Cape Town Restaurants

12 Apostles Peaks, Table Mountain, Cape Town © 123rf.com/Jurgen Hansmann
Most Popular Hotels in Cape Town:
76 Orange Street, Gardens, 8000
1 Lower Bree Street, 8002
Strand Street, 8001
Mill Street Gardens, 8001
 
 




The selected restaurants have been divided into five categories: Gastronomic, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments.
 
The restaurants below have been grouped into four different pricing categories:
$$$$ (over R200)
$$$ (R150 to R200)
$$ (R100 to R150)
$ (under R100)
These prices are for an average three-course meal for one person and a bottle of house wine or cheapest equivalent; they include VAT but they do not include tip.

Gastronomic

Aubergine
Intimate and confident with silver-service sophistication, Aubergine is ever popular with those in the gastronomic know. Seated around the palm tree on the terrace, diners can enjoy delights such as the ‘mosaic of sea and freshwater fish with green curry foam'. Dishes are inventive, with subtle Asian influences on classical favourites and an extensive wine list to complement each course; a sommelier is on hand to guide diners to the perfect choice.

39 Barnet Street, Gardens
Tel: (021) 465 4909.
Website: www.aubergine.co.za
Price: $$$$
Baia
This is one of Cape Town's best seafood restaurants and it's essential to make a reservation to get a table on the terraces that have fabulous views over the V&A Waterfront. The seafood platter with peri-peri sauce, bouillabaisse with shellfish and the line-fish in a classic beurre blanc sauce are legendary. They also serve poultry, beef and venison, and desserts include individually presented baked chocolate pudding with butterscotch sauce. The decor is chic and contemporary.

Shop 6262, V&A Waterfront
Tel: (021) 421 0935.
Price: $$$$
Buitenverwachting
Buitenvewachting takes its name from the wine estate upon which this sumptuous restaurant is located. The interior is classically stylish, with high-backed chairs, dusky blues and burnt reds. There is also an enclosed terrace offering stunning views of the vineyards. The cuisine is international in style, with local touches adding South African flavour. The comprehensive and award-winning wine list includes their own labels, as well as other local and international vintages.

Klein Constantia Road, Constantia
Tel: (021) 794 5190.
Website: http://buitenverwachting.com
Price: $$$-$$$$
La Colombe
La Colombe is just one of a handful of excellent dining opportunities at Constantia Uitsig, one of Constantia's premier wine estates. This homely white and light blue summerhouse-style restaurant offers poolside seating and exquisite cooking. The menu expertly blends Provençal delights with South African influences in an open-plan kitchen. With an award-winning wine list, a constantly changing menu and friendly and knowledgeable service, this restaurant is superb.

Constantia Uitsig, Constantia
Tel: (021) 794 2390.
Website: www.constantiauitsig.co.za  
Price: $$$$
Salt
Salt enjoys a stunning location inside a design hotel right on the waterfront in classy Bantry Bay. Specialities include grilled asparagus and the ‘specialty pie of the day', a re-imagining of a South African classic. The wine list is decent too with the Ataraxia Chardonnay 2007 the outstanding Cape wine. With mean cocktails and those views this is also a popular sundowner spot amongst the local glitterati.

34 Victoria Road, Bantry Bay
Tel: (021) 439 7258.
Website: www.saltrestaurant.co.za
Price: $$$

Business

Anatoli
Housed in a gutted warehouse, the high ceilings, tiled floors, bare brick walls covered with kilim tapestries, elegant photographs, live music and a trendy locale all conspire to make this Turkish restaurant one of the best in the city. Staff bring massive trays filled with a selection of hot and cold mezze, which can often be much tastier than the somewhat ordinary mains. Turkish coffee to finish is a must.

24 Napier Street, Green Point
Tel: (021) 419 2501.
Website: www.anatoli.co.za
Price: $$
The Cape Colony Restaurant
This award-winning restaurant brings some contemporary African chic to the Old World elegance of the Mount Nelson (see Hotels). Classic mains from the menu include the Cape Malay chicken and prawn curry with jasmine rice and roti, and the whole lobster or fish prepared Thai-style with lemon grass, chilli, garlic, ginger and coriander. Nightly jazz helps diners to unwind. No lunch.

