Café
The Glenwood Bakery
The Glenwood Bakery bakes hand-formed, slow-fermented sourdough and pastries in a hearth oven, with a cafe and deli serving breakfast, sandwiches and lunch dishes.
Crane Flower Coffee
Crane Flower Coffee is a small New York-inspired specialty coffee shop in a converted garage in Kloof, known for lavender and rose-water cappuccinos and rotating local roasts.
At a glance
- Type
- Specialty coffee shop
- Area
- Kloof, Durban, South Africa
- Price
- $ · Budget
Good to know
- Specialty coffee
- Lavender and rose cappuccinos
- Light meals
- Rotating guest roasts
- Small seating area
Why we recommend it
Crane Flower Coffee is a tiny specialty coffee shop in Kloof, one of the inland suburbs on the way from Durban to the Valley of a Thousand Hills. Dale Sandy started it in 2020, during the pandemic lockdown, in a converted single garage at the Robyndale Centre on Msenga Road, with the space built by his father and one of his father's employees. The idea was a warm, cosy coffee shop in the style of New York neighbourhood cafes, with a recycled and upcycled interior. The name comes from the strelitzia, the crane flower, a plant associated with freedom and joy.
Coffee is taken seriously here. The house blend is a medium roast of Brazilian and Ethiopian beans from the South African roaster Three Lads and a Toucan, and the shop rotates limited-edition beans from other local roasters, so regulars can try something different on each visit. Drinks are pulled on a twin-group Brasilia espresso machine with Mazzer and Quamar grinders. The signature drinks are floral: a lavender-infused cappuccino and a rose-water cappuccino, which are worth ordering at least once even if you normally drink your coffee straight. A short menu of light meals and treats goes with the coffee.
The shop is small, seating around 18 people, so it suits solo travellers, couples and small groups rather than large parties, and it is ideal for a quick coffee stop on a drive inland. Remote workers will find it better for a short session than a full day.
Regional tourism listings give its hours as weekdays from early morning until mid-afternoon, so it works best as a breakfast or mid-morning stop. Confirm weekend opening before making a special trip, as times can change.
Kloof lies between Durban and Hillcrest, and Crane Flower makes an easy break on the way to PheZulu Safari Park at Botha's Hill, the farm cafes of Hillcrest or the Valley of a Thousand Hills. If you are a dedicated coffee enthusiast, combine it with a visit to other specialty roasters in the area, such as Lineage Coffee in Hillcrest, for a coffee-focused morning in the upper highway suburbs.
Crane Flower Coffee FAQs
Where is Crane Flower Coffee?
At the Robyndale Centre, 8 Msenga Road, Kloof.
What should I order?
The signature lavender cappuccino or the rose-water cappuccino.
Whose coffee do they use?
The house blend comes from Three Lads and a Toucan, with rotating guest beans from other South African roasters.
When did it open?
It started in 2020, during lockdown.
Is it big?
No. It is a small shop in a converted garage, best for individuals and small groups.
Is food served?
Yes, a short menu of light meals and treats.
Is it open at weekends?
Listings give weekday daytime hours, so check weekend opening before visiting.
What is nearby?
Hillcrest's cafes, PheZulu Safari Park at Botha's Hill and the Valley of a Thousand Hills.