Espressolab De Waterkant sits on De Smidt Street, on the edge of central Cape Town between the city bowl and Green Point, with Bo-Kaap uphill and the V&A Waterfront a short ride away. The room makes its case before the first cup: grey stone, metal tables, a long counter, pastries in view, plug points along the bar, and a lab-clean look that still has enough warmth for a slow morning.
This is the Cape Town address to review, not the global Espressolab brand in abstract. The De Waterkant shop was ranked #40 in The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops 2026, and the stronger visit is a focused one: coffee first, something baked or savoury if you are staying, then maybe beans from the wider roastery operation.
Coffee style
Espressolab's Cape Town roots still run through the Old Biscuit Mill roastery, but De Waterkant is the sharper city-room expression. The roastery site points to espresso, filter drinks, coffee cocktails, and retail coffee products; the De Waterkant coverage adds yuzu sour, Pink Tonic, Lekker Brew, miso mocha, matcha, chai, and cold-brew builds.
Start with espresso, cortado, flat white, pour-over, or the single origin on bar if you want the cleanest read on the coffee. If you are here for the room, a signature drink makes sense: the cafe is built around controlled novelty rather than another generic milk-coffee stop.
Food
Food is more than a token pastry tray. CapeTownMagazine describes an open-window bakery at the back and a sweet-savoury case with chia cups, frittatas, tiramisu cake rolls, madeleines, cardamom and cinnamon buns, focaccia sandwiches, brioche croissants, and fresh juices. The practical order is coffee with cheesecake, a bun, a croissant, a bagel, or focaccia.
What people go for
People come for precise coffee, a photogenic but functional room, friendly bar service, and enough Wi-Fi-and-plug-point practicality to make a laptop stop feel normal. It can handle a meeting, a solo work hour, or a quick coffee before moving through Green Point.
The feel
The design is minimalist in a way that risks looking severe, then softens through the bakery, the counter choreography, and the steady mix of locals, remote workers, and coffee tourists. Parking can be awkward around De Waterkant, and the early closing time limits late-day plans. Go earlier, and sit near the counter if you want the full room.
Why Espressolab De Waterkant is shortlisted by Filter Notes
Espressolab De Waterkant is shortlisted because it gives Cape Town a contemporary coffee atelier with real coffee credibility, a distinctive room, and a 2026 global ranking attached to the exact address. Cross town for the light-roast coffee, signature drinks, bakery case, and design-led room; know before going that this is a daytime stop, not a late cafe.