Fego Caffé
Fego Caffé is a cosy little café that has several locations in Joburg. All the branches I have been to leave me feeling warm and snug. The little café boasts a hearty feeling of home with "warmth in every cup". Their menu comprises simple, yet delicious, savoury items with a wide variety of cakes and other baked goods like muffins, croissants and even bread and butter pudding — comfort on a plate. Their coffee is simply delicious, whether it's a classic Americano or an over-the top Coconut Mocha Crunch — coconut hot chocolate, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and honeycomb chocolate. The main reason they made it to this list, however, is their yummy Hazelnut Latte —steamed milk, warm espresso, gooey chocolate hazelnut spread with a generous lashing of whipped cream.
Royal Coffee Roasters
Royal Coffee Roasters, previously named Beans About Coffee, is a gem of a coffee shop that just popped up in Edenvale's Stoneridge Shopping Centre one day. Royal Coffee Roasters know their coffee! This charming café is decorated with converted coffee crates and littered with old coffee bags to create a place that spells c-o-f-f-e-e. Royal Coffee Roasters sells a selection of specially roasted coffee beans from all over the world, as well as every coffee machine ever invented. This includes the Hario Coffee Syphon, which can only be described as a coffee chemistry apparatus. Their food is delicious, their staff friendly, the decor inviting and the coffee irresistible. Their Mocha is, without a doubt, the best I have ever tasted. It is creamy, warm, chocolately and most importantly — coffeely (is that a word?). Unlike some other places, this Mocha tastes like both coffee and chocolate with just enough of each flavour to compliment the other.
Cramers Coffee
Cramers Coffee is an adorable coffee shop in Marshaltown, known for its welcoming ambiance, created by their delicate music selection, quirky decor and smiling staff. Located on the bustling street of Joburg CBD, Cramer's Coffee make delicious bakes and cakes (the red velvet is definitely a must-try). They have many delicious drinks on their menu, including the Hazelnut Hot Chocolate and sinful Caramel Latte. But the reason we keep coming back is their Gingerbread Latte — deep and rich espresso, frothy seamed milk and a glorious shot of gingerbread syrup. This is the perfect treat for a chilly autumn morning.
Europa
Europa is a café that specializes in delicious Mediterranean fare, from mouth-watering Italian anti-pasti to delectable pastas and everything in between. They have an extensive range of breakfasts and light lunches and amazing desserts (caramel popcorn brownies, anyone?). However, any Italian restaurant should have two things: great coffee and great tiramisu. And Europa has both! They come to you in the form of the most amazing Tiramisu Latte. Just thinking about this is making me drool on my keyboard. Yes, it's that good!
State 5
Last, but certainly not least is
State 5. This coffee shop in Greenside and Fourways specialises in cold brewed coffee, which gives the coffee a "refreshing, less acidic, more dark chocolatey" taste with the added benefit of even more caffeine in every magnificent cup of coffee. State 5 has a huge variety of flavoured coffee, from a regular Espresso to the unheard of Mouth Flip, featuring their cold brew coffee, vanilla syrup, cream and wait for it ... soda water. They also have a few alcoholic options — from the tempting Espresso Martini to the 'I have to try that' Bronx Bomber. This is a mixture of their cold brew coffee, gin, absinthe and vodka. Is that even legal? For those of you who don't mix caffeine and booze the Caramilizer is a must: cold brewed coffee, salted caramel and milk chocolate. This is definitely yum in a glass.
