Review Starlings Locale - Claremont

Decided to try Starlings Locale on Saturday morning after Google searching for breakfast spots. What a hidden little gem this place is. Off down a little residential side street its hidden away. Went inside to be greeted by a very friendly and welcoming Walter and offered a table. Decor is simple yet comfortable. I started with a cappuccino, ..... very nice, great coffee. All served in Le Creuset cups and saucers. Cutlery was all super clean, something I am in the habit of checking. The menu was presented with not a huge choice, it included healthy offerings and more, but more than enough to whet most appetites. I ordered the poached eggs with extra mushrooms and bacon 🥓. My breakfast arrived shortly after and looked amazing, 5 rashers of bacon and a volumous amount of mushrooms, with 2 perfectly poached eggs and two slices of sourdough bread. The bacon was top notch, (and I had heard others comment on this as I was eating), the mushrooms very tasty and as I said great medium poached eggs. There was enough bacon and mushrooms to cover the second slice of bread. I ordered a second cappucino as the first just wasn't enough to quench my coffee thirst ! Great service from Walter, amazing coffee from Fabrice.." the coffee Maestro " and not forgetting Happiness and Lusanda making magic in the kitchen. Thank you guys, nice to meet you all This unassuming place is well worth a visit, well priced and away from the hustle and bustle. A great spot for a meeting with coffee and good food. I rate this 8 out of 10 and will definately be back. Just a note, parking is limited and the local traffic constabulary are on the hunt. I stupidly parked on a yellow line, thinking it was Saturday and would be ok..... It cost me R 500 extra 😒 Besides that it was a great morning.

The food is always consistently good. An easy decision to make when you aren't sure where to get breakfast or lunch. The staff is super friendly and quick to help.

Waiters were super friendly Food was really good and fresh Drinks were amazing I would recommend the ice coffee Parking was a mission but it still was amazing walking in the streets I would recommend anyone here it’s lovely atmosphere Wi-Fi is available Good working environment

A most delightful neighbourhood corner locale with everything you'd expect from a coffee shop: Great coffee, delicious food (incl. healthy options), Wi-Fi and electrical outlets to plug in your laptop. I really enjoy working there, it's most often bustling with all sorts of interesting clientele - friends catching up, serious business meetings, family drop ins before / after school, loners ;) etc Super friendly and accommodating staff. They have a generator for loadshedding.

Great little spot hidden in the Claremont burbs. They have a little generator, so business as usual even when loadshedding.* Which kind of is a prerequisite for finding a nice spot these days. Friendly efficient staff, food comes quickly and some nice brunch and brekkie type meals, great cuppa and good place for a catch-up with friends or to sit enjoy a pastry or coffee and do some work away from work.

Superb café fare with exceptional service. I write this review after yet another satisfying visit and confirmation of consistent quality in both product and service. The cosy interior features home-style decor and a comfortable seating arrangement (card games to boot!), whilst the roadside exterior occupies a pleasant curbside existance, taking advantage of the sunlight and the songs of the urban birds. This duality allows the café to function as an ideal meeting place come rain or shine. Particular mention must be made of the attentive and friendly nature of the serving staff. Patrons can expect a hearty reception, swift process of orders and, above all, a genuine hospitality. With the essential hardware in place, one need only relax in the culinary delights and worthy coffee on offer. The array of health-conscious wraps and sandwiches (served in generous portions) are sure to cater to all dietary requirements. Those with a sweet tooth will take comfort in the freshly-baked temptations on display. It is with full-confidence that I recommend Starlings Locale and encourage those in the area, as well as passers-by, to treat themselves to a good time.

Food is great, and coffee is really good. No marked vegan options, but you can put together sides as an options. Pillows and blankets are given on cold windy days, can get very cosy.

Get their iced coffee it is amazing!!! Super friendly and cool vibe, great place to work online. Only issue is not much parking.

One of my favourite breakfast spots. Reliable and great service.

Truely wonderful place with wonderful waiters. Food is incredible and very fresh and tastes amazing

Excellent staff and tasty breakfast. One of my favourite places for a dirty chai.

I have honestly never had a better iced coffee. The croissants are amazing and the food is always good.

My ABSOLUTE most favorite coffee shop in the world. Most delicious food, best coffee and of course- the most incredible staff! Special shout to Walter and Fabrice who are just the best.

This place is beautiful. Honestly. Their food is great and their aesthetic is stunning. They're slow, but this is a relaxed place, so I don't mind.

Quirky, quiet when we went , early afternoon. Service slow but all freshly made and delicious. Friendly service. A place to chill.

