98 Best Restaurants in Cape Town, South Africa

Named for the year the Steenberg wine estate on which it sits was established, this not-to-be-missed bistro serves dishes intended to be paired with the estate's vintages, but remains the opposite of hoity-toity fine dining. Dishes like beef tataki with shimeji mushrooms or sustainable fish with kimchi and umami cream are the perfect foil to a minimalist environment of bleached wood, metallic accents, and high ceilings. The outside terrace with its gorgeous mountain views is the perfect setting for brunch or lunch. If you miss lunch, you're in for a treat with a tapas menu that includes the likes of polenta frittes with baba ganoush, sticky harissa lamb ribs, and rosti with goat feta.

A cozy yet elegant restaurant with a select seasonal menu posted on a chalkboard, Black Sheep features food inspired by all of the Cape’s culinary influences: indigenous, North African, Asian, Middle Eastern, and more. Ingredients are locally and ethically sourced, and the restaurant has a nose-to-tail food philosophy. Expect dishes like roast Cape Bream fish with Asian greens, crispy pork trotters, lentil, and coconut curry, rabbit puff pastries, slow roast pork shoulder with gingerbread sauce, or game meat like kudu and springbok when available. Come early or make a booking as the restaurant gets full quickly in the evenings.

Enjoy soaring views of the Constantia winelands from this coolly elegant space of carved wood and huge glass windows, where a fantastic and well-priced "tapas for two" menu reminds you why long lunches were invented. Eight dishes—all marked by freshness of ingredients and a globe-trotting host of inspiration—served in three courses are available for lunch and dinner, and change with the seasons or chef's inspiration. Expect items like a perfectly spiced carrot risotto with beurre noisette and horseradish cream, or exquisitely fragrant pan-fried fish with a coconut dressing and kale. A great, small wine list that includes very reasonable by-the-glass options from the host estate, smooth service, and some charming private outdoor seating options available in good weather complete the picture.

Serving a range of exquisitely prepared international fusion cuisine in a casually elegant-industrial setting, this restaurant and bakery in the heart of leafy Constantia is a true gem. The extremely seasonal menu changes often, but includes about a dozen mind-blowing tapas options—incorporating flavors from harissa to ponzu to smoked garlic—as well as a half dozen more traditional mains, such as chalmar beef with duck fat fries and café au lait sauce, or pan-seared line fish with mussel chowder. The gorgeous presentation would have you expect a much costlier bill, but is probably inevitable given that the chef-owners both hail from La Colombe, one of Cape Town's most lauded fine-dining establishments. An amazing wine list and in-house bakery where you can pick up fresh croissants, macaroons, and exceptional pastries complete the picture.

Hidden in the Montebello Design Center and Nursery is this quaint little cafe that has been serving locals for decades. Serving thoughtful breakfasts, light lunches, sandwiches, and a select number of delicious hot meals. There is an extensive cake, pastry, and deli counter with all kinds of homemade goods. On warmer days, a seat outdoors allows you to view the wonderful plants in the nursery next to it and there's a small play area for kids to enjoy. 

Super-stylish Hemelhuijs is both a showcase for a range of exquisite and fanciful ceramicware, and a centrally located restaurant serving equally fanciful and exquisite food. Though a little pricey for lunch, the owner-chef's inventive seasonal dishes burst with freshness and flavor (think pear-and-celeriac salad with hazelnuts and trout, or a crispy panfried veal of sublime flavor and texture) are well worth it. On one of Cape Town's few pedestrian walkways (near the footbridge crossing busy Buitengracht Street), this tiny designer space, where food is served in gold-painted bowls under chandeliers hanging with beads, driftwood, and star-shape seedpods, is truly a treat. Needless to say, breakfast and brunch are also divine.

This trendy cafe serves breakfast and brunch classics with a modern twist like brioche French toast with white chocolate and cornflake crunch, Reuben eggs benedict, smoothie bowls, and a large section of toasts (think avocado). The space can get packed but the service is efficient and friendly, and there's great coffee to boot. 

