Cape Town has one of the most varied restaurant scenes in Africa. Local Cape cuisine draws on Dutch, Malay and indigenous traditions — bobotie (spiced mince topped with an egg custard bake), waterblommetjiebredie (a stew made with water hyacinth blossoms), smoorsnoek (smoked snoek fish, slow-cooked with tomatoes and onion) — and is worth seeking out alongside the international options. The wine is outstanding and well-priced by global standards.
The Woodstock-Salt River corridor has become the city's most ambitious restaurant district, with a cluster of serious kitchens in converted warehouses. The V&A Waterfront has the most variety in one place, with everything from fast food to high-end seafood. Long Street and Kloof Street in the city centre are densely packed with mid-range options. Camps Bay has the most expensive strip, but the views justify the premium on a warm evening.
Mamma Africa (178 Long Street) is one of the best-known African restaurants in the city, with a menu that ranges across the continent — crocodile, warthog, ostrich — and live music most evenings. Biesmiellah on Upper Wale Street, in Bo-Kaap, is a long-running Cape Malay restaurant serving the real thing: affordable, generous, and always busy at lunchtime. The Old Biscuit Mill Saturday market in Woodstock is the best single place to try multiple Cape Town food styles at once — arrive early for the best selection.
Browse individual restaurants below.