We’ve divided this section of the guide up into three distinct areas:
Haute Cuisine
These places are aimed at a high end gourmet market. You will find service to be quite formal (but not always) and wine lists to be more extensive than most. Food can be very avant garde or traditional. You most likely won`t meet the owner or chef in person.
Bistros and Restaurants
These places are normally owner managed but don`t let this make you think that the food is not top flight. Dishes are more traditional, the atmosphere far less formal and the food and wine will be great to excellent but not necessarily stylish and chic.
Cafes and Bars
These places are normally open all day or sometimes just for lunch. Food can be very modern or very traditional and service very relaxed. Here you eat for the atmosphere and the fun of eating out. No posh frocks, please.
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HAUTE CUISINE
(expect to pay between R600 and R800 per person for two courses including wine)
Recommended Restaurants :
Savoy Cabbage Sophisticated and traditional (021) 424 2626 Aubergine One of Cape Town’s oldest. Upmarket (021) 465 4909 La Mouette Loosely French, popular with the locals (Seapoint) (021) 433 0856 -
BISTROS AND RESTAURANTS
(expect to pay between R400 and R600 per person for two courses including wine)
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.
Recommended Restaurants :
Saigon Vietnamese (Cnr Kloof and Camp) (021) 424 7670 Miller’s Thumb Family bistro (Kloofnek) (021) 424 3838 Kyoto Garden Sushi Formal Japanese (Kloofnek) (021) 422 2001 Bismillah Local Cape Malay food (Bo Kaap) (021) 423 0850 Bistrot Bizerca Upmarket bistro (Foreshore) (021) 423 8888 Salero Great views of harbour and sunset (V&A) (021) 421 1916 Den Anker Belgian, super location (V&A) (021) 419 0249 The Food Barn Barefoot food, Noordhoek (021) 789 1390 Codfather Camp’s Bay, extraordinary fish (021) 438 0782 Societi Bistro Italian/French bistro (021) 424 2100 Nelson's Eye Steak, steak and red meat pub (021) 423 2601 -
CAFES & BARS
(expect to pay between R200 and R500 per person for two courses including wine)
Mainly Kloof St. area
These venues are generally open from around 08h00 – 17h00, sometimes later. They generally serve only freshly made, home cooked food with wine.
The meals are light, the atmosphere chic and be seen. These are the kind of places where Capetonians ‘do lunch’, business, or entertain in the middle of the day.
They are generally not evening venues.
Recommended Restaurants :
Birds Cafe Quirky Cafe in trendy Bree Street (021) 426 2534 Manna Epicure Lunch for serious foodies (Kloof St.) (021) 426 2413 Melissa’s Deli with eat in (Kloof St) (021) 424 5540