By far the best known chain coffee shops in Cape Town (or indeed the whole of South Africa). Most card-carrying Vida-loyalists will tell you that their branch of this high-octane coffee shop is the best in the country, but we love Camps Bay (Victoria Road; Tel: 021 424 5829), predictably a huge draw with surfers and cyclists; and the original Vida, in Kloof Street (34 Kloof Street, Tel: 021 426 0627): there’s plentiful eye candy in both, with a motley collection of city-slicking vamps, media louts and undiscovered models. The Portuguese brand – which translates as ‘coffee and life’ – has only been a franchise operation for the past couple of years (the original owners now have their fingers in other pies, such as the beer emporium, ⋃ see Drink), but somehow manages to retain a sense of individuality in every outlet (featuring an all-male confident crew who bark out orders along with sassy flirtatious reparte). Food selection is limited to croissants, pastries and muffins (the four-cheese Quattro is addictive), which are perfect accompaniments to the rich coffee, served in eco-friend cups (made from potato skins and corn).