They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day – and they are certainly right about that. Still, you also can’t beat a good brunch for setting the tone to your day! In this post, I share my pick of the best breakfast and brunch spots in South Africa’s Cape Winelands.
While breakfast is usually anything from eggs to flapjacks to granola and fresh fruit or gourmet toasties – brunch allows for a bit more menu versatility. You want to order a big juicy burger? Go for it. Craving some coffee and cake? Why not? Brunch is the perfect in-between complementary meal to breakfast and lunch.
So, while I have included a few obvious breakfast choices – predominantly, I have featured delicious brunches I have savoured in recent years.
Still, whether you are after a hearty breakfast or a wholesome brunch, these eateries and their varied menus are sure to hit the spot!
Here, in no particular order, are my best breakfast and brunch spots in the Cape Winelands:
The Deli at Boschendal
The Deli at Boschendal has been a firm favourite of mine for several years now. With a picturesque setting near the manor house lawns and tranquil indoor and outdoor seating, this charming deli is the perfect place to enjoy a relaxing breakfast.They are family-friendly, with a good kids’ menu, and cater well to all dietary requirements. What I love most is the friendly, warm staff; idyllic setting (I normally sit outside to enjoy the peaceful farm atmosphere); and tasty food and drink options.
Like the rest of Boschendal’s cuisine, The Deli draws on fresh, seasonal goodness and adopts a sustainable approach to eating. So, while there are always some Boschendal Deli favourites on the menu, menus generally change and are inspired by the season’s bounty and ingredients.
- Breakfast and brunch options: Breakfast only
- Family-friendly: Yes
- Recommended meal: Banana flapjacks (with delicious macerated strawberries and vanilla Chantilly cream)
- Region: Franschhoek
Tokara Delicatessen
Situated on the beautiful Tokara Wine and Olive Estate outside Stellenbosch, it is arguably one of the most stunning, child-friendly places in the Cape Winelands. Combined with the excellent farm shop, Tokara Delicatessen offers a lovely, relaxed food experience. The views of the garden and farm hills make this floor-to-ceiling glass garden haven a true paradise for diners. Add to the chic setting professional service, an amazing outdoor play area for kids and an excellent array of food and drinks, and you have a truly memorable breakfast or brunch spot.
- Breakfast and brunch options: Mainly breakfast options
- Family-friendly: Hugely family-friendly. Arguably one of the most child-friendly eateries in the Winelands.
- Recommended meal: Baker’s Treat
- Region: Stellenbosch
LUST Bistro & Bakery
LUST Bistro & Bakery is hugely popular as a breakfast/brunch spot – and honestly, this is something of an overlooked Winelands gem. Situated on the gorgeous Vrede en Lust Estate (a famous wedding venue with sublime gardens), LUST Bistro & Bakery offers an adorable exterior, lovely setting and excellent food and drinks.
While the eatery centers around the traditional wood-fire hearth (used to make its artisanal breads and pizzas), they offer everything from breakfast to tapas. They have an à la carte menu, blackboard specials, and delicious bakery goodies to enjoy. The menus focus on fresh, seasonal fare and simplicity, while the decor has a chic, yet edgy industrial farmhouse kitchen feel to it. There is both indoor and outdoor seating.
Another bonus of this eatery is it is located on the Wine Tram lines, making it an ideal stop for travellers.
- Breakfast and brunch options: Yes
- Family-friendly: Yes. They have a kiddies menu and safe outdoor play area.
- Recommended meal: Breakfast Burger or Eggs Florentine
- Region: Franschhoek
Potbelly Coffee Shop and Bakery
Located along the famous R44 between Stellenbosch and Paarl, this quaint coffee shop and bakery is the perfect pitstop for road trips. They are also well-situated, with a variety of other little deli and gift shops on the premises of the Deli-Co Meat & Farm Stall. While the bakery specialises in all things sandwiches, cakes, homemade pies and pastries, the coffee shop offers a cosy, cute spot to enjoy a variety of tasty meals and drinks options. The setting is simple, yet pretty with bright coloured walls, cheerful flowers and an array of baked goods to set your mouth watering.
- Breakfast and brunch options: Yes
- Family-friendly: Yes
- Recommended meal: Wraps
- Region: Stellenbosch
The Stone Kitchen
Moving over to Wellington, we have a charming bistro in The Stone Kitchen at Dunstone Country Estate. With a idyllic setting, beautiful indoor and outdoor seating and tasty homestyle fare, this family bistro makes a lasting impression. In addition to their usual breakfast and lunch operations, they also offer catering, along with a gorgeous function venue for baby- and bridal-showers, weddings and kiddies’ birthdays.
With a good kids’ menu and excellent indoor and outdoor play facilities to entertain and enchant little ones, this bistro is the perfect place to visit with friends and families.
Alternatively, they are lovely for a cosy meal with your partner. As a plus, Dunstone is a gorgeous estate to enjoy accommodation stays and wine tastings at. Please read more HERE.
- Breakfast and brunch options: Yes, they have a nice breakfast menu with an emphasis on utilising fresh, seasonal ingredients.
- Family-friendly: Yes, very much so. Pet-friendly too.
- Recommended meal: Big Stone or Health Stone breakfast
- Region: Wellington
The Coffee Roasting Co’s Red Riding Hood Deli
Tucked away in Somerset West, at Lourensford Wine Estate, one finds the charming Coffee Roasting Co’s Red Riding Hood Deli. This laid-back, family-friendly eatery offers a healthy dose of excellently brewed coffee and delicious light meals.
