Cafeography
Cape Town · V&A Waterfront

Cafés in V&A Waterfront

Coffee in Victoria Wharf and along Dock Road, the Silo District and Zeitz MOCAA, and the Time Out Market.

Photo: Magda Ehlers, Pexels License

Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria's second son, laid the first stone of the breakwater for Cape Town's first harbor here on 17 September 1860.1 A company set up in November 1988 began turning the historic docklands into the V&A Waterfront, which now draws about 24 million visitors a year.1

Its coffee is split between Victoria Wharf and the quays along Dock Road. In Victoria Wharf, La Playa Coffee Shop is at Shop 224, Love, Revenge and Cappuccino on the lower level and Deus Ex Machina on the upper level. On Dock Road, Native Coffee Roasters is at 37B, Enmasse at 17 and Vovo Telo in the Wine Centre.

Local tip: Moses Cafe closes at 14:00 from Monday to Thursday, so save an evening coffee at the Waterfront for Friday to Sunday, when it stays open until 20:30.

At a glance

9Cafés listed
1With opening hours
07:30Earliest opening
20:30Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Moses Cafe, from 07:30 (Mon–Thu 08:00–14:00 · Fri–Sun 07:30–20:30).
  • Most common features: specialty (11%), outdoor seating (11%), bakery café (11%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Cape Town.

Coffee chains in V&A Waterfront

The Silo District and Zeitz MOCAA

The Silo District grew around a 57 m grain silo built between 1921 and 1924. Heatherwick Studio carved galleries and a central atrium out of its 42 tightly packed concrete tubes, and the building opened on 22 September 2017 as Zeitz MOCAA, the largest museum of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora.2 It covers about 9,500 m² over nine floors, 6,000 m² of them for exhibitions.2

The Silo Hotel, in the upper part of the building, opened in March 2017.2 Nearby, the Radisson RED hotel hosted the first World Koesister Day on 1 September 2019, a celebration of the spiced, coconut-coated Cape Malay pastry that has been held on the first Sunday of September ever since.3

The Watershed and the Time Out Market

The Watershed is a converted industrial shed. Wolff Architects cut a new street through it and filled it with a market of small "micro tenancies", a business incubator with its own café, offices and exhibition space.4 It is one of the Waterfront's main retail spaces.1

The Waterfront's old food market closed on 22 January 2023 for a refurbishment, under a contract with the media group Time Out.5 Time Out Market Cape Town, the first in Africa, opened on the quayside on 17 November 2023 with 13 local food concepts.6

The Clock Tower and the Robben Island ferry

The Clock Tower was built in 1882 as part of the Port Captain's Office; it has begun to lean slightly, though further leaning has been halted.1 Ferries to Robben Island leave from the Nelson Mandela Gateway in the Clocktower District.1 The Two Oceans Aquarium and Nobel Square are also part of the Waterfront.1

Vovo Telo, in the Wine Centre on Dock Road, has outdoor tables and a bakery counter. Moses Cafe opens 08:00–14:00 from Monday to Thursday and 07:30–20:30 from Friday to Sunday.

Getting there by MyCiTi

On MyCiTi buses every passenger needs a myconnect card, sold for R40 under the fares that took effect on 1 July 2026.7 An off-peak trip of up to 5 km costs R15, and the higher peak fares apply on weekdays from 06:45 to 08:00 and from 16:15 to 17:30.7 Children under four and shorter than one meter ride free, and drivers do not take cash.8

Sources

  1. Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. The sweet and spicy marital aid that is the koesister, Daily Maverick, accessed October 2026
  4. Watershed, V&A Waterfront, urbanNext, accessed October 2026
  5. Time's up for V&A Food Market traders after new lease is signed with global entertainment and media group, Daily Maverick, accessed October 2026
  6. It's a date: Time Out Market Cape Town reveals its opening day, Time Out Cape Town, accessed October 2026
  7. Annual MyCiTi fare adjustments, 1 July 2026, MyCiTi, City of Cape Town, accessed October 2026
  8. Getting here, Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

More of Cape Town

City Centre & Bo-Kaap

88 cafés

Gardens & Tamboerskloof

25 cafés

Woodstock & Salt River

22 cafés

Observatory & Mowbray

14 cafés

Rondebosch & Newlands

12 cafés

In V&A Waterfront, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Bakery cafés

FAQ

V&A Waterfront cafés: questions

When did Zeitz MOCAA open at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town?

Zeitz MOCAA opened on 22 September 2017 in a 57 m grain silo built between 1921 and 1924. Heatherwick Studio carved its galleries and central atrium out of 42 concrete tubes. It is the largest museum of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, and the Silo Hotel, in the upper part of the building, opened in March 2017.

When did the Time Out Market open at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town?

Time Out Market Cape Town opened on 17 November 2023, the first Time Out Market in Africa, with 13 local food concepts on the quayside. It replaced the Waterfront's old food market, which closed on 22 January 2023 for a refurbishment.

Where do Robben Island ferries leave from at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town?

Robben Island ferries leave from the Nelson Mandela Gateway in the Clocktower District of the V&A Waterfront. The Clock Tower itself was built in 1882 as part of the Port Captain's Office and has begun to lean slightly, though further leaning has been halted.

For café owners

Own a café in V&A Waterfront?

Free listings are free for good. A featured page gives you photos, a menu and your own URL, in your café's own design, for less than a coffee a day.

Get listed, free See a page in its own design