92 Best Restaurants in Cape Town, South Africa

Sister restaurant to the original Harbour House in Kalk Bay, the V&A location serves the same fresh and tasty seafood menu from an enviable spot overlooking the harbor. Fresh fish of the day—grilled—is always a good bet, but there are a variety of options including seafood risotto, seafood pasta, and platters with a bit of everything on the (expensive and extensive) plate. Sushi and cocktails are served upstairs, from which vantage you can also get views of the mountain and sunset.

A no-frills, utterly authentic, local favorite for freshly-prepared Chinese food, the large menu includes dim sum (wonderful soup dumplings), noodle dishes, stir-fries, beef rolls, and scallion pancakes, as well as Sichuan classics. It may have started as a hidden hole-in-the-wall, but it's been discovered and can get seriously busy at times, and thankfully, the fast service and bustle don't seem to stand in the way of consistently satisfying and tasty food.

This wonderful inside-outside cafe manages to pull in every imaginable kind of customer, from businessmen doing deals over espresso to ladies from the suburbs out for tea and maybe a full-blown lunch. Apart from being a great breakfast spot, there's also a packed lunch service, with salads, pies, fish dishes, burgers, and lots more to tempt you, so much so that you need to watch yourself if you still have dinner plans (Although you could reasonably stay here for that, too).

This buzzy, bright, light-filled café enjoys a prime spot facing the beach, while being removed from the crowds, so it offers a sense of respite—plus you can enjoy freshly baked pastries, terrific breakfasts, or a heartier lunchtime meal while keeping watch over the shimmering ocean. French toast, eggs Benedict, and buttermilk pancakes are crowd favorites, as are the smoothies, freshly pressed juices, and difficult-to-resist cakes.

Serving hearty unpretentious Mediterranean fare and tapas at reasonable prices, this unassuming wine bar and bistro is often packed. The menu changes frequently, but focuses on Mediterranean-inspired dishes like saffron-scented seafood paella and wild mushroom risotto, plus there's a wonderful selection of classic and experimental Spanish-style tapas. The restaurant's interior is cozy and comfortable, but try to nab one of the outside tables (heat lamps keep things cozy in winter) so you can watch the world go by as you tuck in.

La Mouette serves an extremely reasonably priced tasting menu of modern French-fusion-style cuisine in a beautiful old Sea Point home that is all sash windows, working fireplaces, and bold color. With a choice of three or six courses, you'll be treated to inventive and delicious seasonal fare such as tuna tartare or duck breast with fermented red cabbage. Split into several different rooms, each of which seats only about 20 people, the restaurant allows for lingering conversation even on the busiest evenings. Friendly, competent service and a beautiful courtyard that is very popular in the summer complete the picture. Not all courses are winners, but at these prices, the overall experience is well worth a visit.

This quaint sidewalk café in the charming and pedestrian-friendly De Waterkant neighborhood above Green Point serves good coffees and teas, not to mention tasty breakfasts and lunches, both available all day. The quiches and savory pies are all flavorful, and the carrot-walnut cake remains deliciously moist. There are also more hearty options on offer—Karoo lamb shank, sticky spare ribs, and mac 'n' cheese—as well as a full bar and dinner service.

A more casual offering at the Roundhouse, this outdoor restaurant overlooking Camps Bay relishes in the fresh air, sunshine, and enfolding nature while children can run around and pets are welcome. Although the menu of pizzas, salads, pasta, burgers, fish-and-chips, and lovely desserts will stave off hunger, the real attraction is the festive mood, so summer cocktails and bubbly tend to be headline acts. Parking is treacherous (and getting out after hours of celebration even trickier), so use Uber and lose yourself in the moment. 