I found this place by chance, sooo hidden and I figure thats why its so so cosy. Great place to have coffee and do some work. Service was adequate 👍

Delicious breakfast and Lattes served on Le Creuset cups <3

Been to Starlings today for my 1st visit and it's a magical, quaint, lovable spot. The ambience of the place is relaxed and peaceful. I am a vegetarian and the dish I had was more than tasty and spectacular. Thanx Starlings for creating the Gem of a place.

The poached salmon omelette was really good and the place itself is really quaint. However, their cappuccino isn't too great and tastes like it's from a packet.

Fist time here, arrived +/-09h30, one thing be prepared to walk a distance as there is very limited parking nearby. After huge expectations, we were a little disappointed, very slow service for an almost empty restaurant and rather PRICEY for food that had no Wow! Factor. Will we go back? Not really. Will we recommend it to friends, Not really. Nothing compared to Starlings in Rondebosch. Pity!

I came here with friends after an exam. The food was great and so was the service. A small, cosy restaurant with a limited but well thought out menu. I had the harissa chicken sandwich which was good. The tea selection was limited but I did find earl grey tea which was lovely.

I found the interior pretty and can imagine the small cozyness being pleasant when empty. We got there while it was relatively full and due to the low roof and the small space it got very loud. The kitchen in the same room also adds a lot of noise to the space. The menu design is ugly. <br/><br/>There are these big tables with people sharing tables which was cool but there were also smaller tables around and unfortunately we got seated on one of those. I wouldnt recommend ordering breakfast sitting on those tiny tables, they are simply too small. They are also super wonky so if you need to cut your food you end up shaking the entire table. <br/><br/>The coffee was good. The food was super underwhelming. The scrambled eggs tasted like spicy nothingness. The avo, pesto and roasted tomatoes on sourdough were served to me with each element in basic form. I had to make my own sandwhich, with the ingredients seperated on the plate. I feel like I could've gone to a food store and bought the 4 ingredients for cheaper and gotten the EXACT same meal. Very lazy dish. There was no speacialness to the dish. I also found it overpriced, considering the lack of effort.<br/><br/>The service was good.

Great spot for leisurely, sunny weekend brunch. Food is tasty and promptly served. Servers are friendly and attentive. Get there early to avoid waiting in a long line as this place is quite popular.

Favourite breakfast spot in the burbs. Coffee is delicious and they make my absolute fave breakfast meal: Avo, sundried tomatoes, pesto on toast. Service can sometimes be slow, but it's totes worth it.

I loved this place! It was so aesthetically pleasing! The portions of the delicious food were generous. <br/>I ordered the chicken livers and poached egg breakfast and it was so much more than I expected. The decor and crockery adds to the vintage yet stylish feel of the (literally) hidden gem. Also all their food is organically sourced so it's a double win!

What a find! Went with some colleagues for a working lunch and it was just perfect. Cosy little spot in suburbia. A very small menu with sandwiches and wraps but what more does one need? I had the chicken mayo on sourdough which was outstanding and the green juice...and concoction of lime, apple and ginger - fresh and tasty. Very friendly staff but our food did take a while to come out. Ended off with a delicious cappuccino.

Cute little spot - my favorite was their iced coffee this morning it's just what I needed. Also liked that you could add in the coffee your self. For breakfast we created our own. The eggs were creamy and yum, just wish the bacon was cooked a little longer as its best crispy. Service was great, our waiter was friendly and efficient.

We love Starlings Belvedere so decided to try this branch too. We had heard good things but our experience was disappointing.<br/><br/>We were seated at a tiny table with chairs that has split seats, so were rather uncomfortable. There were flies everywhere so we asked for a table inside. Some of the tables are so tiny yet there is ample room for shelves of cushions, bowls, notebooks, napkins etc. I feel they need to decide whether they are a coffee shop or a decor shop as the space is too small to accommodate both and leaves customers sitting uncomfortably. (I sat shoulder to shoulder with a guy at the next table. Really?) Who goes to a coffee shop and just decides to buy a cushion for R500?<br/><br/>Our cappuccinos were on the small side, but hot and tasty. There was no sugar/ sweetener on our table.<br/><br/>The menu is smaller than it was when it initially opened. There are a few basic dishes and a list of preferred add ons. These are quite pricey. There is a choice of sour dough or rye toast.<br/>We were not asked how we wanted our eggs done so our poached eggs arrived cold, and cooked differently. One of mine was medium, the other well done.<br/><br/>The background music was too loud and contributed to a cramped, harried and frenetic pace as the waitress dashed around hurriedly.<br/><br/>We couldn't wait to leave.

Just like its older sister, the original Starlings, this little cafe is clandestinely tucked away from the suburban buzz. Its menu is a bit more limited but the delicious coffee, breakfasts and light lunch time options are perfectly adequate. Friendly staff, funky decor, work nooks, wifi and outdoor space. I will keep returning here.

