2022 was the year we become coffee snobs! This was not entirely of our own doing but a result of being served the best coffee we could ask for in the coffee shops we have frequented.
In 2022, we were fortunate enough to travel through six of our nine provinces. Each of these coffee shops listed below holds special memories for us. It was not just the great coffee, but the people and the surroundings that created these unforgettable memories.
1. GoFresh Café and Juice Bar – Hillcrest, KZN
Go Fresh serves by far the best coffee in the country, and we could possibly add the best coffee in the world, in our humble opinion! GoFresh Café has been a permanent fixture at The Mushroom Farm in Hillcrest, Durban, for many years. We have been visiting this coffee shop since it was just a little Café. The enterprising owners used the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown to expand their facilities by enlarging the verandah, making it even bigger and better than before.
We usually go to the GoFresh Cafe for breakfast. If we’re honest, we go there for the coffee and then choose a meal to accompany it rather than the other way around!
2. Terbodore Café – The best coffee beans in the KZN Midlands
The Terbodore Café is found in the Curry’s Post area of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. This farmhouse-styled coffee shop has an extensive menu of homebaked goodies. The added bonus is that they have their own roastery on the premises, so coffee enthusiasts can buy different blends of coffee as well as rusks and biscuits to take home with them. They also have an online store. They also supply many other coffee shops and restaurants around the country, even the Highest Pub in Africa!
We visited the Café a couple of times in 2022, and it was always a wonderful experience, indulging in their special coffee, enjoying a decadent slice of their unique cheesecake in the crisp Midlands air, and of course, meeting Mac, the resident Great Dane! But, ultimately, it’s the great coffee that we return for and will do so again in the future.
3. Crane Flower Coffee – Kloof, KZN
If you didn’t know it was there, you would miss this small, quirky New York-style coffee shop found in the heart of Kloof. It is located in what used to be an old garage that owner Dale Sandy and his father tastefully refurbished. Dale experimented with making different coffee blends during the Covid-19 lockdown and then launched the business in 2021.
In addition to the regular cappuccinos and other coffees, he makes his novelty coffees, such as homemade lavender coffee and mint-flavoured coffee. They also serve the best decaf coffee around! You can indulge in some decadent toasted sandwiches and sweet treats, but it is the coffee that truly delights the soul.
4. The Coffee Minista – Kloof, KZN
From a tiny shop next to the railway lines, this successful business has grown from strength to strength. If you’re an avid walker, runner, or cyclist, this great coffee venue is perfect for you. We stopped here at the end of many a strenuous walk and enjoyed the best in coffee and service. The Coffee Minista is definitely ranked as one of the providers of the best coffee in the region.
5. Mm Coffee Lab – Kenton-On- Sea, Eastern Cape
Run by two delightful gents, Mig and Miki, we found this little gem of a place on a cold and rainy afternoon after having been driving for a good number of hours and still with a distance to travel. It was a Sunday afternoon, in fact, the afternoon of the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final, and many of the other coffee shops in the area were closed.
But not Mm Coffee Lab. We were welcomed with sunny smiles, and the coffee was outstanding.
6. The Valley Bakery – Central Drakensberg, KZN
Anyone who’s ever been to the Champagne Valley in the Central Drakensberg will tell you that they have been to the Valley Bakery! It started as a small family-run bakery, and while it is still owned by the family, it has expanded substantially.
The food that they serve is all homemade, and they even have their own stone-ground flour mill where they make the flour that is used in all their baked products.
The cappuccinos are out-of-this-world. There are so many items on the menu that we could choose to accompany our cappuccinos, and so to avoid having to make difficult decisions, we tend to go back a few times while we are up in the Drakensberg.
However, we do have one favourite – a pecan nut pie the likes of which I have never tasted anywhere else. Great coffee with pecan nut pie… the best choice.
7. Sophie’s Choice Coffee Shop and Antiques – Keurfontein Farm, Willowmore, Western Cape
This beautifully decorated little coffee shop came highly recommended. Again, we were out travelling on a cold and rainy winter’s day. It had been a long drive and we were starving – having two hungry offspring in the car is never a pleasant experience no matter how old they are.
We arrived at this welcoming and cosy shop, with a fire blazing in the fireplace. Two delightful pugs were lying on the couches right in front of the fire and would not be disturbed. Sophie the owner was incredibly friendly and helpful. We had a late breakfast and many cups of great coffee and left feeling up to the task of finishing the journey.
8. Seattle Coffee Company – Tshwane, Gauteng; Gqeberha, Eastern Cape and Emalahleni, Mpumalanga
We have stopped at many Seattle Coffee Company locations throughout the country and these three have particularly stood out for us, because of the amazing coffee and the cheerful and efficient service.
When we were at the Seattle Coffee Company in Gqeberha, we were desperate for a cup of coffee! Load-shedding had gone on for longer than usual, so we embarked on a coffee-finding mission of our own. We walked in the direction of the promenade, and there we found a coffee shop with a generator! What joy!
After receiving our two grande cappuccinos, we made for the pier, to be welcomed by a huge school of dolphins playing in the waves close to shore. What a privilege it was to be entertained by these graceful animals while enjoying a much-needed cup of coffee.
9. The Waterberry Coffee Shoppe – Ballito, KZN
We have only been out to the Waterberry Coffee Shoppe a few times, but it never fails to satisfy. We always like supporting places where we know people have had to overcome some hardships and this is the case with the Waterberry Coffee Shoppe. The setting is really tranquil – in an indigenous coastal forest. The bird life in those trees is amazing.
However, disaster struck about 10 years when the whole place burnt down. They weren’t going to just sit back and let this defeat them, so they started the long, arduous task of rebuilding their lovely old house. It took them two years to get the business up and running again, but they managed to recreate the beautiful old house, with a lovely large verandah where you can sit and enjoy a meal, the trees and the birds, and the coffee!
10. The Lazy Lizard – Prince Albert, Western Cape
The first place we head to when in Prince Albert is the Lazy Lizard. Their food is amazing, and their coffee is great too.
A good accompaniment to your cappuccino or Americano is their home-baked cheesecake or even chocolate cake. It is really hard to choose a food item to have when you’re there, but their coffee is a definite “yes”.
We’re hoping that in 2023 we will be able to add a few more coffee shops to our list of the best coffee shops in South Africa. We’ll keep you posted!
Which brand of coffee is the best?
We have found that Coastal Coffee Roasters produces some of the best coffees in South Africa and supply some of the coffee shops mentioned in our list above. In our opinion, they would be followed by Terbodore Coffee Roasters, together with a business in Durban that supplies many coffee shops called The Bean Green Roastery.
