Cape Town’s culinary scene is on fire, and – if possible – the menu of places to eat this summer is more delicious than ever. From landmark additions to the city’s fine dining venues, to beloved favourites finding new homes, there’s no reason to go hungry in the Mother City. Here are the tables you shouldn’t miss out on.
The Melting Pot
After a few years in the Elgin winelands and at the V&A Waterfront’s Time Out Market, The Melting Pot finally returns to the Mother City with a new space in trendy De Waterkant. With a corner locale offering fantastic city views, it’s a multi-level space that allows you to drop in for breakfast at the new terrace counters, enjoy a lunchtime bite at a pavement table beneath the pepper trees, or return for sundowners and oysters on the rooftop deck. On the main level are two intimate dining rooms designed for slow explorations of chef John Van Zyl’s globe-trotting menu.
It’s a collection of plates that reads like a passport, tapping into Van Zyl’s culinary adventures around the globe. Asian flavours loom large, and expect plenty of punchy seafood plates: tuna sashimi with chilli-peanut crunch, crisp fish tacos, and the signature West Coast mussels with sourdough and fennel salad, which has long been on the menu. Vietnamese char-grilled pork on a rice noodle salad dressed with a spicy tamarind nuoc cham is another standout. And because you’ll be hard-pressed to choose, perhaps the final option on the menu is the best: “one of everything”.
Farro
Joburg foodies wept into their negronis when Farro closed its Illovo doors in June 2020, but after a long spell in the wilderness (well, the Overberg winelands at least), Farro has returned to its urban roots with a new home in a charming Victorian terrace on Wandel Street, Gardens. Farro is the work of husband-and-wife team Alex and Eloise Windebank, and as the cohort of loyal regulars will be glad to hear, that same combination of refined European cooking (from him) and warm hospitality out front (her) remains as sharp as ever.
What has changed is the style of dining, shifting from the à la carte offering of the winelands to a five-course chef’s menu that lets you sit back and relax, confident that you haven’t missed out on a menu gem. At this latest incarnation of Farro, you’ll have the chance to taste everything. And oh, what a joy that is, as the menu meanders from snacks (featuring those beignets, IYKYK), pasta, fish, meat and dessert. As always, Windebank’s menu draws on classical French techniques, without any frippery or fuss. Here, it’s all about elegant simplicity and a primacy of flavour, whether it’s the in-house cappellacci in brown butter, kabeljou on tartare cream with outrageously crisp potatoes, or Karoo Wagyu with green peppercorn sauce. Of course, those plates may have changed by the time you dine there, as Alex moves the menu with the seasons. The wine list, too, is not set in stone. Here, Eloise has curated a fantastic selection of small-batch releases and boutique cellars across a delightfully playful wine list.
Amura
Mount Nelson, a Belmond Hotel, ups the fine-dining ante this summer with one of the most exciting restaurant openings the city has seen in years. Amura debuts in a space transformed by renowned interior designer Tristan de Plessis, crafting a cinematic dining room of bronze accents and kelp-forest greens that pair perfectly with the cuisine of visionary Spanish chef Ángel León.
Unless you’re a globe-trotting gourmand, that name may not resonate, but in Europe, Léon is widely celebrated as the “chef of the sea”. At his three-Michelin-starred Aponiente in El Puerto de Santa María, León harnesses the energy of the oceans to inform a truly inventive approach to seafood.
And he’s brought that same energy and innovation to the Mother City, drawing on a shared maritime connection to create a menu of “marine cuisine” that reflects his Spanish roots alongside local traditions and produce. Seafood is the star here, from the daily catch at the in-house fishmonger (more glamorous than it sounds) to boundary-pushing plates that blend theatre and cuisine. Prawns cooked in “live salt”, or a glass shimmering with “bioluminescence”? Well, it has to be seen to be believed.
These dishes may press into your memory like footprints on a beach, but the menu also embraces the simplicity that makes for great seafood. Ranging from small plate starters (the prawn toast is an immediate must) to coastal greens, often foraged fresh from local shores, and inspired mains (hello, plankton risotto), León will recalibrate your appreciation for the bounty of the oceans.
Heirloom
Chef Wesli Jacobs has done a fine job of reinventing the flagship restaurant at the Cape Grace, the hotel with arguably the best location in Cape Town. Begin with a glass of bubbles from the excellent wine list — with an impressive selection by the glass as well — while you discover what Jacobs has in store.
It’s a menu that leans heavily, proudly, into South African flavours without resorting to cliché. Local producers take centre stage, alongside modern spins on traditional tastes with a dash of social conscience. Linefish sashimi is sourced from the fishing cooperative Abalobi, complemented by avocado emulsion and tiger’s milk. Smoked trout from the Cape winelands swims in a cream redolent with saffron grown in the Kalahari. A modern take on "pap en vleis" showcases Karoo lamb, while springbok hints at Cape Malay spices. It’s playful, deft and inventive without trying too hard. Hotel dining often suffers from that, but here Jacobs keeps it cool, with great success. The space is glamorous too, with interiors by design studio 1508 London creating a luxurious yet inviting atmosphere. The window booths, offering views across the yacht-filled marina to Table Mountain and the sunset, are your best choice.
Two more to try:
- MARU brings Seoul swagger to Bree Street, with a menu that rolls caviar, Champagne, and craft cocktails into a sophisticated take on Korean barbecue. Think crispy Korean fried chicken, wagyu-rich meat feasts and tangy banchan side plates made in-house.
- Tambourine serves up a menu of modern small plates in the ever-evolving East City. Expect pasture-raised meat, line-caught fish and farm-grown vegetables, much of it cooked over open fires in the kitchen. Exciting, intriguing small plates in an eye-catching inner-city space.
