boost.