Our Guide to Dining - By Location

The Gardens and Kloof Street Area
Kloof Street is the buzzing heart of Gardens, a boho residential suburb of Cape Town. Originally, it was just a main road linking the old town to the residential suburbs south of the centre but now it’s a thriving little area by day and by evening (it winds down around 11 p.m.).

You should go here for lunch and for dinner as not all the places do both meals and you’d be missing out if you don’t try at least one lunch and one dinner here.

The majority of restaurants in this area are owner managed, small, personal, informal and not fine dining. (There are exceptions, though.) Most places have no more than about ten tables, some even less. Expect bustle and laughter, not restraint and refinement.

The Historic Centre
Long Street and its offshoots are the central streets for the younger, vibier crowd in Cape Town. This area has several high-end eateries: here, the restaurants are typically larger, more ostentatious and have prices to match.

The Centre has a day, an evening and a night time character. By day, you’ll find it a bizarre mix of the African, the Western and the Orient all mixed into one. You’ll trip over numerous art galleries, museums, cafes, craft shops and markets. In the evening, you’ll notice almost all the shops and cafés shut and the restaurants take over. The nighttime vibe on Long can be a little daunting at times: if you prefer your clubs more classy and exclusive, try De Waterkant.

The majority of restaurants in this area are medium sized businesses, most not owner managed. They offer fine dining in the main. (There are exceptions, though.) Most places have between ten and twenty tables, usually not more. Expect high end food and wine for quiet and relatively formal dining.

The Foreshore, De Waterkant and the V&A Waterfront
These are three very distinct areas in Cape Town: the Foreshore is our central business district. Busy by day with business people and the like, it’s a bit of a dead zone in the evening and at night, so this is not a place to go for a stroll. However, it is redeemed by the truly excellent Bizerca Bistro.

De Waterkant used to be a very down-at-heel district, housing the dockers for the harbour. When the Duncan Dock was built and later the V&A, it became the haunt of the super trendy and is now Cape Town’s answer to SoHo. Gay friendly, full of bars, nightclubs and restaurants as well as excellent shopping, it’s a scene by day and night.

The V&A Waterfront is either the best thing about Cape Town, a great disappointment or just good fun, depending on your point of view. It’s ultimately about commerce (there are six five-star hotels here) but it is very well designed, fun and entertaining. Most eateries here are not really great value for money and can either be excellent or awful depending on the weather, the season, etc. but we’ve listed the exceptions here.

Take a beautiful, scenic drive out of the Cape Town City Bowl to discover the many interesting and exciting eateries dotted around the Peninsula and in the suburbs surrounding Cape Town.