Had my best ,worse cup,of coffee there.see photos to understand the comment.Give it a try wont be disappointed.like sitting in a little French Cafe.

Not the worst coffee Ive had in my life at all, not even close, and the owner is pretty cool too!

The worst service ever. Been coming here with my bike friends for the past 5 years. Today i took my wife there. Waited 30 min for Coffee. That was cold. Waited another 30 minites for breakfast and the order was wrong. So if you are part of a big table, you will be looked after. 1 or 2 people table.. Expect to wait

Friendly and helpful staff. Very very good hamburger and chips. Fresh rolls, homemade patties, lettuce, fried onions, salsa And cheese. Very juicy. Chips nice and crispy.Very good espresso.

We normally made it a Breakfast trip from CT to Franchhoek.Normally the food we ordered was tasty and hot.This time I do know what gone wrong in the kitchen.Not the same and very dissapointed.If we experience the same in the future we will definitely lookout for another place.

What a wonderful little café! Really great menu, something for everyone. Well priced and great selection. I came for lunch and the bangers and mash did not disappoint! The Kir is a must try for anyone who have not had the pleasure. Both inside and outside seating is wonderful. Was really nice and quite when I was there. If you are in the neighborhood for good, honest food. Essence Restaurant and Café is for you. The only reason Im not giving it 5 stars is because of the music. Such a wonderful restuarnt really needs a wonderful playlist.

Awesome and Great Service. Partron was 100% to My Liking and will most Devnetly go back without a Dout

Very unsatisfactory all round… Table was dirty, service was slow, kitchen was a disaster… We waited almost two hour for a toasted sandwich & salad and when it arrived it was so disappointing. Half the sandwich didn’t have any filling, haloumi was the worst ever.

Nicest coffee. Beautiful people

Slow service, waited an hour for simple english breakfast, disappointing experience.

Restaurant is set in Hugonots square under big shady trees. Wonderful ambiance and peaceful. Food is good value for money and presented well. Nice wines available from local wine farms. Very helpful and friendly staff. The only problem is the parking in Franchoek. Well worth the visit.

Service was prompt and friendly. Drinks were lovely

Great place for a quick lunch

Great.Service good. Akhona the waitress was good . Staff all round very nice. I was a bit disappointed with the whole change of the place. Change is always good but previous decor was great. Cheesecake very good. Ed

Great service, great food and friendly staff 😊

Common you have to! Nah serious this place knows whats what. I love coming here. Keep up the great service!

Ordered the steak, asked for rare but got well done. You can have the best meat, but if your chef cannot distinguish between rare and well done, you have problems, also ordered the chicken avo and paw paw salad, we got a bowl of greens, topped with onions, sprinkled with about 50gr of chicken, a quarter avo and 2 tiny blocks of paw paw and was charged R110.00. A rip off. Not a pleasant meal. Think twice before you visit

Great food, chilled atmosphere and friendly staff. Quite busy so there is a bit of a wait.

Lovely shading seating - please add oat milk to the coffee alternatives, almond as the only option is dated

Amazing experience, sitting on the stoep drinking coffee. So peaceful and nice place to meet up and have a chat with friends. Our waiter was absolutely amazing and very friendly. Would definitely recommend this place.

Excellent service good food

The best place for morning coffee

Great little place in Franschhoek on the main road. Food is great with fast service at reasonable prices. Outside and indoor seating. Recommended for a breakfast stop if one is out in the area. Parking is not to much of a problem especially if you on a motorcycle.

Lovely location, great food with friendly and efficient service.

Ordered the serloin steak medium rare got a well done serloin with a hair in the chips. Instant regret for ordering here. Do not recommend this restaurant if you want to enjoy your food.

A lovely experience, good coffee

Love the quiet atmosphere here

Always lovely with the best coffee and the best apple tart!

Very friendly service and tasty food, my parents come here specially for the Thai fish cakes.

We waited almost an hour for our food and when we recei2our food it was cold and very tasteless also there was a fly at our table all the time

Such a lovely place, with friendly staff who makes you feel welcome, they have delicious food filled with flavour! I can highly recommend it and will certainly be back!

Coffee was fine. Service was indifferent

Awesome!!!! Loved it.

Food was devine, especially the Yogi Shake. The wait was a bit long.

Always the place to stop on a Sunday morning and French toast is killer

Very nice coffe and to die for carrot cake!

Very good coffee & pancackes!!

Awesome place. Stopped by here on the bike for breakfast. Great food, good location and the cherry on top; they have a station to clean your helmet. Thank you and Well Done!

Good service, moderate prices, great proportions.

Dan was not hospitable, no smile on his face. Not service oriented, probably lack of training. Instead of asking after I’ve been having my coffee, ‘sir, would you like to try a delicious scone and jam with that?’ He says, anything else 🙄. Coffee isn’t spectacular as they claim.

