Best brunch spots in Cape Town

Kleinsky’s is one of those places that comes up whenever someone asks where to go for brunch in Sea Point. The bagels have a lot to do with that.

It’s busy, familiar, and an easy choice when you want a lively morning with friends. You can go in knowing exactly which bagel you want, or spend an unreasonable amount of time deciding between that and the latke Benedict.

Choose it when you want a classic Cape Town brunch with plenty happening around you.

Did you know? Kleinsky’s bagels are fermented overnight and boiled in malted water before baking.

JARRYDS understands that sometimes breakfast happens late.

The broad brunch menu makes it a useful choice for groups: there’s room for the person who wants eggs, the person leaning towards lunch, and the person who considers a cocktail a reasonable addition to either.

The atmosphere is lively, so it works well for a social catch-up or a weekend morning when you feel like being out in Sea Point.

Did you know? The space also includes a vinyl lounge and a cocktail offering.

Clarke’s is for the brunch that finally makes it out of the group chat.

The Bree Street diner has the right ingredients for a relaxed catch-up: a lively atmosphere, a substantial breakfast menu, coffee and cocktails. It’s an easy choice when everyone arrives hungry and nobody has quite the same idea of what brunch should involve.

Go for eggs, something sweet or a sandwich, settle into the conversation, and see who suggests another round first.

Did you know? Clarke’s opened on Bree Street in December 2011. Founder Lyndall Maunder wanted a diner where people could return regularly for familiar favourites.

Hemelhuijs is the place for the person who reads the breakfast menu before agreeing to leave the house.

The appeal is in the combinations: mosbolletjie toast, lemon-roasted artichoke, hollandaise, and familiar South African ingredients used with a little more imagination. It gives you plenty to get excited about before anyone has even mentioned the coffee.

Choose it for a catch-up with someone who enjoys food as much as you do, or when you want a city breakfast that feels considered.

Did you know? South African breakfast traditions run through the menu, including mieliepap and mosbolletjie, the sweet, aniseed-scented bread that makes a particularly interesting base for eggs.

Kloof Street House works just as well as a reason to dress up before noon.

The garden and characterful rooms give brunch a sense of occasion, whether the plan is a birthday, a reunion or getting everyone together somewhere that feels special. Add the mimosa offering and you have a fairly convincing invitation.

This is the pick when the group wants food, drinks and enough atmosphere to settle in for a while.

Did you know? The restaurant occupies a Victorian house, which helps explain the collection of distinct rooms and cosy corners.

Jason is a strong choice when good bread and pastry are essential parts of the plan.

You can settle in for a substantial breakfast, order something built around a croissant, and still find a reason to take a pastry home. The bakery is what makes the brunch work: it gives the eggs, fillings and toppings a very good starting point.

This is the one for a hungry morning in Green Point, especially if your group likes both sweet and savoury options.

Did you know? Jason Bakery says it’s never repeated a doughssant flavour since launching the croissant–doughnut hybrid in 2013.

Florentin is a useful answer when everyone wants brunch and you’ve had enough of ordering the same thing.

The menu takes its cues from Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours, with labneh, chilli butter, falafel and generously assembled breakfast plates. There’s enough variety to keep the table interesting, especially if your group includes someone who always wants to try a bit of everyone else’s food.

It’s a good pick for a Loop Street catch-up that might introduce you to a new breakfast favourite.

Did you know? Florentin’s vegan shakshuka uses falafel and coconut yoghurt.

Butter is for mornings when flapjacks are the obvious answer.

The sweet side of the menu makes this an easy pick for anyone who enjoys breakfast with berries, something creamy and very little interest in restraint. There are savoury options too, which is useful when your brunch partner insists on eggs.

Go for a relaxed catch-up, order coffee, and give the flapjacks the attention they deserve.

Did you know? Butter has branches on Loop Street in town and Main Road in Sea Point.

South Yeaster gets the croissant spot on this list. We’ve already made a reel about it, which should tell you where we stand.

This is a brunch for people who are perfectly happy to build a meal around pastries. Start with a croissant, add something savoury, and make peace with the fact that you’ll probably want to take a few things home.

The more unusual pastries are part of the appeal. A kimchi-and-Gruberg croissant is a fairly persuasive reason to head towards Hout Bay.

Did you know? The bakery is run by siblings Brode and Amber, who are both qualified chefs.

Foodbarn is the one to keep in mind when someone says they’re very particular about their eggs Benedict.

Its more elaborate approach gives the dish a reason to be the main event. The Benny Royale has appeared with potato beignets, prawns, salmon and truffle hollandaise. That’s a fairly persuasive argument for making the trip to Noordhoek.

The Farm Village setting also makes it easy to turn breakfast into a longer wander.

Did you know? Franck Dangereux, the chef behind Foodbarn, was the founding chef of La Colombe.

Starlings has the kind of garden that makes you consider ordering another coffee.

It’s a good pick for a Southern Suburbs catch-up, especially when you want greenery, a relaxed setting and a menu with a few options beyond the usual breakfast line-up.

Eggs Benedict is there for the traditionalists. Lentil dhal with a poached egg gives everyone else a good reason to reconsider their usual order.

Did you know? Curry mince and peri-peri chicken livers also feature among its breakfast choices.

Mischu earns this spot because there are several proper brunch orders below R100, and you can still get them well into the afternoon.

When we wrote this, the mushroom-and-tomato omelette with sourdough was R79. Add a regular cappuccino and the total came to R119 before tip. There was also an avo, vegetable and poached-egg option at R85, and a vegetarian Benedict at R99.

For a sit-down brunch in Sea Point, those are useful numbers to know.

Did you know? Its Isabella coffee blend was named after the founder’s first-born daughter.

Bistro Sixteen82 is a good choice when you want breakfast to be the start of a day out.

The Steenberg setting makes it easy to build a plan around the meal, whether that means a wine tasting afterwards or simply taking your time over breakfast somewhere beautiful.

It suits a birthday morning, visitors staying in the Southern Suburbs, or a weekend when you feel like making a booking and having the day arranged.

Did you know? Chef Kerry Kilpin’s background includes both La Colombe and The Foodbarn.

Pajamas + Jam is for the morning when everyone agrees to go a little further.

The menu gives you a reason to commit. Savoury focaccia French toast with leeks, herb crème fraîche, egg, butter beans and pepita praline is the sort of order that can make a familiar brunch routine feel interesting again.

Choose it for a weekend outing with someone who enjoys reading the whole menu and discussing what the other person should order.

Did you know? Its French toast uses focaccia and savoury toppings, taking the dish in a different direction from the usual brioche-and-syrup combination.