A coffee shop with great food and a fully stocked vinyl bar? Hard Pressed Cafe, at the bottom of Bree Street, has made it happen. Medium roast coffee is served alongside a fresh and changing menu, with a stack of the latest and most loved twelve inches on hand for your listening and purchasing pleasure. CTE.com chats to director Yaron Wiesenbacher about coffee and Cape Town in guaranteed good humour.
How did the idea of a coffee shop/vinyl store begin?
I once had a girlfriend who had a mother who said I wasn’t good enough. So I thought I better do something about it.
Where do you source the beans from?
Guatemala, Costa Rica and Brazil. But I collect them in Sea Point.
From Banting cheesecake to the Shnitz to the Moroccan … who’s the mastermind behind the menu?
A combination of my folks’ and my love for food.
What sort of vibe and ambience do you hope to achieve?
One that makes you feel like you could be in a place that existed 30 years ago.
Who are your regular clientele?
Businessmen, businesswomen, businessmen who think they are hipsters, businesswomen who don’t like businessmen who think they are hipsters. Working hipsters. Non-working hipsters. Vagrants (about three a day). Pretty girls. Pretty boys. Pretty much anyone who wants the best coffee and bad humour in town.
And the famous blackboard?
Well… It kind of started out of luck and happened pretty organically. It’s a great way to be interactive with my mates and customers.
Photography Rory Keohane/HSMimages.co.za