This well-loved bakery and cafe is where locals meet for coffee, breakfast, or to buy their freshly baked bread and pastries. The cafe menu serves classics like eggs Benedict and Reuben sandwiches, and on Saturdays, they sell their famous "doughssants" (donut meets croissant) which tend to sell out by mid-morning, so go early, it's worth trying! 

A popular Sea Point institution since 2014, this New York–style deli blends traditional Jewish recipes with the best local ingredients to bring freshly baked bagels and an assortment of schmears, toppings, and homemade sauces. Be sure to grab other delicious pastries like babka and rugelach when not sold out. 

Elegant and tranquil, this small oasis near the Kloof Street drag serves pricey but beautifully executed Japanese fare. Sourcing as much as possible from Japan, the owner verges on obsessive in his effort to maintain a high standard of both ingredients and technique, evidenced in the lightness of the tempura and the freshness and variety of seafood. The Zen ambience of blond wood and emerald light creates a supremely relaxing setting in which to enjoy dishes like seaweed-and-shiitake salad or sake steamed clams. An unusually diverse range of sushi (by Cape Town standards) can include choice items like sea urchin, big-eye tuna, scallop, and angel prawns. Great cocktails, an impressive selection of sake and Japanese whiskey, and excellent service complete the picture.

Rightfully known as one of South Africa's most lauded fine-dining establishments and listed in the world's top 100 restaurants, La Colombe’s sublime French-Asian inspired tasting menus are served in a delightful minimalist setting overlooking the bucolic green of the Constantia wine valley. The menu changes regularly, but the best option is to order the full eight-course gourmand menu, as there is not a false note to be found. With plating so artful that you almost feel reluctant to break into some dishes, Chef Scott Kirsten’s genius does not come at the expense of taste, as evidenced in the life-changing springbok tartare with pickled chestnut, chipotle, and foie gras. The intimate cool space of white-painted timber offset by charcoal finishes and black beams is light-flooded by day, becoming elegantly refined in the evening. An excellent wine list and incredibly knowledgeable service also ensure that La Colombe will remain a favorite Cape Town splurge.

Get ready to eat with your hands at this otherwordly Ethiopian restaurant that's covered head-to-toe in obscure trinkets, plants, and trees. There's always a delightful smell of cooked spices, and the food is delicious, with meat and vegan options, all served with tangy and spongy injera (naturally gluten-free flatbread). This restaurant is open every day for lunch and dinner.

This new food market at the cruise terminal near the Waterfront showcases some of the best local foods that Cape Town has to offer. Try some killer wings from Sidewing, or a beloved traditional Koesister (a Cape Malay spiced donut) from Fuzzy's Food and grab a good cup of coffee from Coffee by Moses. Want something more filling? Try a tasty dosa from Indikaap's ayurvedic kitchen or a South African braai plate from Pitso's Kitchen. Whatever you get, enjoy it outside in the sunshine, watching cruise ships parking on the dock. 

Located in the vibey Dunkley Square, this lovely Greek restaurant serves all kinds of Greek mezzes which can be ordered as a platter, or traditional dishes like moussaka, calamari, and lamb chops. This local favorite also serves pitas, souvlaki, and burgers, as well as good vegetarian options. On good weather days, have dinner outside for a magical ambiance. 

This small, stylish gelateria has some of the best Italian gelato in Cape Town with traditional flavors like stracciatella, pistachio, and chocolate, as well as locally-inspired flavors like rooibos, milk tart, and whatever produce is in season. The cafe also serves decadent hot chocolate and thick, creamy milkshakes, and there are many dairy-free and vegan options.

Exceptionally delicious things—think classics like eggs Benedict, French toast, American-style pancakes, and chicken and waffles with creative, tasty spins—are happening in this designer space of exposed brick, funky lighting, and leather seats. With a constantly changing menu, expect some exciting new dishes in this trendy space, a favorite among locals for upmarket sweet and savory breakfasts and late brunches. 

