$$$$
South AfricanLanga
Eziko Restaurant trains unemployed Langa residents for hospitality careers while serving township meals to visitors in Cape Town, Monday to Saturday.
OrderThe lamb or chicken plate with samp and pap, cooked to order for your group.
TipCall ahead before visiting; meals here are cooked fresh to order rather than kept warming.
$$$$
South AfricanGugulethu
Teez @ 115 grills braaied meat from its own butchery counter on the Gugulethu site once famous as Mzoli's, on Cape Town's Cape Flats side of the city.
OrderLamb chops bought at the butchery counter and braaied to order by the grill team.
TipBuy your meat at the butchery first, then hand it to the braai team; that is how the whole system works here.
$$$$
South AfricanKhayelitsha
Rands is a Khayelitsha shisa nyama and lifestyle venue outside central Cape Town, known for braaied meat, cheap drinks and weekend afrobeat sets.
OrderThe ribs, which co-owner Mfundo Mbeki tells first-timers to try, with creamy spinach and Buffalo wings.
TipThe first Sunday of the month draws the biggest crowd; arrive early afternoon to get a table before the dancing starts.
$$$$
BurgersMitchells Plain
The Hood Kitchen is a Rocklands, Mitchells Plain burger counter near Cape Town, built around a build-your-own gourmet beef and chicken patty menu.
OrderThe Design-a-Burger beef double, stacked with four toppings of your choice.
TipThe Bison Tower challenge runs Thursdays and Saturdays from 13:00: finish it in 25 minutes to win R140 and naming rights, and book a day ahead.
$$$$
South AfricanBo Kaap
Biesmiellah cooked Cape Malay food in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, for four decades under the Osman family; new owners now run it as a polished Muslim-owned eatery.
OrderA Cape Malay curry with roti, the cooking that built this corner's reputation.
TipNo alcohol is served here; it is a family room built around Cape Malay tradition, not a bar scene.
$$$$
InternationalCity Bowl
Mama Africa has served pan-African game meat and stews on Long Street in Cape Town since 1995, with nightly marimba bands and drum performances.
OrderCrocodile cooked in a peanut stew with vegetables, one of the game dishes gathered from across the continent.
TipBook ahead on weekends; the marimba band, drummers and dancers start around 19:00 every night.