Capetonians love their hip city – and their coffee. The city is renowned for some of the best coffee shops on the continent. And yes, remote workers and digital nomads love them, too. Most are very friendly towards people living the laptop lifestyle, so let’s have a look at the best of these Cape Town cafes for digital nomads.
Cape Town, South Africa’s southern-most city, has become a huge favorite among remote workers and digital nomads in the past few years. There’s so much adventure to be had from the top of Table Mountain to the shores of the two oceans surrounding the Mother City; prices are low; the culture, history, and night-life provide entertainment and learning opportunities on every corner; and the many different neighborhoods are uniquely their own while fitting so well together between the mountains and the sea.
To do so, we’ll take it around Signal Hill from Sea Point in the West, up along Green Point and the V&A Waterfront into downtown Cape Town.
Sea Point
This ocean-facing suburb features sandy beaches, tidal pools, a myriad of restaurants, the Sea Point Promenade popular with walkers, joggers, and bikers, and beautiful sunset views – and, of course, a couple of nomad-friendly cafes.
Bootlegger Coffee Company
Most popular coffee in town.
With allegedly around 60 locations in and around Cape Town, Bootlegger Coffee Company is one of the most popular coffee shop chains in the city. Not every one of them lends itself to work from since they all vary in size, but the one in Sea Point – a.k.a. “The Original” – offers a great variety of seating options with comparatively good wifi and great coffee.
According to locals, Bootlegger serves one of Cape Town’s best and most iconic brews. But Bootlegger’s no slouch in the food-department, either. From an extensive breakfast menu over amazing burgers, salads and buddha bowls to wraps and sandwiches, you can spend your entire day working from Bootlegger and never want for anything.
Location: 39 Regent Rd, Sea Point, Cape Town, 8060
Internet: Workable. Can get spotty when lots of people are signed on.
Power outlets: Yes, quite a few, though not at every table.
Coffee: Outstanding!
Work vibe: Always people with laptops present.
Size: Middle to large cafe with various types of seating options.
Food: Extensive breakfast menu, amazing burgers, salads, buddha bowls, wraps, and sandwiches
Bootlegger has a ton more locations in Cape Town besides Sea Point: There are more branches in Greenpoint, Three Anchor Bay, Cape Quarter, Zonnebloem, and Salt River, just the name the most central ones.
Mojo Market
So many yummy food options, it’s hard to choose.
Right across the street from Sea Point’s Bootlegger, is Cape Town’s famous indoor food market, Mojo Market. It features a ton of yummy international food stalls, four bars, live music, and several unique boutiques. Even better, an entire section upstairs is set up for laptoppers to enjoy the 2-hour free wifi at comfortable tables, offering a great vantage point over the central bar section below.
If you don’t absolutely need peace and quiet to work, enjoy an extended lunch in this lively place that offers some of the best international street-food-style meals in the city.
Location: 30 Regent Rd, Sea Point, Cape Town, 8060
Internet: Free for two hours, workable.
Power outlets: A few scattered around.
Coffee: Fine options, but you really come here for the food.
Work vibe: Usually at least some people with laptops sitting upstairs. It’s still an indoor food market, though, so it can be quite noisy even during the day.
Size: The entire venue is huge, and the upstairs seating area is also quite large. Gets busier towards the end of the day.
Food: Oh so much and oh so good. The 30 food stalls offer a wide variety from Thai, Dutch, sushi, frozen yogurt and ice cream, oysters and mussels, hummus… yes, it gets very specific, but no matter what turns out to be your poison of the day, we guarantee it’s going to taste fantastic.
Green Point
The northern-most tip of central Cape Town, Green Point is a popular leisure district. It’s surrounded by ocean and dominated by Green Point Park, housing lakes, jogging trails, a hedge maze, a biodiversity garden, and the Cape Town Stadium. From Italian restaurants to burger joints, steakhouses, and fish eateries, Green Point also sports a rich food offering.
Caffe Neo
Breezy and yummy fresh, with extra tables for remote workers.
Caffe Neo is a bright, breezy cafe and eatery set between the Green Point Lighthouse and Green Point Park. The cafe appreciates remote workers to the point where they’ve set up two long, sturdy tables with tons of power outlets extra for people who bring their laptops.
