4 Best Restaurants in Cape Town, South Africa

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.

Located in a historic manor house, this hotel restaurant serves tasty and hearty Italian fare from multiple dining rooms whose white walls are adorned with edgy South African art and or shelves packed with books. As much as this place is about atmosphere and socializing, its menu is packed with classic crowd pleasers like seafood linguine, Bolognese rigatoni, steak Florentine, and osso buco—hardly groundbreaking, but the basis for a pleasant night out, especially if you splurge on wine and save space for dessert. And there's lighter fare, such as burgers, garlic prawns on a bap, and salads, too  On a summer's day it's worth coming early for a drink at the lovely outdoor Rose Bar in the garden adjacent to the restaurant.

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. 

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.