94 Belvedere Road, Claremont, South Africa
Cuisine:
Cafe, Coffee Shop
Good for:
Breakfast/Brunch, Lunch, Outdoor Seating, Reservations
Starlings Cafe
20 Visitor Photos +
REVIEWS
3 Reviews
Expert Review
Starlings Café is a modern yet quaint little hidden café in Claremont. Without the help of Google, I would never...
Starlings Café is a modern yet quaint little hidden café in Claremont. Without the help of Google, I would never have found it. It’s in a converted, old-style house hidden behind a huge green hedge with very little signage of any sort. Once you squeeze through the gap in the hedge, it still feels like you’re maybe in the wrong place, sneaking into someone’s kitchen. But if you persevere and carry on past the fountain into the main house, you’ll find a vibrant and crowded house full of people in the know enjoying a nice breakfast, lunch, or cake and coffee.
The menu focuses on fresh, free range, and organic food where possible and also has a surprising number of “zero carb” and “paleo style” options, especially given the very short menu. At breakfast, choose from the usual egg and bacon preparations, French toast, or something more interesting like eggs Florentine or peri peri free range chicken livers with poached eggs. Lunch offers a variety of salads, sandwiches and more hearty dishes. I tried the lamb curry served with a house-made roti and got a huge portion of ooey gooey and delicious lamb curry with all the fixings—tomato chutney, sour cream, and a tomato and onion salad. I also tried a cappuccino and slice of the standard but delicious cheesecake. If cheesecake isn’t your thing, don’t worry. They offer a host of sweet baked goods.
Service was very friendly but a bit slow and frantic due to the packed house. If you’re more than one or two people or want to sit in the garden, try to get a reservation. The atmosphere is very nice and a nice mix of modern and old fashioned. If you’re in the Claremont area, definitely give Starlings a try or try their sister business, Locale, a pintxos and cocktail bar in Mowbray.
Expert Review
Hiding in the heart of Claremont, Starlings Café is is a dreamy breakfast spot. When you walk in you are...
Hiding in the heart of Claremont, Starlings Café is is a dreamy breakfast spot. When you walk in you are immediately greeted by the smell of delicious food and asked where you’d like to sit — that is, if they’re not full, which they often are. (I would definitely book before going, especially over the weekend). You can can sit in the fantastic garden tucked away in the back, or the indoor patio area that’s great for the colder months.
The beautiful venue was full of friends chatting over coffee, intimate business meetings and even a few small dogs accompanying their companions in the garden. I sat under one of the many trees in the garden and enjoyed the floral smell of spring in the air.
The breakfast menu is full of tasty breakfast dishes that will get your mouth watering and your taste buds tingling. They also offer a delicious lunch menu. This time I decided to try out the lunch menu and see what’s available after breakfast ends at 12.00. When the menu arrived I instantly had my eye on the grass fed beef burger with homemade aioli and cheddar. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from a burger at a breakfast place, but when my meal was placed in front of me I was very happy with my choice. It was big, juicy and came with a fresh and vibrant side salad. The burger itself also included onions, tomato and a range of other toppings that were to die for. The beef was some of the best I’ve ever tasted and the homemade aioli was incredibly addictive.
For dessert, I chose to try the baked cheesecake from a range of homemade cakes and confectionary. Clearly, baking is another strong focus at Starlings, as I was served a thick slice of golden cheesecake with cream and jam. I only have three words: Heaven on earth! All in all, a fantastic meal and an enchanting restaurant!
W
Expert Review
Most people, such as myself, are always very surprised to find out about Starlings Café because even though it’s on...
Most people, such as myself, are always very surprised to find out about Starlings Café because even though it’s on quite a busy main road it is almost completely hidden. I had walked and driven past it so many times without even knowing. When someone asked to meet me there for some coffee I didn’t actually believe them when they told me where it was. There’s something quite cool about this though, because even without any obvious signposting they are still always busy. Hidden amongst the leaves in the heart of Claremont, you’ll find Starlings Café. They have a very pretty and eclectic inside seating area but every time I have gone I have sat outside, which I highly recommend weather permitting. The garden section is very pretty and you don’t feel at all that the restaurant is along a busy road when you are sitting here.
They have a small but good selection of food, and they are open for breakfast and lunch each day. They cater for the more health conscious types as they offer zero carb bread made with linseed and olive oil, and Richard Bosman bacon which is hormone and antibiotic free as well as hand salted and air dried. I went for lunch and enjoyed the grass fed beef burger with homemade aioli and cheddar which was delicious. Everything is just so fresh and tasty.
Their coffee is amazing, they use Origin Coffee Roasting for their beans and they obviously have baristas that knows what they are doing. On our most recent visit our cappuccinos arrived in Le Creuset mugs and they looked beautiful. We were then informed that because we got the ‘blue/red’ combination of mugs and saucers our coffee was free. A fun new promotion they were doing. What a lovely place this is.