Coffee and tacos for breakfast? Why not? 

Toro Coffee, on Molen Street in Potchefstroom, has everything a good coffee shop should have: spacious indoor and outdoor seating, clean and stylish decor, environmentally friendly coffee cups, a great logo (bull’s horns, because “toro” means “bull” in Spanish), and of course, delicious coffee. Toro opened in 2015 and is an obvious favorite among NWU students — the place is buzzing.

But Toro has something even better than freshly roasted coffee and hipster vibes: The coffee shop shares its premises with Dukes, a casual food joint that serves — among other things — tacos all day. And the best part of all? Each taco costs only R20.

First, the coffee. Toro serves locally roasted beans in all its best iterations: americano, cappuccino, macchiato, flat white, iced coffee, etc. The shop has plenty of space and free wifi for remote workers, as well as a bookable conference room and a selection of tasty pastries and baked goods for those who hanker for sweets. Following along on the bull them, Toro also has a wall with a selection of beautiful handmade leather goods for sale — not cheap but very well priced considering the obvious quality.

Toro has a huge, covered outdoor terrace in front for smokers and anyone else who feels like enjoying the sun. And in addition to tables and chairs, the outdoor terrace also has a small window belonging to Dukes where customers can order tacos, quesadillas, nachos, toasted Cubanos (Cuban sandwiches), and mac and cheese. Coffee shop customers can also order and pay for their Dukes food inside at the Toro coffee bar.

Each of Dukes’ Mexican food items comes with beef, chicken, or pork, and the mac and cheese comes with bacon. (Sorry vegetarians, the Dukes menu isn’t for you.) Nothing on the menu costs more than R55 and it’s quite possible to fill up for well under R100. The tacos, served with various combinations of crema sauce and coleslaw flavored with either mayo or mustard, taste best when topped with Dukes’ homemade roasted red pepper salsa. 

When asked if she has been to Mexico, Michelle Du Preez — who owns Dukes together with her husband, Herman — laughs and shakes her head. “No, we haven’t,” she says. “But my husband is a foodie and this is the kind of food we like to eat at home.” Dukes’ tagline, after all, is “Seriously comforting food”.

I close my eyes, dreaming of the day when I can be a dinner guest in Michelle and Herman’s home. I’m going to order the mac and cheese.

Toro and Dukes are at 99 Molen Street, Potchefstroom. Toro is open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday (closed Wednesday and Sunday). Dukes is open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday (closed Saturday and Sunday). Contact Toro at 072-470-1971 or toroafrica@gmail.com and Dukes at 071-290-6164.