9 Best Bars in City Centre, Cape Town

Tetsuo Hasegawa, bartender and owner of this tiny, personally craft cocktail bar in the heart of the city, eschews trends in favor of creating cocktails using imagination and local ingredients. The Tokyo-born mixologist blows minds and taste buds with drinks like his innovative milk-washed, tequila-forward Beat-nik, which contains beetroot, Durban masala, and apple shrub, or his All Night Boogie made with Cape brandy, Shiraz, banana and white miso, and dark chocolate. The drinks, tailored to your tastes, are exquisite, the atmosphere impeccable (only vinyls are played), and there's food available.

Conjuring the atmosphere of a high-pedigree sports bar, this multistory eating-drinking-schmoozing establishment was formerly owned by sports enthusiast Herbert Tothill; it was once a kind of speakeasy that flew in the face of apartheid-era discrimination by welcoming patrons from across the color spectrum. Its new owners have taken inspiration from that era and used the walls and antique cabinets to curate memorabilia, newspaper clippings, and photographs that tell tales of South Africa’s often unsung athletes. Plush leather- and velvet-covered chairs, embossed wallpaper, Persian rugs on herringbone floors, and marble countertops bring a touch of sophistication, as do the canapés and snacks, tapas, and more substantial Greek and Mediterranean dishes. Their cocktails make use of barrel-aged spirits, and they are known to push the edges a bit, so ask the bartenders to see if they can surprise you. They regularly have live music.

Walk into this hipsterish contemporary take on an inner-city biker bar for a daytime caffeinated pick-me-up, or join the cross-the-board crowd for barrel-aged liquor, stirred and shaken into cocktails by a savvy team behind the bar. A smoky old fashioned or two and you’ll be good to join the after-dark crowd that gathers for free live music.

Among the few Cape Town venues with live African music, Mama Africa is a good spot, albeit squarely aimed at tourists. It has a live marimba band performing Monday through Saturday, participatory drum circles some nights, traditional Zulu dance performances on Wednesday, gumboot dancers kicking it up on Friday and Saturday, and the in-house Mama Africa band on Sunday. Plus there is always authentic food—from crocodile steaks to matoke (green banana-and-peanut stew)—from different parts of Africa.

This upmarket contemporary cocktail bar on Bree Street is a great spot for a well-composed drink.

This venue brings to life the live music scene that has been steadily fading in recent years. They feature intimate performances by artists from all corners of South Africa's massively diverse music scene. It's also an option for laid-back sunset drinks with a beautiful view of the mountain and city center. Tickets need to be purchased in advance online.

Before its founders decided to peddle cocktails, there was a shared love of hip-hop, and now that same energy and spirit—combined with an expert interest in spirits and how best to combine them with fresh, made-from-scratch ingredients—has resulted in one of Cape Town’s best bars.

Styled with large leather benches and dark wooden tables, this evocation of a vintage bar is laid-back and jovial. A pool table, music, and a menu full of comfort foods draw crowds on the weekends, although under-21s are not allowed in.

Caveau Wine Bar & Deli is a hip yet unpretentious wine bar where you can sample a dizzying array of fabulous local wines by the glass while munching on excellent tapas or entrées. Extra seating is available in an inner courtyard.