Espressolab De Waterkant

Espressolab began in Cape Town in 2009 as a small batch micro roastery at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, roasting boutique lots long before the city's coffee culture became what it is today. This De Waterkant cafe opened in 2024 and has made the World's 100 Best Coffee Shops list two years running, at 11th in 2025 and 40th in 2026.

The room is laid out as a coffee atelier across two levels, with a central stool bar downstairs, grey leather couches and granite surfaces, and a futuristic round table upstairs that is made for lingering. Experimental drinks arrive in glass beakers, a bakery sits alongside the coffee bar, and the counter has plug points and wifi for anyone settling in to work.