Destination
Type of Restaurant
Type of Meal
Editors Pick
Read More95 Keerom
This restaurant, in an elegantly restored 17th-century town house close to the Houses of Parliament and the Supreme Court, was an instant hit when it. The food has a northern Italian emphasis, but there is an almost obsessive focus on...
Read MoreBabel
For an unforgettable meal in the winelands, take a trip out to this Eden where the farm-to-table cuisine is imaginative and exquisite (a red salad of beets, strawberries and tomatoes is almost too pretty to eat). The institution's purity is...
Photo by Betina Jacobs, courtesy Belly of the BeastRead MoreBelly of the Beast
Open your minds to the Belly of the Beast…a family-run passion product comprised of an intimate dining experience that balances the expected with the unexpected.
Read MoreBistro Sixteen82
This modish glass, steel and slate-stone restaurant is the centerpiece of Steenberg, the oldest wine farm in the Cape, established 1682. Chef Kerry Kilpin presents seasonal local produce in a tapas menu—lots of oysters, sashimi, tartars and terrines—and heartier bistro...
Read MoreBlack Sheep
One of Cape Town’s hot spots, Black Sheep brings a lively bistro option to Kloof Street. The chefs behind the restaurant worked at gastropubs in the UK and Ireland (including Chapter One in Dublin), and focus on what’s in season....
Read MoreBombay Brasserie
A stunning Indian restaurant with a beautiful setting at the Taj, Bombay Brasserie is by far the best Indian restaurant in Cape Town.
Read MoreCaffe Neo
Run by a Greek family, this delightful bright-white café is opposite the Mouille Point lighthouse and the water. There’s a long communal table inside, but grab a table on the outside terrace and enjoy the views of open sea, sky...
Read MoreCarne
This contemporary steak house is run by chef Giorgio Nava whose first venture, 95 Keerom, is still one of the most beloved spots in town for a great meal in a relaxed setting. Carne is an ode to all-things meat,...
Read MoreChapman’s Peak Hotel
This restaurant, with a terrace with gorgeous views of Hout Bay, is ideal for a casual summer lunch. Order the perfectly fried or grilled calamari, the grilled line fish (a South African term for whatever fresh fish is available), a...
Courtesy ChorusRead MoreChorus
Opened in 2022 at the Waterkloof Wine Estate, Chorus’s four and six course menus are dictated by the seasons with fresh, local ingredients. In addition to the property wines, Chorus also serves wines from other South African producers.
Read MoreCompany’s Garden Restaurant
The Madame Zingara restaurant group has a cult following in Cape Town for its sometimes quirky, always delicious stable of eateries (Bombay Bicycle Club, Sidewalk Café, and Café Paradiso among them). November 2014's opening of this restaurant was a stroke...
Read MoreFoxcroft
Located in the well-heeled neighborhood of Constantia, Foxcroft is the passion project of Glen Foxcroft Williams, the former pastry chef at the much-lauded La Colombe. Williams’s aim is to serve refined, sophisticated cuisine in a casual atmosphere, and the restaurant...
Photo by Bruce Tuck, courtesy FYNRead MoreFYN
At FYN (pronounced “fain”), South American produce appears in contemporary Japanese dishes and served with French vigor. The menu offerings here are an ever-changing work of art, whose assembly is on display due to the restaurant’s open-kitchen format, part of...
Read MoreGiovanni’s
This Green Point delicatessen has a bar for snacks and outstanding coffee, made by a famously surly barista. It’s a hangout for the beautiful and trendy, as well as locals who come by every morning to meet friends. There is...
Read MoreGrand Café & Beach
The Grand Café franchise (an African version of the Nikki Beach scene) reaches its apogee at this glam restaurant-bar on a reclaimed beach in Granger Bay. The café—a converted warehouse decorated with vintage chandeliers, Parisian wicker chairs and retro ceiling...
Read MoreGreenhouse
Award-winning chef Peter Templehoff incorporates South Africa regional produce and culture at this restaurant, part of which is in an actual greenhouse. With an emphasis on sustainability, the restaurant’s exquisite menu shifts according to the season and what is locally...
Read MoreHaiku Asian Tapas
I usually distrust restaurants that claim to have cuisines from many countries, but Haiku overcame my reservations with its fabulous range of Asian tastes—from steamed dumplings to wok chili beef to salmon and avocado-topped sushi rice. It’s a glamorous spot,...
Read MoreHemelhuijs
Hemelhuijs beautifully presents modern South African cuisine.
Read MoreIl Cappero
This Italian restaurant in Camps Bay is the kind of warm, welcoming joint with fabulous food that you wish was in your neighborhood. Owners Aldo and Cetti met while they working on a yacht (he as captain; she as chef)....
Read MoreIl Leone Mastrantonio
This Italian trattoria in Green Point serves authentic pasta dishes in a congenial ambiance. It also has an impressive wine cellar, stocked with South African and Italian wines. Be sure to save room for the crème brulée.
Read MoreJason Bakery
This bustling café is perfect for breakfast, lunch or an afternoon snack, though it’s best to arrive early to beat the crowds. Lauded especially for its croissants, the bakery serves outstanding pastries, sandwiches and freshly baked breads. Opt for take-out...
Read MoreKyoto Garden Sushi
Kyoto Garden Sushi, a Japanese spot just off Kloof Street is a go-to for sushi-crazy Capetonians.
Read MoreLa Colombe
In 2014, the award-winning La Colombe moved to the Silvermist Wine Estate, where chef Scot Kirton turns out refined tasting menus from a prime hilltop perch. Standouts from an ever-evolving menu include Karoo lamb, quail and celeriac, and foie gras...
