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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.
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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.
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IndianCity Bowl
Eastern Food Bazaar is a canteen-style food court in Cape Town's City Bowl, serving affordable Indian, Turkish and Cape Malay stalls every day.
OrderA giant bunny chow from the Punjabi counter, or a dosa from Madras.
TipEat with your hands like the locals and use the basin halfway through the hall; the upstairs seating off the Darling Street entrance is quieter.
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SandwichSea Point
Kleinsky's Delicatessen brings New York-style Jewish deli food, bagels and pastrami included, to Regent Road in Sea Point, Cape Town, daily.
OrderThe pastrami sandwich, which the kitchen will upsize if you are really hungry.
TipBreakfast runs to challah French toast and a potato latke benedict, and as a non-kosher deli it will add bacon on request.
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GreekSea Point
Mykonos Taverna has served family-recipe Greek taverna food on Main Road in Sea Point, Cape Town, since first opening in the 1980s to today.
OrderPeter's kleftiko lamb shank, cooked to the original family recipe since opening.
TipAsk for the meze platter if your table wants to sample several dishes without committing to one main.
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ChineseSea Point
HeSheng Chinese Restaurant keeps a no-frills menu of dumplings, xiao long bao and noodle soups on Main Road in Sea Point, run by new owners since 2023.
OrderThe xiao long bao, made fresh and consistently named as the reason regulars return.
TipThe kitchen closes between 15:00 and 17:00 and all day Tuesday, and a 10 percent service charge is added to the bill.