Mount Nelson Hotel, 76 Orange Street
Tel: (021) 483 1737.
Website: www.mountnelson.co.za
Price: $$$$
The Conservatory
Located in the peaceful, cool conservatory of the Table Bay Hotel (see Hotels), this restaurant has delightful views of the harbour and Table Mountain. From the delicious foccacia bread embedded with dried tomato onwards, the menu includes imaginative creations. Mains might include pepper aged Angus beef with truffle butter and watercress salad, or skin roasted salmon on a bed of couscous with goat's cheese and onion confit.

Table Bay Quay 6, V&A Waterfront
Tel: (021) 406 5762.
Website: www.suninternational.com
Price: $$$$
Kennedy's Restaurant and Cigar Lounge
With its shamelessly American affluence and undeniable gentleman's-club style, Kennedy's attracts a healthy business clientele. Sumptuous yet undeniably masculine, it's a combination of cigar lounge, jazz venue, plush restaurant and piano lounge with a dark wood and leather interior, as well as a balcony terrace. There is live jazz on most nights. The food has an international flair, with an excellent variety of seafood, meat and vegetarian options.

251 Long Street
Tel: (021) 424 1212. 
Website: www.kennedys.co.za
Price: $$$
Marco's African Place
Quintessentially African in every way, Marco's African Place is the favourite hangout for Cape Town's political elite and media jet set. Marco's excels in African chic, with all the prints, pots, beads, furniture and sculptures that make up the inimitable décor hand-selected by chef and owner Marco Radebe and his wife. And the food is just as authentically African as the design, with house specialities including upens (tripe prepared in the local tradition, with onions and brown sauce), crocodile tail, and ulwimi (steamed ox tongue with mustard sauce).

15 Rose Lane, Bo-Kaap
Tel: (021) 423 5412.
Website: www.marcosafricanplace.co.za
Price: $$

Trendy

La Med
A favourite watering hole for trendy locals and beach bodies, La Med is a fantastic sundowner spot, with a massive boardwalk terrace for alfresco dining (or just drinking). The venue is somewhat of a chameleon, changing from bar to restaurant to popular live music venue. The grub is basic but affordable, with a healthy selection of pizzas, burgers, seafood and salads. The pizzas are particularly good, with creations such as the Clifton First Pizza, with chicken strips, mushroom and avocado.

Glen Country Club, Victoria Road, Clifton
Tel: (021) 438 5600. 
Website: www.lamed.co.za
Price: $
Long Street Café
The sister bar of the Obz Café in Observatory (see Bars), this deli-style city café is a magnet for the beautiful people and the media set, with its industrial chic, big-screen TV, floor-to-ceiling art deco windows and fabulous cocktails. The food is average but tasty and inexpensive, with dishes including ostrich burgers, coconut chicken wraps with Thai curry sauce and creamy chilli or spinach roulade, as well as a range of pizzas, baguettes and ciabatta toasties.

259 Long Street
Tel: (021) 424 2464.
Price: $
Mama Africa
Mama Africa is not just another tourist trap peddling ‘authentic' Africana for gullible foreigners. The big crowd of locals and tourists that gathers to enjoy the nightly live music spills over into the dining area. The décor is African kitsch - bamboo-lined walls, multicoloured chairs, a giant crocodile lamp and a zebra-striped pool table are just some of the splendid oddities. The food has a strong local flavour, including specialities like crocodile kebabs, Dovi Zimbabwean chicken and peanut stew, bobotie (a Cape Malay baked meat and egg dish) and frozen yoghurt for dessert.

178 Long Street
Tel: (021) 426 1017.
Price: $$-$$$
Miller's Thumb
The seafood is the speciality at this bustling and extremely popular little restaurant on the fashionable Kloof Nek Road, although there is a number of other options available on the frequently changing menu. The atmosphere is cosy and friendly, menus are reeled off in such a tempting way it leaves you salivating, recommended wines are scribbled up on big blackboards, there's a dinky terrace for outdoor dining and a distinctive décor of colourful orange and green.

10b Kloof Nek Road, Tamboerskloof
Tel: (021) 424 3838.
Price: $$
Ocean Basket
An incredibly popular seafood restaurant chain, the V&A Waterfront Ocean Basket is the best located. Diners might have to wait some time before being seated among the families feasting on fresh and affordable fish dishes, as bookings are not taken. Items such as whole crayfish, kingklip, calamari steak, sushi and line-fish specials are complemented by spectacular platters (all with chips, of course) and a number of combo options.

