Kloof Street House fills a candlelit Victorian home in Gardens, Cape Town, with Mediterranean plates carrying a Cape twist and live jazz over Sunday lunch.
OrderMoroccan-spiced lamb rump with tahini dressing
TipIn winter ask for the chesterfields of the library lounge or a table by the dining room fireplace, and book ahead for Sunday lunch with live jazz.
Yindee's cooks tom yum, green curry and pad Thai in a Victorian house on Kamp Street off Kloof Street, Cape Town, with a floor-cushion room for groups.
OrderTom yum goong with extra chilli on the side
TipAsk for the back room with cushions on the floor if you are a big group, and book ahead through the online table form.
Saigon opened on Kloof Street in Cape Town in 1997 as South Africa's first Vietnamese restaurant, still booked out for its pho with beef short rib.
OrderPho with beef short rib, the dish that built the room's name
TipBook ahead, and ask for outdoor seating to take in the Table Mountain view from this corner of Kloof Street.
The Red Room serves Pan-Asian small plates, dim sum and robata grill dishes under the Mount Nelson hotel in Gardens, Cape Town, a Liam Tomlin venture.
OrderThe four course Chefs' Choice menu, one small plate per course from har gow and siu mai to the robata grill
TipArrive at 17:00 for a cocktail and the Dim Sum Lounge menu in the bar before the dining room opens at 18:00.
Aubergine has run a quiet corner of Gardens in Cape Town since 1996, chef Harald Bresselschmidt's long standing French rooted degustation room.
OrderThe Eastern and Western degustation, opening with yellowfin and albacore tuna on kelp dashi gel
TipChef Harald Bresselschmidt now opens his cellar to the public, so a bottle you liked at dinner can be ordered for collection in cases of six.
Amura opened inside the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel in Gardens, Cape Town, a marine tasting menu room named the 2026 Eat Out Best New Restaurant.
OrderThe marine tasting menu, from yellowfin tuna tartare with cured egg yolk to plankton risotto with squid
TipWatch for the raw fish charcuterie trolley served tableside; the room fills the hotel's old Planet Room around an open kitchen.
Chef's Table sits in a hidden dining space in the kitchen of the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel in Gardens, Cape Town, an interactive tasting dinner.
OrderThe tasting menu, prepared in front of the table while the chefs explain each dish
TipIt runs Wednesday to Sunday at 19:00 only, R1,650 a head or R2,420 with wine pairings, so book well ahead of a Cape Town stay.
Yindee's serves Thai grills, curries and salads in a Victorian house on Kamp Street, at the top of Kloof Street's dining strip in Gardens, Cape Town.
OrderThe phad phed beef, a curry made without coconut milk, or the green curry.
TipChoose between low tables with floor cushions on one side and conventional tables on the other; the cushion side suits a relaxed group dinner.
Ramenhead simmers broth for eighteen hours and cuts its own noodles at its Kloof Street izakaya in Gardens, Cape Town, every single service.
OrderA bowl of ramen on the 18-hour broth with noodles cut in-house, then a round of wood-fired small plates.
TipTables are booked in two-hour seatings with a R200 deposit; the high tables, bar and ramen counter for two or more are kept for walk-ins.
Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant has served pho, spring rolls and fresh dumplings on Kloof Street in Gardens, Cape Town, since first opening in 1997.
OrderThe pho with beef short rib, the slow-simmered broth the restaurant built its name on.
TipBook through Dineplan, and ask for outdoor seating for the Table Mountain view from this Kloof Street corner.
Deluxe Coffeeworks is a specialty coffee shop on Buitenkant Street in Gardens, Cape Town, roasting its own beans for espresso and filter brews.
DrinkEspresso
TipPick up a bag of the house beans on the way out; the roasting itself now happens at the Deluxe base in Paarden Eiland.
Coffee Time is a garden cafe at the Astra Centre in Gardens, Cape Town, staffed by adults with special needs serving light lunches and cakes.
DrinkFilter coffee
TipBookings are essential, and it closes mid afternoon, at 15:45 from Monday to Thursday and 15:00 on Friday.
The Siba Deli Foodshop and Eatery serves Chef Siba Mtongana's home style breakfasts on Park Road in Gardens, Cape Town, from 07:00 every day.
TipOrder Siba's Famous Chakalaka and Egg on Toast, from R105 one of the cheaper plates on a breakfast menu that climbs to R195.
Oswald's Bakery is a family run bakery on Union Street in Gardens, Cape Town, baking a wide range of sourdough loaves and pastries plus handmade biscuits.
Worth the queueSourdough loaf
TipThe range of sourdough loaves is wide enough to try a new one each visit, and the shop also sells its handmade biscuits.
Flour Market on Hope Street is David Donde's working bakery, supplying baguettes and sourdough to Cape Town kitchens while serving breakfast too.
Worth the queueBaguette
TipThis is a working production bakery, come for breakfast rather than a sit down lunch and you will see the ovens running.
