21 excellent restaurants that put Cape Town firmly on the foodie map
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For visitors from the UK and many other places, the food in Cape Town's restaurants and cafés will seem remarkably good value for the quality. Cape cuisine is all about fresh, locally sourced ingredients rather than a particular style of cooking (though cooking meat over coals is a national pastime) – this should hardly come as a suprise given it is surrounded by fertile farmlands and pounded by a bracing Atlantic. Some say we eat with our eyes, and here too the city offers a feast – vineyard-clad mountains, craggy peaks and a sparkling sea. It is no wonder that the city attracts the continent's most talented chefs, and that Cape Town is regularly ranked one of the top culinary capitals of the world.
City Bowl
Hemelhuijs
Don't be put off by this restaurant's unprepossessing location on the fan walk – this is one of the best luncheons you’ll have in the city, and the breakfasts are amazing too. Self-effacing chef Jacques Erasmus dabbles in illustration, furniture and ceramics, and his décor touches are as inventive and unpredicatable as his flavours; from laboratory flasks to dangling crockery, his heaven-house (direct translation) changes look and menu regularly. Prawns could be served in a coconut broth with garden peas, ginger, coriander and lychees; veal could be pan-fried with crab butter, parmesan, pine nuts and parsley. There are lovely fresh juice combinations too. If only they also opened for dinner.
Contact: 00 27 21 418 2042; hemelhuijs.co.za
Prices: ££
Opening times: Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm; Sat, 9am-3pm
Reservations: Recommended
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La Tête
After a decade with Fergus Henderson, chef Giles Edward opened his own 'nose-to-tail' restaurant a couple of years ago in downtown Bree Street. He was fed up with the ethics of eating only a tiny portion of all that is edible, and so offers a tapas-style selection of heart, cheek, trotter and tail – parts you will devour with glee. Even more suprising is how good his vegetarian options are: a deliciously tart celeriac salad, chargrilled green beans with roast shallots and creamy curd, braised fennel, tomato and mint. Conclude with light, fluffy, warm Madeleines, washed down with espresso. With great service and an excellent wine list, this is a low-key class act.
Contact: 00 27 21 418 1299; latete.co.za
Prices: ££
Opening times: Tues-Fri, 12pm-2.30pm; Tues-Sat, 6pm-11pm
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Black Sheep
This trendy yet unpretentious bistro-style restaurant has been a rip-roaring success since it opened, with both dinner seatings often booked up weeks in advance. You’ll see why as you work your way down the chalkboard menu, and battle to decide. Help is at hand – knowledgeable waiters are only too happy to guide your choice, but if the yellowtail curry, roasted carrot and cumin salad or rabbit pasta are scrawled on, do include in your shortlist. Caveats: the chalkboard allows chef Jonny to update daily, but it's a tad irritating if you're seated far away; one man’s vibrant is another's noisy.
Contact: 00 27 21 426 2661; blacksheeprestaurant.co.za
Prices: ££
Opening times: Tues-Fri, 12pm-2.30pm; Tues-Sat, 6pm-11pm
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Café Paradiso
This is one of the city's best family-orientated restaurants: a hacienda-style house with treed garden in which you dine al fresco with a view of Table Mountain. Sometimes they have pizza-making activities for children, and the pond outside has floating toy fish. That said, it’s perfectly suitable for an adults-only table, looking for comfort food at a very good price. Be warned that service can be slow when busy. You might find yourself ordering another bottle while waiting for the slow-roasted lamb and aubergine tossed with fresh baby spinach leaves, rocket, olives, seeds and dollops of garlic aioli. Manna, across the road, is another very good choice.
Contact: 021 423 8653, cafeparadiso.co.za
Prices: £
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 8am-10pm; Sun, 10am-6pm
Reservations: Advised
Maria's Greek Café & Restaurant
This tiny Greek restaurant already attracts a loyal local following, which makes any last-minute bookings tricky, especially on those balmy summer evenings when tables spill out onto Dunkley square. If you’re lucky the charming owners Cleon and Kate will be in attendance; regardless, the atmosphere is always friendly and the square vibe festive. You can’t go wrong with the stuffed calamari, mucver (balls of courgette and feta, rolled in breadcrumbs and fried) or the slow-cooked lamb. Dogs are expressly welcome (rare in South Africa) so don’t come if you have an aversion to four-legged patrons.
