July 26

The 10 Best Breakfast Spots in Cape Town

July 26, 2016

The accolades are pouring in for Cape Town’s restaurants as the city’s creative concepts, local flavours and unique settings catch the attention of the critics. It’s the restaurants and their dinner offerings that really impress but breakfast options in the Mother City can hold their own too.

From bakeries to diners to five-star hotels, we scaled a mountain of poached eggs, roasted tomatoes and homemade bread to find the best place in Cape Town for the day’s most important meal.

1. Jason Bakery

Jason Bakery on Bree Street
Image credit: Seth Shezi, EatOut

Breakfast times: 07:00 – 12:00 (weekdays), 08:00 – 12:00 (Saturdays), closed on Sundays
Cost: R25 – R75
Telephone:  +27 (021) 424 5644 (Bree) and +27 (021) 433 0538 (Green Point)
Address: 185 Bree Street (corner of Bloem Street), City Centre and 83 Main Road, Green Point

Jason’s, on the trendy Bree Street, has quickly become a CBD stalwart known for its exceptional artisan baked goods. So popular that they opened another branch on Green Point’s Main Road.

The aptly-named dish, The Bomb, is one of the most popular options and is a croissant with a poached egg, bacon and Emmental cheese. It’s the Saturday mornings offering a variety of croissants that really get the people talking, though, with queues around the corner almost every weekend. I went with a French colleague and she gave the croissants her nod of approval. So you know they’re good.

2. Villa 47 – Locanda

Villa 47 take pride in wholesome breakfast
Image credit: Villa 47

Breakfast times: 07:00 – 11:30 (weekdays), 08:30 – 11:30 (Saturdays & Public Holidays), closed on Sundays
Cost: R65 – R100
Telephone:  +27 (021) 418 2740
Address: 47 Bree Street, City Centre

At the other end of Bree Street and also a stellar breakfast experience is Villa 47. This Italian restaurant, known for its simple, yet quality pastas, brings that philosophy to its breakfasts. There are five classic breakfast options, such as scrambled eggs with Spanish Chorizo, two options of Egg Benedict and croissant with scrambled eggs and Italian Pancetta. There are five fresh fruit juice mixes and a selection of coffees to go with it.

3. Clarke’s Bar and Dining Room

The acclaimed Huevos Rancheros
Image credit: Clarke’s Bar & Dining Room

Breakfast times: 08:00 – 16:00 (Monday to Saturday), 08:00 – 15:30 (Sunday)
Cost: R30 – R85
Telephone +2721 424 7648
Address: 133 Bree Street, City Centre

Occupying prime position in the City Bowl’s buzzing Bree Street, Clarke’s Bar & Dining Room serves up a satisfying array of all-day breakfast options. Old favourites feature alongside unusual concoctions such as their Hash Eggs—eggs benedict with a twist—and Huevos Rancheros—a traditional dish hailing from Mexico. Health nuts will fawn over the house-made granola and grapefruit brulee.

As if you need more reason to go, a morning special between 08:00 and 09:00 includes 2 eggs on your choice of bread and a coffee or juice for R30. Don’t have time to pop in for long? Grab a takeaway coffee between 07:00 and 08:00 on weekdays for only R12.

4. Manna Epicure

Breakfast is most important and Manna Epicure meets these needs
Image credit: Manna Epicure

Breakfast times: 08:00 – 16:00 (Tuesday to Saturday), 08:00 – 15:00 (Sunday and Monday)
Cost: R30 – R95
Telephone +27 (021) 426 2413
Address: 151 Kloof Street, Gardens

Hailed as a dynamic fusion of South African and French cuisines, Manna Epicure is not just a fine dining restaurant but also a wonderful breakfast choice. With elegant decor, white tables and outside counters facing the street, Manna Epicure has proven to be a very popular place to start your day in Cape Town.

Their Classic breakfast and Coconut Breakfast (two eggs, smoked salmon trout and avocado on coconut bread) are two winners but the in-house bakery is really what catches our attention. There is a selection of homemade bread to choose from: coconut, gluten-free, rye, country, pecan nut & raisin or ciabatta – and of course, the croissants! The half price breakfast between 08:00 and 09:00 every morning is even more motivation to go.

5. Starlings

The Starlings courtyard perfect for outdoor breakfast

Breakfast times: 07:00-12:00 (Weekdays) and 08:00-12:30 (Saturdays), closed on Sundays
Cost: R40 – R85
Telephone +27 (021) 671 6875
Address: 94 Belvedere Road, Claremont

This converted house in Claremont is easy to miss, but I don’t recommend doing that as it’s a charming little place to start your day. It still has that homely feeling with local friends meeting for breakfast, the waiters remembering their names and decor your grandmother would envy.

