Banana Jam Café holds a corner of 2nd Avenue in Harfield Village, Kenilworth, a Caribbean kitchen that built a working brewery upstairs. It is one of Cape Town's most-recommended rooms for a drinker who wants range, since the Afro Caribbean Brewing Co. pours more than 30 of its own and guest beers on tap.
Who would love it: a beer drinker chasing variety, a rum drinker after something other than the usual, and anyone who likes reggae over a long lunch. Who would not: anyone after a quiet cocktail lounge or a polished date-night room, since this is a loud, warm, family-run southern-suburbs spot first and foremost.
The room
The café opened in 1999 and runs casual, with an indoor bar, a courtyard for warmer evenings, and the brewery sitting directly above the dining room. The Brewmistress, a Cape Town beer site, traced the brewery's arrival to 2014 construction and a late-2015 opening, and the result is a venue where the beer travels a single flight of stairs from tank to tap. The soft lighting and the odd fire pit keep the courtyard usable on a cold Cape night.
The drinks
The tap wall is the reason to come. The Afro Caribbean Brewing Co. range runs deep into hop-forward styles, and two of its beers have collected real hardware: the Jungle Paradise IPA was named a best beer in South Africa, and the Space Llama double dry-hopped IPA was recognized as a best beer in Africa. Pints sit in the fair 40 to 60 rand range for most pours, with more than 80 further beers available by the bottle. Marcus Webb's read for the spirits drinker: the kitchen's Caribbean roots make the rum list the smarter second move, and a dark rum over the house ginger beer is the order that ties the room together.
The crowd and vibe
The crowd is a mix of Harfield Village locals, craft-beer regulars working the tap list top to bottom, and groups in for jerk chicken, goat curry or a stack of burgers. Earlier in the day the courtyard runs relaxed; the room tightens and the reggae rises as the night goes on. Service stays friendly and unhurried even when the bar fills.
What regulars say
Across Tripadvisor and the local beer guides, the praise is steady. The on-site IPAs draw the most attention, the burgers and Caribbean plates get named again and again, and the decor and music get credit for what reviewers call a genuine island feel. The common note for first-timers is simple: ask the bar which of the house beers is freshest off the tank that week.
Best time to go
Early evening midweek is the move, when you can claim a courtyard table, work through a flight of the house IPAs and order a rum to finish. Banana Jam keeps standard hours from Tuesday to Sunday and closes on Mondays, so plan around that. See where it sits among the best craft beer bars in Cape Town, read our wider guide to craft beer bars by city, and compare it with the city pillar on the best craft beer in Cape Town.
Pair this bar with
For a brewery taproom across town, compare Devil's Peak Tap Room Cape Town. For another in-house brewing operation, try Jack Black Tap Room Cape Town. And for a long ale list in a pub setting, Villains Ale House Cape Town makes the natural next stop.
Sources
Banana Jam Café: Brewery · The Brewmistress: Banana Jam Café · Tripadvisor (accessed 2026-06)
Reviewed by Marcus Webb, barsforKings. Published Apr 7, 2026 · Last reviewed May 20, 2026.
