clay cafe

three days in a row we came here!! such a clever idea of painting and having some coffee and cake love this place and i'm definitely going to be back soon to complete my tea set! good service friendly and helpful and delicious cakes

i felt like treating the ladies in my life to a creative afternoon so we made our to the clay cafe. it was really magical!

we found a nice table inside and the waitress explained the painting shindig to us. so we ordered and explored the store in search of something to paint.

i had the honeycomb milkshake and fries while everyone else got coffee and salads. everything was amazing!

my only qualm was the extremely inattentive staff, it was ridiculous. they would simply ignore us which was really upsetting.

a real must if you're feeling arty.

clay cafe is one of my favourite places in cape town! i have been before, but was lucky enough to be invited to a zomato meetup. besides from the delicious breakfast i was treated to (smashed avo with chilli and mint and perfectly poached eggs), we also experienced what clay cafe is famous for: painting an object from their stunning array of clay items.

the setup is very organised and the new grounds are perfect for lazing on the lawn or letting your kids play. the restaurant grows their own herbs and some veggies, adding to their charm. will definitely be back!

enjoyed painting here but first we tried to book a table and they said only for 6 or more (we were 4) we were told we could just come on the day, but when we arrived it was full. we waited and eventually got a table. we ordered a drink and food which was okay but service was really slow and took forever. was also not informed that the place to collect was at the old clay cafe so i drove to the new one only to be told to drive back to the old one with no apologies.

fantastic! i went to the clay cafe today as part of a zomato meet up and was simply blown away.. the location is absolutely picturesque, the quality of the clay, the service, the ethos of the owners and the back-story are all phenomenal, and they still try to keep up with the dynamic consumer market... the variety of clay pieces to paint were up to date and trendy (not to mention dishwasher safe) and proved to be a very satisfying and fun family or adult experience- unlike similar such cafes. pro-tip: if you get a chance to be given a tour of their clay making process, do go, its worth it!

their holistic, home-grown approach and surprisingly affordable service is simply not something to be missed.. you must pay this absolute gem a visit. as for the food itself, i had the crush avo and poached eggs breakfast and was very pleasantly surprised with the taste and quality of the dish i was served- great value for money all round.

i cannot believe it took me so long to visit clay cafe...i was lucky enough to be invited to a zomato foodie meetup this past weekend, and what an awesome experience it was! having relocated to new premises, mike, was kind enough to show us the process on how the moulds are made, before they reach the shelves. after choosing a piece, we all tried our hand at painting our object. not only is the clay cafe a place to tap into your creative side, but it's a great place for breakfast or brunch. to eat, i opted for the eggs benedict on sweet potato with salmon and i wasn't disappointed. the eggs were soft, the salmon was salty and the sweet potatoes added an awesome sweet finish to balance the dish, and great value for money too. i would recommend this place for a first date, a bachelorette/kitchen tea or an awesome family day out!

i would recommend clay cafe anyway, even for those in the nothern suburbs 😬 it's worth the drive!

not only will you have an amazing time being creative and painting something modern for your home, you also get to endulge is delicious food. clay cafe has recently hired a new chef, who is super creative. i was so impressed with the eggs benedict on sweet potatoe!

i know that when i collect my item i will definitely bring staying for food and potentially paint something more 😉

i must say, i really loved all the pottery items to choose from, you might not be able to only do one!

what an awesome experience. clay cafe has recently relocated to new premises in hout bay, and the space is beautiful. how does it work? read on, friends.

first, you choose what you want to paint. (i went for a pot for my latest succulent baby). next, you pick three colours and whatever stencils / stickers you're interested in. then you settle down at your table for a couple hours of creativity, whilst being served drinks and food. i mean, is there a better way to spend a saturday? 

i ordered the eggs benedict, as we were there around brunch time. it came with two perfectly poached eggs, velvety hollaindaise, curls of fresh salmon, all nestled on a bed of sweet potato. it was delicious, and it was only r65. nowhere else in cape town will you find that kind of food for that price. did i mention that they had almond milk for my rooibos cappuccino? #winning

the real cherry on top for me was finding out that clay cafe is a family-run business. they make everything on site; right down to the clay. they provide amazing employment opportunities for the community and have been in business for 18 years. 

