The Great Stellenbosch Waffle-Off: Moody Blue vs. En Route Waffles

By Daniëlle Gerber

Moody Blue’s waffles have been the most-raved-about waffles in Stellenbosch lately due to its expansive menu and twenty-four-seven trading hours. They are arguably most famous for the wide selection of waffles at an affordable student rate – yet can the other Stellenbosch waffle joints just be disregarded? Find here a comparison between the Moody Blue waffles and the En Route waffles as we battle to see who will end up on top.

Moody Blue

Figure 1: Moody Blue waffles shared with Kanon (source: author’s own)

As number one, we have Moody Blue with its very convenient location in the Neelsie – this does, however, result in a consistent queue and longer waiting times. Moody Blue does have a very impressive range of waffle options, with it taking up an entire page in their brochure. Find from plain to interesting and all the in-between here – you can even find a marbled waffle! Be sure to know that the soft serve served with the waffle does melt very fast into a syrupy sauce.

En Route

Figure 2: The En Route Bar One waffle shared with Katleho (source: author’s own)

Second up we have En Route. While it is an eight-minute walk from the Neelsie, you will almost certainly find a shorter queue and waiting time. En Route, however, offers only a few flavours – namely Bar One, Crunchie, Peppermint Crisp, and some berry options. We, of course, must stick with Bar One as it’s objectively the best. En Route matches the prices of Moody Blue with the waffles being about R34.

There are definitely some other delicious waffle joints across Stellenbosch town, however, these are the most student-friendly price-wise and location-wise. Do you even need a better excuse to go get a waffle? Be sure to take a friend to share with, as the portion sizes are very generous at both locations – and they do not last well for takeaways. Which favourite go-to do you think should take the crown?

Comparative summary:

Moody Blue:En Route:
Benefits:
–        Neelsie Location
–        Variety of choice
–        Aesthetic design
–        Open 24/7
–        Cheap! (Between R32 and R40 for a waffle)
–        Big portion size		Benefits:
–        Short queues
–        Very generous toppings
–        Ice Cream stays ice cream
–        Cheap (R34)
–        Big portion size
Disadvantages:
–        Long queue and wait
–        The ice cream melts very fast into a puddle of muddled colour		Disadvantages:
–        A walk from the Neelsie
–        Less variety
–        Only open until midnight