Rcaffé on Long Street

Feel right at home in this Cape Town coffee shop and restaurant

Long time Long Street institution Rcaffé has been serving coffee and light meals to its diverse traffic for eight years now; that’s roughly equivalent to nearly four centuries in a Cape Town with a notoriously transient restaurant industry, but this coffee shop and eatery is still bang on trend, and is consistently improving its offering.

“We’re bringing the letter ‘R’ alive,” says owner Sharon Segall, indicating the newly refurbished city centre café. The old look was modern, with a bright red sign and black tables. The feel now, in contrast, is bohemian and old school. 

Romantic retro

“We did most of it ourselves,” she continues. “The painting, the creating. A lot of what you see is recycled. For example, the wooden slats against the wall were salvaged from crates.” On the wall are black ink-stamped words such as, ‘rewind’, ‘relax’, and ‘rhythm’. In a corner niche above an L-shaped couch is a sun made out of 50s tennis rackets. On the far side of the restaurant, the wine-coloured walls play host to more R-letter objects; there’s a riding hat, a recorder, and reading material.

White globe lights with a concave pattern hang from the ceiling, and on closer inspection, and with a hint from Sharon, I see the concave element is actually paper cupcake holders (which are stuck to the lanterns) – a nod to both the coffee shop theme and the spirit of recycling.

“Any Cape Town coffee shop that’s lasted so long is due for an upgrade,” she says. “With its new look it’s gone from a café filled with politicians and lawyers to a younger crowd.” This comes as no surprise as the softer, more romantic feel is actually reminiscent of a university lounge.

Revolution 

Our chat moves from style evolution to coffee revolution. “We resisted the temptation to use Deluxe Coffee, as good as it is, and went with our own house blend of 100% Arabica beans,” says co-owner Julian Segall over a large cappuccino. “We got the recipe [for the blend] from a coffee roaster known as Arcaffé in Italy, the business that inspired our name.”

Needless to say, at Rcaffé, the coffee – each is made with a double shot of espresso - is full-bodied, full flavoured and born from a blend of Ethiopian, Indian, and Brazilian beans. 

Refine 

To match my cappuccino, a little girl with dark, curly hair brings me a slice of carrot cake. “She’s my daughter, Zoe,” says Julian. “We do everything in the restaurant from cooking to serving. We offer a personal touch; either myself or Sharon is here every day.”

Along with the décor overhaul, the baking has also been refined. Sharon tells me it’s taken her seven years to get the carrot cake recipe how she wants it. And what a cake. The flavour, infused with spice, is exotic. “I was inspired by a carrot cake I used to eat when we lived in Israel,” she says.

Also on offer is double chocolate cake, red velvet cake, cheesecake, and a flourless chocolate cake, the latter I’m told is the bee’s knees. Another drawcard is the croissants; the pastries are the size of slippers and come in both sweet and savoury flavours.  

Passers-by can get them hot out of the oven when Rcaffé opens its doors at 6:30 in the morning (one of the only places on Long Street to do so).

Relax

Zoe comes to where we’re sitting by the window and proffers an English breakfast to her dad. “I made it myself,” she says. Never mind that it’s well into the afternoon, Rcaffé serves eggs and bacon until closing time – though, most of the morning meals aren’t usually cooked by Zoe.

The breakfast menu is large and appetising, from traditional fry-ups to more creative offerings, such as the Ricotta Omelette Sandwich: an omelette filled with ricotta cheese topped with tomato, fresh rocket and pesto vinaigrette served on herb bread.

The main meals are just as varied. For the not-so-hungry there are sandwiches and wraps, and for those with a more substantial appetite there’s roasted lamb, Thai chicken curry, sirloin steak, and plenty more (check the daily specials board for the dish of the day).

“We’re also known for our meal-sized salads,” adds Julian. Diners can choose between tempting options such as the Entrecote Salad, which is rare roast beef salad with creamy avocado, or even the Gorgonzola Salad with caramelised pears and roasted almonds.

There’s fine wine to match this fine food too. The city centre café boasts an ever-changing list that incorporates some of the Cape’s best. Though, if wine isn’t your thing, try one of their cocktails—the Chi Chi, a blend of vodka, coconut and pineapple, looks delicious. 

Whether you’re popping in for coffee and cake, or sitting down for a bang-up meal, the portions are extremely generous, so it’s a good place to come if you’re, you guessed it, feeling ravenous. 

Tip: Rcaffé is available to hire for fully catered functions.

Bill: Reasonable prices and extremely good value for money.

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There's plenty of places in Cape Town to get your daily caffeine fix. Reada more about the Mother City's coffee shops.

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