Cafeography
Johannesburg · Braamfontein

Cafés in Braamfontein

Juta Street breakfasts at Post, Bean There on Smit Street and student cafés between Wits and Constitution Hill.

Photo: Steward Masweneng, Pexels License

Braamfontein means "blackberry spring", after a farm recorded under that name as early as 1853; the first suburb was laid out on it in 1888–1889.1 It is now a student district. The University of the Witwatersrand, which gained full university status in 1922, has its administration on the Braamfontein East Campus.2

The coffee centers on Juta Street. The Specialty Coffee Association's 25 Magazine placed the Milner Hotel, Father Coffee and Doubleshot on the street and sent readers across the road to Post for breakfast.3 Doubleshot has ties to the Satemwa Estate in Malawi, so it often pours Malawian coffee and tea, and it roasts on a vintage G. W. Barth.3 Post is at 70 Juta Street, Double Shot Tea & Coffee at 15 Melle Street, and Bean There's Braamfontein café at 111 Smit Street.

Local tip: Pair a morning at Constitution Hill with breakfast at Post, 70 Juta Street, the spot the Specialty Coffee Association's magazine picked for breakfast on the street.3

At a glance

10Cafés listed
1With opening hours
08:00Earliest opening
17:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: The Hill, from 08:00 (Daily 08:00–17:00).
  • Most listed streets: Juta Street (2).
  • Most common features: specialty (20%), wi-fi (10%).

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

Coffee chains in Braamfontein

Neighbourgoods and 73 Juta Street

Father Coffee started here in 2013, in a small space below the Neighbourgoods Market.4 The market itself opened at 73 Juta Street in 2011, and almost 2 million visitors came through its alleyway entrance before South Africa's first Covid-19 lockdown shut it in March 2020.5

A new Saturday market, The Playground, later opened at the same address, trading from 09:00 to 18:00 at launch, with more than 30 food stalls and an afternoon music line-up.5

Constitution Hill and the Mandela Bridge

Constitution Hill, on the Hillbrow side of Braamfontein, holds the Old Fort, built from 1896 to 1899 under Paul Kruger, where Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned in 1906.6 The Constitutional Court held its first session in its new building there in February 2004,.6

On the other side, the Nelson Mandela Bridge opened on 20 July 2003. It is 284 m long, crosses 42 railway lines and cost R38 million, linking Braamfontein with Newtown.7 Below it lies South Africa's most extensive passenger train marshalling yard.1 Back toward Juta Street, the Joburg Theatre complex holds four theatres.1

Cafés around the campus

Away from Juta Street, Hill on Empire is at 16 Empire Road and Bello Cafe inside the Motus Toyota building at 67 Empire Road. Lovefood Cafe is at 4 Ameshoff Street, Laugh Therapy at 48 Pretoria Street and Vélo at The Grove Corner. The Hill opens every day from 08:00 to 17:00 and has Wi-Fi.

Wits began in 1896 as the South African School of Mines in Kimberley, enrolled 41,702 students in 2025 and counts Nelson Mandela among its alumni.2 It runs the Origins Centre, a museum opened in 2006 that tells the story of life through its exhibitions.2 Braamfontein's darker history is close by too: on 19 February 1896 a freight train carrying 56 tonnes of dynamite exploded here, killing 78 people.1

Getting to Braamfontein

The Gautrain reached Park Station from Rosebank on 7 June 2012, completing the line, and Park Station has two feeder bus routes.8 For other trips, Uber is readily available.3

Sources

  1. Braamfontein, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. University of the Witwatersrand, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Mel Winter visits Johannesburg (25 Magazine, Issue 5), Specialty Coffee Association, accessed October 2026
  4. Why Joburg has been slow to wake up & smell the global coffee culture, Sunday Times (September 30, 2018), accessed October 2026
  5. The Playground, a weekly market, opens in Braamfontein, City Sightseeing South Africa, accessed October 2026
  6. Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  7. Nelson Mandela Bridge, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  8. Gautrain, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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FAQ

Braamfontein cafés: questions

What happened to the Neighbourgoods Market in Braamfontein, Johannesburg?

The Neighbourgoods Market opened at 73 Juta Street in Braamfontein in 2011, and almost 2 million visitors came through before South Africa's first Covid-19 lockdown closed it in March 2020. A new Saturday market, The Playground, later opened at the same address, trading from 09:00 to 18:00 at launch.

Which cafés are on Juta Street in Braamfontein, Johannesburg?

Post is at 70 Juta Street, across the road from where Father Coffee opened in 2013 below the Neighbourgoods Market, and the Specialty Coffee Association's magazine recommends it for breakfast. Double Shot Tea & Coffee is at 15 Melle Street, and Bean There's Braamfontein café is at 111 Smit Street.

How long is the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Braamfontein, Johannesburg?

The Nelson Mandela Bridge is 284 m long and crosses 42 railway lines between Braamfontein and Newtown in Johannesburg. It opened on 20 July 2003 and cost R38 million to build.

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