In late July, our three-day trip to Langebaan revealed some true local gems. One such place was Ginja Beanz Coffee Café. Found in Waterfront Square, this charming coffee shop will surprise more than a few visitors.
People always think that small towns can’t have top class food spots… But, having grown up in Montagu where hospitality reigns, we know better than that.
Referring to itself as the “coffee capital of Langebaan”, Ginja Beanz takes their coffee seriously. This is evident from the moment you enter. Inside there is an elegant display counter offering a glimpse at their coffee for sale, as well as the cool equipment needed to brew the good stuff.
While nearby, you’ll find a neat wall display boasting their formidable coffee collection. This includes: the world’s strongest coffee, Black Insomnia, Ginja Beanz Coffee, Stoppelbaard Koffie and Nine Lives. I’ve heard good things about Black Insomnia Coffee but this was the first place I’d visited to offer it, so I was already impressed almost by default.
Ginja Beanz Coffee Cafe: a gorgeous gem
Open for some five years now, Ginja Beanz relocated to this location on 1st December 2016. While the new place may look small from the outside, it is deceptively big inside, offering several seating options, inside and out. The décor is cheerful, yet chic, with cool artworks set against neutral-coloured beige walls.
The inside seating options are lovely and might offer a better sense of the buzzing atmosphere, but the courtyard seating won us over. If you prefer to sit and watch the main road, there is also limited seating out front.
Colourful paintings, a few plants and a gurgling fountain surround the courtyard seating, as sunlight feeds through the pretty reed roof above…
It’s a tranquil space, and particularly in the morning or late afternoon, makes for a beautiful setting. While you wait for your meal, you can browse the nearby stalls and shops, which offer artwork and vintage clothing.
Our friendly, young waitress didn’t leave us unattended for long. This showed me that good service is something owner-manager Hanneke Viljoen and her great team of ladies excel at.
The charcoal-coloured menu is easy-to-read, with bold read or white text jumping out at you, tempting you with so many wonderful options. That was one of the things that most impressed me about Ginja Beanz: its well put-together and extensive menu. It’s clear that much thought has gone into, not only the mounting of this, but also the proffered food and drink options.
Ginja Beanz takes pride in doing what they can themselves. All food is freshly prepared by chef Lucille Smith. What’s more, many of their sauces are homemade, like the spicy mayo and raspberry and whole grain mustard ones.
For breakfast, options include: the Banting Hollandaise, Chicken Omelette/Spinach and Pork Belly Omelette or the Builder Brekkie. As well as selection of their Famous Dishes, like Blueberry and Banana Jacks or Breakfast Burger and Chips.
For lunchtime, there’s a great selection too. Vension Pie, Lucy’s Steak Medallions, Fish Stacker, Moody’s Steak Stroganoff and a Curry Veggie Wrap to name but a few of the excellent options. Untoasted or toasted sandwiches, Burgers and the Salad Selection are some of the other choices available.
They also have some exciting, new dishes. Like the Herbivore Hollandaise (vegetarian), Big Bear Breakfast for the meat lovers and a selection of Open Ciabattas. And let’s not forget the cake… I agree with Ginja Beanz on this one: let them eat cake!
Kiddes aren’t left out, as there’s a nice looking children’s menu, with Frank and Chips, Toasted Cheese and Burger and Chips etc.
As far as the drinks go, there’s a vast selection to choose from too. Coffee Addicts options, Chilled Coffee Drinks, For the Love of Tea, Milkshakes, Cold Drinks, Ice Crushers and Fruit Smoothies – you’ll see what I mean when I say extensive…
Irrespective of what you order, you can add your choice of extras. This adds an element of fun and flexibility that not all eateries permit or even encourage.
The world’s strongest coffee found in Langebaan
A lot of places in Cape Town and its surrounds serve good coffee – but few offer great coffee. Although I’m not too picky when it comes to my coffee, I do love it and, if I order it when I’m out, I like it to taste better than something I could whip up at home…
We decided to start off with a coffee. Even this was a difficult choice for me, although my friend was already clear on what he was having: a cup of Black Insomnia coffee.
A cup of Black Insomnia offers a 702 MG* blast of pure caffeine and it’s definitely not for the fainthearted. After all, you know coffee is strong when it comes with a warning!
Ginja Beanz coffee is micro-roasted, ensuring added “wow-ness”, and is made from high quality, organic coffee beans. Please note the following: “all milk is textured at 60 degrees” and “the coffee is extracted to 60ml”. If you want a piping hot, weaker cup, they can organise this for you but it’s not something they recommend.
I eventually settled on the unusual sounding Citrus-infused signature flat white (R20.50), while my man went for the All Famous Flat White – Black Insomnia blend (R23.5, plus a shot of Insomnia coffee madness for R6).
Mine was delicious and did have a wonderful citrus taste (and piece of orange to go with it). His was also clearly a hit because we later left with a 225g bag of Black Insomnia (R150). All coffee blends are available for purchase, with the rest all going for R110 per bag.
We both rated our coffees an easy 9/10… this is something that rarely happens with me (at most places, it’s a 6-8 rating)… so you know coffee’s good when I award it that!
After a short time soaking up the warmth and lovely, relaxing atmosphere, it was time to get down to business and order something for lunch. Again, this was a tough call because there were several things I would love to have ordered.
I decided to ask my waitress what she’d order from the toasted sandwiches and she provided me with a few good options she could personally recommend.
In the end, I went with the bacon, mozzarella and pepperdew toasted sandwich (R45.50) and bumped it up to seeded rye (R7 extra). As a side, I decided to try the sweet potato chips. Although you can also choose from standard chips or salad.
My man opted for the chicken mayo, bacon and mozzarella toasted sandwich (R55.50). He bumped it up to a tramezzini (R9 extra), with normal potato chips as a side.
The meals were nicely plated and we didn’t have too long a wait for them, despite things being pretty busy by then. The portions at Ginja Beanz are generous so go hungry. We both rated our meals 8/10 and I must say I loved my sandwich combo.
For fun, every Friday since May, the staff have been dressing up according to a theme. In the past, it’s been Goth or the Great Gatsby but on the Friday we visited, it was some kind of cycling kit. Our waitress said that it’s something the team enjoys and customers like it too.
Overall, I am pleased to award Ginja Beanz Coffee Café a 9/10 rating for the following: friendly, good and attentive service from a well gelled team, who get on nicely; an excellent, wide variety of menu options; delicious food and drink; generous food portions at reasonable prices and above all, a wonderful atmosphere, which makes you feel at ease and allows you to enjoy every minute of your time at this plucky little café eatery…
Thank you so much to Hanneke Viljoen and her team for having us and ensuring we were so well catered to during our great first visit. We really enjoyed our time with you and we’ll definitely be back if we’re in the West Coast region again!
Ginja Beanz Coffee Café is open every Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 16:00pm and on Saturday, 8:00am – 14:00pm.
For more information on Ginja Beanz Coffee Café, you can visit their website, call (022) 772 2221 or email them at viljoenhanneke@gmail.com.
You will discover them for yourself at 17 Waterfront Square, Suffren Street, Langebaan – but you can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
About the Author
