Below is my list of the best Cape Town Restaurants located in the central Cape Town area that we call the City Bowl region of the city (as well as a few restaurants close to the city!)

SeaBreeze Fish & Shell

Seafood – fresh and simple!  This is our favourite outdoor table in Cape Town!  We can be found  relaxing here with a plate of oysters & bubbles throughout summer!  It is our happy place.  It is owned by a couple who owned an award winning seafood restaurant in a fishing harbour near Aberdeen in Scotland.  They sold their restaurant in Scotland, came on a sabbatical to Cape Town and fell in love with our city…..and stayed!   They aim to serve the freshest seafood in town – and are happy to reprint the menu a few times a day when new fish comes in.   They also have the best oysters in town.  It has a  festive atmosphere in summer and is a great spot to meet up with friends at the long shared outside table on the pavement.They are a seafood bistro – so they aim to keep things simple and to allow you to taste the flavours of the fish.  Their oyster happy hour is half price per shuck from 5 to 6pm – so don’t miss it! (The happy hour is also over lunchtime for oysters from 12 – 1pm).  This is one of our favourite seafood restaurant in Cape Town. spots in Cape Town and we can be found at the outside table regularly in the early evening in summer!   Open daily for dinner.  Closed on a Tuesday.   Open for lunch & dinner all other days!

Grub & Vine

Grub & Vine by Chef Matt Manning serves refined bistro-style fare, in a relaxed, contemporary space.   Grub & Vine’s seasonal menu changes regularly and the wine list features some of South Africa’s most respected producers.  “No-nonsense, good grub. Beautiful produce and honest cooking” – Chef Matt Manning.    After visiting for a multi course lunch – his philosophy caught the essence of his philosophy completely.   It was a celebration of freshness from start to finish.   I think what I enjoy has changed with age – I am over foams and over fiddled food – my body craves freshness – I love meals that have an abundance of fresh produce.   I like to eat real food that is freshly harvested.   I love food with flavour.   Matt met this brief on all levels.     Note that they have a sexy wine bar next door called CULTURE.   Make sure you head there early for a glass of wine before dinner or head there after dinner!   It is good to know that that Grub & Vine owns culture – so you can simply order from their menu and stay and drink more wine if you are enjoying Culture Wine Bar!

Grub & Vine offer a seasonal tasting menu of either 2 or 3 courses.

Note that Chef Matt a hands on cooking studio upstairs.  He also has a private dining room that can be booked for dinners or parties – it can seat 20 people.

Location – 103 Bree Street – city centre Cape Town (upstairs!).  Note that you can book online for  lunch or dinner at Grub & Vine.

Fyn Restaurant

RATED AS ONE OF THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN AFRICA AND IN THE TOP 100 LIST FOR THE TOP 50 RESTAURANTS IN THE WORLD!  THEY ALSO JUST RECEIVED AN AWARD FOR THE MOST SUSTAINABLE RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD……..the awards keep flowing in!

Chef Peter Templehoff  brings over 20 years of experience to his restaurant – FYN – a contemporary inner city restaurant located on top of a building in Church Square.    The word Fyn means FINE in English – it could also be a shortened version of Fynbos – our indigenous cuisine.   The two pivotal team members in this venture will be  Executive Chef Ashley Moss (his head chef at The Greenhouse for 4 years) and Jennifer Huge (Former La Colombe Restaurant manager).    I loved my dining experience at Fyn! 

The venue is gorgeous –  funky & contemporary in design.   The tables have no table cloths and no clutter.  They simply have your chopsticks on a plate.  Everything about it is sexy.    They started us off with a lovely glass of champagne in a wonderful old fashioned champagne glass – it felt so elegant.   The dinner is a tasting menu.    The dishes were all delicious and each had was fun and innovative.   The service was warm, relaxed, friendly, knowledgeable and unobtrusive.   Perfect!  Our Italian friends commented on how lovely it was to have such a wonderful fine dining dinner in such a relaxed environment.   They loved the warm and friendly service.    A wonderful foodie journey.   