The original starlings is up the road from me, so I usually frequent that one. I decided to try this one after my run. The portions are quite big, much like the rondebosch branch and quite delightful too. I had poached eggs with pesto the last time. It was delightful

One of the best breakfast spots in the Southern Suburbs  - this is the littler version of original Starlings, and is definitely worth a try! The service is fantastic. The Eggs Benedict breakfasts are tasty, but my new favourite is the Egg Parmesan breakie with pesto. I have it with the carb-free bread, which is so delicious! The best non-bread 'bread' I have tried. Everything is prepared simply, and deliciously. Ingredients are fresh and this place is just such a find. A local favourite, I almost don't want to let the secret out!

Such a lovely little spot that you'd probably miss if you didn't know it was there. Parking is a bit of a struggle as its situated right on the corner of Bishoplea and Mark road. The café is pretty small but perfectly suits the cute and quaint atmosphere. My mum said her red cappuccino was awesome and I had a tasty beetroot and cranberry juice. We shared the spicy harissa chicken open sandwich on sour dough which came with a fresh and crunchy summer radish and carrot salad. The crust of the bread was slight over-toasted and difficult to cut through but the harissa flavour mix of with the chicken really enhanced the whole meal and we really enjoyed it. Overall lovely experience, super speedy service and smiley staff. Would definitely recommend it for a quick lunch any day. Beware of the parking issue.

Yay there's another Starlings and their outstanding quality and beautiful decor is fab!! Bacon Benedict and a pesto breakfast made for a perfect morning at this cute corner cafe. Great service, good coffee and even a cute shop front with beautiful notebooks and gift ideas. Definitely a winner - will be returning soon!

One of the waitresses basically ignores me every time I come in. I come in here often and always greet with a smile yet she offers nothing in return. Today I walked into the cafe, she saw me coming towards her to ask to be seated and she walked in the other direction. I always have to go to her to order or pay the bill. I suggest she undergo some customer service training as this is a reoccurring thing (I come to the cafe very often). Would love to give a higher rating as the other staff are friendly and helpful, also the coffee is excellent.

What a gorgeous spot in Claremont. I'm a huge fan of the original Starlings and was therefore super excited to pop in to Locale! I had a simple brekkie of avo on toast, and unfortunately have to minus a point for the bread... It was tasty, but rock hard (I couldn't cut it with my knife). However, the coffee was delicious, service good and I will definitely be giving Locale a second try.

Love this quaint little cafe. Simple good menu and nice warm atmosphere. Not to forget the great coffee! Cute gift ideas and cards too are available inside.

Been here a few times - the last time had a extremely rude server (whom I suspect was the manager). She made me and my mother feel uncomfortable, got my order wrong and couldn't care less. Won't be returning.

If you're looking for somewhere to get away from the hustling and bustling Cape Town. This can be found hidden in between homes and perfect for a cappuccino and breakfast. I went there to study and it was not over crowded, it had wifi and friendly staff, which made it a good study place to be at.

Baby Starlings! Finally found this little gem after hearing about it on a Newlands breeze. Tricky to find if you don't know the area, so use google maps. Let's not mess around here. Great coffee and I had the Parmesan eggs and pesto breakfast. A great change from a normal breakie, which I loved. A must try and the Parmesan and pesto compliment the poached eggs really well. Much smaller that the main Starlings, but it hasn't lost any magic for me. I'll be back soon for a coffee and to try something else new and delicious. I'd just like to finish off by saying that I was the first to check in here, it's getting harder as more people use Zomato ;) But, I love it! Victory! :)

This spot is so great, maybe even better than the original Starlings because it's less busy and more intimate. If you're keen to keep things simple then the bacon, egg and salsa Sarmie with extra Avo is a treat, otherwise you can't go wrong with an eggs hollandaise. Service is friendly and efficient!

Lovey little spot off the busy hub clog Cavendish. Small area to sit at and an adjacent retail section stocking Love Supreme products. The coffee was wonderful - the salad filled with tasty bits and pieces. The chicken wrap was super tasty!!! The ice coffee was fabulous - Chocolate and coffee for the win. Really enjoyed it ❤️

Localé is a cute little café in Claremont. I'm a fan of their other restaurant in Belvedere road so thought I'd give this one a try. <br/><br/>To drink I ordered the flat white and my friend ordered the latte, and both were really good. <br/><br/>To eat I ordered the salmon egg hollandaise which was very tasty, although I would have preferred my eggs poached a little softer. The sourdough toast was especially nice. My friend had the scrambled eggs on toast and also really enjoyed it, also loving the bread. <br/><br/>Overall this is a very cute and cosy little spot, but the service was a bit slow and our waiter was a little scarce.