Prepare to eat with your fingers at this unassuming hole-in-the-wall restaurant, where chef and owner Yeshi Mekonnen demonstrates her deep love for the food of her homeland, evident in the traditional and fresh dishes she prepares from scratch. Meals are served on large sharing platters or individual plates and come with the traditional injera (naturally gluten-free flatbread made from teff flour) that you use to scoop up each mouthful; ask Yeshi to guide your choices according to your mood and level of hunger. Decorated with trinkets from Ethiopia, this quaint spot has low-to-the-ground seating (in the traditional style), which adds to the feeling of being worlds away from the street outside.

Located at the V&A's cruise terminal, Makers Landing is a collection of food stalls, casual sit-down restaurants, and even a culinary school. The initial aim was to showcase a diversity of local food, and even though a fast-food vibe has set in, you can get a proper taste of South Africa at Pitso's Kitchen, taste a unique range of spirits at the Pienaar & Son distillery, or satisfy your sweet tooth with some of the best chocolate at Afrikoa.

A traditional family-run Italian restaurant that has held a firm spot in the heart of Newlands. Expect classic Italian pasta, grilled fish, meats, and a lot of local favorites too. Although the restaurant is in the Dean Street Arcade - so no views - it is somewhere to get a generous and quality Italian meal. 

Delivering unfussy comfort food from a gorgeously casual, slightly theatrical space, Mantra's second-floor vantage provides sweeping views of the beach and sea while also lifting you above the street-level irritations of cars and hawkers. A great spot for breakfast or brunch, the range of heartier mains for lunch and dinner should lure you in for steamed mussels or pan-seared prawns, burgers, or a well-grilled steak. The décor is an eye-catching blend of photographs, vintage mirrors, dangling plants, and Moroccan-inspired tiles creating a warm ambiance that invites lingering, especially when the sun glints off the ocean and bathes everything in a golden sheen.

This stylish and centrally located Bree Street bistro draws diners with exquisitely rendered food in an elegant heritage building where exposed brick and ancient yellowwood beams contrast with chartreuse velvet banquettes and sleek furnishings. The menu is small and changes regularly, but the inspiration is modern European served in three courses; expect dishes like risotto arancini, duck confit with braised cabbage, and crème brûlée. Everything is made daily by the co-owners/chefs (who were also the masterminds of Birds, the beloved café that previously occupied the same space). A handpicked selection of boutique local wines which you can also enjoy at the gorgeous old oak bar completes the picture.

This Greek taverna has been a Sea Point classic since the 1980s, and although it has been refurbished with modern Greek decor and bright-white interiors, it's still a great, down-to-earth place to watch the comings and goings on busy Main Road. The extensive menu features mezzes, souvlaki, dolmades, teropita, seafood, and hearty traditional main dishes like moussaka and kleftiko (slow-cooked lamb).

If you've always wanted to try Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa's famous Japanese-Peruvian fusion cuisine, but were put off by the potential bill in New York or London, this hotel restaurant offers a chance to sample what may not constitute exactly the same level of cuisine, but will nonetheless make for a highly enjoyable experience. A vast modern space in the Waterfront's One&Only resort provides a fitting backdrop for the splurge of the omakase multicourse tasting menu, which will likely include dishes such as the signature Alaskan black cod with miso, rock shrimp tempura, or Chilean sea bass with dashi ponzu. Service is gracious, and the selection of sake and local wines is superlative if costly by local standards.

Very popular sister restaurants located side by side, offering great noodles and sushi, with a minimalist modern Japanese decor. Service is fast and friendly and dishes are made with quality ingredients. The sushi can rival some of the best sushi in Cape Town and the noodles are flavor-packed and fresh. 

From the 4Ps (pappardelle pasta, porcini mushrooms, Parmigiano Reggiano, pancetta) to the veal meatballs stuffed with mozzarella, everything's steeped in the Italian traditions of slow and simple cooking done properly. It's all thanks to the genuine family-run atmosphere, the careful attention to the freshly prepared pasta each day, and the traditionally inspired dishes that are created and prepared with carefully sourced ingredients. The chef-owner insists on personally attending to tables (and maybe slightly gruffly) so he can get a feel for what you feel like eating, there are no to-go orders, and it's a rather hidden-away spot in what feels like a cobblestone back alley of De Waterkant, but these attributes only add to the charm.

