Looking for a New Spot for Coffee Dates with the Gals? Long Café Gets our Vote! [Review]
Nothing lifts the spirits and soothes the soul like a coffee date your favourite girlfriends. Hanging out with the boys can be loads of fun but there’s something to be said about those quiet(ish) moments spent gabbing away with the ladies over coffee, tea, and a slice of cake. One of my new favourite spots to enjoy a slice and a sip is definitely Long Café at The Vineyard Hotel in Newlands – this beautiful and inviting spot offers all the comforts of home along with excellent staff and delicious eats and treats and is the kind of spot you don’t mind whiling away the hours. I got the chance to visit the spot for a bite recently and absolutely adored it.
Located just off the hotel’s main foyer, Long Café offers guests of the hotel as well as visitors a quiet place to relax and unwind without feeling like you have to over-indulge in a big meal. The space was specially created for visitors to the hotel to have somewhere to retreat to that wasn’t a full-service restaurant or the bar, a place where they could take stock after a long day exploring the city or simply meet-up with a friend for coffee. Of course, the café also serves this same purpose for local visitors to the hotel. It’s now my go-to spot for meetings in the southern suburbs or even when I just feel like a little quiet time to myself.
I love the decor of the spot which merges both modern and vintage design features, including a striking locally-made blown glass chandelier, exposed brick walls and plush cream and black upholstery. Guests can take a seat at one of the many tables available or relax on the couch with a good book while they wait for their coffee to arrive.
Perhaps one of the best things about Long Café is that it offers vistors a truly ‘connoisseur’ coffee experience. The little coffee shop has expert baristas working at the spot and serves a wide variety of exceptional single origin coffees from local roastery, Quaffee (which is situated just adjacent to the Long Café). The beans are freshly roasted and blended on site and the roastery has also made a special coffee blend especially for the café and The Vineyard Hotel. The great news is, if you’re a real coffee fundi, then you buy the unique Vineyard Blend or any of the freshly-roasted ‘single origin’ coffee beans from the roastery and enjoy it at home. I don’t drink coffee but my coffee date for the afternoon, a real coffee lover, had only good things to say about the coffee at Long Café.
If you’re looking for something to nibble on then you’ll love the eats and treats at this spot. Long Café isn’t a full-service eatery but they do offer a selection of light meals and a delicious display of sinful cakes and patisserie. I decided to fill up on a Beef Pastrami filled croissant (R35) while my coffee date opted for a Chicken Mayo sandwich (R45). The café offers a filled croissant of the day as well as a sarmie of the day so there’s always something new to try on the menu. I was quite impressed with the size of the croissant and the fact that, despite its size, it was still fluffy and crumbly like a good croissant should be. They also had a tray of mini quiche on display on the counter for those who wanted a super quick savoury bite.
As for the sweeter side of things, guests can choose from a selection of cakes, tarts, and muffins of the day starting from R25. The counter of the little café always has a few sweet options to tempt you while you enjoy a cup of coffee and I would highly recommend you indulge a little when you visit. Of course, you can allso grab your coffee and cake to go, if you’re in a rush!
But, in addition to the yummy bites and great coffee, the one thing that really stood out for me, and that keeps me going back for more is the service at this spot. Just wow! The staff at the café are truly exceptional and you can tell that they love their jobs and meeting the many different types of people who visit Long Café. My coffee date and I had a long chat with the barista, Vuyani, the first time we visted and we loved hearing all about his journey as a barista and why he loves working at the spot. We really got a sense of his love of coffee – needless to say his job and his cheery disposition is quite infectious!
Long Café is open daily from 08:00 – 17:00. Find them at The Vineyard Hotel, Colinton Road, Newlands, Cape Town. For more information visit The Vineyard Hotel website.