Location: 129 Beach Rd, Mouille Point, Cape Town, 8005
Internet: Good
Power outlets: Tons on the two long tables set up for people to work from.
Coffee: Excellent
Work vibe: Always some people with laptops. Nomad-friendly staff.
Size: Quite large, with different types of seating options in- and outside.
Food: Deli-style food with an Aegean twist – Greek biscuits, pastries, dips and bread, fresh salads, plus breakfast and sandwich options or deli take-aways
Shift Espresso Bar
Small but sweet and full of power (outlets).
A small place, Shift Espresso Bar is nevertheless a great place to work from because there are power outlets at each table at the indoor and outdoor seating options. The staff is super friendly and really cares about their coffee beans – which makes for some of the best coffee in town.
Location: 45 Main Road, Green Point, Cape Town, 8005. There’s also another location at the V&A Waterfront.
Internet: Workable
Power outlets: Yes, at almost every table.
Coffee: Excellent
Work vibe: Always some people with laptops. Nomad-friendly staff.
Size: Small
Food: Extensive breakfast options, sandwiches, salads, wraps, and burgers
De Waterkant
This sub-district of Green Point, surrounded by the V&A Waterfront, and the CBD, is especially sought after by young professionals, the upper-class gay and lesbian community, and niche restaurants and retailers.
Origin Coffee Roasting
“The godfather of all gourmet coffees”.
As one of the first inner-city cafes in Cape Town, Origin is known as the godfather of all gourmet coffees in the Mother City, offering a wide range of beans roasted on-site, serving it any way you like. It’s a buzzing venue, industrial and chic, and the light meals are almost as good as the coffee.
Location: 28 Hudson Street, De Waterkant, Cape Town, 8001
Internet: Good
Power outlets: A few
Coffee: Excellent
Work vibe: Always people with laptops, popular with entrepreneurs for networking. Nomad-friendly staff.
Size: Middle to large
Food: Various breakfast options, burgers, salad bowls, baked goods
The Loading Bay
“Only organic practices”.
The Loading Bay is a restaurant, Aesop shop, and men’s wear store all in one. Above all, it’s praised for the amazing, entirely organically-sourced food with lots of vegan options and great service. The Loading Bay supports the three pillars of regenerative farming: soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness.
Location: Shop 30, Hudson Building, 30 Hudson St, De Waterkant, Cape Town, 8001
Internet: Great
Power outlets: None
Coffee: Good
Work vibe: Always some people with laptops.
Size: Middle
Food: On the expensive side, but you’re all set for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner that include favorites like granola bowls, ragout, tartare, and many other yummy dishes.
Red! (Art Gallery)
Cafe meets art gallery.
Situated on Bree Street, the relatively new Red! art gallery offers an incredible atmosphere and good coffee. Working from here among all the artwork gives you a whole new motivation and especially inspiration – and you can buy all of the art. Perfect for art lovers and remote workers who want to mix it up.
Location: Portside Building, 4 Bree St, Foreshore, Cape Town, 8001
Internet: Workable
Power outlets: Quite a few, though not at every table.
Coffee: Excellent
Work vibe: Always some people with laptops.
Size: Small to middle
Food: Typical yummy breakfast- and brunch dishes, and cakes served all day.
Central Business District (CBD)
The city center is Cape Town’s vibrant business and commercial heart. Chain stores, surf shops, and fashion boutiques stand alongside restaurants, gin bars, night clubs, and the Company’s Garden. Some of the best Cape Town cafes beloved by remote workers can be found here.
Truth Coffee Roasting
Steampunk HQ. ‘Nuff said.
This is a must-do while in Cape Town, whether you just go for a cup of coffee or end up working from there the whole day. Because you can enjoy your latte and cappuccino served by baristas dressed up Mad-Max-style with desert goggles, leather suspenders, and knuckle rings. How cool is that?
To top it off, this steampunk-themed venue was named The World’s Best and The World’s Coolest coffee shop in 2015, and offers tours of the roastery and coffee tastings.
Location: 36 Buitenkant Street, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000
Internet: Workable
Power outlets: A few
Coffee: Excellent. The Resurrection Blend Flat White is a must-try!
Work vibe: Not exactly a quiet spot to work from, since it’s always super busy because it’s so well-known.
Size: Small to Middle
Food: Not much, but the patisserie offers good croissants and cakes to go with your coffee.