If your reasons for traveling are to experience some of the world's most creative dining, then chef John Norris-Rogers has plenty to dazzle you with, as he experiments with flavors and inventive ways of presenting dishes. From a platter of seafood morsels to sourdough served with curried hake butter and lamb with morel and chimichurri, diners experience show-off levels of culinary virtuosity. Whether it's the between-course nibbles and palate cleansers, the astonishingly beautiful crockery, or the glittering harbor views, this will be a full-on, immersive dining experience. Children under 8 are not allowed. 

Opened in 2024 by the same team behind Una Más (the city's first mezcaleria that's just a short distance down the road), this unassuming, over-performing tapas restaurant has quickly become one of Sea Point's go-to gems. From its selection of bite-size pintxos (appetizers on toothpicks) and small plates made for sharing with the entire table (order at least three), to full-blown epic-sized meals like seafood paella, rib-eye steaks with garlic baby potatoes and rojo chimichurri, or Halloumi baked in a delectable smoky tomato, garbanzo, and parsley sauce, everything that head chef Dian Botes creates has rich, satisfying flavors. It's got a bit of a taverna vibe, with lots of energy and bustle and relatively on-the-ball service, so come expecting a bit of fun, and don't forget a tequila or mezcal-infused cocktail to add sparkle to the evening.

The creation of Peter Tempelhoff and Ashley Moss, the same Japan-obsessed cheffing duo behind Fyn (located in the same heritage building), this is about as authentic and steeped in profound umaminess as ramen gets in South Africa, or anywhere in the world for that matter. Although there are a few other items on the menu (gyoza, karaage, tuna sashimi), it’s really all about bowls of noodles in a rich, satisfying broth. There are ramen options for vegetarians, and to accompany all that slurping there's a great selection of sakes behind the bar where you can also sit if you're dining solo.

Known for its exceptional natural beauty, Cape Town is surprisingly short on restaurants with killer views; The Roundhouse, serving modern South African cuisine, is helping close that gap. Converted from its origins as an 18th-century Table Mountain–side hunting lodge, this unique fine-dining restaurant overlooking Camps Bay specializes in applying creative flavor combinations to local ingredients—think Karoo ostrich with a fennel seed glaze or hake with carrot and cashew puree. All three connected dining rooms exude a romantic warmth with their white tablecloths and copper hurricane lamps, with the Somerset Room enjoying the best sea views, and the private whiskey room being ideal for larger parties of up to eight guests.

Check out the adjacent "Rumbullion" picnic area, an excellent place to while away a summer's afternoon enjoying breathtaking mountain and sea views and a more casual burger-and-pizza-style menu. Opening hours vary with the season, so best to call and check.

Serving locally and sustainably caught seafood, this bright and breezy restaurant has become the Bree Street go-to spot for oysters, cocktails, and fish and crustaceans prepared in a variety of ways. Bringing a contemporary take to traditional seafood dishes, expect to find things like line-caught hake and chips, Cape Malay seafood curry, game fish nicoise, fish pie, prawns and mussels in fish ink tagliatelle, and grilled whole fish. On warmer days, you can sit outside in the sunshine and watch the back and forth of pedestrians. 

A tiny restaurant that packs a punch. Sundoo offers a South Indian-style menu (not as common in Cape Town) and creative twists on popular street foods. Order a few tapas to share or go with an individual main meal, you can't go wrong, either way, go early or make sure to reserve a table because the restaurant doesn't have many tables and they get full quite quickly. 

As one of the first Ethiopian restaurants in Cape Town (although originally in Long Street), Timbuktu has been a local favorite for close to two decades. The eclectic and visually stimulating decor welcomes you into this "observatory café" for a meal that includes generous helpings of injera with which to scoop up your food, using your fingers to eat in the traditional way.

