Bridget Hilton-Barber lets the spirit go to her head

On the recommendation of a fellow coffee head, I visit the Citizen Café. The first thing that greets me is a little sign on the door saying “Hello citizen,” and a giant red woollen knitted heart hanging in the window. I like the spirit here. The décor is simple and homey, with a faded Persian carpet and old dressmaking patterns pasted on the ceiling. Some of the walls have wallpaper with high rise buildings, and others are painted with blackboards advertising the free wi-fi, special offers and inspirational graffiti.

“The Citizen Café is an extension of our home,” proclaims the board. “Our home is a sacred and inviting space. It’s sacred because we value, respect and admire and love our team and request the same from all our citizens interacting with our team. This way we keep the energy clean . . .” This moves me. It moves me to order a glass of wine instead of my usual coffee. But I do check.

“Yes, we serve Bean There coffee,” says the very friendly owner of Citizen Café, Richard Thomson. “And we mix Kenyan and other blends.” I’m not sure if he’s talking about the coffee or the citizens, but I am happy here. The wi-fi signal is strong, the password appropriate (yes, you have to go there yourself and find out) and the vibe is friendly, gentle and unexpectedly soulful. The Citizen Café has only been going a month or so, but clearly they are already popular, with a high turnover of interesting people.

Citizen Café is at Shop 2, Valley Heights Centre, 101 Conrad Drive, Blairgowrie. Cappuccino is R17; filter is R15 and double espresso R20; tel: 011 326 3339; parking is right outside, no car guards, no fee, no fuss, yay.