Manaka Coffee, Midrand

Updated: 02-06-2022

Whether you’re a coffee fan or a foodie, Manaka Coffee at Polofields Crossing is sure to satisfy either craving. As the flagship store of the Manaka brand, this coffee shop and eatery has a gorgeous location in the upmarket Waterfall City.

We were lucky to get one of the few empty tables for breakfast on a recent Sunday morning. Note, they don’t take reservations and weekends are choc-a-block. The decor is African chic with dark wood patterned panelling, granite tables all against a black canvas.

The Sunday breakfast crowd was a mix. Groups of millennials, young families, gym bunnies, and joggers fueling up after their workouts. It was busy but the service was fluid and under control. We ordered the Carb Free Me – an egg crepe wrap, roasted chicken, avocado sprouts, micro shoots, chili, sesame, and lime yoghurt for me. The Glory – macon, beef sausage, two fried eggs, spicy beans, crispy hashbrown, roasted tomatoes, a big mushroom, and sourdough for him. My little munchkin eats like an adult now, and ordered the Eggs Benni – poached eggs, buttered English muffin, macon, biltong butter, and brown butter hollandaise.

The Glory breakfast was very good. The sausage was tasty and the macon was really good quality. Taufeeq loved his dish too, the layers of flavour with the biltong and brown butter elevated it from the ordinary. My egg crepe looked rather pretty but I found it dry and there were too many microshoots used in the filling. So the taste of sprouts dominated this dish. On the upside, it was very healthy, guilt-free and quite filling.

They serve Phats & Bones Coffee of which I had an Americano before my meal and a flat white after. Both were delicious and probably one of the best coffee brands I have had. It had a nutty earthiness that just hit all the right notes, and was thick and strong. The water served alongside was well needed. Suffice it to say I was buzzing for hours after.

The rest of the drinks menu is a great selection of coffee drinks and includes a 6 cup Chemex. There’s a small selection of juices and sodas and a grudging selection of teas (understandably), they are serious about coffee after all.

Our waiter convinced us that we could not leave without ordering their Wild Honey cake. A wise decision indeed. Layers of honey flavoured sponge with cream frosting that was not too sweet. One slice shared was perfect to round off our breakfast. Our breakfast for 3 came in at R660. I found the meal prices a bit too steep though the coffee prices are pretty much in line with most other places.

Parents with small kids will be glad to know they are child friendly and even have toddler chairs and a kiddies menu.