When it comes to restaurants and cafes, the little known eastern suburbs of Johannesburg have always lost out to the more trendy neighbourhoods of Sandton, Parkhurst, Rosebank and their likes. But the East Rand has quite a few hidden gems waiting to be discovered.
Word of mouth led me to one such place in Edenvale – the Red Door Café. Located on 5th Avenue, this café is easy to miss unless you are actually looking for it. It’s small, it’s rustic, it’s friendly and it exudes a kind of warmth that’s missing from most of the new-age coffee shops. In winter, this warmth also emanates from the real fire place that they have!

The owners named the café after they found a set of red doors that they decided to use! The décor is old world and charming. Deliberately aged wooden tables, an old gilded mirror, antique wall clocks, several old and empty photo frames, a fireplace and a counter top that is stacked with jars of cookies, candy, fudge and jams. Even the lamps above the counter have character – they are made with inverted coke bottles of various colours. And behind all this chaos is a huge black board displaying the menu.

The food itself is simple, fresh and delightful. Their standard menu includes a wide range of breakfast options, pregos, salads, wraps, pie of the day and quiche of the day, among other eats. The café is open for breakfast and lunch only but it hosts dinners on the last Thursday of every month. Needless to say, booking is essential for these dinners and the last few were completely sold out by the time I decided to book. So I am still awaiting my turn!

THE DETAILS
Address: 26, 5th Ave,(Cnr 5th & 2nd street), Edenvale
Opening hours:
Mon: 7am – 2pm
Tue – Fri: 7am – 4pm
Sat:  8am – 2pm
Sun: closed

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