Driving the route from Muizenberg around the peninsular all the way back to Camps Bay, the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront and the center of Cape Town city, is always a highlight for visitors to the city. And of course, there is the copious number of restaurants, cafes, takeaways and food stalls where one could get a delicious meal along the way. That being said, depending on the time of day, it could apply for breakfast, lunch or even an early dinner; late dinner if you took the “scenic” route!
As with everyone, you always have your set route, set stops and set food joint on every trip. Don’t try and deny it, we all do! Only afterwards to you think back of the regular place, and possibly say it was the last time you stop there, either bad food, bad service, or just simply lost its appeal. It is usually only when you let someone else choose where to go, or go on their recommendation that you find these different and hidden spots that you have never known of before. The place that you will read about now isn’t some fancy high-end restaurant or cafe that you need a booking for, no one likes to do that on a spontaneous outing, but rather a relaxed cafe style restaurant in St. James.
Ladies and gentlemen, FOLK CAFE, St. James!
I have driven passed Folk Cafe so many times and it’s scary that I have never been in before! In my defense, I never even knew they even existed. I was shown this little spot for lunch a few weeks back and was amazed at the friendly service and the amazing food. I never made a comment about them or did a write up at the time, but I recently returned. This time for breakfast! Being from the industry myself, I always give a second, third or even fourth chance if I have had a bad experience. But, with Folk Cafe, both times have been great.
You walk in off the bustling main street of St. James into the doors of the cafe. If you are not sure where to find it, its opposite the St. James Retirement Hotel! Immediately you are greeted by the front of house staff as well as the barmen that work right by the door, and shown to a table. They are very accommodating if there is another table you would prefer. The menus are great, showing a large variety of dishes, and a drinks menu twice the size. I have found they have awesome coffee, and so many different types! It’s hard to decide what to order as it all sounds so good. When one usually thinks of a cafe, one may think of a few seats inside, and perhaps one or two outside. Let me tell you, it is definitely not the case here. They have a quaint seating area all around the side and it sits right next to the St. James train station with a view of the colorful beach sheds just beyond that.
Having been to Folk Cafe for both lunch and now breakfast, I think it is definitely somewhere I would drive to as part of a day trip over a weekend (possibly sneaky weekday bite too)! The food has been great both times. Simple and letting the ingredients speak for what they are supposed to be. I would definitely consider this one of the few places that you actually feel like you have paid for value. By no means does it strike me as a place that you throw things on a plate, but rather adding a green oil garnish to just add that bounce of color to the dish and make it that much more vibrant.
It usually takes a lot for me to write a post or make a comment about an establishment either positive or negative, but having been there twice in the space of weeks and have the same level of ‘Cape Town’ experience, I thought it was about time for a post. Considering the friendly service that one receives from when you walk in, the unique atmosphere (right next to a train station), to the quality of the food that they offer, not to mention the value for what you get, and even to the smiles when you leave, they give you a great ‘local’ experience as opposed to just a simple street cafe. If in the area, I would definitely suggest you stop in for a bite!
ChefD Adventures 