Contact: 00 27 21 461 3333; facebook.com/MariasGreekCafe
Prices: £
Opening times: Tues-Sat, 12pm-2pm and from 6.30pm
Reservations: Advised
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Woodstock
Test Kitchen
Luke Dale-Roberts is a true food artist. It's not just about his innovative flavour combinations, but also the intelligent and sensual presentations of his tasting menu, with olfactory senses captured as much as sight and taste. There’s also a theatrical element, with guest welcomed and seated in the Dark Room, a cosy informal lounge area where cocktails and canapé-style plates do the rounds before you are moved to your dining table in the Light Room for the 10-course tasting menu, each more delectable than the last. With a smaller dining room now seating maximum 40 guests, and reduced hours (the restaurant is no longer open for lunch), the pressure to secure a table is the only unpleasant aspect of what is otherwise the best fine dining experience in the city.
Contact: 00 27 21 447 2337; thetestkitchen.co.za
Prices: £££
Opening times: Tues-Sat, 6.30pm-9pm
Reservations: Essential – book as soon as you know you are coming to Cape Town; online bookings for the following month open at 8am on the first day of every month, and can sell out within 30 minutes
Pot Luck Club
There are surprisingly few restaurants with views in the city, which is just one of several excellent reasons to book here well in advance. It's located in the silo of the original Woodstock Biscuit Mill; inside, chef Luke Dale Roberts serves his signature-style tapas menu along with fabulous city and mountain views. There are two seatings; I’d opt for the earlier to enjoy the change from sunset to city lights. Sharing plates change regularly but are divided into five basic tastes; salty, sour, sweet, umami and bitter. All are excellent. It's more casual than Test Kitchen, and some prefer it.
Contact: 00 27 21 447 0804; thepotluckclub.co.za
Prices: £££
Opening Times: Mon-Sat, 12.30pm-2pm, 6pm-10pm; Sun, 11am-12.30pm
Reservations: Essential
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Sea Point & Green Point
Il Leone Mastrantonio
This is one of the only traditional family-run Italian restaurants in Cape Town (the other being Magica Roma in Pinelands – a little off the beaten tourist track but worth it if you like old-school Italian). The pastas are all homemade – simple, delicious, and good value – but the carb-free courgette pasta topped with chunky prawns in a simple, flavourful passata is a more modern option (if it’s not on the menu, ask for it). For the rest it's an old-fashioned Italian experience, with tables draped in white, and napkins spread on the lap. Acoustics can be a problem when it’s full.
Contact: 00 27 21 421 0071; mastrantonio.com
Prices: £
Opening times: Tues-Sun, 12pm-3pm; and from 6.30pm
Reservations: Advised
V&A waterfront
Willoughby & Co
Willoughby & Co is known for its excellent sushi and Japanese dishes. It's super popular but also super efficient (and worth the wait), with several open kitchens pumping out orders while a waitress trawls the queue with glasses and complimentary Sauvignon, which makes everything move faster. By the time you’re seated you are happy to be here, and the happiness barometer just keeps going up. Their ratio of sushi ingredients is near perfect: order the '4x4' ( four rainbow rolls and four creamy rock shrimp rolls) as most do. Do note though that it is located in a shopping mall with no view; it’s worth waiting a little longer to sit inside rather than at a table in the corridor.
Contact: 00 27 21 418 6115; willoughbyandco.co.za
Prices: ££
Opening times: Daily, 11.30am-10.30pm
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Den Anker
This low-key Belgian restaurant has been here since the Waterfront was first developed; time has sloughed away the early pioneers but this remains, in every sense, an anchor. It’s partly the location – a low-slung bungalow with tables spilling out onto the quayside, with a great view of Table Mountain – but also consistency. In a world of change, Den Anker’s menu stays the course. The pepper steak is famously good, and the Wagyu burger gets rave reviews, but it is the 1kg pot of mussels that always hits the spot: big juicy critters in a herby broth, served with frites and a mustard-flavoured mayonnaise.