While the roastery is fascinating to explore, it is the deli that really wins you over with its lovely meals and drinks and especially beautiful setting. There is both indoor and outdoor seating. Although, if the weather is fair, you definitely want to sit outside and soak up the estate’s soothing garden surroundings.
The deli is perfect for enjoying as an outing with friends and family. Or, as we did, after a wine tasting.
- Breakfast and brunch options: Yes
- Family-friendly: Yes
- Recommended meal: Quiche or scrambled egg croissant
- Region: Somerset West
The Deck at Hidden Valley Wines
The Deck at Hidden Valley Wines is definitely a brunch to lunch spot. Arguably one of the best in the Winelands – if only for the setting alone! And that is before you add in delicious, huge free-range burgers and pizzas, hand-picked by culinary master, Bertus Basson, and a casual, yet lovely, self-service eatery that is ideal for friends and family to enjoy.
The Deck, true to its name, is a deck-based eatery that literally sits on the water, overlooking Hidden Valley’s dam and garden oasis. With stunning mountain and water scenes before you, it is impossible not to fall in love with this casual eatery.
- Breakfast and brunch options: Yes
- Family-friendly: Yes, although there is no dedicated kids' menu.
- Recommended meal:
- Region: Stellenbosch
Bistro Sixteen82
Bistro Sixteen82, found at the diverse Steenberg Estate in the Constantia Valley, is one of the best places I have eaten at. It’s hard to express what makes this elegant bistro so special – it just is. Period.
They offer an innovative menu that focuses on bistro and tapas style dining.
Located opposite the estate’s snazzy wine tasting room and winery, this award-winning bistro offers primarily indoor and some outdoor seating surrounded by quirky, colourful art pieces and vibrant lush gardens. The setting and stylish interiors alone make it seem more impressive than your typical bistro – but really, it is the food that takes this bistro to the next level. While it seems like a bit of a posh place to go for breakfast, it is actually ideal for a great breakfast treat.
- Breakfast and brunch options: Mainly breakfast options
- Family-friendly: Yes, but personally I wouldn't take young children along.
- Recommended meal: Yoghurt Panna Cotta
- Region: Constantia
Geuwels
Another Bertus Basson restaurant, which is co-owned and fronted up by Chef Drikus Brink (formerly of Overture Restaurant), that has been making waves since its debut is Geuwels at Vergenoegd Löw Wine Estate.
This Stellenbosch family restaurant offers a relaxed, yet elegantly rustic setting that captures the warm atmosphere of a Cape farmhouse and social/family gatherings perfectly.
With cosy indoor seating split between two gorgeous rooms (in particular the Duck Room) and a beautiful outdoor setting, Geuwels offers family-style breakfasts, lunches and werf picnics that centre around fresh South African produce and ingredients.
- Breakfast and brunch options: Yes
- Family-friendly: Yes. Although there are no play areas, the estate still lends itself well to children with its spacious grounds.
- Recommended meal: Hot smoked pork belly, free range scrambled eggs, roosterkoek and tomato.
- Region: Stellenbosch
Cassia at Nitida
One of the very best breakfast spots in Durbanville is Cassia at Nitida. This stylish lakeside eatery, which serves breakfast through to dinner, is situated at the pretty Nitida Wine Farm in the Durbanville Wine Valley. With a serene setting overlooking the estate’s dam and nearby vineyards, Cassia offers an escape from Durbanville suburbia. The eatery, which offers lovely indoor and outdoor seating, serves up a delicious array of diverse cuisine, perfectly complemented by award-winning wines or beverages. While their lunch and dinner experiences are also highly popular, my pick is definitely a relaxed breakfast at this water-fronting restaurant.
- Breakfast and brunch options: Yes
- Family-friendly: No
- Recommended meal: Poached egg on ciabatta
- Region: Durbanville
Jéan Restaurant & Deli
Another true (though no longer hidden one) gem in the Durbanville Wine Valley is the stunning Jéan Restaurant & Deli at Klein Roosboom. Not only is Klein Roosboom one of the most exciting, popular estates around (cave wine tastings, anyone?) – but this deli has been a firm favourite since its opening. After my visit for brunch, I can certainly see why. This elegant, yet homely restaurant and deli offers the very best in local cuisine and baked goods. The food follows a simple approach but the plating and flavours are sensory delights in every regard.
Food aside, the setting – which sees airy, lovely indoor seating spill out into a relaxed courtyard area – amid the estate’s vineyards makes this a truly beautiful food experience.
- Breakfast and brunch options: Yes
- Family-friendly: Yes
- Recommended meal: Breakfast bagel
- Region: Durbanville
Postcard Café
Situated at the beyond beautiful
Stark-Condé Wines, Postcard Café is arguably one of the most scenic spots in the Cape Winelands to enjoy a delicious breakfast or brunch.
With stunning mountain- and lake-views and a tranquil seclusion in the heart of the Jonkershoek Valley, this Stellenbosch cafe is blessed with a gorgeous setting.
The indoor-meets-patio seating, which overlooks sweeping floor-to-ceiling all-glass doors, is cosy, yet wonderfully in touch with the natural paradise just metres away.
If the weather is fair, the doors are flung open and guests seemingly enjoy delightful patio dining.
Their menu is simple but lovely and service is friendly, ensuring a memorable meal by all accounts. Postcard Cafe brings “pretty as a postcard” to life – quite literally.
- Breakfast and brunch options: Yes
- Family-friendly: Yes, this is a relaxed, family-friendly eatery.
- Region: Stellenbosch
These are just a handful of the best breakfast and brunch spots in our beautiful Cape Winelands!
This article was originally published on Tamlyn Amber Wanderlust, a travel blog by Tamlyn Ryan.