Best Coffee Shops with Play Areas in Cape Town

Noordhoek Farm Village. There’s a real buzz here on the weekends. Grab a takeaway from Roost and head into the fenced off kiddies play area. There’s a Wendy house, see-saw, “horses” to ride, jungle gym with slides and my son’s ultimate: an old tractor. The coffee is fab and I may have also enjoyed a nostalgic crunchie. If your kids are a little older and don’t need hands-on attention, the play area is also right next to Café Roux and you could choose to sit with a view of them. We chose to tire our toddler out, grabbed him a toastie off the kids’ menu before he napped in his stroller and the grown-ups could enjoy a drink and lunch of their own. Dreamy.
Valley Farm, Hout Bay. This great little spot comes with an array of activities to enjoy. There’s a paved bike track (suitable for bikes / push-bikes / scooters etc) complete with petrol pump and a firetruck to climb. The adjacent café has outdoor seating with a shaded tent over and looks onto a jungle gym. There are chickens and goats that roam free (you can buy feed for R10 a bag!) As well as a big pig, more goats, ducks, turkeys etc in their pens. There’s also a little pool (fenced off) that kids can dip in. The scones are HUGE and in high demand – there was only one left when we ordered but they also had other pastries and I enjoyed a nice smoothie.
Folk Café, Kalk Bay. Pair this one with an early morning swim at St James for a golden start to the day! Situated right next to the steps down to St James Beach on the outskirts of Kalk Bay (an absolute Cape Town GEM) this little deli / café is self-service in style, order & pay at the til but staff will bring your food. Tables are situated outdoors with shade cover and most are right next to the jungle gym play area. There’s a delightful breakfast menu with great coffee, but I’m quite keen to try it out later in the day and give their pizzas a go. The deli is also stocked with all sorts of tasty treats.
Blockhouse Kitchen, Constantia Uitsig. A fab breakfast menu in this sprawling space. Sit on the gorgeous terrace as it overlooks the fun, fenced play area complete with tractor. It’s a pity though that the gate opens on the far side and not directly onto the terrace. And if you’re after a little treat, pop on over to Kirsten’s Kickass Ice-Cream just on the other side.

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