Before I became self-employed, I used to drive down Kloof Street early in the morning on my way to the office, staring longingly at the inviting coffee shop counters, stacks of glossy magazines and steaming cups of cappuchino – all symbolising to me an abundance of time. To think, meet, read, invent and dream. Or just watch the clouds paint, then change their minds and re-paint Table Mountain again.

When I started my own business, I initially frequented these coffee shops to live out my fantasy, but very soon the passion for my new business and the desire for focus kept me at home, where I am most productive. Except for Thursdays. Thursday mornings my cleaner kicks me out of my city pad and I become a coffee shop exile. Over the past few months, this is how I have experienced a few of Cape Town’s coffee shops – when you actually want to get some work done:

Beleza, Kloof-nek Road

Not exactly a sanctuary of silence, but they cater for laptop workers with plug points and the staff is generally friendly and helpful. On top of it, they probably have the best value-for-money breakfast in town and excellent coffee as well. (I think they source from Origin.) With a Bloody Mary as the first item on the breakfast menu, Beleza is perhaps not suitable for meetings with more sober clients. Unfortunately, they don’t cater for early birds either and open after 9am only.

Deli 55, Kloof Street

This church-run deli takes me back to my small-town years when bazaar tannies spoke to me in diminutives and every cupboard seemed choc-a-block with home-made preserves. They’ve really made an effort to create a peaceful, water-featured patio protected from street noise. Inside, there’s only one plug point which is a bit clumsy, and your laptop cable could easily trip someone heading for the preserves shelf. But they’ve got great food, if you like fresh, healthy produce. And I keep on going back for my favourite coffee brand, Limu – of which they also sell the roasted beans.

Melissa’s Food Shop, Kloof Street

Melissa’s remains a firm favourite. Their service can be slow some days, but then they also don’t mind if you hog their space for a few hours without ordering much more than coffee. Not that you can work for more than your laptop battery time, as there are no plug points for customers. This is a good spot to meet clients, suppliers or colleagues. Even though there’s not much privacy, everybody else is too busy with their own meetings to bother with yours. Don’t leave without one of their perfectly brewed pots of tea or their Nutella laced hot chocolate. Healthy, tasty lunches too.

Origin Coffee Roasting, Hudson Street

A place of worship for coffee lovers – you have to experience this space at least once. Unfortunately, I could not pick up an i-Burst signal here, but friendly and engaging staff tailed me with my double espresso in my quest to find one. Perhaps better for lively meetings than solitary slogging away at your computer.

Sage Organic, Hatfield Street

This petite, organic coffee shop close to Parliament can easily accommodate up to four laptop users. Their breakfasts arrive in generous portions and the French-speaking waiters are friendly, but let you get on with your work. Due to the size of the space and not enough white noise, Sage is not ideal for business meetings.

The Wellness Warehouse, Kloof Street

After surviving the growing pains of its first year, the Wellness Warehouse has managed to create a serene enough spot in the middle of buzzing Kloof Street. The space works well for meetings, as well as solitary work, and there is a laptop counter with power points for about five people. This is also a convenient place to recycle your home office paper – bonus.

Vida e Caffe, Kloof Street

This particular outlet is great for take-away coffee or checking out customers from the surrounding film and other interesting industries. But you don’t really expect some quiet time from a brand built around lively staff chatter and loudly broadcasted orders, do you?