Cape Town Bree ve Kloof Street

KLOOF STREET

Long Street merges with another Capetonian trend setter, Kloof Street. Despite the close proximity, the atmosphere is different. Kloof Street felt much more contemporary, cleaner and prettier than Long Street yet it still had that vibrant, young-at-heart atmosphere. Kloof is known for a handful of galleries, smaller boutiques and concept stores, as well as a bigger Kloof Lifestyle Centre that houses yoga studios and some chain stores geared to healthy living such as Kauia and Wellness Warehouse. The street is lined with decorative Victorian houses and beautiful villas against mountainous backdrop. Also, some of the trendiest small boutique hotels are located towards the end of Kloof Streets, or on the immediate off-streets, making it a good location if you want to combine luxury with energetic neighborhood vibes.

Kloof Street is teeming with great food and drink establishments and although it is a relatively busy thoroughfare, many of these had plenty of outdoor seating to get glimpses of street life. One of the best local hangouts was Yours Truly (Kloof Street 73). Unlike their smaller Long Street locale, the one on Kloof is a spacious spot to get-together and so finding a table can be a mission during peak hours. It feels like a little garden in the city with its terrace covered in beautiful trees and plants hanging from the ceiling. During the early day patrons were busy getting caffeinated and after lunch slurping alcoholic drinks. The food selection is pretty limited, but includes gourmet sandwiches during the day (highly recommendable!) and in the evening they dish up pizzas. But why I would recommend Yours Truly is that it really encapsulates the youthful vibes of the area and it’s a good vantage point to observe the neighbourhood.

BREE STREET

Bree Street is the newest hotspot but it doesn’t feel as frantic as Kloof and Long Streets. Old urban buildings have been restored, breathing new life into the street and converted offices bring lots of young professionals to the area. We enjoyed the creative, innovative and modern touches evident around the area. The tree-lined street boasts a well curated array of speciality restaurants, bars and artisanal shops. You can kick back on various terraces that were always full of life, and artisanal beer, gin and whisky spots invite people to check the street in the evening.

While Bree is a great destination in the evening, we always appreciate places where we can find solid breakfast options. I would head straight to Jason’s Bakery (185 Bree Street), a treasured place for freshly baked goods. They have just a few bar stools around the hole-on-the-wall shop, but there is fairly ample seating outside on the street. It works well and makes the place somehow relaxed and casual with people sitting outside watching the world go by, or having a coffee and pastry whilst standing and catching up. Jason’s Bakery is famous for their doughssants - a kind of hybrid of croissant and doughnut with a lineup of different fillings every week - but would I recommend also grabbing their almond croissant. They were superb; extremely crispy, fresh and almost gooey inside. Their savoury breakfast was top-notch too, naturally revolving around their freshly baked bread and bagels, gulped down with their strong coffee.

If you have reached your caffeine quota, a place to get a non-caffeinated afternoon treat is Honest Chocolate (64A Wale St), 30 second walk from Bree Street. Housed in a heritage building with wooden beams and worn floors, there was somehow a very old feeling in this cafe, as if time had stopped. There is nothing old about the food selection though. Chocolate is the protagonist here, and it is moulded in various decadent forms, including vegan and dairy-free treats. But it was their dark hot chocolate that really changed my mind about this Mayan drink; served in a small beautiful clay cup, it was a rich experience, so velvety and not sugary at all. It was almost like drinking espresso, tiny robust sips full of flavour. Their chocolate bar packaging is really arty so it’s a great place to get some tasty, craftsy gifts to take home to relive the moment. Although there is no shortage of diverse evening options, some of the Bree favourites are Burger & Lobster (105 Bree St.), Villa 47 (47 Bree St.) and Bocca (Bree St. &Wale St.), and the place to see and to be seen seems to be Arcade (152 Bree St.), a hyper trendy bar/restaurant we did not visit but admired its old factory look with whitewashed walls.