i can't wait to go fetch my creation in three weeks time. i'll probably paint something else while i'm there and then have to go back in another three weeks... and the cycle will continue...

lovely atmosphere and very friendly staff. a place i would recommend for a relaxing afternoon with friends. we only ordered drinks but the food looked tempting too, definitely going to go back to try the food. with regards to the painting, i like how it is organized as it is very easy to understand and follow.

rating this establishment purely on food is somewhat difficult as it offers so much more. the activity is so organized, staff are helpful and attentive, and the new venue is beautiful. the food was really good - there isn't a large selection, but each food type is tasty and beautifully presented. i will be going back

updated review:

after my less than stellar experience a while back at the clay cafe last time, i was thrilled to be invited to a foodie meetup brunch by zomato. not only did i have the most wonderful morning there, but i am happy to say that the clay cafe has totally redeemed themselves in my eyes. 

when given a menu i was shocked (in a good way!) to see such reasonable prices. especially if you have a few kids, this means that an outing to the clay cafe need not break the budget. 
my breakfast, a salmon benedict, was delicious, and priced at only r65. yes, r65 for a salmon benedict -and a pretty good one too! served on pieces of sweet potato, i was skeptical at first, but wow! such a nice, unusual twist. also great for those unable to eat wheat or gluten. the best part? it kept me full for such a long time. the hollandiase was wonderful ; just wish there had been a bit more of it on the plate; so yummy!  their coffee is from truth so you know you're getting good quality! 

we were also treated to a tour of the premises and got to see how the bisques are made. they do it all from scratch: from making their own clay, to the moulds. everything is oven/microwave/ dishwasher friendly which is a win, too!  

can't wait to go collect my piece in 3 weeks times, and yes - i will be staying a little longer to make something new while i am there! 

as usual, thanks to the lovely james hobbs and nick mavridis of zomato for organizing such a lovely event! 

original review: 

it makes me so sad to have to write this, but the service at clay cafe leaves a lot to be desired. i don't know if it was because we had a booking for after lunch time, but we were not brought a menu at all, nor were we seen to by any of the waitstaff.
sure, we were quite happy painting our bisques- but if we had been given a menu we would have probably been tempted to get a slice of cake and some drinks.
i noticed that a few members of staff seemed to be more interested in having conversations with each other than tending to patrons.

on the way out , we decided to get some of their homemade ice cream. sadly upon tasting 2 flavours to help us decide- we were quite disappointed. the ice cream tastes very milky and is not pleasant at all , so we decided not to get any. such a pity to have this experience on such a hot day.
however, we had great fun painting , and the pizzas that passes us smelled amazing - so hopefully next time we will be met by more attentive staff!

lack of service by staff and the drinks were not great, lukewarm coffee and milkshakes that were forgotten. great venue and new location is great for children but service is an issue

recently visited the clay cafe in its new and beautiful location. such a stunning atmosphere from the minute you get out the car. we loved the experience of leisurely painting our clay items while enjoying a coffee (albeit mine was a little burnt?), and listening to the happy chatter amoung fellow patrons. excited to collect our goods after the 3-week wait and will certainly be back!

this places concept is awesome. i'd give that 5/5. my friend and i both ordered the cheeseburgers (cooked medium) and were disappointed. the burgers were overdone, dry and the cheese was slightly burnt. the coffee milkshake was really nice though. the crazy amount of flys in their new venue is really off putting and gets in all your food and one landed in my drink. i know this is a difficult thing to regulate but perhaps some citronella candles could help this situation? i will definitely come back here for the creative part and will just order drinks and cake next time maybe.

when i saw how busy this place was i expected the food and service to suffer. it didn't! take this for what it is, an amazing experience that also has food and you can't go wrong. i was expecting lesser quality food since this is an activity focused shop that happens to have food but the food was really good! if you have kids you have to go! its an absolute must do in cape town. make a reservation well in advance or you won't get a seat.