Address: Pierhead, V & A Waterfront
Contact: 00 27 21 419 0249; denanker.co.za
Prices: ££
Opening times: Daily, 11am-10.30pm
Reservations: Advised
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Camps Bay and Atlantic Seabord
Salsify at The Round House
A few months after The Test Kitchen was once again rated Best in Africa, chef-owner Luke Dale Roberts and head chef Ryan Cole announced a new venture. Tucked into a leafy glen halfway up Lion's Head, with tree-fringed views of the Twelve Apostles and sparkling Atlantic, this is their best location yet. The dark, plush, central heart is enlivened with white graffiti, painted by Durban-born street artist Skull Boy. Dining is predictably excellent – order at least one delectable 'spring minestrone', a bite-sized oyster and calamari starter that tastes of the sea, and don’t miss the melt-in-the-mouth sirloin, served with onion gravy, burnt turnip and bone marrow biscuit. And if the views and food aren’t enough to transport you, sommelier Nash Kanyangarara will ensure you leave on another plain.
Contact: 021 010 6444; salsify.co.za
Prices: ££.
Reservations: Essential – bookings open online on the 1st of every month for the following month; no phone bookings accepted
Bilboa
The latest entrant in the impressive Kove collection is their best yet. Aside from the glorious setting perched above palm-lined Camps Bay beach, the décor is sophisticated without being stuck up and the service is flawless. Café-style tables are arranged along an L-shaped tiled patio that wraps around a raised platform with a slightly more fine-dining vibe under modern geometric brass lamps. It’s a combination that hits the spot as does the simple Mediterranean-inspired menu – if you like fish, the specialities are it: try salmon served on a bed of dukkah-spiced quinoa and pickled cucumber with chilli and lemon; steaks are equally good.
Contact: 00 27 21 286 5155; bilboa.co.za
Prices: ££
Opening times: Daily, 9am-11pm
Reservations: Advised
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Col’cacchio Camps Bay
This is a chain, so ambiance is impersonal and décor bland, but if you like your pizza base thin and crunchy, with innovative toppings (great listed combinations, or make your own), this Camps Bay outlet is cheap and a great family-friendly option. Children get crayons to draw on paper tablecloths and dough to make into shapes, which are then baked in the oven. Get here early to grab a window table and watch the sun sink into the ocean, but be warned, the noise and children-induced chaos at traditional feeding time is not for the childless.
Contact: 00 27 21 438 2171; colcaccio.co.za
Prices: £
Opening times: Daily, 11am-11pm
Reservations: Advised for dinner
Constantia
La Colombe
Wow. That's the involuntary response every time the waiter places a plate in front of you. For sheer artistry, La Colombe's Scot Kirton vies with Luke Dale Roberts of Test Kitchen for the position of top chef in Cape Town. It's definitely worth ordering the eight-course gourmand menu – portions are perfectly judged, flavours so well balanced and visually each a small edible artwork. The venue is a great elevated space on stilts amidst the trees near Constantia Nek. It's popular, so good luck getting a last-minute table. Kirton also now has La Petite Colombe in Franschhoek.
Contact: 00 27 21 794 2390; lacolombe.co.za
Price: £££
Opening Times: Mon-Sun, 12pm-2pm, 6.30pm-9pm
Reservations: Essential, book as soon as your dates are firm
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Chef’s Warehouse Beau Constantia
An unbeatable combination of location, value and cuisine make this the best-value fine-dining experience in the city. It’s 100 per cent eye candy, from the most spectacular view of Cape Town’s Constantia valley sprawled below, to the superlative 'tapas for two' dishes, which are brought to you in three courses and artfully presented on shared platters for ZAR 800 (£43) for two people. Chef-owner Liam Tomlin still operates from his original Chef’s Warehouse in Bree Street (brilliant, and with the no-booking policy you could actually get a table just by arriving early enough), and now also in Franschhoek (Chef’s Warehouse at Maison).
Contact: 00 27 21 794 8632; beauconstantia.com
Prices: ££
Opening times: Tues-Sat, 12pm-2pm, 5pm-8pm; Sun, 12pm-2pm
Reservations: Essential
Bistro Sixteen82
The double-volume barn architecture here creates a rustic-chic setting that opens onto a cool water feature and beautiful vineyard views. It’s romantic yet family friendly; a place where Capetonians come to celebrate special occasions. Chef Kerry Kilpin loves Asian flavours – tempura prawns are served with a chargrilled pineapple salsa and a chipotle aioli, sirloin salad is tossed in a chilli, soy and ginger vinaigrette – but she’s equally adept at comfort food such as roast pork belly or braised lamb neck. There's also a separate vegetarian menu as well as a vegan menu. The evening tapas offer gives you a selection of any five dishes for ZAR 350 (£19), and so is very good value.
