Eating & Drinking

10 of the best Cape Town restaurants

From Camps Bay to Woodstock, we reveal the 10 best restaurants in Cape Town
Cape Town restaurants 10 of the best

Cape Town’s food scene has become a great reason to visit the southernmost tip of Africa. Chefs have been inspired by the rest of the world but have now forged an authentic, homegrown identity driven by a farm-to-fork philosophy, seasonal produce, foraged indigenous ingredients and melting-pot cultural influences. This new gourmet generation means the list of best restaurants in Cape Town runs long. Here we outline our favourites.

  • Best for Smart à la carte Restaurants have come and gone over the years in this unrivalled historic location the...

    Salsify

    Best for: Smart à la carte

    Restaurants have come and gone over the years in this unrivalled historic location, the Roundhouse, set in a wooded glen above Camps Bay. Since Salsify opened with Luke Dale-Roberts-trained Ryan Cole at the helm, the former hunting lodge (dating from c. 1786) has won a loyal local following and is set to stand the test of time. It’s all about the à la carte (hurrah), hyper-local seasonal menu, with an emphasis on fresh seafood, packing a powerful flavour punch. The irreverently reimagined interiors – think leather, SkullBoy graffiti on the walls, velvet chairs – and the 360-degree mountain and sea views are a bonus. So is gregarious sommelier Nash Kanyangarara who suggests lesser-known wine labels you won’t find on many lists.

    Address: Salsify at the Roundhouse, Roundhouse Road, Camps Bay
    Website: salsify.co.za

    1. The Pot Luck Club

    Best for: Rooftop dining

    Six floors up, on top of one of the Old Biscuit Mill’s grain silos, Luke Dale-Roberts’s The Pot Luck Club certainly doesn’t play second fiddle to his famous Test Kitchen below. Opened in 2011, the bespoke-designed space is still considered the coolest place to be and be seen. On one end is a small bar, on the other an open kitchen illuminated like a movie set. There are two sittings a night at the small tables packed in the middle, and the leisurely, all-day Sunday brunch is very popular. Recently appointed head chef Jason Kosmas has continued the global tapas theme with small plates from South America, Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean, paired with potent cocktails served in antique glasses.

    Address: The Pot Luck Club, Old Biscuit Mill, 373-375 Albert Road, Woodstock
    Website: thepotluckclub.co.za

  • La Colombe

    Best for: Theatrical dining

    Chef James Gaag’s French-Asian-leaning food may be playful and presented in whimsical, forest-inspired installations, but none of this detracts from the highly skilled balance and depth of flavours evident in every single course. La Colombe’s signature raw, marinated Asian-style tuna served in a tin is a marvel, explaining its status as a table to book well in advance (especially in summer). Service is quietly confident, never arrogant – respectful of the food and guests. Go for the well-choreographed tasting menus, impeccable service and the joy of being immersed in nature in the mountaintop, treehouse-style dining room.

    Address: La Colombe, Silvermist Wine Estate, Main Road, Constantia Nek
    Website: lacolombe.co.za

  • Fyn

    Best for: Snappy fine dining

    In a monochrome loft space with Signal Hill views the most cutting-edge food in the city is being served. Japan meets Africa under the expert direction of chefs Peter Tempelhoff and Ashley Moss (both ex-Greenhouse). Tempelhoff’s obsession with Japanese ingredients, techniques and flavours finds expression in the five-course kaiseki–style tasting menu, each tray offering several bite-sized courses that make the most of local seasonal food. It’s fine dining, condensed. Elegant wine pairings are curated by third owner Jennifer Hugé (ex-La Colombe), and the best (and easiest to secure) seats are at the kitchen counter facing the theatre of the chefs at work.

    Address: Fyn, 37 Parliament Street, Speakers Corner, Church Square, Cape Town
    Website: fynrestaurant.com

  • Chef’s Warehouse Beau Constantia

    Best for: Globally inspired small plates

    Liam Tomlin has cleverly cut-and-pasted his Chef’s Warehouse concept from the city to Constantia and Franschhoek, partnering with some of the best young chefs in South Africa. At the Beau Constantia wine farm outpost, co-owner and chef Ivor Jones (ex-Test Kitchen) has put his own spin on the now-familiar format of three generous rounds of tapas – a total of eight plates designed for two. While both Jones and Tomlin’s love of all things Asian shines through, next up could be unctuous risotto with Parmesan, walnut cream, raisins and salted lemon beurre noisette. The place is perched below Constantia Nek, so the views across the valley towards distant mountains and the ocean are as inspiring as the food.