Fyn is hard to get in to!  I would highly recommend that you book it well in advance!  Click here to make a  booking!  

Bao Down

Is owned by Phillipa and Graham Oldfield – Phillipa had a catering business and Graham is the former head chef for Chefs Warehouse in the city.    As the name indicates – they do Bao & Asian style street food with a western twist.   Chef Graham is a wonderfully talented Chef and every morsel melted in our mouths!   My recommendation is to go with some friends – that way you can order and taste the whole menu!   Note that ordering many small dishes does add up!   But it is worth every cent!   Yummmmmmmmmmmm.    Phillipa and Graham have done a wonderful job with the decor.   It is relaxed, quirky and fun.   I love the space they created.   Even better for us is that it is across the road from where we live!   So we will be happy Bao groupies forever!  Location – they have moved to Greenpoint.

Thali

Thali is co-owned by Chef Liam Tomlin & the owner of the Fat Cactus.   It is located just above the city, just off Kloof Street.   It runs on the same concept as The Chefs Warehouse restaurants  – 8 tapas dishes to share  – between 2 people.  All the dishes on the menu are however inspired by Indian spices.   There are options for vegetarian and vegans here (which are permanently on the menu).   I love this spot!!!   It is once again a wonderful flavour journey – but far more spicy than the normal Chefs Warehouse dishes!  And I love spicy!  I love the decor here – Moroccan inspired decor.  Contemporary and colourful and fun.   They do not take bookings.    

Mulberry & Prince 

Beautiful decor, intimate & owner run – the owners met at the International Culinary institute in Manhattan.  Hip eatery.  Part of the Bree Street City revolution – over 40 restaurants have opened on this inner city street over the last two years – literally transforming the city from a business district into a really fun zone for eating, drinking and playing!  Small shared plate dining – they call this Modern American Dining.   Beautiful restaurant and beautiful food.     Open Wednesday to Friday from 8am to 3pm for walk ins and Saturday & Sunday for brunch – only with bookings on the weekend. OPEN SUNDAY FOR BRUNCH

Belly of the Beast

They were one of the early restaurant openings in the new emerging Eastside District of Cape Town.  They are located in Harrington Street –  literally on the fringe of the city – being parallel to Buitenkant Street.   Belly of The Beast is a great addition to the hood.   It is a beautifully decorated small restaurant that seats 20 people.   So it is a wonderfully intimate space. It is owned by two chefs who are friends.   They focus on nose to tail dining – so they aim to have a zero wastage kitchen.

They are however happy to accommodate vegetarians – but need to know in advance! This is definitely a tasting menu strategy – they however do not commit to how many courses they will feed you!  The current cost is R599 without wine.   They are fully booked 6 weeks in advance.   So plan ahead!!  Book online and come and experience it for yourself.  *

 OPEN SUNDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT – a rare thing to find in Cape Town!    

Clarke’s Dining

Is chilled, funky diner style, hipster hangout……..  that started by serving great burgers.  The burgers are made from free range beef and are really good.  Over the years the food offerings got broader.   So in addition to burgers there are lots of other options – I love their Caesar Salad.   Everything they do seems to be delicious.   They have teetered with closure over the lock down – but it looks like they will pull through and that the community are showing them their support.    133 Bree Street.

The first Design Hotel to launch in Cape Town has taken two heritage buildings in St George’s mall – combined them to create a gorgeous boutique hotel and a fabulously glam rooftop called GIGI ROOFTOP.   Here you can head up for interesting cocktails and a menu designed by Executive Chef  Guy Bennett – (Ex Grande Provence, Delaire, One & Only, Buitenverwachting…………….).

Sitting up on their rooftop makes me think that we have been missing a trick as a city – we have not utilized our city rooftops.   We have been missing out on maximizing our urban inner city views and vibe!

