Eating Cape Town: Lunch & Dinner 🍽️

Most of our family and friends do not live in Cape Town. Moreover, we have a lot of acquaintances and friends of friends visiting Cape Town. In those cases, they often enquire with us what they should do and where they should eat.

After the first instalment on breakfast and coffee, let’s move to the latter parts of the day: lunch and dinner. I’ll do a separate post on fine-dining, drinks and live music. 

The recommendations are listed alphabetically per category, so this is not the order of preference. We’ll leave that to you to decide.

Pub-style 🍻

Brass Bell, Kalk Bay. As we mentioned in the previous post, Kalk Bay is a great place to stop while doing a Cape Point road trip. If you’re stopping there later in the day, Brass Bell would be a good spot for lunch or dinner. Try their ribs. (link)

Den Anker, V&A Waterfront. I’m Belgian so I’m likely biased, but Den Anker has the best beer selection I’ve found in Cape Town. It’s nowhere near the biggest selection, it’s the best. I’m a huge fan of a beer called Orval and I’m very happy I can drink it there. If I feel nostalgic for Belgian food, we go there and I pretty much always get either vol-au-vent or stoofvlees. Also, the restaurant’s outside area has one of the best views of Table Mountain in the whole city. During a tournament where the Belgian Red Devils are playing, this is the spot to be at. (link)

Jerry’s, Observatory. When we had just moved to Woodstock in 2014, we wanted to go to Panchos in Observatory, but on that day it was closed. So we walked into the next place we could find, and stumbled upon what are the best burgers we’ve found in Cape Town. That’s saying a lot because Cape Town has a myriad of good burger joints. They’ve got a few different locations, but the Obs one is the original. Try a burger from the Seven Deadly Sins range. (link)

Taproom, Salt River. My go-to brewery in South Africa is Devil’s Peak (I particularly recommend the King’s Blockhouse IPA). Before the brewery moved its beer-producing to a different location, the Taproom would be the front, while the brewing happened in the back. The food is pub food with an edge. We definitely recommend the flash-fried broccoli. (I know, right, why would anyone recommend broccoli? It’s just that good.) Taproom is also a pretty nice place to watch a sports game. (link)

Asian 🍣

Easter Food Bazaar, Cape Town City Centre. Close to the Grande Parade, you can find a food court that offers a variety of Asian dishes. When we go, we normally go for either a nice Indian curry or a Middle Eastern hummus and falafel. If you’re looking for a South African take on Indian, the bunny chow would be your plate of choice. It’s an Indian curry served in a half loaf of bread. One of the other reasons to support this food court is that every night, they distribute leftovers to people who need it. (link)

Make, Sea Point. Cape Town has some very nice sushi on offer. So far, the best sushi we’ve found is in Make. The service is fast and the taste amazing. (link)

Three Wise Monkeys, Sea Point. If you like ramen, Three Wise Monkeys is your place to be. The portions are tasty and very big. (link)

Italian 🍝

Burrata, Woodstock. Burrata used to be downstairs from our offices. We’d go there pretty much whenever we had visitors. The pizza is nice, traditional Italian-style, so think a thin base, not overcrowded with toppings. Further, their fresh pasta tastes amazing. I took an Italian there and he deemed the pizza “pretty good.” Knowing him, that means about the same as “great.” (link)

The Cousins Italian Trattoria, Cape Town City Centre. This authentic Italian restaurant is a must-go. Started by three Italian cousins (their name originality is luckily not at all an indicator for the quality of food), we highly recommend going for the amazing The Cousins Pasta, which is tossed in a wheel of cheese right before serving it. (link)

Da Vinci’s, Gardens. We rarely go into Da Vinci’s, even though the restaurant is nice. Da Vinci’s is our favourite place to order in pizza. All their pizzas are named after painters. I normally go for the Constable. (link)

The Woodlands Eatery, Vredehoek. If you don’t book for this place, you might not get a spot. This Italian-inspired restaurant is in the midst of the Vredehoek suburb and surrounded by lots of family homes. This proximity alone already gives it an appeal, but don’t worry, the food is the real lure. (link)

Other 🥩

The Bungalow, Clifton. The food is good at The Bungalow, but its main selling point is the amazing view. From Mouille Point all the way to Camps Bay, all restaurants are separated from the ocean by a street. The Bungalow is the best exception to this. Do yourself a favour and book an outside table and make sure you’re there for sunset. (link)

HQ, Cape Town City Centre. South Africa’s quality of meat is some of the best, if not the best, I’ve tasted. HQ focuses on good quality steak and delivers this at a reasonable price. Later at night, the place gets a party vibe. Go later if that’s your pick, but we normally go for an earlier dinner. (link)

Kloof Street House, Cape Town City Centre. Slightly on the more expensive side, Kloof Street House is probably the restaurant with the most beautiful interior in this post’s list. The food is tasty and the menu finds a lot of inspiration in the local cuisine. (link)