Cafe Jiran — Restaurant in North Beach

When I go to coffee shops I like to order coffee (or tea) and something decadent like a slice of cake or a muffin. I was very disappointed when I discovered that Cafe Jiran no longer serve their giant muffins. The only cake on offer was carrot cake with butter icing. Sorry the ONLY way to have carrot cake is with cream cheese icing! Not only that but their menu has little to offer - they made it smaller. The post-upgrade Jiran is a let down. It's not as inviting as it was pre-renovations. They used to have seating on the sidewalk where people could sit with their dogs after a walk on the beach. Dogs were catered for in the form of water bowls. That's what made it so inviting and even viby. Nothing on their new menu appeals to me. They don't even offer open sandwiches. To their credit they did make me an open sandwich...they simply converted one of their toasted sandwiches to an open sandwich. Not for me. But give them a try if you are going for a breakfast or lunch date but if you have a sweet tooth then rather give...

The newly renovated Cafe Jiran is absolutely gorgeous!

A newly enclosed verandah on the South Side of the cafe, with ceiling to floor glass allows you to be inside, but feel like you're outdoors. The perfect spot for the odd bad day in Durban ;)

Sit on comfortable outdoor chairs on the outside verandah, or inside, lounge on a couch, perch on a bar stool if you must ... but get there!

Sit and watch the world pass you by as you sip on your cappucinno.

If it's a bar stool you chose - you get to sit in an uber stylish place and watch whatever's being flighted on the TV.

Cappucinnos were a treat and served with the most delicious shortbread ... just like grandma made.

Sthe was our very friendly waiter - and it was a joy to see our favourite, Veli, is still here being his wonderful self! A real asset to Cafe Jiran.

Holiday makers are back home, Cafe Jiran is back in full swing, the sun is shining and the promenade is beckoning ... I know where I'll be more often!

Do I need to say highly...

Unfortunately I cannot give this, once excellent venue, a decent review. Pre renovations this place was buzzing and although the service has ALWAYS been very poor, the quality of the coffee produced by a few very competent baristas and the food produced by very competent chefs compensated for this (in my opinion). However, whilst the renovations Have beautified the appearance, the standard of their coffee seems to have dropped dramatically - at least when I visited the place. No qualified baristas were on duty and where we formerly had around 5 Coffee roasts to choose from (5 grinders), there’s only one now - and, quite frankly, the coffee (made by a former waitress) was terrible. Furthermore, the service was just as pathetic as it’s always been but with (apparently) nothing to compensate for it. This was the first time I have EVER left a cup of coffee (that cost me R43 for a double-shot Americano) after taking only a few sips. I can honestly say that I will not be visiting Cafe...