Dalebrooke Cafe in St James, a coastal suburb of Cape Town is just one of my favourite little spots to hang out over a snack or a meal and a very decent cup of coffee.
@m8duck and I headed to Dalebrooke on our way home after a morning errand yesterday.
My favourite part of being in this establishment is the feeling that I belong and that it’s a real local spot. It’s not flashy and touristy, it’s more of a hidden gem that you might drive past if you didn’t know how good it was.
I’d like to call the interior (and exterior) Hipster Deco in style. The original restored floors must have witnessed thousands of funny, interesting and heart rending conversations over the many years that it has been around.
The best time to arrive (if you want a good table) is late morning around 10.30am or so. Earlier or slightly later and you’ll hit the peak rush.
They are most notably known for their baked goods, decently priced yet interesting meals and of course, their coffee.
The barristers seem to have a built in happy vibe which speaks to the intent of the owners and managers who foster good service and pleasant upbeat yet relaxed atmosphere.
My latte arrived with a heart motif and reminded me that it was made and served with love.
But the biggest surprise this visit was the Green Apple with Almonds that I had ordered for breakfast! It arrived in front of me begging to be inhaled far too quickly. The shallow bowl held an entire baked green apple stuffed with a crushed almond and cinnamon paste on a bed of double cream plain yoghurt. The plate was then scattered with candied walnuts and drizzled with honey 🤤.
It was all that I had imagined and it tasted just as amazing!!! I have no idea how long it took to bake that apple but it was certainly longer than the twenty minutes that we waited for our food to arrive while enjoying our coffees.
My love had a good old English Breakfast and I managed to snag a piece of bacon before he wiped the plate.
The little detour from our planned errand made the whole day feel special and we left ready to take on the rest of the day and the work that we had ahead of us.
If you ever make it to Cape Town (now that we have travel restrictions once again… but that’s another story) then definitely make a turn past Dalebrooke cafe.
You won’t be disappointed.
Keep smiling 😊
looks like an amazing time had!
Thanks! It was good get out. We used to have breakfast out once a week, but lockdown changed that habit. Need to get back there again.
yeah, same here... we had a once a week place. My wife, brother and I would take my mom, once a week... then Covid hit.
Hello @zo3d,
Nice post
Awesome looking cafe!
These are some of the best places to discover indeed. Only thing is that if everyone takes forever to discover just how special such places are, they sometimes close due to lack of business. This place seems to be booming though. Hope it will remain open for a long time.
Thanks for stopping by to share this with us:)
Thanks! Dalebrooke is always buzzing at peak times and a favourite of the locals. So I don’t think it will be going anywhere soon. It’s somewhat of an institution in this part of our town. I can’t wait to go back for that Baked Green Apple again!!!
That's a very hipster looking English Breakfast haha. Very inviting cafe this.