Cafeography
Johannesburg · Melville & Auckland Park

Cafés in Melville & Auckland Park

Melville's 7th Street, the shipping-container 27 Boxes on 4th Avenue, and Bean There's courtyard at 44 Stanley in Milpark.

Photo: SAUMIK SAMANTA, Pexels License

Melville was proclaimed on 5 October 1896 and named after the land surveyor Edward Harker Vincent Melvill.1 It lies on the edge of the rocky Melville Koppies, and with Wits and the University of Johannesburg nearby, students and young professionals make up much of the local population; 7th Street's businesses are mostly owner-run.2

Two complexes anchor the coffee. 27 Boxes, at 75 4th Avenue just off 7th Street, is a shopping center built from shipping containers, and Soul Cafe and Reserved Cafe trade there.2 South of the suburb, 44 Stanley in Milpark grew out of 1930s AA testing grounds, and Bean There, Salvation Cafe and Saint Germain all share its address.3 Time Out sums up Melville as the place where Joburg's artists, writers and musicians gather.4

Local tip: There is no parking under 44 Stanley, so leave the car in the open car park or a side street before heading to Bean There's courtyard.3

At a glance

13Cafés listed
0With opening hours
–Earliest opening
–Latest closing
  • Most listed streets: Stanley Ave (3).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (15%), outdoor seating (15%), specialty (8%).

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Coffee chains in Melville & Auckland Park

The courtyards of 44 Stanley

Brian Green converted the old buildings into a precinct that turned 20 in 2023.3 Daily Maverick called Bean There's branch here the company's first roastery, set around a creeper-clad courtyard, and counted Salvation Cafe, run by the chef Claudia Giannoccaro and her husband, Remko, among the city's brunch classics, with a little circular dam and a raised stoep (veranda).3

Daily Maverick places the precinct in Braamfontein Werf, where Auckland Park, Parktown and Braamfontein meet. The rest of the complex mixes fashion, a bookshop, gelato and chocolate around an olive-tree piazza and small fountains.3 There is no parking under 44 Stanley; visitors use an open car park or the surrounding streets.3

7th Street and 27 Boxes

7th Street is one of Joburg's best-known bar-hopping streets, and Covid hit it hard; some long-standing businesses have closed or moved since.2 Time Out calls 27 Boxes South Africa's first shipping-container shopping center.4 It was designed as affordable space for new businesses; many have struggled, but some have built a loyal local following.2

For coffee, Spilt Milk is a corner café that opens straight onto the street and has a courtyard terrace, and Reserved Cafe is known for its Portuguese custard tarts.2 De La Creme is a café, bakery and deli known for its pastries.2 Cuppa Cafe is at 9 Main Road.

Melville Koppies

A koppie is a small hill. The Melville Koppies reserve was established on 2 September 1959 and covers 42.93 ha; in 1963 the archaeologist Revil Mason found an Iron Age furnace there that had been used for smelting iron ore.5 Visitors can walk or hike the koppies, and tours are offered.5

For a city view at sunset, Time Out recommends the Westcliff Steps, a steep climb close to Melville.4

Auckland Park and the side streets

The Richmond Cafe at 14 Menton Road has Wi-Fi, outdoor seating and wheelchair access. Bean Tree Cafe is at 20 Tolip Street and Villa Barcelona Cafe on Van Zyl Street, and Smunch Café and Boho Cafe & Co. are further south, toward Auckland Park and Milpark.

Sources

  1. Melville, Gauteng, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Melville’s 7th Street and surrounds, In Your Pocket, accessed October 2026
  3. What’s old and new at the 44 Stanley precinct (August 12, 2022), Daily Maverick, accessed October 2026
  4. Where to stay in Johannesburg: the city’s best neighbourhoods (February 24, 2025), Time Out Johannesburg, accessed October 2026
  5. Melville Koppies, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Melville & Auckland Park, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Wi-Fi Bakery cafés

FAQ

Melville & Auckland Park cafés: questions

What is 44 Stanley in Milpark, Johannesburg?

44 Stanley is a precinct of shops and cafés in Milpark, Johannesburg, built on 1930s AA testing grounds and converted by Brian Green; it turned 20 in 2023. Bean There's first roastery, Salvation Cafe and Saint Germain are there, around courtyards and an olive-tree piazza. There is no parking under the complex.

What is 27 Boxes in Melville, Johannesburg?

27 Boxes is a shopping center built from shipping containers at 75 4th Avenue in Melville, Johannesburg, just off 7th Street. Time Out calls it South Africa's first shipping-container shopping center. Soul Cafe and Reserved Cafe trade there, and Reserved Cafe is known for its Portuguese custard tarts.

When was Melville in Johannesburg founded?

Melville was proclaimed on 5 October 1896 and named after the land surveyor Edward Harker Vincent Melvill. It lies on the edge of the Melville Koppies, a 42.93 ha reserve established in 1959, where an Iron Age furnace used for smelting iron ore was found in 1963.

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