Against the Grain

Against the Grain is a small, fully halaal café at 102 Wale Street, on the slope of Bo-Kaap between the city centre and the colourful houses higher up the hill. It is run by Gesant Abed, who grew up in the Bo-Kaap community and wanted it to be more than just another coffee shop: a place that shows off the food and culture of the neighbourhood he comes from.

Koesisters, bagels and breakfast

The café is best known for its koesisters, made by Gesant's mother. The Cape Malay koesister is not the plaited, syrup-soaked koeksister found elsewhere in South Africa: it is a soft, spiced doughnut, fried, dipped in syrup and rolled in coconut — traditionally a Sunday-morning treat in Bo-Kaap. At Against the Grain they are on the menu every day, but they often sell out by midday, so come early. Read more about koesisters and the other dishes of the neighbourhood in our guide to Cape Malay food in Bo-Kaap.

Beyond the koesisters, the menu is built around bagels with more than ten fillings, breakfast bowls, masala scrambled eggs, sweet treats and good coffee. Prices are friendly: bagels have cost roughly R40 to R95, and most of the menu is under R100.

A green café with a view

Inside, the café is green and leafy. Plants stand between the tables and hang from the ceiling, against a dark green and black colour scheme with wooden tables, iron chairs and industrial lights. Through the windows you look out over the Bo-Kaap houses towards Table Mountain — a good place to sit with a coffee before or after exploring the neighbourhood.

From Buitengracht Street to Wale Street

Against the Grain first opened at the beginning of 2020 on Buitengracht Street, on the edge of Bo-Kaap, and moved around the corner to Wale Street in December 2021. It shares its address with two other halal favourites, Bokaap Grill and Turkish Döner Haus, so this part of Wale Street is an easy place to find something to eat at any time of day.

Halaal

The café is fully halaal. If you need certification details, ask the café directly. Our halal guide to Bo-Kaap and Cape Town explains how we label halal on Bokaap.org and lists more halal restaurants and Muslim-friendly places to stay.

Visiting

Against the Grain is open from 7am to 5:30pm Monday to Saturday and from 8am to 2pm on Sunday; check their Instagram for public holidays. The Bo-Kaap Museum is a short walk down Wale Street and the Auwal Mosque, the oldest mosque in South Africa, is a few streets away on Dorp Street, so the café fits easily into a walk around the neighbourhood. For more ideas, see our things to see and do and our list of halal restaurants in Bo-Kaap.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Tasneem J, CC BY 4.0; Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0.