Cafeography
Johannesburg

Bakery cafés in Johannesburg

Pastéis de nata in Kensington, sourdough and croissants at Vovo Telo, Swedish buns at Father and bagels in Birdhaven.

Photo: Magda Ehlers, Pexels License

Portuguese baking arrived with migration. Between 1924 and 1972 more than 50,000 Portuguese-speaking immigrants settled in the Greater Rosettenville area, south of the city center, more came after Angola and Mozambique became independent in 1975 and 1976, and the district became known as Little Portugal.1

Bakery cafés are spread across the city: Sandton, the eastern suburbs, Illovo & Melrose Arch and Bryanston, Rivonia & Morningside have the most, with others in Rosebank and Randburg.

Local tip: GetBird on St Andrew Street opens at 06:00 every day, early enough for a bagel and coffee before work.

Where these cafés are: Eastern Suburbs (3), Sandton (2), Illovo & Melrose Arch (2), Bryanston, Rivonia & Morningside (2), Rosebank & Parktown North (1), Linden & Cresta (1), Melville & Auckland Park (1), Randburg & Ferndale (1).

At a glance

13Cafés listed
5With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
21:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: GetBird - Brew | Bake | Bagel & Bowl, from 06:00 (Daily 06:00–17:00).
  • Closes latest: Father Coffee, until 21:00 (Mon–Wed 07:30–17:00 · Thu–Fri 07:30–21:00 · Sat 08:00–21:00 · Sun 08:00–17:00).
  • Most common features: indoor seating (23%), brunch (23%), specialty (23%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Johannesburg.

Little Portugal and the nata

South Africans of Portuguese birth or descent number about 750,000, though the figure is uncertain. Madeirans, traditionally linked with horticulture and commerce, are the largest group, and the 1975–1976 arrivals were the largest single wave of Portuguese settlement.2 Nando's, the peri-peri chicken chain, was founded in Rosettenville in 1987.2

In February 2025 a Sunday Times panel tasted pastéis de nata, Portuguese custard tarts in flaky pastry, from bakeries around the city. Pastelaria Princesa in Kensington charged R21 a tart; the tasters found them well filled and glossy, with good caramelization but tough pastry and a slightly grainy filling, though they judged the sweetness well balanced.3

Casa das Natas in The Troyeville sold its tarts for R12.50 and won praise for crisp layers that cut cleanly, and Bembom's Bedfordview branch charged R15.3 Pastelaria Princesa's Kensington shop is at 146 Queen Street.

Bread to take home

Vovo Telo began with a surfing holiday: its founder, Matt, fell for artisanal bread in Madagascar and named the bakery after the hotel where he stayed.4 It bakes with free-range eggs and stone-ground flour, fires its ovens at sunrise for the day's bread, pastries and cakes, and sources local artisanal products for its bakeries.4

On the October 2026 menu, a croissant to take away cost R32, a baguette R36 and a sourdough loaf R49, and the sandwiches appear as sarmies, South African slang for sandwiches; several come on the bakery's own Portuguese bun.5 Its Johannesburg cafés are at Merchant Place in Sandton, open on weekdays, and at 200 Rivonia Road in Morningside, which opens from 07:00 to 17:00 on weekdays and until 13:00 on Saturday.

Bakeries inside roasteries

At The Zone in Rosebank, Father Coffee serves Swedish buns and salted chocolate-chip cookies with its coffee, and sells beans roasted in Kramerville.6 Its Kramerville warehouse has an in-house bakery7 and stays open until 21:00 from Thursday to Saturday. Foakes Coffee Roastery and Bakery combines both trades in the eastern suburbs.

Bagels and pâtisserie in Illovo and Bryanston

GetBird, a bagel bar and kitchen in Birdhaven, sells brews, bakes, bagels and bowls.8 It opens every day from 06:00 to 17:00, has Wi-Fi and outdoor tables, and runs a loyalty scheme for regulars.8

The Patisserie is at 33 Rudd Road, and Pútí Pastry and Tea has seating inside and out. Not Bread Alone Bakery & Confectionery bakes in Randburg.

Sources

  1. Rosettenville, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Portuguese South Africans, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Love at first bite (February 9, 2025), Sunday Times, accessed October 2026
  4. Bakery & café: our story, Vovo Telo, accessed October 2026
  5. Classic menu (October 2026), Vovo Telo, accessed October 2026
  6. Best of Joburg: 8 bakeries and pâtisserie we love, In Your Pocket, accessed October 2026
  7. #JoziCoffeeSpots: 5 great Joburg coffee roasteries, In Your Pocket, accessed October 2026
  8. Get Bird: bagel bar, coffee & kitchen in Birdhaven, Get Bird, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

Other ways to browse Johannesburg

Specialty coffee

21 cafés

Outdoor seating

24 cafés

Wi-Fi

15 cafés

By area: Melville & Auckland Park Rosebank & Parktown North Sandton Linden & Cresta Bryanston, Rivonia & Morningside

FAQ

Bakery cafés in Johannesburg: questions

Where can you buy pastéis de nata in Johannesburg?

In a February 2025 Sunday Times tasting, Pastelaria Princesa in Kensington charged R21 a tart, Casa das Natas in The Troyeville R12.50 and Bembom in Bedfordview R15. Pastelaria Princesa's Kensington shop is at 146 Queen Street in Johannesburg's eastern suburbs.

Why are there Portuguese bakeries in Johannesburg?

Between 1924 and 1972 more than 50,000 Portuguese-speaking immigrants settled in the Greater Rosettenville area, south of Johannesburg's city center, and more came after Angola and Mozambique became independent in 1975 and 1976. The district became known as Little Portugal.

How much does bread cost at a Johannesburg bakery café?

On Vovo Telo's October 2026 menu, a croissant to take away cost R32, a baguette R36 and a sourdough loaf R49. Vovo Telo bakes with free-range eggs and stone-ground flour and has Johannesburg cafés in Sandton and Morningside.

For café owners

Your café deserves better than a pin someone else dropped

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