Contact: 00 27 21 713 2211; steenberg-vineyards.co.za
Prices: ££
Opening times: Daily, 9am-11am, 12pm-3pm, 5pm-8pm
Reservations: Advised
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Kalk Bay and Southern Peninsula
Harbour House & Live Bait
The fish is always fresh and succulent, tablecloths clean, and waiters friendly, but it’s the location on the Kalk Bay harbour breakwater, with sea views across False Bay to the mountainous Kogelberg backdrop, that make this restaurant a must. Downstairs is the more informal sister establishment Live Bait – where the menu is slightly smaller and cheaper but it comes from the same kitchen. There’s another Live Bait in Muizenberg, but if you want to eat seafood within meters of its source, with the occasional wave breaking against your window, the Kalk Bay options are best. Harbour House on the Waterfront serves similar fare and is a good choice if you’re trawling that harbour for grub.
Address: Kalk Bay Harbour (or Waterfront)
Contact: 00 27 21 788 4131; harbourhouse.co.za
Prices: ££
Opening times: Daily, 12pm-4pm and 6pm-10pm
Reservations: Advised
Kalky’s
If all you want is a classic fish and chips at a bargain price, step in line at Kalky’s. On a summer weekend the long queues into this small shack on the edge of Kalk Bay harbour (opposite Harbour House) attest to its popularity amongst all walks of life. Arrive before 12 or after 2.30pm and you’ll avoid the wait; order at the till, then grab a table to join Cape Town’s most varied cast of characters, all here for the best and biggest plate of crispy hake and chips, devoured with fingers or plastic cutlery. Note that cards are accepted only when the temperamental machine is working, so bring cash as a back up.
Contact: 00 27 21 788 1726; facebook.com/kalkys.seafood
Prices: £
Opening times: Daily, 10am-8pm
Reservations: Walk-ins only
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Winelands
Foliage
With big-hitter chefs Scot Kirton and Liam Tomlin in the hood, diners are spoilt for choice in Franschhoek, but Chris Erasmus still holds his own. His menu, changing almost daily, is inspired by the roots, herbs, flowers and mushrooms foraged on his early morning walks in the valley. It’s great for vegetarians (charcoal roasted beetroot and broccoli is served with wild sorrel yogurt; Elandskraal black truffle flavours the porcini mushroom risotto) but conscious carnivores will appreciate that all flesh is ethically sourced, its origin denoted in the menu. It’s an unpretentious, relaxed bistro venue that belies the serious quality of the food.
Contact: 021 876 2328; foliage.co.za
Prices: ££
Opening hours: Mon-Sat, 12pm-3pm, 7pm-9pm.
Reservations: Advised in season
Terroir
The approach, with a dire business park looming to the right and a cookie cutter golf estate to your left, is not promising, but it’s foodie heaven once you’re stationed here, under the oaks. Producing unpretentious, classy, utterly delicious food, Michael Broughton is one of Cape Town’s top chefs (and the bar is high), but he doesn’t seek to wow with intricate presentations or what now seems to be the de rigeur tasting menu format. Broughton is known as a master saucier, and his á la carte dishes are deceptively simple, yet flavours are always pitch perfect. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. Think of it as fine dining with the shoes kicked off.
Contact: 00 27 21 880 8167; kleinezalze.co.za
Prices: ££
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 12pm-2.30pm and from 6.30pm; Sun, 12pm-2.30pm
Reservations: Advised
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West Coast
Wolfgat
Kobus Van derMerwe is South Africa's most innovative forager chef, producing a totally unique West Coast Strandveld cuisine. Try it at his restaurant where he serves a seven-course tasting menu for a limited number of people (24 maximum) each day. Each morsel is unlike anything you have ever tasted – finely diced watermelon and fennel blossoms are presented in an edible succulent; local mussels are served with papaja and presented with bonsai-like branches of burning wild sage. It’s open for dinner twice a week but book for lunch: the views of Paternoster beach are mesmerising. If you’re an adventurous foodie it’s worth making the trip to overnight in Paternoster just to eat here.
Address: 10 Sampson Street, Paternoster
Contact: (no number; email bookings only) wolfgat.co.za
Prices: £££
Opening hours: Wed-Sat, lunch from 12.30pm; Sun, lunch from 12pm; Fri-Sat, dinner from 7pm
