Durban’s coffee culture is raising the bar rapidly, as a number of uniquely Durban coffee hangouts have opened up over the past 2 years, serving genuinely superb tasting coffee. Represented by some of SA’s top baristas, here are Coffey and Cake’s Top 10 Coffee Shops in Durban.
Factory Café- 369 Gale Street (Magwaza Maphalala), Umbilo
~ The grunge ambiance and fresh smell of coffee is what makes this café a must visit. Set in an old factory, with working machinery, and home to Colombo Coffee, this coffee shop exudes passion and a true love of good coffee.
Bean Green- 147 Helen Joseph Road, Glenwood
~ Father-daughter run coffee shop Bean Green, is best known for its Bluff Bru blend of coffee beans. Roasted on the property, Bluff Bru is available in a number of blends, and with its African origins the coffee is superbly rich and flavorsome.
Corner Café- 197 Brand Road, Glenwood
~ The perfect spot to spend a Saturday morning in Glenwood. This eco-restaurant stock Colombo Coffee and produce a well-bodied blend of Malawian, Burundian and Ethiopian beans.
Duke & Duchess - 46 Meridian Drive, Umhlanga
~ Originally just a motorcycle shop, Duke and Duchess now serves up delicious Colombo Coffee blends as well as a few treats on the side.
You know it is a good coffee when you don’t have to add sugar! Duke and Duchess have a small menu at the moment including the usual coffee suspects, as well as hot chocolate and red cappuccinos, paired with mini croissants, crunchies and a light lunch menu (their hotdogs are AMAZING).
~ Originally just a motorcycle shop, Duke and Duchess now serves up delicious Colombo Coffee blends as well as a few treats on the side.
You know it is a good coffee when you don’t have to add sugar! Duke and Duchess have a small menu at the moment including the usual coffee suspects, as well as hot chocolate and red cappuccinos, paired with mini croissants, crunchies and a light lunch menu (their hotdogs are AMAZING).
Yellow Cafe- Litchi Orchard, Salt Rock
~ Yellow Cafe is a fantastic Ballito coffee shop, run from the Litchi Orchard in Salt Rock. The team at Yellow Cafe serve up a really tasty coffee and their cakes and treats are always worth a bite. Check them out any day of the week or on a Saturday trip through to Ballito.Bike & Bean - 290 Snell Parade, Country Club Beach, Durban
~ As of late it has become increasingly popular to ride bicycles along the promenade and so a few bicycle hire shops have popped up all over the place. Best of all, in my opinion, is Bike & Bean. A combination of coffee and bicycles. Bike & Bean opened in 2013 and is located at Country Club Beach, just north of Suncoast Casino. Bike & Bean’s barista, Themba, serves up a magnificent cappuccino. The coffee shop use Colombo Coffee, which if you read my blog you will know I am a huge fan of.
~ As of late it has become increasingly popular to ride bicycles along the promenade and so a few bicycle hire shops have popped up all over the place. Best of all, in my opinion, is Bike & Bean. A combination of coffee and bicycles. Bike & Bean opened in 2013 and is located at Country Club Beach, just north of Suncoast Casino. Bike & Bean’s barista, Themba, serves up a magnificent cappuccino. The coffee shop use Colombo Coffee, which if you read my blog you will know I am a huge fan of.
Iwantmycoffee- Mayfair on the Lake, Corner Park Lane and Park Drive, Umhlanga
~The new kid on the block, iwantmycoffee is Ard and Deborah Matthews’ new venture. Baristas Sipho and Sam serve up a delicious Bluff Bru coffee experience and this coffee shop has become a convenient spot to spend a lunch break in the hub of Umhlanga’s business world.
Love Coffee- 484 Windermere Road (Lilian Ngoyi), Morningside
~The “love child” of Corner Café, Love Coffee is a great place to stop in and grab a Colombo Coffee blended hot or cold press. Friendly staff, homemade food and peanut butter choc chip cookies to die for, and they’re only R5.
JuMeLi- 175 Clark Road, Glenwood
~Open since September 2012, this café is named after the owners 3 children, Justin, Melissa and Lilly. Serving Tribeca Coffee, and a seriously impressive range of sandwiches, cakes and breakies, this café is reasonably priced and the coffee is superb. Smooth and rich in flavor you will definitely have more than one cuppa at JuMeLi.Vovo Telo - Chartwell Drive, Umhlanga
~ I love Vovo Telo. I loved Vovo Telo when I lived in Johannesburg, and I love Vovo Telo now that they have opened in Umhlanga. Their coffee is an easy drinking blend by Famous Brands, and is just so creamy. Vovo Telo is, however, best known for its bakery! Fresh breads, croissants, tarts and cakes, all absolutely scrumptious and trust me the delicious smells that come from that bakery will keep you at Vovo Telo all day.
~ I love Vovo Telo. I loved Vovo Telo when I lived in Johannesburg, and I love Vovo Telo now that they have opened in Umhlanga. Their coffee is an easy drinking blend by Famous Brands, and is just so creamy. Vovo Telo is, however, best known for its bakery! Fresh breads, croissants, tarts and cakes, all absolutely scrumptious and trust me the delicious smells that come from that bakery will keep you at Vovo Telo all day.
~Another supporter of Colombo Coffee, Freedom Café is an eclectic blend of colour, flavor and great service. Their Sweet and Clean blend of coffee makes for a great mid-morning treat, while their quirky vibe will keep you going back for more.
Bellevue Café- Corner Bellevue Road and St Mary’s Road, Kloof
~Durban’s upper highway area boasts a few great cafes, however the one that makes it into this top 10 is Bellevue Café. A cosy café, nestled up in the kloof village, Bellevue make a warm cup of coffee to keep you going through the day.
@Coffee- 204 Florida Road, Morningside
~Another fairly new and unique café in Durban’s party hub, Florida Road. @Coffee is uniquely located in the Apple accessories store and these guys are all about serving good coffee on the go.
so far I’ve tried jumeli, factory cafe, freedom cafe, iwantmycoffee and green bean cafe.
I think green bean has the best cappuccino out of this list, especially if you catch a freshly roasted batch - you really get that roasted taste, which is something I recommend any to try. if possible, get yourself off sugar in cappuccinos, then you only taste the coffee.
I go to jumeli most often, because they have really nice brownies and it’s like they’re always happy to see me.
I’m super keen to try the rest on the list. I always check this blog post to see what’s next. without it I would only ever have known about the factory cafe. when I’ve completed this list, I’ll give them all a rating. 🙂
also note the absence of franchise “coffee shops” on this blog post’s list.
Great to get feedback like this! I am so glad this blog has been helpful to you.
I am definitely a firm believer that good coffee does not need sugar and it is becoming more and more of an adopted concept at coffee shops around the world. Look forward to hearing your ratings 🙂
Coffey and Cake is all about independent coffee shops and the uniqueness each one exudes.
Hi Pippa,
Will you be updating this list for 2014?
I think Duke & Duchess definitely need a mention 😉
Hello! Yes you are correct, I will need to update that hey! Duke & Duchess in definitely up on the top there 🙂 Thanks for the comment Lauren!
where would I find duke & duchess? currently at bellevue, I just have yellow cafe left to do after this. 🙂
Duke & Duchess in in Umhlanga, 46 Meridian Drive. It is near the Porsche dealership. That’s so great, well done. There is another one at Moses Mabidha Stadium, Jacksonville Coffee, if you haven’t been there already 🙂
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Anyone know any good places to buy gourmet coffee online besides https://www.coffeeforless.com?
Yeah check out Cape Coffee Beans at https://www.capecoffeebeans.co.za. They deliver around SA and have a great variety of beans.