Cape Town Travel Guide - Eating Out

Over the summer months, the most popular restaurants tend to be quite crowded, so it’s a good idea to book a table in advance. That said, the trendiest of venues start serving dinner at 18:00 but stay open quite late during the high season. You might feel a bit rushed, as the staff tend to focus on keeping the pace brisk, making sure that tables are available for the next reservations.

The most popular areas for dining in the city are the City Bowl and the V&A Waterfront. In the City Bowl area, the number of options is staggering, covering every imaginable type of cuisine and all price ranges. If you’d like to make an impromptu selection, you might wander along Kloof street, called the Restaurant Mile – and walk until you find something that catches your eye.

Local cuisine

Cape Town has been home to many cultures over the centuries, and this diversity is reflected in the eclectic local cuisine. One example, and a place that’s said to be well worth trying, is Biesmiellah, located in Bo-Kapp and offering up what some consider the best in Cape Malay fare.

You’ll find that the new and daring dishes that typify modern Cape cuisine also attract a great deal of attention here. The combination of plentiful, fresh local ingredients with styles influenced by the ethnic varieties of the Cape’s multicultural heritage, make for some truly unique and wonderful dishes. Seafood features prominently, as do the world-renowned regional wines.