It was the coffee wot dunnit.
And the delish’ and decadent fare wot won it.

Making delicious food since 1997

Kenneth McClarty wanted a flat white. But there was not a cappuccino to be found for love or money anywhere on the South Peninsula. And, as much as all good things in life were celebrated at a certain French restaurant up the line, he had his own style of simple, spontaneous, passionately-prepared fare that he relished cooking up himself for family and friends

So, over some delicious Chardonnays, he and some of those foodie friends plotted and planned their own place. What did it matter that funds were few when there were so much love and talent to go round? In November 1997, a greasy old fish-and-bait shop named Olympia Café had the words “and Deli” added to its signage, and those iconic corner doors opened for business. A legend was born.

We’re proud of our roots in the somewhat seedier, more bohemian village called the Kalk Bay of old. And we’re even prouder that Olympia Café remains the institution at the very heart of today’s caring Kalk Bay community.

So don’t stand on ceremony. You can’t book a place at our tables. But you can stand in line like so many big names before you. While you’re there, check out the chalkboard for today’s menu, feel the flash and flare of the pan, breathe in the aroma of the coffee (flat whites, darkie Americanos and all the rest), and drool. (At the food, at the baristas… We don’t mind.

Oh, and feel free to lick your fingers and the plate afterwards. That’s our style.

Ethos - At the Olympia Cafe we strive to do what is right, here are a few of our initiatives.

Chicken & Duck

We use free range chickens and ducks on our menus and in all our pies and sandwiches.

Water

We only serve filtered water as we try not use single use plastics, the water is free to anybody who wants to drink it.

Straws

We use bio degradable paper straws to play our part in keeping plastic out of the oceans.

Coffee Cups

We use bio degradable paper cups that are printed with soy based inks and lined with plant based coatings allowing them to degrade quickly. Even the lids are now compostable which is great news.

Harvested Water

We use harvested rain water to flush the toilets in an effort to reduce our fresh water consumption.

Packaging

We have only ever used paper packets for our products and are working on compostable containers for our take away food if you feel we have missed anything please contact us and let us see what we can do together.