Read MoreLa Perla
La Perla, in Sea Point, has served generations of Capetonians as a kind of upmarket canteen where they eat several times a week and know the Indian waiters by name. The menu is large and fairly traditional, with a few...
Read MoreLoaves on Long
A pale blue heritage building on Long Street is the site for this delightful café featuring, as the name might suggest, fresh artisanal breads and pastries. But there’s a lot more to it than that: you’ll also find great coffee,...
Read MoreLove thy Neighbour
This relaxed Mediterranean style eatery on lower Bree Street’s booming restaurant row serves classic Greek dishes, with ingredients purveyed locally, South African wines and beers. Guests can sit outside by alfresco patio in the warmer months and in the charming...
Read MoreManna Epicure
Manna Epicure is a popular Argentine-inflected spot on Kloof Street.
Read MoreMountain View Café
Mountain View Café has fantastic samosas, crunchy fried triangles of thin pastry folded around savory fillings of spiced vegetables, meat or chicken, a Cape Malay staple. There are also plenty of other local dishes, like a mildly spiced curry and...
Read MoreNo Reservations
This hole-in-the-wall bar beneath the popular tapas restaurant Chefs Warehouse offers many delicious elixirs. Come just for the cozy, casual bar, or grab a drink before dinner. The bar owes its name to the fact that Chef's Warehouse doesn’t take...
Read MoreNobu
Located in the One & Only, Nobu has a serene dining room, with an upper-level sake bar and ground floor dining area with a sushi bar. The design is as sleek and contemporary as the master’s dishes; there’s a beautiful...
Read MoreOlympia Café
This slightly scruffy eatery opposite the Kalk Bay harbor makes possibly the city’s best bread and pastries, and the food that emerges from its tiny storefront kitchen (two cooks and a few burners) is wonderful, too. There are delicious egg...
Read MorePlanet Champagne Bar
The refurbished bar in the venerable Mount Nelson Hotel (known locally as the “Nellie”) is quite glamorous and draws a sophisticated crowd. It’s a good spot for a quiet rendezvous or a prelude to a romantic evening out.
Read MoreSidewalk Café
Thanks to its easy, comfortable atmosphere and versatile menu, Sidewalk Café is a watering hole for all types of locals and visitors. Equally perfect for a lazy brunch, business lunch or low-key date night, this beloved neighborhood spot serves thoughtful,...
Read MoreSignal
Having a female chef run a fine dining kitchen is a rarity in Cape Town, but so is Malika van Reenen, who runs the kitchen at the Cape Grace herself. A native Capetonian, she has taken to the role of...
Read MoreSocieti Bistro
At first glance, this restaurant, near the University of Cape Town, doesn’t look all that special. The interior is unexceptional, but the outdoor area is always packed and the relaxed, bistro-style cooking (lamb shanks, oxtail, salad niçoise with fresh tuna)...
Read MoreThali
For outstanding Indian food in Cape Town, head to Thali. The casual eatery off of Kloof Street is the brainchild of Liam Tomlin (the restauranteur behind Chef’s Warehouse), who brought the same philosophy—of relaxed, tapas-style dining—to Thali. Don’t be fooled...
Read MoreThe Blue Cafe
Just a few tables outside a small delicatessen up in the residential reaches of the lovely Tamboerskloof neighborhood, this is a charming place with simple, home-cooked food. I wouldn’t make a special trip, but if you are in the Kloof...
Read MoreThe Bungalow
This relaxed spot on the water at Camp’s Bay is a great place for sunset drinks or for a lively lunch. Highlights include sushi, mussels, oysters and carpaccio.
Read MoreThe Foodbarn
The coastal Cape Peninsula drive, winding through Hout Bay, Chapman’s Peak Drive, Cape Point, the Cape of Good Hope, Simon’s Town, and much more, is at the top of every Cape Town must-do list. But it’ll take you a half...
Courtesy of Harbour HouseRead MoreThe Harbour House
Dashing entrepreneur Michael Townsend’s Portuguese-influenced seafood restaurant sits right on the harbor in Kalk Bay. The dining room is a modish, all-white, glass-walled space where the ocean waves crash against the windows inches from your table. Apart from prawns imported...
Courtesy of Pot Luck ClubRead MoreThe Pot Luck Club & Gallery
Adjacent to the Test Kitchen in the Old Biscuit Mill, this Luke Dale-Roberts venture is a small-plates restaurant and gallery that has a minimalist, almost Nordic look. Each month the black-tiled walls are hung with the work of a local...
Read MoreThe Rockwell Dinner Theatre
Yes it is touristy but the Rockwell Dinner Theatre offers a fun and educational evening in Cape Town. Richard Loring made a name for himself as the producer of ‘African Footprint,’ and in 2011 opened Richard's Supper Stage venue to...
Read MoreThe Shortmarket Club
At this rustic café from chef Luke Dale-Roberts of The Test Kitchen, guests enjoy updated classics like oxtail ragu and baked aubergine along with creative desserts. The dining room is designed by Dale-Roberts’ wife Sandalene and makes use of leather, wood and locally-made stained glass...
Courtesy of the Radisson HotelRead MoreTobago’s Bar & Terrace
A decent but not first-tier hotel between Mouille Point and the Waterfront, the Radisson Hotel has a wonderful terrace with uninterrupted views over the sea to the shadowy mountain ranges on the horizon. It’s a great place for drinks at...
Read MoreTruth Coffee
This quirky coffee shop has gained a cult following for its funky, industrial décor and world-class coffee. Stop in to admire the café’s ‘steampunk–style’ interior (characterized by exposed metal beams and retro furniture) and a cup of Truth’s delicious coffee.
