Cafeography
Cape Town · Woodstock & Salt River

Cafés in Woodstock & Salt River

Roasteries in old industrial buildings on Albert Road, the Saturday market at the Old Biscuit Mill and 06:00 coffee on Brickfield Road.

Photo: Shamiel Soni, Pexels License

Woodstock lies between the Table Bay docks and the lower slopes of Devil's Peak, about 1 km east of the city center.1 It began as farmland called Papendorp, grew into a seaside suburb whose residents briefly called it New Brighton, voted in 1867 to rename itself Woodstock, and lost its beach to land reclamation in Table Bay in the 1950s.1

Salt River, from the Dutch Soutrivier, lies further east and was once the industrial heart of Cape Town, with steel and locomotive works and, until the late 1980s, clothing and textile factories.2 Restaurants, offices and shops have since moved into the old warehouses, a disused Castle Brewery among them, and Albert Road is the main café street.1

Local tip: For coffee before 07:00 in Woodstock and Salt River, go to El Greeyo Roastery on Brickfield Road, which opens at 06:00 on weekdays.

At a glance

22Cafés listed
2With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
16:30Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: El Greeyo Roastery, from 06:00 (Mon–Fri 06:00–16:30 · Sat 07:00–14:30).
  • Most listed streets: Albert Road (3), Albert Rd (2), Roodebloem Rd (2).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (14%), specialty (9%), open by 6am (5%).

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Coffee chains in Woodstock & Salt River

Albert Road and the Woodstock Exchange

The Woodstock Exchange at 66–68 Albert Road is a renovated complex of shops, restaurants and offices.3 Rosetta Roastery is there. Founded by Rob Cowles, Jono le Feuvre and Jeffrey van Aswegen, Rosetta works only with single-origin beans from South and Central America, Africa and Asia and sells no blends.4

Along the road, Tribe Coffee is at 170 Albert Road, close to the Woodstock Foundry at number 160, and Roxy All Day at 216.1 Life is Good Cafe is at 349 and District 6 cafe at 517. The suburb is also home to Bootlegger's roastery, one of the largest micro-roasteries in South Africa.1

Saturdays at the Old Biscuit Mill

The Old Biscuit Mill at 373–375 Albert Road was John Pyott's biscuit factory, opened in the early 1900s and run until 1946.5 Its Neighbourgoods Market takes over the site on Saturdays from 09:00 to 15:00, and the shops open 10:00–16:00 on weekdays, 09:00–16:00 on Saturday and 10:00–14:00 on Sunday.5

On market days there is no parking inside the mill. The College of Cape Town opposite charges R20 for the day, with its entrance on Kent Street, and the mill suggests MyCiTi route 261 or a ride-hailing car instead.5 Espressolab, ranked 11th on the 2025 World's 100 Best Coffee Shops list, sells its coffee at an outlet in the mill.67

Brickfield, Sir Lowry and Roodebloem roads

El Greeyo Roastery at 18 Brickfield Road has the earliest start: 06:00–16:30 on weekdays and 07:00–14:30 on Saturday, with brunch. Flat Mountain Coffee Ritualist is at 97 Sir Lowry Road, and Sharon's Cafe in The Palms Centre at 145 Sir Lowry Road.

Roodebloem Road has Hermes Garden Cafe at 77, Salisburys at 79, which has outdoor tables and a bakery counter, and District Cafe at 115. Stellski, at 34 Salisbury Street, also seats people outside.

Many of Salt River's Cape Malay and Coloured residents came from District Six in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The suburb was picked for a R20 billion urban renewal plan in 2010 and has gentrified since.2

Trains, Victoria Road and Paarden Eiland

Woodstock and Salt River stations are the first two stops on the Southern Line out of Cape Town station, and trains do not normally run on Sundays or public holidays.8 On Victoria Road, The Grind is at 326. Flower Café, at 4 Paarden Eiland Road, opens 09:00–16:00 on weekdays and 09:00–13:00 on Saturday.

Sources

  1. Woodstock, Cape Town, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Salt River, Cape Town, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. The Woodstock Exchange, Wanted, accessed October 2026
  4. Rosetta Roastery, LekkeSlaap, accessed October 2026
  5. Visitor info, The Old Biscuit Mill, accessed October 2026
  6. Coffee culture in Cape Town, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  7. Cape Town ranks amongst world's 100 best coffee shops, Time Out Cape Town, accessed October 2026
  8. Southern Line (Cape Town), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Woodstock & Salt River, also browse: Specialty coffee Wi-Fi Outdoor seating Bakery cafés Brunch

FAQ

Woodstock & Salt River cafés: questions

When is the Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, Cape Town?

The Neighbourgoods Market runs on Saturdays from 09:00 to 15:00 at 373–375 Albert Road. The mill's shops open 10:00–16:00 on weekdays, 09:00–16:00 on Saturday and 10:00–14:00 on Sunday. On Saturdays there is no parking inside the mill: the College of Cape Town opposite charges R20 for the day, or take MyCiTi route 261.

Which coffee roasters are on Albert Road in Woodstock, Cape Town?

Rosetta Roastery is in the Woodstock Exchange at 66–68 Albert Road and works only with single-origin beans, never blends. Tribe Coffee is at 170 Albert Road, and Espressolab, ranked 11th on the 2025 World's 100 Best Coffee Shops list, sells its coffee at the Old Biscuit Mill. Bootlegger's large micro-roastery is also in Woodstock.

Where can you get coffee at 06:00 in Salt River, Cape Town?

El Greeyo Roastery at 18 Brickfield Road opens at 06:00 from Monday to Friday and closes at 16:30. On Saturday it opens 07:00–14:30, and it is closed on Sunday. It also serves brunch.

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