Sweet LionHeart is a Cape Town confectionery studio at Wembley Square, Gardens, where every celebration cake and sweet treat is made to order by hand.
Worth the queueCustom celebration cake
TipThe order calendar closes 48 hours ahead for most cake designs, so book online well before the date you actually need it.
Publik Wine Bar on Kloof Nek Road pours independent, small-producer Cape wines with no reservations taken, a Tamboerskloof wine fixture in Cape Town.
PourA by the glass list of lesser known Cape growers that changes regularly
WineIndependent, small-producer South African wines chosen for character rather than label recognition.
FoodA short snacking menu built to sit alongside the glass, not compete with it.
TipNo phone and no bookings, so arrive early on a Friday if you want a seat at the counter.
Judd's Local on Kloof Street runs a free wine tasting every Tuesday evening alongside its kitchen menu, a Gardens neighbourhood room in Cape Town.
PourWhatever is poured at the free Tuesday evening tasting, usually a small Cape producer.
WineA quality-first wine list on Kloof Street, with a standing Tuesday tasting slot.
FoodAn all day restaurant menu from 08:30, served alongside the wine shop list
TipTurn up for the free Tuesday tasting between 6pm and 9pm if you want to try before you commit to a bottle.
Planet Bar sits inside the pink facade of the Mount Nelson hotel in Cape Town, a champagne and cocktail room with a terrace for people watching.
DrinkDrink the Story cocktail collection built on local botanicals
FoodChampagne, canapes and a light all day menu
TipSit on the terrace in summer for the people watching, or claim a couch by the fireplace once the Cape winter sets in.
Perseverance Tavern has traded on Buitenkant Street in Gardens since 1808, and locals who call it Percy's will tell you it is the country's oldest pub.
DrinkDraught beer and a pub-standard gin and tonic
FoodPub classics served at the heritage listed bar counter
TipLook at the bar counter, made from oak wine barrels of the Van der Stel era, then find the regrown vine in the courtyard.
Yours Truly runs a cafe and bar on Kloof Street in Cape Town under its Up Yours rooftop, open from morning coffee through to a late night crowd.
DrinkWine, spirits and craft beer on the Up Yours rooftop
FoodPizzas and gourmet sandwiches from the cafe downstairs
TipAfter dark head up to Up Yours, the only rooftop bar on Kloof Street, for DJs and acoustic sessions while the cafe below turns into a beer garden.
Achla is a Middle Eastern street food counter near Roeland Square in Gardens, Cape Town, cooking fresh falafel and shawarma, with takeaways by WhatsApp.
TryFalafel and shawarma wrap with a deli-style salad bar
TipOrder the mixed falafel and shawarma wrap if you cannot decide between the two.
Kloof Street House serves brunch with a two hour bottomless mimosa special in a candlelit Victorian house, and live jazz over Sunday lunch in Gardens.
OrderBaked whole Camembert to share before the Moroccan spiced lamb rump
TipThe bottomless mimosa window runs Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to noon; in winter, book the library lounge or a seat by the fireplace.
The Power and the Glory serves an easygoing breakfast and brunch by day on a Tamboerskloof corner, then turns into a Cape Town bar after dark.
OrderA free-range breakfast sandwich sourced from within 200km of the city
TipCome by day for coffee and a free-range sandwich; in the evening the room turns into a neighbourhood bar.
Yours Truly keeps Kloof Street fed from an early bagel breakfast through to a late night bar sitting, a long running all day room in Cape Town.
OrderA sandwich or wrap with a coffee, before the rooftop opens for the evening
TipTake a table under the jacaranda trees for a slow Saturday morning coffee before Kloof Street gets busy.
Yours Truly runs a cafe and rooftop bar on Kloof Street in Cape Town's Gardens neighborhood, serving pizzas and gourmet sandwiches until midnight.
TryPizzas and gourmet sandwiches
TipAfter dark head up to Up Yours, the only rooftop bar on Kloof Street, for DJs and acoustic sessions while the cafe below turns into a beer garden.
Evol on Hope Street is a black-walled Cape Town dive club run by the same family since 1991, with pool tables, two dance floors, emo nights and K-pop.
TipUse the chalk left out around the club, since the black walls double as one big chalkboard that guests keep redrawing.
Day trip · 8 hours
Experience whale watching in Hermanus, visit African penguins, and enjoy wine tasting in the scenic Hemel-en-Aarde Valley on a full-day Cape Town coastal adventure.
Guided tour · 9 hours
Embark on a full-day safari from Cape Town to Aquila Private Game Reserve. Spot the Big Five, enjoy a buffet breakfast and lunch. Enjoy stunning views of Dutoitskloof ...
Day trip · 8 hours
Start with a convenient Pickup from your Hotel Accommodation before Embarking on a Safari from Cape Town to Aquila Safari Game Reserve. Enjoy a buffet lunch, spot the ...
