Great staff and just a magic place to have a coffee etc

💯👌

Excellent staff and gr8 food. Defo be back soon. Best cheesecake too!

Next day delivery of the Blume machine (can't wait) and a free gift, spot on service to boot.

I have been a regular at the Bootlegger Ndabeni branch for a year now. Every single day. I work in a creative industry and, like most creators, I’ve always craved a café to call home. A warm desk with a steaming cup of coffee in winter, meals that melt your soul, the joy of summer coolers, and a space that somehow makes you want to create. All year round, there is more than one menu item capable of fuelling both appetite and productivity. I came for the coffee, yes, but I stayed for the company. And that is the ultimate flex of the Ndabeni branch. The staff have become more than familiar faces. They’ve become accountability buddies, colleagues really, people who work in the same place I work from every day. I want to give special mention to Tristan Smith, one of the veteran staff members at Bootlegger Ndabeni, who consistently goes above and beyond to make every customer feel genuinely cared for. Never has a day gone by when Tristan is there and I haven’t found myself pulled into a real conversation. The kind that reminds you of old speakeasies from classic films, where people still exchanged ideas, stories, humour, perspective. I often leave those conversations feeling inspired to work afterwards. His attitude and the way he approaches his work, treating service as a fine art rooted in genuine human connection, reflect the qualities of exceptional leadership. The kind of leadership that elevates not only a team, but an entire environment. The same can be said for so many of the team, including Jemma, Simthembile, Chelsea, and Gabriella. For them, a regular isn’t just a customer. They’re an old friend returning to a place where they’re genuinely welcome. Many times, for me, this place has become a spot to drop anchor amidst turbulent currents. And while the coffee, the food, the management of this branch, the magnificent tree line view outside that changes character with the weather, the soft, gentle lighting inside, and the calming lo-fi-inspired playlist almost always score a 10/10, it’s the human experience that keeps me coming back. In a post-COVID, AI-obsessed world where genuine connection feels increasingly rare, Bootlegger Ndabeni has managed to preserve something deeply human. That is why this place matters. And it’s also why this industry will never truly belong to robots.

Always top tier service and a personal touch from Bootlegger with every order. I received my order the next morning with a handwritten card.

Training Test