This is highly recommended for dinner and drinks.   Tip – make sure you phone in for a booking to make sure you get an outside table.   Dine Plan bookings will only give you a table outside if you are three or less people.    This is now a firm favourite.

Tomo Japanese

This is a fairly new sushi & Japanese restaurant by the former Chef from Willoughby’s in the Waterfront (which has the best reputation for the best sushi in Cape Town).  I love the decor.  It is wonderfully clean and has a warm (Zen?) wonderful energy.  The welcome you receive from the staff is warm and welcoming.    The food was good and some dishes were excellent…….and others were average – a real mixed bag.   I really enjoyed both visits to Tomo.  86 Loop Street.  (Tip – head to the House of Machines around the corner for live music and a drink after dinner)

  For Reservations – you can book online or call 021 425 0551.    Closed on Mondays and Sunday night

Black Sheep

This is an absolute local favourite -it was the first proper gourmet gastropub to launch in Cape Town.   This spot is vibey and needs to be booked a few days before you plan to go.  It is nearly always fully booked.  It is a great spot to meet up with a  few mates for a fun evening out. The food is really good, and you will see people eating in all parts of the bar – which is always a good sign!  Note that the do split seatings at dinner time – so either an early slot or a slightly late time slot for dinner.  Closed on Sundays.  104 Kloof Street Tel no+27 (021) 426 2661 / 426 2753 OPEN MONDAY NIGHT    

Moro Gelato

They are a local gelato producer that makes gelato that rock the rhubarb!   They are Woodstock based  – which was hard for us city slickers to access in the past – so it is wonderful that they opened  an outlet in the heart of Long Street!   Amazing gelato’s!  Track them down in either Long Street or in Sea Point.

Obi Restaurant – SUSHI

Papa San (a legendary sushi chef and famous for having owned Minato Restaurant and for being in the Douglas Green Wine advert) has teamed up with a wonderful young chef Ben Bettendorf to open Obi in lower Long Street.  This is a great combo as both can work in the kitchen – which frees Papa San to come out and chat to his Cape Town fans!  We loved our visit to the restaurant – we were warmly welcomed by Ben and as we were early, we ordered the early bird special  – three courses including a Miso soup,  a lovely large plate of sushi and delicious ice creams to end (a scoop of a fancy green tea ice cream that was sublime!!!) .   Simple decor, warm welcome, honest Asian style food…….fantastic! OPEN ON A MONDAY NIGHT (Bottom of Long Street)   Great sushi  – we highly recommend it!

The House of Machines

Is a quirky combo of a cafe, a coffee shop during the day, a motor bike workshop where you can have your custom made motor bike built,  a funky biking merchandise store, a bar with cocktails matured in barrels and a live music venue.  We love this little spot!  They also have light eats.   Pop in anytime of the day – this one is always fun!  For live music pop in from Wednesday to Saturday nights to see local bands playing.   (Note this one is very close to Heritage Square – so a good combo when doing dinner there)

The Athletic Club & Social

Is my new favourite spot for a fun evening with friends!   We needed the equivalent of a comfortable gentleman’s club for Cape Town!   Picture wonderfully comfortable couches and armchairs – sport pics on the wall – marvellous decor where you feel like you have stepped back in time……..squash racquets on the wall – yes – it sounds odd – but it is indeed marvellous!   This spot seamlessly combines comfort, great service, good food, great decor, an outside terrace, an eatery and a downstairs club.    Sound too good to be true?   Head there for an evening of relaxation!!   Note that the upstairs is supposed to be for drinks only – the ground floor level is for eating – so if you wish to eat – then book a table for downstairs for later for after you have  met up with your friends for drinks upstairs.    Closed on a Sunday  –  otherwise open from about 11am for drinks, lunch & dinner.  35 Buitengracht Street. To book  –  info@theathletic.co.za or  021 012 5331