Getting decent coffee, even in Bloemfontein
Coffee culture hasn’t hit South Africa as hard or fast as it has the USA, but you can still find a decent single-shot decaffeinated skimmed-milk cappuccino with extra foam, if know where to look for it. Not from two identical Starbucks on opposite sides of the road so you don’t even have to cross the street for your fix, but it’s an improvement on where we were ten years ago.
As you would expect, the really excellent stuff is only to be found at small, one-off places hidden away in odd corners of Johannesburg and Cape Town, and you’ll need a local guide to find those and to give you the password you’ll need at the door.
It is our preciousssss.
But if you aren’t quite that discerning (but need your fix done right or else) there are still plenty of options. The three main contenders among the chain coffee outlets are Seattle, Vida and Lulu. The difference between the three are really a matter of personal preference; each has well-trained baristas and will serve you only the finest beans.
Seattle outlets are usually the easiest to find, as you would expect from a chain that is as direct a rip-off of Starbucks as they can get away with. Almost all are attached to Exclusive Books outlets, a chain of book stores, and you can find an Exclusive Books in any decent-sized mall.
There are some Vida and Lulu outlets in malls too, but many of them are in smaller, quirkier locations. Look out for the signs as you drive through the funkier parts of town, the ones with lots of restaurants and pavement cafes.
A fourth worthy contender, and your best friend in the slightly more rural parts of the country, are the Woolworths Cafes. These are attached to the larger Woolworths outlets, the ones that sell both food and clothes (not to be confused with Woolworths Food stores, which are smaller). Their coffee is as good as any of the other three and they’ll happily make a take-away. There is now, finally, one at OR Tambo Airport (Jo’burg International) that is open pretty much any time you’ll be transiting through there. And best of all, you can find these in places like Bloemfontein and Tzaneen. Any more rural than that and you are on your own.
A word to the wise, however. The most virulent retail coffee brand, the one you’ll encounter most often, is called the Mugg & Bean. Take that double G as a warning. They make a mean sandwich, but steer clear of the coffee.
