Brunch – also known as the lazy person’s breakfast – is best served from about 11am on a slow-paced weekend. Popular in New York, the lingering mealtime can include anything from Eggs Benny and a spicy bloody Mary to a stack of French toast and a bottle of crisp, cold bubbly. Here are five great spots that offer leisurely, boozy brunches in Cape Town.
This American-style diner is a hotspot for brunch. Egg options include the popular hash eggs with toasted cauliflower, potatoes, peppers and spring onion with two poached eggs, asparagus, Hollandaise and pea shoots. Wash it down with the famous bloody Mary or a coffee by Deluxe
The brunch here include all the favourties: home-baked bagels and schmears; potato hash and eggs; challah French toast; and creamy scrambled eggs with salmon and spring onion. Wash it down with the Bloody Mary Elixir with pickle brine and horseradish.
On Sundays this stylish tapas-style restaurant transforms into a humming brunch spot. The set menu is made up of a collection of Pot Luck favourites that are served on platters to share with the table. Begin with your DIY bloody Mary before moving on to dishes like mini Arnold Bennetts, burrata with grilled nectarines, Pot Luck Club fish tacos, arancini, peri-peri chicken and an ending of The Pot Luck Club s’mores. Brunches are served on Sundays only from 11am and cost R400 per person, and an additional R200 for bottomless Graham Beck bubbles and DIY bloody Marys.
This new kid on the block offers a quirky range of comforting brunchtime eats. The pink-hued menu offers late-morning favourites with a twist. Think smoothie bowls with dragon fruit or peanut butter; Benedict bagels with bacon, eggs and housemade Hollandaise; or banana French toast with granadilla curd. They also offer a killer deal of eggs as you like for R38 with your choice of bread and additions of smoked bacon or rooibos-roasted tomatoes. The Raptor Room doesn’t have a liquor licence yet, but encourage brunchers to bring their own bubbles if they wish. Alternatively, sip on some coffee with beans by Flat Mountain Coffee Roasters.
In addition to lunch and dinner, lofty New-York-esque The Shortmarket Club is also open for breakfast. The morning menu is cunningly printed at the top of the general menu to tempt evening diners to make another reservation. The concise list of mid-morning options includes the likes of Arnold Bennett, egg and soldiers made with artichoke brioche, hot-smoked trout with miso butter and poached eggs, Scotch egg with wild mushroom and grated truffle, and quinoa granola with honeycomb and matcha. Look out for the amuse-bouche of pap with fresh honeycomb and butter. To wash it all down, sip on some Le Lude bubbles or order one of the delicious cocktails.