Discover Karoo Café: A Tranquil Oasis in the City
Karoo Café isn’t just a place to eat or grab a cup of coffee—it’s a sanctuary, a space where the pace of life slows down, and you’re invited to simply be. Inspired by the serene beauty of the Karoo landscape, this unique café offers an environment that feels like a natural habitat—a place where conscious living, simple beauty, and personal happiness converge.
By day, Karoo Café takes on the charm of a tea garden or coffee shop, offering a stress-free and relaxed atmosphere. Here, you can enjoy your morning coffee or tea surrounded by lush greenery, soft sunlight, and the gentle hum of quiet conversation. It’s a place where you can be yourself, free from the pressures of the outside world. Whether you’re catching up with friends, taking a moment to recharge, or diving into a good book, the café provides the perfect setting for it all.
As the day transitions into the evening, Karoo Café undergoes a magical transformation. The once-sunny tea garden becomes a romantic, fairy-tale-like retreat. In winter, the warm glow of wood fireplaces and soft ambient lighting creates an atmosphere that’s nothing short of enchanting. In summer, a gentle breeze stirs the night. The air feels alive with a special kind of magic—perfect for a quiet dinner, an intimate gathering, or simply soaking in the beauty of the moment.
Beyond its culinary offerings, Karoo Café is a place to nurture your soul. You’ll find cozy nooks to read your favorite book, admire stunning artworks, or even work on your laptop if inspiration strikes. The space is filled with thoughtful details—handcrafted furniture, warm textures, and eclectic décor—that reflect a harmonious blend of creativity and comfort.
This café is more than just a destination for food; it’s an experience. It embodies a way of life that values simplicity, authenticity, and connection. Whether you come to enjoy the delicious breakfasts, fresh bakes, or hearty meals, you’ll leave with more than just a satisfied appetite—you’ll leave with a sense of calm and contentment.
Karoo Café is also a gathering place for families and friends, where moments are shared over coffee, laughter, and conversations. The wooden tables, crackling fireplaces, and inviting couches make every visit feel like coming home.
Located in the heart of Karoo Square, a vibrant village of creators, makers, tinkers, and thinkers, Karoo Café also celebrates the beauty of community. From its art exhibitions to its second-hand bookshop and lush greenery provided by Karoo Nursery, every corner of the café tells a story of collaboration and passion.
Whether you’re visiting for a quick coffee, a leisurely lunch, or an evening under the stars, Karoo Café welcomes you to step away from the rush of life and immerse yourself in a little oasis of Karoo-inspired tranquility.
Discover what makes Karoo Café the hidden gem of Pretoria—where nature, culture, and heartfelt hospitality unite to create something truly special. But don’t be deceived – our cocktails and fun events are some of the things that keep us smiling!
Living consciously.
At Karoo Square, we believe in nurturing creativity and sharing knowledge to inspire positive change. As part of our ongoing mission, we offer workshops and classes to share skills from our diverse creative hubs. These sessions cover a range of disciplines, including sustainable architecture, pottery, art, horticulture, culinary arts, graphic and textile design, and more.
Education is at the heart of our community because we see it as one of the most vital tools for shaping a better future.
Sustainability is woven into everything we do. Our project development is guided by ecologically sensitive design and sustainable building practices. We’re also proud to protect Juliana’s Golden Mole, a red-listed species that thrives on our property, ensuring its safety and preservation.
By embracing these principles, Karoo Square fosters a space where innovation and sustainability come together for the benefit of all.
Nature.
The Karoo Café creates an atmosphere akin to a natural habitat, where everyone can find their place. Just as a gathering of crows prefers the charm of a spot filled with bits of wood, wire, and odds and ends over the expansive waters and tall trees favored by majestic fish eagles, Karoo Café attracts its unique flock.
Our café is a haven for those who value authenticity, creativity, and connection—a habitat for patrons who share these values. Here, like-minded individuals gather, finding comfort in the warmth of a space that feels as natural as it is inviting.
Night Café
We would love to bring back the Night Café. It does not yet, but it should then become a different kind of environment to Karoo Café – a habitat and gathering place for people who subscribe to the same social contract and social values system.
Claude Monet created a series of café paintings that portray the café as a free-and-easy environment in which free thinkers, writers and artists, and ordinary citizens could come together to experience the diversity and prosperity of nineteenth-century France. For Monet, the café was a symbol of everything free from the restraints of traditional thought, and it epitomized modern Parisian life.
Monet claimed that the convivial atmosphere of the café was the ideal city center for the formulation of new ideas. As he said of his daily meetings there with friends: “Nothing could have been more interesting than the discussions we had, with their perpetual clash of opinions. They kept our wits sharpened, encouraged us to press ahead with our experiments, and provided us with enough enthusiasm to keep at it for weeks on end until our ideas became clear and coherent. From them we emerged more finely tempered our wills firmer, our thoughts clearer and less confused.”
The modern-day restaurant or coffee shop is not necessarily such an environment, and the public at large does not expect or demand it.
It is simply practical to limit the night patrons of the Karoo Café to those who are interested and passionate about creating and maintaining such a convivial atmosphere and therefore access should be by invitation only.
The Karoo Night Café is loosely based on the following objectives:
01
To provide a gathering place, that is exclusive, but not elitist where:
patrons can go to enjoy an evening out reading, writing, working, or chatting in a place with a warm and quiet but exciting atmosphere
either just still the hunger and thirst, or wine and dine
it is the norm rather than the exception to go on your own and have the choice to talk to nobody or everybody
you can be assured you will always find stimulating vibes and interaction
you only pay what you think the experience is worth
every patron is also the owner and is empowered to act in the interest of the café
regular special events like music evenings, poetry readings, astronomy meetings and philosophical and other discussions are also held
02
To ensure, through the invitation-only system that all patrons adhere to the Code of conduct:
refrain at all times from being loud or obnoxious
be mindful of the requirements, privacy and perceptions of fellow patrons
As Shakespeare said, “Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood.”
We agree with the philosopher Lau Kwong Fook when he says that such a café
should be:
• A place where all your ideas are taken seriously
• An adventure you should try at least once in your life.
• A time to wonder if unicorns are real
• A time to answer queries you never thought you had
• A chance to rediscover the child in you. A trek to explore the world of ideas.
• A time to reactivate a mind deadened by routine. A garden of reason in a jungle of pride and prejudices.
• A time when ignorance is an asset
• A chance to discover your own thoughts.
• A workout for your mind
• A chance to study life, death, between and beyond An opportunity to travel at the speed of thought
• An act that is better than sex (and you don’t have to be at least 16)
join the family
Karoo Café
As we continue to evolve, we invite you to share in this journey. Your thoughts, ideas, and feedback are always welcome, as we strive to shape Karoo Café into more than just a place to eat or drink, but a community where ideas are nurtured, and every patron feels at home.
