Bootlegger Coffee Shop, Three Anchor Bay - Hungry For Halaal (2024)

Bootlegger Coffee Shop, Three Anchor Bay

Updated: 21-11-2023

The Three Anchor Bay store has had a change in ownership. It is now Muslim owned and operated as well as halaal certified.

If you know your espresso from your cortado, or your macchiato from your flat white then you’re likely a coffee afficianado or coffee snob like me. Bootlegger Coffee Company has long since been the go to place for those who won’t settle for mediocre coffee. Now we’ll also be able to enjoy their fully halaal coffee shop menu at their Three Anchor Bay store which has been converted into an ICSA certified halaal store.

The store is located right at the beginning of the busy Sea Point Main Road opposite the Life Church. We popped in on a week day in December last year and they were full inside. It’s not a very big venue so it would easily fill up. Quite a few people were there with laptops so I reckon people stick around and use it as a remote office of sorts. It was a little windy outside so I wasn’t too keen to take an outside table though on a sunny day these would be great. We were three people and one or two 4-seater tables were occupied by only two people. Our waitress gently asked one of them if she could move them to a 2-seater and the swop was easily made.

The Bootlegger vibe is a cross between classic, dark woody coffee lounge and trendy yuppy hangout. It’s for serious coffee drinkers. They use select beans from Guatamala and Costa Rica and there own specific roasting method. The blend displays hints of toasted hazelnut, caramel and a subtle touch of dark chocolate. The beans are roasted fresh everyday and the coffee served in a glass.

The menu is larger than expected. The coffee menu includes milkshakes, juices and tea and other speciality drinks. The food menu comprises no less than 23 breakfast dishes, and that’s besides the DIY breakfast section, burgers, salads, bowls, sandwiches and cafe main meals. I chose the Harissa Lamb Burger which was served on a bed of Rocket and topped with crispy onion rings. This was tasty and the harissa sauce was delicious. The onion rings and chips were perfectly done. We also tried the Chicken livers peri peri which is served on buttered ciabatta and topped with a poached egg. This creamy Portuguese style dish was tangy and yummy. I’m not one for livers but the sauce was good. Taufeeq decided he was not into actual food that day and insisted on having pancakes for lunch. His stack of pancakes were generous and served with chocolate sauce and maple syrup. This was not a menu item but when he turned up his nose at a muffin, scone or banana bread the waiter told me they can also do pancakes. It was a total winner. The pancakes were thick and fluffy and just what a six year old wants for lunch.

The burger is a bit on the expensive side at R119. The cafe main meals average about R80. Breakfast starts from R59 for Hummus toast to R99 for the The BootEgger breakfast to R115 for the new Açaí Bowl with açaíberries, strawberries, blueberries, banana, apple, chia and almond milk. Suffice it to say traditional tastes as well as health fundis are all catered for.

They didn’t have a kids menu and though you don’t think of Bootlegger as a family hangout they will need to consider adding more kid friendly options in their halaal stores as Muslim people tend to eat out as families. I’m really looking forward to seeing more halaal branches popping up soon.

Original Review: January 2019

Please note: Hungry for Halaal is not a certification body. We do our best to verify that an establishment is Halaal Certified or Muslim owned but we cannot guarantee information that is supplied to us.