Cafe Extrablatt in Cape Town

Prolific German chain restaurant brings that certain something to Green Point

While Café Extrablatt, a late 2011 addition to Cape Town’s restaurant rolodex, isn’t nearly as ubiquitous in Germany as, say, a love for David Hasselhoff or a respect for German football, the well-loved German chain is certainly familiar to most. 

Born in the small town of Emsdetten in 1985, the relaxed, but vibey eatery now boasts 56 stores (and counting) in the nation, and in light of Cape Town’s robust German community - there are an estimated 25,000 to 35,000 German passport holders living in the Cape Peninsula – it’s now made its South African debut. 

“We opened on the same day as the Coldplay concert in October 2011,” a proud Guido Dierschke, the café’s general manager, tells me over a leisurely Sunday coffee. “It was like a slap in the face, but it was amazing, truly amazing.”

And with a Green Point location that’s only a mere block or two from the doorstep of the Cape Town Stadium, you can imagine the madness that must have followed a concert of that scale.

The two-storey bistro and lounge, its street-level veranda and its second floor balcony are remarkably airy and spacious, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows on the ground level that afford a wealth of natural light; but, nonetheless, the large crowds that pour in post rugby matches or after high-profile performances could easily bring any eatery to its knees. 

That said, as convenient and well-situated as Extrablatt is for a drink or a meal before or after large-scale special occasions on the Atlantic Seaboard, for the most part, its day-to-day trade is considerably more laid-back and built around value for money.

With marble table tops, Paris brasserie-style seating and eye-catching copper chandeliers imported from Germany, the café certainly gives the impression that it could be quite pricey, but as Guido emphasises, “Everybody that sees the shop gets the idea that we must be very expensive, but we’re not expensive, we’re genuinely affordable and we want to keep it that way.”

As if in punctuation to his point, the first thing I see when I open the menu is, arguably, the most well-priced all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet I’ve set eyes on in the Mother City. 

On Saturdays from 8am to 12pm, the buffet is available for R79.95, and on Sundays the brunch buffet (the offering is the same as the Saturday buffet, but it includes a warm lunch option as well) will run you a reasonable R99.95. 

Aside from the very accommodating egg man – he’ll make your omelette any way you want it – the fresh breads, cold meats and cheeses and English-style fare, there’s also a well-versed menu that’s been adapted from Germany to appeal to an international audience. 

For the early-risers, health breakfasts, Petit Déjeuner and build-your-own croissants with an assortment of both sweet and savoury toppings are on offer; and for those looking for a midday or late night meal (the kitchen stays open until midnight) everything from stuffed baked potatoes to burgers dressed any way you want ‘em to veal schnitzel and currywurst to pasta and pizza appear on the menu.

“Café Extrablatt is really about the whole-day business. We start in the morning with cappuccinos and freshly-squeezed orange juice. We have ice cream, milkshakes, a coffee frappe and cakes for the afternoon, and a lovely wine menu and assortment of different meals available for lunch and dinner,” says

With Pilsner Urquell on tap – an epic Czech beer that South Africans still, sadly, haven’t developed a taste for – two big-screen televisions, a working fireplace and comfy, oversized chairs, the second level of Extrablatt is prime sport junkie territory. Granted, if the German team is playing, not too much else will be featured, but apart from this piousness, the eatery shows a smorgasbord of matches, games and contests. 

Not to mention, daily happy hours specials between 5pm and 8pm slice the price of cocktails in half, and on Wednesdays a DJ starts at 7pm and the half-price cocktail special is extended until close. 

So while Extrablatt (a term that refers to a special, urgent edition of a newspaper) may be a foreign word to most, some things are universal: among them, the café’s great vibe, their ‘something for everyone’ spirit and their ‘round the clock, ‘for every occasion’ philosophy. 

Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday: 8am – 1am; Friday and Saturday: 8am – 2am; Sunday and public holidays: 9am-1am. 

Tip: There’s a formal, spacious parking lot across the street from the restaurant where parking is FREE! No need to parallel, or to drive around in desperation looking for a safe, affordable place to leave the car while you enjoy your meal. 

Exhibition Building | 79 Main Road | Green Point | Cape Town | +27 (0) 21 286 0460

Looking for more German-style eateries in Cape Town? Check out our take on Marcelino’s Bakery on Loop Street.

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