In the Cape Town CBD we've found ways to make laundry fun, eliminate the choice between lunching and shopping, and combine our passions for biking and baking – or at least baked goods. Check out these multipurpose venues.
Imagine you could go to one place for drinks, food, a haircut, some exercise and even a tattoo. That’s the thinking behind House of H, recently launched by husband and wife team Heinrich and Christina Koen in Loop Street.
Heinrich is a chef who has worked for Jamie Oliver as well as the Madame Zingara group. His latest venture brings together his passions for good food and entertaining, and has become a popular multipurpose hangout, of which there are many in Cape Town’s CBD.
Here are some more places to explore.
I Love My Laundry
Laundry and dry-cleaning services, coffee, dim sum, wine
One of the retailers that kick-started the multipurpose venue craze, I Love My Laundry has two branches in the CBD. Get your washing or dry cleaning done while enjoying inexpensive dim sum and great but reasonably priced local and imported wines.
59 Buitengracht: 074 992 1481
50 Buitenkant St: 078 105 6280
Find them on Facebook
(www.facebook.com/ILOVEMYLAUNDRYBUITENGRACHT and www.facebook.com/I-Love-My-Laundry-Buitenkant-Street-382208975132801)
Club9 and Dapper Coffee Co
Classic car sales, maintenance and detailing; light meals and coffee
Opened in December 2015, Club9 is a space to admire Mercs, Porsches and Ferraris (but mostly Porsches) over a cup of Dapper Special Blend. The cars are cool, the coffee’s hot and the food’s light and delicious.
Cnr Bree & Strand streets
Club9: http://club9.co.za | 021 422 2994
Dapper Coffee Co: www.dappercoffeeco.co.za | 072 179 4953
The House of Machines
Custom bike building, menswear and accessories, food, craft beer, superfood smoothies
A glass-enclosed bike workshop is the focal point of this Shortmarket Street hangout, where you can buy everything from a café racer to a café latte. It’s also a great place to get a guy a gift.
84 Shortmarket St
www.facebook.com/thehouseofmachines | 021 426 1400
Los Muertos Motorcycles
Custom bike building, biking-themed apparel, coffee, cake
Like The House of Machines, Los Muertos Motorcycles took inspiration from café racer culture. And now that there are two such coffee bars in town, motorcyclists really can recreate the 1960s.
31 Loop St
www.facebook.com/LosMuertosMC | 082 357 5097
Alexander Bar, Café and Theatre
Theatre, comedy, light meals, craft beer, local wines and quiz nights
Open seven days a week, Alexander Bar, Café and Theatre serves food till midnight and has become a hub for lovers of live performance.
76 Strand St
www.alexanderbar.co.za | 021 300 1088
Widow Maker Saloon & Barber
A haircut, styling products, apparel, music, coffee
Widow Maker is not just a barbershop; it’s a space dedicated to making men look and feel good. Use the balcony to have a meeting or catch up on emails, or just grab a coffee and soak in some tunes.
309 Long St
http://widowmaker.co.za | 021 422 1209
75 Harrington
Coworking space, salad, coffee
This East City coworking hub is also home to a Maker Library and Chopchop, a leading exponent of the “fast slow food” movement in the Central City.
75 Harrington St
http://www.75hs.co.za
www.orderchopchop.co.za | 063 285 4399
Beautifull Food at Youngblood
Lunch buffet, art sales
Beautifull Food, situated inside a three-storey gallery, is a fantastic place for a lunch meeting – try the “create a plate” buffet or all-day breakfast.
70-72 Bree St
http://youngblood-africa.com | 021 424 1960
Latitude 33
Food, fashion, art
The owners of this hip Bree Street want you to experience a bit of surf culture. They sell portraits of surfers and clothing by Aussie surf labels, and are well known for putting a great meal on the table too.
165 Bree St
www.lat33.co.za | 021 424 9857
Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants and Publik Wine
Ethical, sustainable meat and wine
Franke Fenner Meat Merchants is all about bringing you closer to the farmer. Publik Wine shares vintages from sustainably farmed vineyards. Together they make a compelling reason to visit upper Church Street.
81 Church St
Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants: www.ffmm.co.za | 021 424 7204
Publik Wine: http://publik.co.za
Honest Chocolate Café and The Gin Bar
Handmade chocolate, gin cocktails
The artisanal chocolate sold at 64a Wale St is good enough reason to visit. Go the courtyard out back though and you’ll find a bonus, a Victorian-style bar specialising in four gin-based delights.
64a Wale St
Honest Chocolate: www.honestchocolate.co.za | 076 765 8306
The Gin Bar: www.theginbar.co.za | 060 606 6014
Revolution Cycles
Bicycles sales and maintenance, accessories, clothing, Truth coffee
Revolution Cycles’ father and son team know that buying a good bike is a long-term commitment. So they’ve created a lifestyle space where you can join the family and share a love of cycling.
177 Bree St
www.revolutioncycles.co.za | 021 423 5191
Cameraland
Photographic equipment sales and lab, mobile phone sales, Deluxe Coffeeworks coffee, gallery, training space, rooftop garden
Cameraland has been at the forefront of photo technology since 1958. In 2011 it underwent a revamp that turned its store into a full-on destination for technophiles.
68 Long St
www.cameraland.co.za | 021 423 4150
&Bikes Café and Cycle Boutique
Custom city bikes, cycling-related gifts, coffee
This is a meeting point for bicycle tours of the Cape Winelands, but it’s also an inner-city coffee shop that stocks clothing and other cycling-related apparel.
32 Loop St
www.andbikes.co.za | 021 823 8790
Breakaway Café
Bicycle hire, light meals, coffee, smoothies
Hire a bike – an hour will cost you just R50, which includes a helmet and lock – store your own bike here or get it repaired, and even grab a shower.
50 Waterkant St
http://upcycles.co.za | 074 100 9161
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