Nook Eatery is baie mooi

A healthy breakfast and lunch spot in Stellenbosch

Nook looks just like a colourful playhouse. It’s cute and homey, there are different size tables – in case you come by yourself or with the whole family. Treat yourself with healthy and yummy breakfasts, lunches as well as sweet temptations like red velvet cupcakes, croissants and more.

You might assume Nook Eatery to be a student place with the university being so close by, but both, young and old frequent the restaurant. "We see many faces here every day" says co-owner and chef Jessica Shepherd. She started the eatery in July 2009 with now fiancé Luke Grant (both in their late twenties) and things have been going well. Jessica and Luke want to give you the feeling that you’re in someone‘s house. "We wish our home looked like this." A 4-year-old boy once said to them "I like this house, it’s a very nice house." Fresh flowers, posters with quotations ('It’s nice to be nice') hang on the wall. The atmosphere in a word is: happy.

The name 'Nook' was a friend’s idea. And the restaurant is indeed full of nooks, have a look at the private dining room in the back.

The menu is light, quick and affordable

Breakfast is served from 8.30am to 11.30am – the menu offers you a yummy selection of smoothies, fruit with yogurt, homemade granola, toasted sandwich, Croque Monsieur (wood -fired Gruyère and gypsy ham sandwich), scrambled eggs with toast and more. If you’re just up for a sweet snack, have a look at their homemade pastries and cakes ranging from croissants, cheesecake, pain au chocolat to almond tart.

Lunch is served from 11.30am to 3pm offering a daily lunch buffet consisting of fresh salads and homemade specialties, sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, a soup of the day, Croque Monsieur, bruschetta, the Nook burger and much more. A quick look on the menu will show you, here they make use of local, seasonal and preservative free ingredients. And you will get your lunch quickly – a nice lunch-hangout if you work close by. Also, you find daily specials on the blackboard. The wooden oven in the back bakes yummy pizzas for the Friday pizza nights at Nook Eatery. The team really thinks about what they serve. They even stock Everson’s Pale Dry Cider and the vegetarian white and red wines by MANvintners.

The idea to have a little restaurant came to Luke when he was in Australia seeing all the little cafés. "He said: We can do it". And they did it.

by Antonia Heil


Nook Eatery
42 Ryneveld Street | Stellenbosch | +27 (0)21 887 7703

Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 8am – 4pm, Saturday: 8am – 1pm,
Friday Pizza Nights: 6pm – 10pm

PS: Nook Eatery is also available for functions.

Nook Eatery uses some of the breads of De Oude Bank Bakkerij. We went there for breakfast when we said Hello to Stellenbosch.

For your monthly update on what’s happening in and around Cape Town, be sure to subscribe to our popular newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.