Shop 222, Victoria Wharf, V&A Waterfront
Tel: (021) 419 4300.
Website: www.oceanbasket.co.za
Price: $-$$
Primi Piatti
This Italian restaurant is one of seven in an increasingly popular franchise, located in the ever-popular Cavendish Square shopping mall in Claremont and is a favourite spot for movie-goers looking for some pre-entertainment grub. There is a wide range of pastas and pizzas, as well as other Italian options such as the minestrone alla Genovese (vegetable soup with lamb stock and pesto). The mad, colourful décor includes a wall made of bottles, a comfy waiting area complete with carpets, sofas and newspapers, and blazing neon signs.

Shop 67, Cavendish Square, Claremont
Tel: (021) 671 2696.
Website: www.primi-piatti.com
Price: $-$$
Wang Thai
Excellent and authentic East Asian edibles at affordable prices is what Wang Thai is all about. Diners can choose from either a set menu or a range of mix-and-match dishes - each menu item comes with a heat rating on the menu, so diners can be sure to either feel or avoid the burn, as tastes dictate. The décor is exotic and chic, with sculptures and ornaments to enhance the Thai experience.

105 Main Road, Green Point
Tel: (021) 439 6165.
Website: www.wangthai.co.za
Price: $$
Wasabi
In the genteel surroundings of Constantia Village, Wasabi has established itself as the restaurant for the trendy crowd, who come to enjoy the Japanese food. The décor dabbles with dark wood, bamboo, wicker and stone floors, while the menu is extensive, including Japanese favourites of ramen, sushi, wasabi, maki, as well as a variety of salads (including a sushi salad), stir-fry, meat, poultry and seafood options.

Shop 17, Old Village, Constantia Village Shopping Centre, Constantia
Tel: (021) 794 6546.
Website: www.wasabi.co.za
Price: $$-$$$

Budget

The Brass Bell
While all the tourists cram into the trendy bars along the Atlantic Seaboard to watch the sun go down, the locals sit on the other side of the mountain in Kalk Bay, enjoying the scruffy charm of this local institution. The Brass Bell is five venues in one, with two pubs and three restaurants. The Terrace is an informal waterside restaurant located downstairs. Upstairs is more formal, with the Engine Room specialising in seafood and the Oriental Cabin serving East Asian fare.

Waterfront, off Main Road, Kalk Bay
Tel: (021) 788 5455.
Price: $-$$
The Codfather
This is where the smart Camps Bay set come to savour fresh from the boat seafood. This local institution specialises in sourcing fresh local shellfish and white fish, which are on display as you enter. Diners simply choose what they want and it is then grilled. The highlight is the Cape crayfish. They also have a separate section where diners sit on stools picking fresh sushi and sashimi as it passes by.

37 The Drive, Camps Bay
Tel: (021) 021 438 0782.
Price: $$$
Website: www.codfather.co.za

Personal Recommendations

The Hussar Grill
One of Cape Town's best-kept secrets, the unassuming and dimly lit Hussar Grill is a welcome alternative to the city's many steakhouse chains. Here, chefs sizzle the sensational steaks right in front of diners tucked away in their cosy red and dark-wood booths. The house speciality starter is gin and tomato soup, while mains like grilled ostrich fillet, saddle of lamb, game steaks and other meats come with a variety of sauces (from fresh mushroom, garlic and white wine to creamy mustard and brandy).

10 Main Road, Rondebosch
Tel: (021) 689 9516.
Price: $$
Rhodes Memorial Restaurant
Tucked away behind the monolithic memorial to the De Beers big man, Cecil John Rhodes, is the cosy thatched cottage of Rhodes Memorial Restaurant. Sitting underneath the umbrellas on the terrace, there are breathtaking views through the trees, while the stone walls and wooden furniture complete the gardener's cottage feel. Dishes on the lunch menu have a mostly English theme, with a selection of pies such as spinach and feta or smoked salmon and line fish.

Groote Schuur Estate, Rondebosch
Tel: (021) 689 9151.
Website: www.rhodesmemorial.co.za
Price: $

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