The leafy courtyard is a wonderful feature but it’s the food that people come back for. Homemade Bulgarian yoghurt, the poached eggs with Parmesan and basil pesto, free-range chicken livers, avocado, homemade pesto, roasted tomatoes and toast, and the perennial eggs Benedict are the most popular items on the menu.

6. Four & Twenty

Friendly staff behind cake counter at Four and Twenty in Wynberg
Breakfast Times: 08:00 – 15:30 (Monday to Saturday), 09:00 – 14:30 (Sunday)
Cost: R65 – R112
Telephone +27 (021) 762 0975
Address: 23 Wolfe Street, Chelsea Village, Wynberg

Women in Cape Town are fanatical about this place, almost frighteningly so. But one look at this place and it’s easy to understand why. This whimsical cafe and pantry is tucked away in Chelsea Village and has a French inspiration behind it. And that’s fair enough, as the owners dreamed up the concept while eating macaroons below the Eiffel Tower. Their food is straight-up delicious. They have actual Green Eggs and Ham, which is fresh basil hollandaise with poached eggs and topped with pan-crisped hickory-smoked ham and rocket.  The cakes and cupcakes are especially good too.

7. Jarryd’s

Jarryd's is knwn for their scrumptious breakfasts
Image credit: Jody Theodore

Breakfast times: 07:00 – 16:00 (Monday to Sunday)
Cost:
 R50 – R110

Cellphone: +27 060 748 0145
Address: 90 Regent Road, Sea Point

This highly-rated breakfast spot in Sea Point ticks all the right boxes. The menu is a challenging one as it’s all so mouth-wateringly enticing. As they say themselves, ‘Jarryd’s is not about re-inventing the wheel but more about doing the classics really, really well.’ There is room, however, for some creativity as can be seen in their oven-roasted chorizo frittata, an array of breakfast scrambles and their very popular sweet corn fritters with bacon, homemade tomato relish, avocado and baby spinach. If you’re looking to have a morning walk on the Sea Point promenade then this is the place we recommend it ends.

8. Hemelhuijs

Hemelhuijs is acclaimed for their hospitality and juices
Image credit: Raphaella Frame-Tolmie, EatOut

Breakfast times: served all day from 09:00 – 16:00 (weekdays), 09:00 – 15:00 (Saturday0, closed on Sunday.
Cost: R50 – R110
Telephone +27 (021) 418 2042
Address: 71 Waterkant Street, City Centre

With a menu that looks like a coffee book you know you’re in good hands in the pristine and welcoming Hemelhuijs. Their juices alone are worth going for with options like grapefruit, pear and cabbage, and winter melon, celery and ginger. The carefully sourced ingredients and the famous ‘mosbolletjie’ bread have won over a legion of staunch supporters for this oasis in the city. And their all-day breakfast options with items like mieliepap, onion smoor, grilled farm sausage and home-made potato rosti are just another reason why.

9. Kleinsky’s Delicatessen

Their homemade bagels are popular for breakfast
Image credit: Kleinsky’s Delicatessen

Breakfast times: from 08:00 – 11:00 (Monday to Sunday)
Cost: R40 – R85
Telephone: +27 (021) 433 2871
Address: 95 Regent Road, Sea Point

Inspired by New York’s own delicatessen style, Kliensky’s Deli serves tantalising breakfasts with surprising twists. Be sure to pop in for breakfast before all the bagels are gone! The popular options include the lamb bacon, fried egg, cheddar, and tomato Breakfast bagel, as well as the Latke Benedict with potato latkes, options of pastrami, lamb bacon or salmon. Many locals spend their mornings here on Regent Street, Sea Point.

10. Signal Restaurant at Cape Grace

Morning selection at the Cape Grace breakfast buffet
Breakfast times: 06:30 – 11:00 (Monday to Sunday)
Cost: R95 – R265
Telephone +27 (021) 410 7080
Address: Cape Grace, West Quay Road, V&A Waterfront

One of Cape Town’s finest and grandest restaurants, the Cape Grace, offers a breakfast fit for kings. The options are simple (little, hot, continental or full breakfast), but the food is not. Signal takes it all to the next level. Pancakes come with caramelised apple and smoke pork belly, sweetcorn fritters come with guacamole and rashers of crispy bacon, and eggs Benedict comes with gammon or smoked salmon. If you’re looking to treat yourself, this is the breakfast for you.

Now that you’ve enjoyed your breakfast in Cape Town, here are quite a few things (56 to be exact) to do for the day in Cape Town.

Header image credit: Villa 47


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About the author 

Matthew Sterne

Matt discovered a passion for writing in the six years he spent travelling abroad. He worked for a turtle sanctuary in Nicaragua, in an ice cream factory in Norway and on a camel safari in India. He was a door-to-door lightbulb-exchanger in Australia, a pub crawl guide in Amsterdam and a journalist in Colombia. Now, he writes and travels with us.

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