Cape Town at the table: tasting menus, the sea and the vines

About Cape Town at the table: tasting menus, the sea and the vines

By the ULTIMATE Cape Town Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Cape Town eats with its geography. The great tasting-menu dining rooms are spread across the peninsula: La Colombe on the Silvermist estate at Constantia Nek, FYN on the fifth floor of Speakers’ Corner off Church Square, Salsify in the old Roundhouse above Camps Bay, Pier at the V&A Waterfront and The Pot Luck Club at the top of the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock. Then there is the sea: Harbour House on the harbour wall at Kalk Bay, Codfather in Camps Bay, Grand Africa on the beach at Granger Bay. Over the mountain, the Winelands keep their own tables.

The great tables

La Colombe, at Silvermist in Constantia, Salsify at the Roundhouse in Camps Bay, FYN in the city centre, Pier at the V&A and The Pot Luck Club in Woodstock are our choice of Cape Town’s great tables: tasting menus, views and service to match. South Africa has no MICHELIN Guide, so these are our own selection; each is described from its own website.

By the sea

Harbour House has dining rooms at the Kalk Bay harbour, the V&A and Camps Bay. Codfather in Camps Bay is a seafood and sushi restaurant; Grand Africa Café & Beach sits on the sand at Granger Bay, beside the V&A.

Book the great tables weeks ahead in summer (December to March), and keep one evening free for a long lunch in the vineyards instead.

In town

Kloof Street House in Gardens, Belly of the Beast on Harrington Street and Clarke’s on Bree Street are the City Bowl’s everyday favourites.

The Winelands

In Franschhoek, Le Coin Français is on Huguenot Road; at Babylonstoren and Delaire Graff, lunch comes with a garden or a view.

Our advice: lunch is the Cape’s great meal. In summer, the light lasts until well after eight.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Cape Town at the table: tasting menus, the sea and the vines before you go.