Chardonnay Deli Constantia — Restaurant in Western Cape

This lovely cafe has three locations, and each one has an absolutely beautiful setting. I am a regular at two of them, the one in Kalk Bay and the one in Constantia. I am yet to try the Uitsig location, but I am sure it’ll be just as wonderful as I find they’re incredibly consistent. I have never had a bad meal, and their coffee is some of the best in Cape Town.

Dalebrook Cafe, located in Kalk Bay, is right opposite the ocean. I mean, could you imagine a better location? It’s perfect for a cold plunge before or after breakfast, as many do. There is seating inside, as well as outside in the courtyard. The vibe is laid back, and has a rustic, beachy yet chic feel to it. I love the open space, it flows very nicely. They also have an open kitchen, which I always appreciate.

Chardonnay Deli is very similar, it’s basically the forest version of the Dalebrook location. There is also inside and outside seating here. I love sitting outside under the trees. It is so relaxing, and it just feels good for the soul, if that makes any sense.

Both locations have a little shop inside where you can buy some delicious treats, drinks, ready made meals, and, of course their wide selection of scrumptious cakes. I mean, they have about five different cheesecakes to choose from.

As I said, I visit both locations quite often. They have excellent WiFi, so it’s a great place to work from, when they’re not too busy.

I always order an almond milk flat white, the smaller size. The large is pretty massive. Their coffee is definitely in my top three in Cape Town, it is absolutely amazing.

Now, onto my food order. I alternate between two of their breakfasts. One is pretty simple, their “something on toast” smashed avocado. I always get rye and two soft poached eggs (R109). Obviously, it’s fantastic. The rye is nutty and dense, topped with a very generous amount of creamy avocado and perfectly cooked eggs, with that golden runny yolk. Talk about indulgent.

While we’re on the topic of indulgence, let me tell you about my other favourite dish, their shakshuka (R115). This dish is in my top three breakfasts I’ve had. I was a bit worried when first ordering this as I find this dish can be a real hit or miss. I find many shakshukas I’ve had are too acidic when the tomato base isn’t cooked properly. This one was perfection. The arrabbiata sauce is balanced and well spiced. It is filled with chunks of peppers and onions, then topped with a poached egg, a generous amount of creamy feta and Parmesan cheese. It is accompanied by your choice of bread, I chose sourdough. Trust me, order this if you’re very hungry. It is a generous portion, to say the least. I honestly don’t have the words to express how delicious this meal is. You just have to trust me and try it for yourself. I enjoyed eating this meal so much. Scooping up that rich sauce with the bread transported me straight to heaven, I swear.

Back down to earth, all I have to say is, you have to give it a go. It’s the perfect place to meet up with friends, family, or solo. I always have an amazing experience. The staff are all incredibly friendly. It feels homely and like one big family. The environment is one you could spend hours in, it truly is my...

Chardonnay Deli has decided to act on their discretion to go completely cashless, thereby using their discretion to actively exclude a certain demographic of people who believe in the option of choice of paying with their credit/debit cards, and paying with cash. I will exercise my freedom of choice in opting to not frequent any of Chardonnay's establishments, and though my actions may be of little consequence to the owners, I encourage readers of this review to heed this move of various establishments to completely cashless sites, when cash is legal tender in this country. A large part of our population is being disenfranchised, under the guise of "safety", and true, you the reader may think you're not impacted ... Now. Hopefully no person will experience a sudden dip in blood sugar, and have the obviously outrageous idea to purchase something quickly in the Deli with cash in pocket, only to be directed to the cashless sign. Think about it Reader, do you really need the location of where you decided to spend some time showing up on your bank statement? Is that R40 smoothie or R18 nougat really worth the card transaction and tracking, when you had a R50 in your pocket?

An update: Thank-you for responding. This did not happen today. You have decided to go completely cashless. I have decided to give my patronage elsewhere. So far, we are both within our rights, and I'll move on. There are still many wonderful eateries and establishments who will give me the option of cash or card. My review is intended to make people aware of the freedoms and choices we trade-in far too easily. I do often pay with my card, However, I do not like being told I can only pay by card, when I have legal tender in the form of cash on me. You are legally able to make these decisions, but conscientiously, ethically, I would have hoped you would not. I will not engage any further, and do not seek remedy. I now have a bitter taste in my mouth. But...

Having been to the kalk bay branch the day before we had been advised to go to the constantia location for a even better experience.

When we sat down it took a good 5 min before the manager saw that no waiter had visited our table yet.

We ordered the fresh pressed juices, expecting the same deliciousness from the previous day, we received a watered down version.

Onto the meal, the waiter was not sure whether or not they can use olive oil instead of seed oil for my wife's meal and would go and check. She never returned with a answer just put the order through, we assume that hopefully this was because the kitchen could accommodate the request. That said communication is key in hospitality.

I ordered the sticky pork belly breakfast. In general the dish was good. The hollandaise sauce was regretfully not anywhere near what i would consider a hollandaise sauce. The bland flavorless sauce that I receive did absolutely nothing to add to the meal and I did more to bring the dish to light with salt and peppe on the table.

The waiters were a bit unorganized and unsure of what to do and what not, havinf tried to remove our utensils before we had even had our food.

This said, the deli is superb. A lovely array of options for each and every person. Vegan, vegetarian, AIP and so on. The music had a lovely way of relaxing but not taking over any conversations. We adored the decor and appreciate the time and effort that went into putting history on the walls.

The support of local suppliers is also apparent and...