27 editor picks in Cape Town.
27 south african places in Cape Town we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Cape Town | South African across every city.
Mama Africa on Long Street in Cape Town serves plates from Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia and the DRC, with a live marimba band and drummers most nights.
OrderSmoky skewered goat layered with peppers, with pap and spinach on the side
TipGo on a night with the marimba band and drummers, and book ahead, the room fills fast on weekends.
Marco's African Place in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, plates springbok, kudu and crocodile alongside traditional Xhosa dishes, with live local music most nights.
OrderPan-African platter of springbok, kudu and ostrich
TipThis is a 220-seat room built for groups; book ahead, and note a cover charge applies on nights with live marimba bands.
Karibu at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town plates bobotie, venison potjie and Cape bredies alongside game, steaks and seafood, every day of the week.
OrderBobotie of spiced beef mince and raisins under an egg topping, served with celebration rice
TipThe venison and game specials change with what the kitchen sources, ask before ordering.
Eziko in Langa, Cape Town, is a cooking school and restaurant whose trainees serve lamb or chicken with samp and pap, the name meaning hearth in Xhosa.
OrderLamb with samp, pap and seasonal vegetables
TipGroups can pre-book a full buffet, call ahead so the kitchen can plan for the size of the table.
The Peach Tree Restaurant at Southern Sun The Cullinan in Cape Town runs a nightly Cape Malay inspired dinner buffet served from live chef stations.
OrderThe dinner buffet, a South African spread served from live chef stations every night.
TipBook the dinner buffet ahead on weekends, since birthday parties and hotel guests fill the room fast.
Golden Dish is a halal takeaway in Gatesville, Athlone, opened in 1969 opposite Athlone Stadium and known across Cape Town for its giant gatsby sandwiches.
OrderThe masala steak gatsby, a French baguette of steak, twice fried chips and the signature masala gravy.
TipOrder the large to share or the mini on your own; it serves until 01:00 Monday to Thursday and 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
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.
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.
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.
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.
OneEighty dines inside the Edwardian mansion of Ellerman House above Bantry Bay in Cape Town, a seasonal lunch and dinner room looking over the Atlantic.
OrderThe seasonal menu, paired from a cellar of more than 9,000 bottles
TipThe kitchen closes at 21:00 though the room stays open to 22:00, and children aged 12 and older are welcome at the table.
Heirloom took over the main dining room at the Cape Grace hotel on the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, reworking heritage Cape recipes nightly.
OrderMozambiquan peri peri lobster or the Cape Malay chicken curry, finished with a traditional Cape dessert
TipThe marina view seats fill first at dinner, ask for a table by the window when you confirm the booking.
Golden Dish is a halaal takeaway counter in Gatesville, Athlone, opened in 1969 and reopened in July 2024 after a fire, famous for Cape Town's giant gatsby.
OrderSteak gatsby, a full loaf of bread packed with steak, chips and sauce
TipOrder the full house gatsby to share; a single one comfortably feeds two hungry people.
Teez @ 115 is a lounge, butchery and shisanyama on the Gugulethu site once famous as Mzoli's, grilling lamb chops for Cape Town crowds Thursday to Monday.
OrderBraaied lamb chops bought at the butchery counter and grilled to order
TipBuy raw meat at the butchery counter first, then hand it straight to the grill team outside.
Rands is a Khayelitsha shisanyama and lifestyle venue on the eastern edge of Cape Town, grilling ribs and wings for big crowds from Thursday to Sunday.
OrderBraaied ribs with chakalaka and pap
TipArrive by early afternoon on the first Sunday of the month, the busiest weekend of the calendar.
Super Fisheries is a cash only takeaway counter on Old Klipfontein Road in Athlone, Cape Town, run by the man credited with inventing the gatsby.
OrderGatsby loaded with fish, calamari or polony, chips and achar
TipThere is a Capitec ATM next door if you arrive without cash for the counter.
Nomzamo Butchery is a shisanyama and butchery on Washington Street in Langa, Cape Town, letting customers pick raw meat and have it braaied on site.
OrderBasted chicken wings and braaied red meat, weighed at the butchery counter
TipPick your own cut at the butchery counter, then carry it straight to the braai grills out back.
Monty's Spitbraai is a stall inside Mojo Market in Sea Point, Cape Town, rolling slow-cooked spitbraai lamb and beef for the city since 1985.
OrderSpitbraai lamb roll on ciabatta with gourmet salad
TipAsk for the lamb roll on ciabatta; it comes with a side of house-made salad and wedges.
Biesmiellah fries samoosas and chilli bites alongside its Cape Malay curries on the corner of Wale and Pentz Street in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, now open daily.
OrderSamoosas and chilli bites
TipPair the samoosas and chilli bites with a mango lassi, since the Muslim-owned kitchen serves no alcohol.
Golden Dish is a halal takeaway counter in Gatesville, Athlone, founded in 1969 and back since July 2024 after a fire, famous for Cape Town's big gatsby.
TipOrder the large gatsby to share between two; it trades until 02:00 on Friday and Saturday nights and closes on Sundays.
Teez @ 115 grills meat you choose yourself at its own butchery counter on NY115 in Gugulethu, on the Cape Flats side of metropolitan Cape Town.
TipBuy your own meat at the butchery counter first, then hand the tray to the braai team rather than waiting for table service.
Eziko Restaurant serves cooked-to-order township meals in Langa while training unemployed local residents for hospitality careers around Cape Town.
TipCall ahead before visiting, since every plate here is cooked fresh for your group instead of held warming under a lamp.
Bo-Kaap Kombuis serves home-style Cape Malay bobotie and denningvleis from a house on August Street in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, with a Table Mountain view.
TipAsk for a window table before you sit; the view over the City Bowl is why regulars book ahead for weekend dinners.
Golden Dish sells a mini masala steak gatsby for R120 and a mini polony gatsby for R45 in Gatesville, Athlone, chips and sauce packed into the roll.
OrderMini masala steak gatsby with twice fried chips
TipAsk for the mini size if you are eating alone; the large gatsbys are built to be split between two.
Super Fisheries still sells Rashaad Pandy's original combo of polony, chips and achar in Athlone, Cape Town, where he first cut a gatsby into wedges in 1976.
OrderPolony gatsby with chips and achar
TipBring cash; the counter is cash only, though a Capitec ATM sits right next door.
Eziko Restaurant trains Langa residents for hospitality careers while serving a full plate of lamb or chicken with samp and pap in Cape Town.
OrderChicken or lamb plate with samp and pap
TipCall ahead before visiting; every plate is cooked fresh to order rather than kept warming.
Biesmiellah serves Cape Malay curry with yellow rice on the corner of Wale and Pentz Street in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, at about R100 to R300 a head.
OrderCape Malay chicken curry with yellow rice
TipOrder a side of daltjie and samoosa to share; the starters are a cheap way to taste more of the menu.
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Explore Stellenbosch on horseback with a private guided ride through scenic vineyards, then unwind with local snacks and a bottle of wine. A perfect blend of adventure...
