Best spots for an early breakfast in Joburg

For the earliest of birds, here’s a few spots to catch that worm, with our best early breakfast venues in Johannesburg.

Joburg is a city that likes to get going as soon as the sun comes up, and there is no shortage of good places that open at the crack of dawn to service the appetites of early birds. From Sandton to the City Centre, here's our round-up of some of Joburg's best early-morning destinations, categorised by how you want to start your day.

The best early spots

1. Andiccio 24 (across Joburg)

Pizza for breakfast? If you've been out all night there's hardly a better way to cure your hangover and if you're jet-lagged as hell after a long flight across numerous time zones, pizza for breakfast at Andiccio 24 isn't a bad idea, either. With 21 branches across the city and a menu that includes butternut soup, wraps and ciabatta sandwiches, this 24-hour pizza chain lets you choose as many toppings in whatever combination you prefer. Salads work on the same principle. There are also dessert pizzas with chocolate and bananas if you need a sugar overload to get going.
Open: 24 hours

2. Croft & Co

Warm up with morning oats. Photo: Croft & Co via Instagram.

Located on Parkview's ever-popular Tyrone Avenue, Croft & Co is known for its good service, fresh bottled juices, strong coffee and possibly the best scrambled eggs in town. Croft & Co is the early-morning hangout for Joburg's media types, opinionistas, writers, runners and cyclists, with a run-club called the Tyrone Harriers dedicated to the spot.
Open: From 06:00 every day.
66 Tyrone Ave, Parkview

3. Motherland Coffee Co (across Joburg)

Works for breakfast or brunch. Photo: Motherland Coffee Company via Instagram.

Motherland Coffee Company is a popular work and meeting spot. The coffee here has a kick, and features speciality-grade African single-origin or blended beans. Plus, it comes in extra-large – the famous "Mothercuppa", and for a light breakfast there's a wide selection of pastries.
Open: Branches open between 06:00 – 07:00 on weekdays and weekends.

4. Ti Amo Deli

Nestled in a Shell Garage in Sandhurst, Ti Amo Deli is an authentic Italian deli that offers all things Italian: country loaves, ciabatta, paninis and baguettes, all freshly baked on-site. It’s a very convenient spot for breakfast.
Open: From 06:30 daily
49 Rivonia Rd, Sandhurst

5. 4th Avenue Coffee

If you're looking for good coffee, follow the pink! Photo via **4th Avenue Café**.

4th Avenue Coffee has years behind their belts in crafting a coffee worth starting your day with. Named after their original location on the ever-trendy Parkhurst 4th Avenue (they’re now also in Illovo), this café is all about the beans: their house blend, the “Legendary Pink”, is made up of 100% Arabica beans, hand picked from six origins across Africa and South America. These beans are then roasted in small batches at their very own boutique roastery. To eat, they have options like Elvis-style French toast (including fried banana, bacon and syrup, of course), or you can build your own brekkie.
Open: From 06:00 daily in Parkhurst, and 07:00 in Illovo.
4th Ave, Parkhurst

Best busy breakfast spots

If you’re wanting to hit the ground running, here’s our choice of breakfast joints right in the middle of things.

6. Father Coffee (Kramerville and Rosebank)

The perfect way to start your day. Photo: Father Coffee via Instagram.

Father Coffee has the reputation of having some of the best speciality coffee in Joburg – and rightly so. What started out as a slick temple to coffee aficionados in Braamfontein is now a trendy little spot in Rosebank’s The Zone, as well as their HQ in the Kramerville Design Quarter. You’ll also find a wine bar open from midday from Wed – Sun, because it's five-o'clock somewhere in the world, right? With a phenomenal selection of blends to take home, beans are ground to order in-store. It’s a popular morning meeting spot (try the excellent avocado on toast or the Swedish buns).
Open: From 7:30 weekdays and 8:00 on weekends.

7. Freshly Ground

Tucked into the bottom of the Keyes Art Mile's Trumpet Building, Freshly Ground Rosebank is the place to be for creative early birds: whether you're a cyclist or runner that needs a quick snack or a hearty breakfast, or a busy hustler that needs their coffee on the go.
Open: From 06:00 on weekdays, and 07:00 on weekends.
19 Keyes Ave, Rosebank

8. Green Dot Café

All things hearty and healthy at Green Dot Café. Photo: Issiboi via Instagram.

Green Dot Café is a welcoming, all-day spot on Jan Smuts in Rosebank that offers ready-to-go meals along with its menu of healthy (and halaal-certified) items. Enjoy a no-frills coffee or a more extravagant iced coffee frappe (with ice-cream!) while you work inside or outdoors. There are healthy toasties, smoothie bowls and Mediterranean flatbreads to fuel you through the day. Get there as early as possible as Green Dot Café is small and gets very busy.
Open: From 07:00 daily.
148 Jan Smuts Ave, Rosebank

9. Naked Kitchen and Coffee Bar

A no-nonsense eggs Benedict. Photo: Naked Kitchen and Coffee Bar via Instagram.

Hailed as South Africa’s number-one "third-wave" coffee bar and culinary kitchen, Naked Kitchen and Coffee Bar, which started as a sole venue in Melrose Arch, is known as one of the best places to be seen. With spots in Illovo, Hyde Park, Sandton and Morningside, their locations uphold the global gourmet deli trend in Johannesburg by providing fresh produce, fine coffee and home-style cooking – and all of it is to-go.