Let me start by saying if Cape Town isn’t on your travel bucket list, it absolutely needs to be. This city is one of the most diverse, multicultural foodie hot spots I’ve ever been to. Given the cultural melting pot that this city has become, the culinary scene is blowing up and only getting better by the minute. Whether you want fresh caught seafood, authentic Italian, burgers & fries, or creative Asian fusion, Cape Town won’t disappoint.
We had a dining out “wish list” of about 50+ restaurants and tried our best to pick and choose a wide variety so we could taste a bit of everything. Here are some of our favorite places we ate and drank, broken down by neighborhood:
Green Point + City Center
Beluga: Asian inspired, we dined on a variety of sushi, dim sum & noodles. They’ve got a large local wine list – we dined in the wine cellar which was a fun experience.
Kloof Street House: This unique hot spot feels like an outdoor garden party. The place has a whimsical, bohemian feel with a lot of lanterns, chandeliers and plants everywhere. We sat on the glass porch and had a great view of both the interior & exterior. The food was outstanding – I had a delicious local fish (Kingklip, anyone heard of it?) and Terry has Mediterranean style lamb shoulder. We licked our plates clean.
Dear Me: The perfect lunch spot, this organic eco-friendly restaurant is in a cute area surrounded by shopping boutiques and coffee shops. Known for their fresh ingredients, we enjoyed two fresh pressed juices and a couple of bowls – bim bim bap for me and poke for him. We loved it so much that we wanted to come back for lunch the following day.
Savoy Cabbage: We didn’t make it here but heard outstanding reviews and it came highly recommended. This is definitely on my list for the next trip.
Camps Bay
The Codfather: We went to Camps Bay for this place alone. It came recommended by multiple people and I can absolutely see why. Perfect for sunset drinks, this restaurants is located across the street from the beach. The concept here is so cool: they don’t have a set menu; rather, you walk up and view the fresh caught seafood at the counter and you’re charged by the weight. It’s perfect for sharing because they grill all of the fresh seafood and then finish it in a huge pan with rice, veggies, potatoes and served with 4 homemade sauces. It was so fun to try a little bit of everything, including tuna, calamari, butter fish & shrimp. This is probably my top recommended restaurant here. A trip to Cape Town would not be complete without eating dinner at The Codfather!
Woodstock
The Test Kitchen: I wish. TTK is reservation only and they open up their monthly calendar one month in advance. I tried for about 3 months to get a table and it was booked solid…Every. Single. Day. If you’re lucky enough to get in, report back to me and let me know how fabulous it is!
Pot Luck Club: Another uber popular restaurants from the same people as The Test Kitchen, we were lucky enough to get in here (also book way ahead!). The whole Woodstock area is really awesome and these restaurants are built in a n old biscuit mil. The Pot Luck Club is located ion the top floor of the silo with a killer skyline view. It feels very NYC – sultry, hip, dark…and incredible food! It’s small plates with options from every flavor pallet. This restaurant was outstanding and I would highly recommend that you come here!
Burrata: Another option if you can’t get into TTK or PLC…Burrata is an Italian restaurant with classic but tasty staples, including pizza, pasta and a big wine list. It wasn’t my favorite restaurant we went to, but it’s a good back up plan.
Woodstock Brewery: A fun microbrewery down the road, we stopped here for a pre-dinner beer flight. They’ve only got about five main brews but they were great. During the day they do brewery tours so it would be a fun spot to go on a nice day.
Devils Peak Brewery: Another brewery that came recommended, but we didn’t make it here. The bartender at the Woodstock brewery also recommended it so it’s likely worth checking out.
As you can see, Cape Town is full of bars, restaurants, coffee shops & bakeries to keep your tummy happy all day long. It’s one of the better “foodie” cities I’ve been to and I’d say it’s well on par with San Francisco and New York.
You can read my post on what to do in Cape Town here. The list is long – this city is spectacular!
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