Bean There Coffee Company
Ethically sourced beans at one of the best coffee shops in town.
Coffee is a staple in Cape Town, and Bean There is another coffee shop competing for the title of Cape Town’s best coffee. And it’s definitely one you should check out. Bean There sources their beans ethically and takes pride in traveling to farms and communities, hand-selecting their single-origin coffee beans. Aside from that, it’s a haven for digital nomads, offering free wifi and seating with tons of natural light.
Recline on comfy, colorful cushions in the windows, sit at the counter, or make yourself comfortable at a table to enjoy your cup of joe and join the droves of happy remote workers who’ve already “bean” there and done that.
Hours: Monday to Friday: 7:30am – 4pm
Location: 58 Wale Street, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000
Internet: Good
Power outlets: None
Coffee: Excellent
Work vibe: Usually some people with laptops. Nomad-friendly staff.
Size: Small to middle
Food: Cakes, cookies, and biscuits that complement the yummy coffee.
Yours Truly
Beautiful setting and ambiance.
Probably the best-known cafe in the Mother City, Yours Truly is always packed with the artsy, hipster crowd. Which fits, since the venue is surrounded by galleries and art centers in a Victorian-inspired building. Enjoy the “coffee house office” vibes during the day, and the vibrant eatery and bar with live music at night.
Location: 73 Kloof Street, Schotsche Kloof, Cape Town, 8001
Internet: Workable
Power outlets: None
Coffee: Excellent
Work vibe: Always some people with laptops, gets really busy at times, though.
Size: Mid-sized inside, but lots of outside seating surrounded by green.
Food: Tasty sandwiches, pastries, and vegetarian bites with a modern twist.
Folk Cafe
Free-range chicken and eggs, grass-fed beef burgers, and fair trade coffee.
Folk Cafe welcomes coffee-lovers with a stylish, somewhat industrial yet comfortable atmosphere, a book corner, and various seating options. Enjoy your high-quality java made the way you love it on the couch or at a table by the eatery’s large windows. And don’t miss the food; like the coffee, Folk Cafe’s food is all locally-sourced and ethical.
A great place to get some serious work done or network with the numerous other digital nomads and freelancers who make this place a regular haunt.
Location: 4, Touchstone House, 7 Bree Street, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8001
Internet: Good
Power outlets: Yes, but not at every table.
Coffee: Excellent
Work vibe: Always some people with laptops. Nomad-friendly staff.
Size: Middle to large
Food: Treat yourself to a slice of the famous carrot cake or to another one of their pastries or sweets all baked in-house.
Harvest Cafe & Deli
Every Instagrammer’s dream come true.
If you like it elegant yet comfortable with lots of greenery, don’t miss this beautifully-designed, spacious cafe. With its delicious menu of healthy and local foods, it’s an ideal place for brunch and light, healthy lunches of local, organic and also vegan items.
Incredibly remote-worker-friendly, Harvest offers free wifi and provides power all over the cafe.
Location: 102 Wale St, Schotsche Kloof, Cape Town, 8001
Internet: Good
Power outlets: Yes, quite a few all over the venue
Coffee: Good
Work vibe: Always people with laptops. Very nomad-friendly staff.
Size: Middle to large
Food: Granola bowls, wraps, salad bowls, and breakfast toasts are only the tip of the harvest at Harvest.
Haas Coffee
The place for coffee, art, and collectibles.
“Living room vibes meet art shop and antique museum” aptly describes the cozy atmosphere of Haas Coffee, complete with Persian rugs, rustic wood furniture, lots of art on display, and plenty seating options. Enjoy a great coffee with hearty or light dishes while getting some work done.
Location: 19 Buitenkant Street, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8001
Internet: Good
Power outlets: A few
Coffee: Very good
Work vibe: Always some people with laptops, though it can get busy.
Size: Middle to large
Food: Don’t miss the Bunny Chow – chicken curry served in a hollowed-out freshly baked loaf of bread.
Join WiFi Tribe in Cape Town on 4 Upcoming Chapters
Honestly, we WiFi Tribers couldn’t love Cape Town more – and the amazing cafes are just the beginning. Come colive and cowork with us in this amazing city from January to March in 2020.
Check out our Cape Town coliving experience. We’d love to show you around and explore everything this beautiful city and country have to offer.
