It’s official – this spot in the Mother City is one of the best places to grab a coffee…in the world!
Cape Town, South Africa (23 February 2026) – Coffee date, anyone?
Two months after earning its spot as ‘Best in Africa’, a coffee shop based in De Waterkant has officially been named as one of the best in the world.
Out of 15,000 coffee shops voted by the public and nominated by coffee experts, Espressolab has found its spot on the well-regarded list of The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops for 2026.
The coffee shop sits in 40th place, following Casa Canela in Venezuela and ahead of Seven Mystery in Canada.
Seventeen years ago, Espressolab began locally as a specialty micro-roastery in Cape Town, roasting small boutique batches long before ‘coffee culture’ in the Mother City was as serious as it is today.
The bakery café in De Waterkant, along with a roastery and café at The Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, are part of the global Espressolab family which boasts more than 400 stores worldwide.
The coffee shop works closely with producers in Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica and Ethiopia.
“They have been roasting small boutique batches of coffee since 2009, and were one of the pioneers of the specialty coffee movement both locally and internationally. They work closely with producers from around the world, always doing their utmost to represent their work, and together striving to develop good working practices in sustainability and environment.” shares The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops.
Espressolab’s Coffee Director Renato Correia and CMO Ersin Kefeli attended the awards ceremony to receive the honour on behalf of the Cape Town team.
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“Such a proud moment for the team to once again hold onto the title, among the best in the world,” Espressolab shares. “There’s a saying in coffee, you’re only as good as your last cup. So we stay humble, double down, and remain laser-focused on the work ahead. Grateful for our team, for those you see on the frontline and also the many behind the scenes.”
The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops’ system relies on public voting and expert opinion. Coffee drinkers worldwide can vote online for the cafés they love based on their own experiences. A panel of specialty coffee experts and industry professionals scores the nominated cafés using set criteria like coffee quality, barista expertise and sustainability practices.
Those two sides are then weighted to balance ‘popular vote’ and professional insight. Public voting counts for 30% of the final result, while the expert evaluation makes up the other 70%. Cafés can be nominated by the public or by the expert panel, a shortlist is created once nominations close, and the final Top 100 list is based on the highest combined scores.
World’s 15 Best Coffee Shops:
List of the world’s top 15 coffee shops below. Find all 100 here.
- Onyx Coffee LAB, USA
- Tim Wendelboe, Norway
- Alquimia Coffee, El Salvador
- Only Coffee Project Crows Nest, Australia
- Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters, Australia
- Apartment Coffee, Singapore
- Gota Coffee Experts, Austria
- Story of Ono, Malaysia
- Tropicalia Coffee, Colombia
- Tanat, France
- FANKØR, Ecuador
- Arcane Estate Coffee, USA
- Beta Coffee, Australia
- Nomadic Specialty Coffee, Egypt
- Nemesis Coffee, Canada
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