Try a taste of Zimbabwean cuisine at this cozy restaurant in Salt River that serves fresh traditional meals like millet pap (a type of starch made from millet grains) or kapenta (a traditional dried fish) in peanut butter, or go for a more hearty oxtail stew or tilapia fish in curry. Food is generous, so plan to order a main meal with a starch of your choice, a platter to share, or an individual plate.

A meal at this playful and inventive tapas-style venture from Cape Town star-chef Luke Dale Roberts always promises fabulous fun. With great harbor and mountain views from its position on the sixth floor of a renovated silo, this hip eatery serves an eclectic but clearly Asian-influenced array of fine-dining nibbles. Although the menu changes regularly, a few regulars like the smoked beef fillet with truffle café au lait and ceviche avocado tacos remain favorites. You'll want to order about three plates per person, so if you can, come with a crew to maximize how many you can taste. The cocktails are delicious, service friendly and efficient, and the atmosphere, with its open kitchen and gorgeous lighting, super relaxed. The all-you-can-drink sparkling-wine brunches (Sunday only) are also a fantastic treat.

Away from the Camps Bay "strip" and higher up on the mountains in the historical Roundhouse building, an opulent culinary experience awaits you at Salsify. Be prepared for fine-dining excellence with French-inspired takes on local ingredients served as a 6 or 7 course-course tasting menu where you may choose a dish for some courses and wine pairings are optional. Expect a gastronomic experience with dishes like cold-smoked beef tartare with miso egg yolk, smoked chestnut and porcini mousse, or cardamom and rose sago pudding souffle with kumquat marmalade and roasted pistachio.

This quaint little dim sum bar on the top of Long Street is often packed in the evenings. The menu is always changing with available options written on a little chalkboard, but flavorful and delicate dim sum is always on offer, as is a warm brothy soup.

This ice cream cafe has become an Obs and Cape Town institution and is a must-visit as Tapiwa, ice cream maker and founder of Tapi Tapi, makes delicious and daring handcrafted African ice creams. This cafe is small but packs a punch, and the ice cream will give you an education and not just a frozen dessert. Tapiwa is on a mission to challenge how the world, including Africans, undermine African foods and ingredients and seeks to bring pride and excitement for African foods from across the continent. He's a one-man show, hand-making all the ice cream himself, with flavors changing weekly- including vegan options. He also offers ice cream-making workshops. 

Consistently rated South Africa’s top restaurant and on the top 50 restaurants in the world list, this industrial-elegant boutique eatery in Cape Town’s trendy Woodstock neighborhood is a struggle to get a table at, but the fantastical sensory and culinary journey that awaits you is a worthy and potentially life-changing reward. Since opening in 2009, TTK, as it’s known, has led fine-dining trends in foodie-mecca Cape Town. Keeping one step ahead of the game, chef-owner Luke Dale Roberts has curated a food-theater experience that, in a manner at once playful and artful, employs all five senses to transport you through a mind-blowing array of courses, with an end result that feels simply magical. Come with your best appetite, as the richness of the meal—starting with canapés like a shortbread-foie-gras with gold-leaf, moving on to dishes like lamb sweetbread with liquorice liver jus, and finishing with the likes of duck breast with duck liver stuffing and sour cherry—is also superlative.

Booking system has become month-to-month, so instead of planning months in advance, log in very early on the morning of the 1st.

At the top of the Helshoogte Pass with absolutely amazing views of the valley and mountains, Tokara is a Winelands must-visit. Chef Carolize Coetzee grew up in small-town South Africa and honors local ingredients and cooking methods in her wide range of dishes. Lunch is à la carte, while dinner guests choose between four- or six-course set menus, each with a wine-pairing option.

