Harare’s cafe scene is better than most first-time visitors expect. It has developed steadily since 2018, with a handful of independent roasters and espresso bars now producing coffee that would hold its own in Cape Town or Nairobi. The best venues are concentrated in Borrowdale and Avondale - both safe, walkable neighbourhoods about 8–12 km north of the city centre.
Borrowdale: The Coffee Hub
Borrowdale is the neighbourhood most expats and visiting professionals gravitate toward, partly for the security and partly because it holds the best cluster of independent cafes within easy reach of each other.
The Borrowdale Coffee Company on Borrowdale Road is probably the most consistently recommended spot in the city. They roast their own beans - some sourced from the Nyanga region in Zimbabwe’s Eastern Highlands - and the flat white is reliably well-made. The interior is compact but bright, with a few outdoor tables under a shade canopy. Expect to pay around USD 3.50–5 for espresso drinks. They also do good toasted sandwiches and a rotating daily lunch special. Opens at 07:30 on weekdays.
Latte Da in Borrowdale Village shopping centre has more space and is popular with groups meeting for mid-morning coffee. The cakes here are a step above most in the city - the carrot cake and lemon cheesecake are worth the extra USD 3–4. Wi-Fi is functional. Opens at 08:00 daily.
Green Room Cafe near the Borrowdale Racecourse caters to a younger crowd with stronger visual branding and a focus on healthier options. Smoothie bowls, avocado toast, and cold brew coffee are the draws. Prices are slightly higher - budget USD 8–12 for a full brunch. The garden seating area is pleasant on warm mornings.
Avondale: Local Flavour
Avondale sits roughly between the CBD and Borrowdale and has a slightly more neighbourhood feel. The weekend market here draws locals who do not often venture to Borrowdale.
Gallery Delta Cafe is a longstanding Harare institution attached to the gallery of the same name on Burton Road. The courtyard setting - exposed brick walls, shade trees, local artwork on display - is the most atmospheric of any cafe in the city. Coffee is simple (no single-origin experimentation here) but reliable, and the full breakfast plates (USD 6–9) are hearty. Saturday mornings here feel like the real Harare.
Chapters Cafe in the Avondale shopping area is the spot to combine book browsing with coffee. The attached second-hand bookshop gives it a lived-in feel, and the single-origin filter coffee is better than the surroundings might suggest. Small but friendly. Good for working solo for a few hours - they do not pressure you to order more than one coffee.
The Pig & Whistle on Avondale’s King George Road sits in a renovated colonial-era building and handles both cafe trade in the mornings and light lunch through the afternoon. Their bacon rolls are legendary among expats and the Ethiopian single-origin offering is genuinely excellent on a good day. Opens 07:00 daily.
Sandton and Newlands
A few spots further east of Borrowdale are worth noting if you are staying in those areas.
Amanzi Restaurant & Cafe on Enterprise Road has a peaceful garden terrace and is particularly good for afternoon coffee after visiting the nearby Mukuvisi Woodlands. The pastry selection changes daily. USD 4–6 for coffee and a pastry. They also do a popular Sunday brunch (USD 15–20 per head).
Pariah State in the industrial-turned-creative district near Newlands is the closest thing Harare has to a specialty roastery bar. They take sourcing seriously, occasionally feature Rwandan and Burundian beans alongside Zimbabwean, and the baristas actually know their ratios. Small and sometimes standing-room only on weekends. Worth the trip if you care about coffee. Expect USD 4–6 for a specialty espresso drink.
Sam Levy’s Village and North Borrowdale
The Sam Levy’s Village shopping precinct in northern Borrowdale has become a destination in its own right for Harare’s cafe scene, with several openings since 2023 that compare well with the established Borrowdale Road spots.
Cinnamon Cafe (Sam Levy’s Village, Borrowdale): The highest-footfall cafe in the complex - a large, well-lit space with comfortable seating, reliable Wi-Fi, and a menu spanning breakfast through early dinner. The cinnamon rolls are the signature item but the avocado and smoked salmon open sandwich (USD 9–11) and the chicken pesto wrap (USD 8–10) are consistently good. Flat whites run around USD 4. Busy on Saturday mornings with suburban families; quieter and more workable on weekday afternoons.
The Taproom at Borrowdale Brewing Company (northern Borrowdale): Strictly speaking a craft brewery, but the taproom opens from 10:00 and functions as a cafe in the daytime hours - the space is industrial, airy, and genuinely comfortable for laptop work. Artisan sandwiches, pretzel boards, and loaded fries serve as the food menu (approximately USD 8–14). Coffee is good and the non-alcoholic options include house-made sodas. Transitions seamlessly to sundowners from 17:00 for visitors who want to end a working afternoon with something from the taps.
Bean There Coffee (Borrowdale Road branch): A South African specialty coffee brand that has established a reliable Harare presence. Consistent sourcing, including a recurring Rwandan single origin that is noticeably better than the chain-coffee average. Flat white around USD 3.50–4.50. The Borrowdale Road location has a drive-through lane that makes it convenient for early-morning pickup before heading into the CBD. Also a useful benchmark - if you like Bean There’s baseline, the independent spots like Pariah State and The Borrowdale Coffee Company are significantly better.
Tips for Navigating Harare’s Cafe Scene
Payment: Most cafes accept USD cash. Card acceptance has improved but can be unreliable - ZIPIT mobile payments work at most venues for locals, but cash remains the safest option for visitors.
Hours: Most cafes open between 07:00 and 08:00 and close between 17:00 and 18:00. Sunday hours are often reduced. Check before a special trip.
Safety: The cafe neighbourhoods - Borrowdale, Avondale, Newlands - are among the safest areas in the city for walking around. The CBD is a different proposition: use taxis for transfers rather than walking long distances in the city centre.
Transport: None of the recommended cafes are within walking distance of each other across the full list. Uber and Hwindi (Zimbabwe’s ride-hailing app) both operate in Harare and are cheap and reliable - USD 3–6 for most journeys within the cafe neighbourhoods. Have USD cash for the driver as apps sometimes have payment issues. For longer days across the city, car hire in Zimbabwe gives more flexibility than ride-hailing.
Best for remote work: Pariah State (best coffee), Latte Da (most space), and The Borrowdale Coffee Company (best Wi-Fi) are the top picks if you need a few hours of laptop time.
What to Order
If you are new to the Zimbabwean food scene, most cafes offer a full breakfast plate that doubles as a good introduction - eggs (scrambled or poached), toast, bacon or boerewors (a South African-style sausage common in Zimbabwe), and sometimes a grilled tomato. USD 7–10 covers a solid full breakfast anywhere on this list.
For lunch, toasted sandwiches and wraps are the staples. The more ambitious venues (Green Room, Amanzi) do salads and grain bowls that are worth ordering if you want something lighter.
Harare’s cafe scene rewards the curious visitor who ventures a little beyond the CBD. An hour in one of the Borrowdale spots on a quiet Tuesday morning, with good coffee and local conversation in earshot, gives a very different impression of the city than the standard tourist narrative. Planning a stay? Find accommodation in Harare across all price ranges. If you are visiting Zimbabwe more broadly, browsing tours is a good way to add day trips around the city. Sort out a Zimbabwe eSIM before you arrive so navigation and ride-hailing apps work from the moment you land, and carry travel insurance for the trip.