In a city where restaurants come and go at a fairly rapid pace, Long Street Café has firmly established itself as a much-loved Cape Town institution. For the last 16 years this restaurant and bar has been providing Capetonians and visitors with delicious eats, chilled drinks and good times
The timeless style and design of Long Street Café, formerly one of the oldest book stockists on Long Street continues to draw masses of tourists and locals on a daily basis. With its open setting and relaxed décor that still has the feel of a book store allows for one to cruise the shelves looking for old favourites, relaxing with a good book over good food and wine. To keep it current, the Café received a recent update of sleek red booths. From tables on the sidewalk where patrons can soak up the sun while sipping on a mojito to the booths and couches where you can relax with friends inside there is something to suit everyone.
This is one of those rare spots where both the food as well as the cocktails are worth a try. This makes it a fantastic place for after work drinks, the kind that continue on past sunset and into dinner time. Choose from their laid-back café fare that includes burgers, pastas and bar favourites like chilli poppers and nachos. The avocado, mushroom and feta pizza is a firm favourite, all their pizzas are made the traditional way in a wood-fired clay oven. The meat platters serve three or four people and include ribs, beef kebabs, chicken kebabs and wings and fries – perfect drinking food.
A visit to Long Street Café would not be complete without indulging in one (or more) of their legendary cocktails. Play it safe with a classic martini or try their famous Long Street Café Iced Tea – a local version of the rather potent original. This cocktail is definitely not recommended for lightweights! If pretty drinks with umbrellas aren’t your thing then choose from their extensive list of wines, beers, whiskeys, liqueurs and spirits. They also sell draughts for the beer lovers. For a delicious taste of South Africa buy a round of Springbok shooters.
During the day this night-time party spot has an equally cool vibe. Stop by for a full English breakfast with all the trimmings or a bowl of muesli with Greek yogurt, fresh fruit and honey. The comfy couches, bar seating at the window and the free Wi-Fi make this a popular spot for people to catch up on their emails in the morning. For those of you who aren’t office bound this is an ideal place to park your laptop for the day while you work. The easy, bistro-style food makes it a favourite lunch and meeting place for locals and its landmark status means that visitors to Cape Town can often be found enjoying its local flavour.
Long Street Café has become an intrinsic part of Cape Town culture. It attracts a cosmopolitan mix of locals and tourists alike with the promise of good food, a substantial cocktail menu and a fantastic viewing spot for people watching on one of Cape Town’s most interesting streets.