Morning Mojo rising.

 13 July 2026

 

MORNING MOJO DELI & CAFÉ

Mandela Rhodes House, Upper St George’s Mall, Cape Town

 

I don’t do the regular Friday morning breakfast thing any more, as I go to gym instead, but every now and then I still have the opportunity to eat a solo breakfast in the CBD. This morning I wanted to go to Butter on Loop Street, but it was packed, and then strolled to Café Mozart in die pedestrianized section of Church Street and it wasn’t open. Almost crushed by these cruel yet meaningless blows, I wandered along St George’s Mall towards the Cathedral pondering whether I should just go home and cry on my marmalade toast when I noticed Morning Mojo, in the space, if I’m not mistaken, where Motherland Coffee used to be.

 

Morning Mojo is glorious in its isolation in that section of St George’s Mall that used to be almost vibey in years gone by and that’s a sad reflection on what’s happening in the part of the CBD of a city that’s supposed to be a tourist hot spot.

 

They offered breakfast, I popped my head in and it look a bit of alright, so I entered and sat down.

 

The entrance is a passage to the atrium of Mandela Rhodes House and the main part of the café is on the left, with the barista counter and kitchen one table, a lounge area and the deli shelves. There are four tables in the passage and across the way there are more tables  and what appears to be a hip and happening clothing boutique for people not of my demographic. Everything is sleek, chic, modern and stylish.

 

There are 8 options on the all day breakfast menu, covering the usual, unexciting bases, and there is also a selection of toasted sandwiches, burgers and other such café eats.

 

The generous, good single espresso costs R28,00 and the other coffee offerings, in various sizes  are pretty much on par with coffee prices in this city at this time. I drank two cups.

 

For a change, seeing as how there wasn’t an exotic breakfast dish, I went all out and ordered the allegedly full English breakfast (R145), which doesn’t feature black pudding or fried bread and therefore falls a smidgen short.

 

The breakfast was also not a culinary bullseye.

 

Firstly, there was a greasy, oiliness underneath everything, as if the bacon had bled out fat, which didn’t ruin the food but was not something I’d ever experienced before. The mushrooms were aggressively seasoned to the point of inducing fear of saline poisoning and the bacon, if ever crisp, was a tad limp. 

 

The tomatoes, advertised as grilled, consisted of three wholly uncooked slices. I prefer fresh tomato over grilled tomato but why not do what the menu promises?

 

The baked beans fall somewhere between positive and negative, as they probably came from a tin and I believe they emptied that tin into a small bowl for me. I like baked beans and don’t necessarily mind that they aren’t house made but it would’ve been nice if the chef had added a little something to elevate taste and flavour of the beans.  

 

However, there were plus points too. The eggs were perfectly cooked to order, the plump, spicy porker was delightful  and the sourdough toast (with butter and apricot jam, another bonus) was crisp and lovely. 

 

I was not hungry after breakfast and refrained from ordering a sweet treat. There is a good selection of sweet croissants and other pastries, though, and it would seem well worthwhile lingering over coffee and sweetness there.

 

 The service was efficient and friendly, even if there was a staff meeting while I was there. My brekkie wasn’t the worst attempt at a local version of a full English breakfast even if it’s not the real deal like you’ll get at a greasy spoon somewhere in the UK, the prices seem reasonable and the ambience is pleasing.  The Wimpy is the only competition in the vicinity; if you’re truly in need of morning mojo in that part of the city, this café is it.