I love this place! It has character and awesome coffee. More importantly it has the best eggs Benedict around. Owner is also very nice. Gets busy on the weekend so get there early.

The service was very friendly. The coffee was lovely. From the time you place your order to receiving it is very short. It is a cozy, lovely place. Lovely selection of cakes to choose from. Would definitely go there again.

Always a winner...informal...best pancakes

We were only in Franchhoek for a short time. We did not want to go to an upmarket very pricey place and we happened on Essence. The trout with mash was delicious and cooked to perfection.And priced very reasonably.The decor is a hoot!Cecilia

We had a salad and a soup there for lunch. The food was good and the staff friendly. Apparently someone had the worse coffee of their life there, Im not sure I agree :) There are quite a few lunch options and daily menus. Worth the price.

An awesome cream Cappucino with a generous slice of chocolate mousse cake. Best of all? It was toasty and warm. Definitely took the chill out of a cold and drizzly walk.

Awesome place to chill after a ride on the pass!! Food is excellent

Loved the breakfast

Staff friendly- no ham on my toasted ham cheese tomato.... chips under cooked.... no constancy

Coffee was disgusting.

Eggs Benedict 100%

My daily coffee in the morning after early airport drop

The Franschoek Trout with Bearnaise and capers on a bed of wonderful potato mash , is absolutely delicious . We have been back here over the past few years , worth it everytlme , well done ESSENCE.

Well situated nice food friendly staff.

Sat outside in the sunshine and had breakfast served by the happiest waitress. A great way to start the day.

My kind of coffee ☕ shop. Cosy

What a nice place with a lot of different coffees.

Cosy great atmosphere and the food is fresh.

Fastest service that I have ever received.

Very pleasant lunch at Essence todayExtensive menu and drinks list. Cosy on a cold day but would be ideal outside on a sunny day

A full restaurant coffee shop where you can get a cappuccino or a full meal. Sit on the deck and enjoy the street scenes of Franschhoek, or cosy up inside during winter. Purported to make the worst cup of coffee on trip advisor...which is total nonsense...Tim, the owner, is hands on and will most likely be there to welcome you. UPDATE. Sadly Tim is no longer with us. We miss you Tim.

Friendly staff,quick service,loved the warm scones.

Very nice locality. Friendly staff and good food. Luv to come here.

Excellent food always. Service is great when Tims there. When Tims away....the mice do play.....

Lekker spot for bikers. Food was excellent.

We are BMW bikers so Essence is definitely the place to be in Franschhoek on a Sunday for breakfast!...I had the Vegetarian with yummy haloumi ...highly recommended.

Very nice place

Very convenient and ample space. Good shopping experience.

Stunning view. The host was very welcoming and accommodating.

Interesting decor, quality dishes and daily specials have made Essence a very popular destination in Franschoek.Sometimes all we need to feel better is a little sweetness. We have a weakness for hot chocolate and really enjoyed our breakfast before a photo shoot at Theewaters Kloof Dam.Such a lovely little place with some very interesting decor that clearly appeals to bikers on Sunday morning breakfast runs.

Food was good. Enjoyed breakfast, waitress was fast bringing the food, but took forever to bring our bill.

Great, friendly service and delicious pancakes :)

Lovely coffee and scrumptious cakes

Not bad service. Never really eaten there. Just cold drinks and shakes.

European style coffee shop. Good coffees (Illy). Wheelchair accessible.

Great staff and enjoyable breakfast. Good coffee

Been here several times now and never had bad food, coffee or service. Well worth a look.

Good menu. Pleasant ambience

Had lovely cup of coffee with friends.

Fantastic service from Irene even before we sat down. Chocolate mousse cake to die for. Simply superb.

Lovely venue, good food and really down to earth waitresses!! Loved it!!

Simple food well presented. Love it

Good coffee,good service & Great international flavoured conversations. Bravo 🤗

We had a Tarte Tatin and Espresso.The staff was very friendly. Espresso as good as in Italy.

Best Coffee and Bobotie in Franschhoek

Wonderful coffee. Lovely ambience!

Friendly service and a great menu

Good coffee. Lovely atmosphere

Quaint little coffee shop on the main street.

Good service from friendly staff. Enjoyed our meal.

Ok for some nice coffee and snacks...

Nice food, lovely setting, super efficient waitress.

Always friendly and the coffee is super

Food is fantastic and staff friendly.

My favourite cake venue in the Cape Winelands region

Food was very good, nice coffee shop with relaxed vibe, however my wife and I didnt enjoy the staff that served us(Cheralyne), she was unfriendly, she only brought our food and drinks, never returned there after, i wanted to change my initial order, the waitress tild me that i will be difficult to change.I wont be returning to this establishment.

Had breakfast. Simple, fresh and tasty

The salad was wouw

Service was very bad and the hamburger was awful. Will never go there again

Lovely meals. Friendly staff.