Almost entirely comprised of outposts of the Cape's most popular restaurants, this food hall has more than a dozen different kitchens and four bars (one that's wine-focused). For immaculate sushi, try Sushiya, where Cape Town’s lauded chef Peter Tempelhoff has collaborated with a Michelin-star chef from Japan, or visit Barakat for a contemporary take on Cape Malay cuisine (order the bobotie, a curried beef mince dish, followed by a couple of donut-like koesisters) or maybe stop by Milo for sish’nyama—aka braai or barbecued food created by one of the country’s most exciting young chefs, Vusi Ndlovu. Plus there's Asian street food from How Bao Now; simply delicious cooking at celebrity chef Siba Mtongana's Siba Deli; and the best ice cream in town from Unframed. Most stalls get going at 11 am—Nosh opens for breakfast at 8 am—and the market stays open well into the night with occasional parties and live music.

This is a multi-venue Japanese cuisine destination that shares skilled chefs and bartenders, great design style, and a 200-year-old heritage building in the heart of Cape Town. On the ground floor, you have Torii, serving meals and snacks comprised of crowd-pleasing Japanese bar and street food—think deep-fried sushi rice, tempura, baos, and ramen; there's a fabulous rooftop bar; and on the middle floor, the excellent and very high-end Momiji serves refined journey-style omakase set menu (Saturday only, reservations essential; R725 per person) with slightly more traditional seating, a serene atmosphere, and a brilliant use of local ingredients to interpret Japanese culinary technique. Next to Momiji is a sophisticated lounge bar, where you can enjoy cocktails and a range of Japanese whiskeys, and food from an a la carte menu. Service is friendly and efficient and matches the prevailing atmosphere of each of the various spaces.

When self-proclaimed coffee evangelist David Donde moved into an old warehouse on Buitenkant, it was this venue that proved Capetonians (and tourists) were prepared to trek east for a quality caffeine kick. A vintage roaster (adorned with copper dispensers, gauges and contraptions)—the inspiration for the café's steampunk design—helps to create that sought-after coffee, and the barista academy and a bakery churning out kick-ass sourdough (used to fashion excellent breakfasts and sandwiches) add to the fun, but never frivolous, atmosphere where they take the provenance of food and beans very seriously. With its full bar, and live performances on many nights, Truth continues to capture the happening atmosphere in what has evolved into Cape Town's creative hub. Observing the ebb and flow of the always-bustling clientele, from mobile office workers to business folk and camera-toting tourists who almost can't believe their luck when they "stumble" into this slightly crazy alternate universe, is almost as good as the coffee. Note that Rapt, the weird little chocolate factory-cum-shop across the road, is also owned by Donde, and is worth a visit.

Despite the off-the-wall quirkiness of the concept—a bistro and bar that exists as an homage to the stylistic idiosyncrasies of film director Wes Anderson (he of The Grand Budapest Hotel)—the menu sticks with the classics, serving simple, straightforward food prepared properly. The small yet refined selection of no-nonsense, nostalgia-satisfying choices includes bouillabaisse with a slightly localized Cape Town twist; entrecôte (rib-eye) steak with frites and Café de Paris butter; beetroot tarte Tatin; catch of the day with fennel confit; and good old-fashioned moules marinière. The bar's a big draw, too; be prepared to step into a place that, like any Wes Anderson film, is a bit fantastical, and probably best appreciated with a glass of bubbly in hand.

Though unfortunately inside the mall, this buzzing hive of activity consistently churns out what many (but not all) say is the city's best sushi along with an array of other Japanese dishes and various seafood favorites like English-style fish-and-chips and prawn pasta. There will almost inevitably be a line during dinner hours (you'll be seated quicker if you ask to sit at the sushi bar, which is the place to be), which can create a fast-turnaround feel instead of a relaxing meal vibe.

For what many would argue is Cape Town's best sushi, head to Willoughby's, which is in the V&A's shopping mall, with seating both inside and out. But this is all about the food—there are no views.