5 Best Restaurants in Cape Town, South Africa

This super little retro-themed deli-cum-pantry-cum-café serves beautiful breakfasts and low-key lunches with a side-order of authentic Cape Town too-cool-to-care swagger. You can pick up essentials like butter or fruit and veg (from Umthunzi Farming Community), find ethically sourced cold meats (Frankie Fenner), jars of Willy’s Chilli (by owner Will Hobson) and get tasty pastries, or sit down for the city’s finest hot dogs and top-notch toasted sandwiches. Tuesday through Saturday nights, it gently transforms into a bar, and there's the occasional dinner, too.

This is a café in wine country, but its in-house bakery has made this place justifiably famous for its exquisite breads, pastries, and cakes. If you're going to have wine and want something more substantial, menu items range from nourishing bowls and breakfasts that lean into organic, clean, nutritious ingredients, to full-blown fried eggs and bacon "Piggy" breakfast. Their burgers, wraps, smoked salmon bagel, and falafel bowl all hit the spot as well.

With floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked with everything delicious from French champagne to truffle oil, Giovanni's is a classic Italian deli with global ingredients unavailable elsewhere, making it a great place to stock up for a gourmet picnic or to enjoy a bite to eat at the counter. There's always a wide selection of hams and cold cuts as well as fantastic cheeses, and the display counters and fridges have a wide selection of pay-by-weight pasta dishes, salads, and other ready-to-go meals. Though a little chaotic at peak times—and to be honest, the raised counter seating is not especially comfortable—this place shouldn't be missed for its unflinching sense of being part of the Green Point "scene."

Delicious daytime meals are just one reason there's almost always a crowd in this friendly corner spot on the outer edge of De Waterkant. It could also be the changing art exhibit on the walls or the warm service, but it's probably the tasty meals conjured from nourishing ingredients, the excellent coffee, smoothies, and freshly squeezed juices. The menu adapts according to the seasons as the emphasis is always on fresh, healthy flavors (they have plenty of gluten-free and vegan options available), and the food is exquisitely presented (don't come if you're in a hurry as they do everything to order). You can sit inside or on the sliver of space outside—sometimes there are even people sitting across the road with their mugs in hand. It feels as much like a community get-together as a gracious, intimate neighborhood breakfast spot, and being here always feels like you've discovered a secret hub of culinary excellence.

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.