    Address: Chef’s Warehouse, Beau Constantia Estate, 1043 Constantia Main Road, Constantia
    Website: beauconstantia.com

  • Claire Gunn

    La Tête

    Best for: Locally sourced ingredients

    Ten years in London kitchens, including five under Fergus Henderson at St John, informed chef Giles Edwards’ reverence for provenance, seasonality and resourcefulness at downtown La Tête in a Thirties Art Deco building. It was his nose-to-tail plates that first created a buzz among foodies, but he’s just as happy working with ethically grown, fresh produce to keep plant-based dishes exciting with the likes of broccoli vinaigrette or vine-ripened tomatoes with homemade ricotta on sourdough toast. Typical small plates of mussels, leeks and bacon or chicken-liver parfait are perfect for sharing, along with hearty mains such as ox heart with chips and horseradish. End with floating islands or Madeleines still warm from the oven.

    Address: La Tête, 17 Bree Street, Cape Town
    Website: latete.co.za

    1. The Foodbarn

    Best for: Lunch after the beach

    Sandy feet and bathing suits would not be out of place at the Noordhoek Farm Village, the home of this French-Provençal bistro owned by local resident Franck Dangereux, who originally put La Colombe on the culinary map. Surfers and families drift straight from the beach to feast on Franck’s bold, earthy flavours underpinned by refined, classic French cooking techniques. Rack of lamb, bouillabaisse and risotto are served in imaginative ways, followed by simple desserts including dark-chocolate sorbet or pear feuilleté.

    Address: The Food Barn, Noordhoek Farm Village, Village Lane, Noordhoek
    Website: thefoodbarn.co.za

  • Skotnes Restaurant

    Best for: Hungry art lovers

    Named after renowned South African artist and teacher Cecil Skotnes, this cool café inside the ultra-contemporary Norval Foundation, a private art gallery and museum, is great for a taste of traditional Cape cuisine, often cleverly deconstructed. The Cape Malay bobotie, made with spiced, slow-roasted lamb shoulder topped with egg custard and served with sambals, is excellent, followed by baked malva pudding with a moist, marshmallowy texture. Glass walls frame the mountain and sculpture-garden views, while pale-wood details complement the world-class permanent and temporary exhibitions by the likes of William Kentridge in the next-door gallery.

    Address: Skotnes restaurant, 4 Steenberg Road, Norval Foundation, Tokai
    Website: norvalfoundation.org

  • The Greenhouse

    Best for: Heritage tasting journeys

    The Greenhouse at the Cellars-Hohenort Hotel in the Constantia Valley is an anomaly in Cape Town, where talked-about restaurants are rarely attached to hotels. As the name implies, the glass-walled conservatory setting is surrounded by rambling, rose-filled gardens. Chef Farrel Hirsch’s modern take on South African cuisine is big on heirloom varieties of seasonal produce and traditional ingredients, such as the African-style steamed cornbread with Cape Malay smoked snoek (a local game fish) emulsion and apricot glaze. Dining here is a crash course in the Cape’s melting-pot culture and history, vividly retold by the charismatic staff.

    Address: The Greenhouse, Cellars-Hohenort Hotel, 93 Brommersvlei Road, Constantia
    Website: greenhouserestaurant.co.za

    1. Hemelhuijs

    Best for: Comfort food

    Everything is a work of art and bears the stylish stamp of chef-owner Jacques Erasmus in this beautifully curated space, ideal for leisurely brunches and lunches among the Afrikaans artsy set. Illustrated with bold botanical prints, the seasonal menu includes comfort food drenched in nostalgic references to Jacques’ farm upbringing. Artisanal cocktails, freshly pressed juices, meal-in-one salads, and mains such as meatballs in cabbage leaves with buttery mashed potatoes and fresh tomato are all delicious. And the breakfast wagyu burger with tomato relish and a poached egg has been known to cure the worst hangover.

    Address: Hemelhuijs, 71 Waterkant Street, Cape Town
    Website: hemelhuijs.co.za

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