Photograph by Rohan Reddy via Unsplash

When I first got to Cape Town, I was just starting out at one of the universities and I literally knew nothing about how to get around without a car or even where I would go if I did have transport. Cape Town has an amazing buzz of food and coffee culture and it’s easy to miss out on it if you don’t know the best places to go or how to get there.  I spent a questionable amount of time in my first year at university exploring Cape Town, more than my textbooks, and have accumulated an all-sacred list of favourite spots that I will share with you.

There are many ways to get around Cape Town such as taking the train or one of the many buses, but my personal favourite is the MyCiti bus.  I just found that the MyCiti routes usually got me where I needed to go, or at least close enough, and it is the method of public transport that I feel the safest using. There are plenty of different routes and different stops to get you near the same cafés, but these are the ones that I use.

Just remember that the bus routes could change so please don’t come fight me if you get lost.

Photograph by Ashim D’Silva via Unsplash

Shout-out to my dear brother for introducing me to this gem. This place has the best value for money I have ever encountered in my years of exploring Cape Town. Start your trip from the Gardens station and take the 103 bus to the best bagels in Cape Town. If you get off the bus at the stop just after you pass Truth Coffee, New York Bagels is a two-minute walk away. You can get a freshly made and criminally delicious bagel for less than R50. For a foodie student on a budget, New York Bagels is an actual Godsend. They can be accompanied with some great coffee or even a slice of cheesecake and rumours say that their scrambled egg bagel can cure a broken heart. Also, if you are like me and genuinely cannot get enough of their red chillie; they sell tubs of it in the front. You can thank me later.

Houtbay Coffee will always hold a very special place in my heart as a little pocket of peace in the middle of a very chaotic world. They roast their own coffee on-site and are nothing short of meticulous with their quality. You can get there by taking the 109 bus from the Adderley station and getting off at the stop right by the Mainstream Shopping Centre. They serve a number of locally-sourced treats, from moreish cheesecake to deceptively delicious rusks, and also sell bags of their coffee. My only recommendation is that if you want to try the butter spritz cookies, you buy a whole bag to-go, because I can tell you from personal experience that the withdrawal is intense.

When my time comes, bury me in Gio’s, right in the corner by all the focaccia…please. You can get to this amazing deli by taking the 114 route from Adderley and jumping off at the stop closest to Jason Bakery (another 10/10 recommend) and the SPAR; Gio’s is between the two. Giovanni’s is a wonderland for anyone who likes Italian cuisine and they sell all of the produce that you never knew you needed. Some of my favourites are the Rummo pasta and the rosemary focaccia. They also have a whole spread of different hot and cold dishes, allowing you to mix and match whatever you want, to create your own custom meal. You can also sit near the outside bar for a bit if you’re wanting a coffee or a proper sit-down meal.

Cape Town really does have the most amazing cafés and you definitely don’t need a car to enjoy everything that the city has to offer. Hopefully this short list can get you started or at least inspire you to explore Cape Town a little more with the public transport available. If you have any cafés or restaurants that you love visiting, please let me know. I absolutely love trying out new places and would love some new suggestions.

What are your favourite cafés in Cape Town?