2 Best Restaurants in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town

This much-loved Bo-Kaap landmark keeps it real with its non-frills, homestyle approach to traditional Cape Malay cuisine. Dishes include bredies (thick slow-cooked stews, usually tomato-based and made with spices, meatballs, mutton, or lentils and vegetables), denning vleis (a traditional dish made with lamb or mutton and cooked with tamarind), curries, and of course beloved snacks like samosas, half-moons (savory breadcrumb-covered, fried dough bites filled with meat or vegetables), and chili bites (spicy deep-fried morsels, usually chickpea flour–based, made with onion, spices, and herbs). The menu isn't limited to Cape Malay cuisine offering Indian dishes and light meals like toasties (toasted sandwiches like grilled cheese) and wraps.

Up the stairs and in a courtyard corner that literally spills out of her kitchen, Faeeza Abrahams shares recipes, tales of the neighborhood, and insight into local ways of life; a more intimate and authentic taste of traditional Cape Malay cuisine is hard to find. Besides her cooking classes, she also serves a variety of curries, bobotie (mince meat pie), daily specials, and something sweet—koesisters (donuts), milk tart, carrot cake—in her intimate tea garden.