Cape Town's benchmark specialty roaster, and the standard every other cafe in the city gets measured against. Order whatever's rotating and trust the process.

Rosetta has been roasting small-batch single-origins since 2010, the benchmark for specialty coffee in South Africa. The Bree Street counter is where you find out why.

The De Waterkant pod of Treat Coffee Roasters brings the Durbanville roastery programme to the city, with farm-named single origins rotating through the bar.

The De Waterkant neighbourhood has no shortage of serious coffee. Espresso Lab Microroasters has been roasting since 2009, and the locals here, surrounded by options, still rate it.

The beans are house-roasted in small batches by their own dedicated artisan roaster. Pair with something from the kitchen and the De Waterkant room will do the rest.

Five brew methods on the bar, retail beans with tasting notes on every bag, and an owner who explains what he's making. The food menu has two items for a reason.

The barista at this De Waterkant corner knows his coffee and will sell you a bag to take home. Solid espresso stop, no filter in sight.

A tucked-away Bo-Kaap spot running Bean There's Ethiopian-Burundi blend and a brunch menu worth sitting down for.

Loading Bay is a De Waterkant design room where the coffee is better than the setting suggests it needs to be. The mesquite latte is a house recipe that keeps people coming back on its own terms.

The Shift brand has a quiet Cape Town reputation for espresso, and this De Waterkant branch earns it. The 'specialty coffees' menu is deliberate, not decorative.

A classic car showroom on Buitengracht where the coffee happens to be genuinely well-roasted. Go for the room; stay because the cup earns it.