Though unfortunately inside the mall, this buzzing hive of activity consistently churns out what many say is the city's best sushi along with a surprisingly good array of other Japanese dishes as well as seafood favorites like English fish-and-chips and a prawn pasta. It is probably fair to say that South African sushi was defined by Willoughby & Co., with its fanciful and decadent signature rolls, such as the creamy rock-shrimp maki (a tuna-style roll graced with large chunks of tempura-fried crayfish in a spicy mayo-based sauce) and the rainbow nation roll (salmon, avocado, and tuna topped with caviar and a few squizzles of delicious sesame-oil and sweet chili sauces). More traditional sushi is also very good, thanks to the fact that this shop promises nothing is ever frozen (multiple weekly shipments of fresh Norwegian salmon help make this so). The Japanese Kitchen menus are also extremely tasty. There will almost inevitably be a line during normal dinner hours; however, it goes quickly (especially if you sit at the sushi bar, which is the place to be) and you're likely to be offered free tastes of various new vintages while waiting.

Located near the top of Kloof Street, this Thai restaurant has an extensive menu full of flavorful grills, curries, and salads. Whether you sit on the romantic side where guests can dine at low tables while sitting on cushions on the floor, or at a table on the side with elegant traditional decor, you're bound to have a delicious meal and warm service.

With its superb cuisine and excellent service, diners adore this French bistro located in an old Cape Dutch building on Heritage Square. Using classic French techniques but drawing on local produce and adding some fusion twists, dishes like the signature raw Norwegian salmon salad with ginger, soy, and shallots are served in a warm wood-floored dining room with a vertical garden feature, as well as in a lovely outside courtyard. The culinary magic is mostly found in the form of daily specials presented chalkboard-style, including dishes like a duo of tuna with avocado wasabi-and-jalapeño dressing, or the veal tongue with Gruyère and local waterblommetjies (water lily). Lunch is buzzier than dinner, but the food is splendid every time. In the summer enjoy a tapas and drinks menu from 3 to 6 during the week in the courtyard.

In this warm space of yellowwood tables, sash windows, and reed ceilings, chef-owner Harald Bresselschmidt has served classic European-with-a-twist cuisine since 1996 at one of the city’s oldest fine-dining establishments. Using the freshest South African produce prepared with classical European methods, the chef cooks with wine in mind, and Aubergine's cellar and pairings are unsurprisingly superb. Seafood options are usually excellent, and meat dishes like an ostrich fillet with sweetbread and marrow dumplings richly sublime. Lunch and winter specials are more affordable ways of enjoying this fine restaurant, and in summer, the terrace seating in this historic 1830s home is recommended.

This relaxed but glam eatery in the posh Vineyard Hotel & Spa outside Cape Town attracts well-heeled regulars, who come for chef Mike Basset's consistently excellent fusion flair, evidenced in dishes like squid ink spaghetti with yuzu pearls and the divine truffle-teriyaki beef fillet topped with perfectly crisped tempura vegetables. Evenings are all about the amazingly good-value seven-course tasting menu. Lunches are more casual but also offer a five-course tasting menu option. Black chandeliers and tones of gray and silver make for an ambience of cool evening elegance, while daytime diners will appreciate the gorgeous garden and mountain views. Don't neglect the fabulous wine list, which features many of the country's best.

This once-great Italian restaurant is still a pleasant stop, but with all the other fabulous food in Cape Town, it no longer rates as a must-do. Expect classic Milanese cuisine, including fresh salads, a whole section of carpaccio options (perhaps the stars of the menu), fresh pasta like butternut-squash-filled ravioli with brown sage butter, and plenty of fish and meat dishes. The upstairs interior is Eames-inspired with its bentwood chairs; downstairs, the exposed stone reveals the building's ancient history, which began in 1682.

Don't miss Mount Nelson's legendary high tea, which has been offered since the hotel was erected in 1899 to welcome the Prince of Wales on his visit to the Cape. Served from 2:30 to 5:30, afternoon tea offers a pastry selection that can tempt even the most jaded palate, with savory treats that make for a scrumptious meal, and more than 40 tea varieties, which an expertly-trained tea sommelier can guide you through.