If you’ve been reading this blog for the past two seconds, you would know that I’m a huge foodie! Every time we visit a new city, I make a list of all the tourist sites to visit and all the restaurants I want to try (check out my list of places to eat in Nairobi). I usually have a list on my Notes app categorized by location so that our daily itinerary includes where to eat. We also always do a mix of in-person visits to restaurants and delivery so we can experience as many restaurants as possible. I’m sharing over 20 places we ate at during our two-week Cape Town stay and my thoughts on them. Many I loved, and a few I thought were just fine.
RATING KEY: LOVED = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Liked = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ OK = ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh = ⭐️⭐️ Poor = ⭐️
Where We Ate Breakfast & Brunch in Cape Town
We ate breakfast/brunch at these places during our stay:
Jarryds
Verdict: LOVED
Budget: $$ (Menu)
Jarryds is a great brunch spot in Sea Point, just a 10-minute walk from our Airbnb. This was our favorite place to eat breakfast while in Cape Town. The food portions are generous, the staff is so friendly, and frankly, the place was packed from opening to closing.
We loved their bacon and egg bun, breakfast burger, and open salmon bagel, and we always had one of their health shots (great for keeping up immunity while traveling). Finally, their blueberry protein smoothie was the best we had in Cape Town. The consistency was creamy, and it was obviously packed with blueberries. You could tell that their ingredients were fresh, from the sandwiches to the drinks. They also have a few great vegetarian options if that’s your style, and high chairs are available for kids.
Kleinsky’s
Verdict: LOVED
Budget: $ (Menu)
I’d heard that Kleinsky’s makes the best bagels, and I was determined to try it out during our visit. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go into their Sea Point location in person and had to order via Uber Eats.
We ordered their breakfast bagel, and it was possibly the best bagel of my life, and I’ve eaten bagels in New York. I bought their Everything Bagel Seasoning, which we brought back home and now use for seasoning our fried eggs.
If you get the chance to visit the deli, do it — especially if you love a good bagel.
Sonny and Irene
Verdict: Liked
Budget: $$ (Menu)
This is a cute restaurant in the Station House building in Sea Point, just a 5-7 minute walk from our Airbnb. More than the actual food, I loved the ambiance and decor of this place. The staff were almost too friendly and attentive and the food came quickly enough.
I had the house breakfast, and my husband had a breakfast wrap. Sourdough is big in Cape Town, and my meal was fine at best. My husband, though, raved about his wrap. Hence the “Liked” rating.
🍳Tip: Generally, I found during our stay that the “full English” style breakfast was meh at best in Cape Town. Everything on the place tended to be woefully underseasoned, and the sausage never tasted quite right. So you might want to try something else on the menu.
Kalena Cafe
Verdict: OK
Budget: $
This was the first cafe we tried in Cape Town, and it was not my favorite. It’s on the same Sea Point stretch as Jarryds and the other brunch spots I’ve mentioned. The food was OK at best. I had a cheesy omelette (which felt like more cheese than egg), and my husband had the croissant + avocado situation in the picture.
The staff was nice enough, and their rooibos was good! I also loved the outdoor seating and the music choices. If you’re vegan, you might like that they have plenty of vegan options, but it wouldn’t be my first choice of brunch spot.
Smitten Cafe
Verdict: Liked
Budget: $$ (Menu)
Here’s a cute little place where I had a solo brunch while we were in Franschhoek for the weekend. Smitten Cafe is located in The Yard, and Franschhoek is just gorgeous, especially in the summer. I had the best time people-watching from the full-length windows in this place.
The staff was very welcoming, and the food looked too pretty to eat! Thankfully, it also tasted good.
My husband had a heartier meal here with steak and potatoes, and he enjoyed it, too. If you make a Franschhoek stop during your visit to Cape Town, this is worth trying.
Egghead Diner
Verdict: Liked
Budget: $ (Menu)
This was another Uber Eats delivery, and it was so tasty, if a bit greasy. We ordered one Egghead and a Porkey Bun. I wish I’d eaten in the restaurant — I think brioche buns are just better without the delivery delay and process. If you’re on Kloof Street, definitely pop into Egghead Diner.
Woolworth’s Cafe
Verdict: Meh
Budget: $ (Menu)
I love Woolworths for grocery shopping, but their cafe is another story. This place reminded me a lot of ArtCaffe in Kenya in terms of the overall meal blandness. Again, maybe it’s the English breakfast-ish thing? I’ll never know.
Every time I had a Woolworth’s breakfast, it was purely for sustenance, not enjoyment. We went twice because our Sea Point Airbnb was right next to one, and also, one time, it was Christmas Day, and no other place nearby was selling food by the time we came out at noon.
Still, if you’re not big on seasoning in general 🫣, you should be fine with a Woolies breakfast.
Vagabonds Kitchen
Verdict: OK
Budget: $ (Menu)
This is a nice brunch spot at the V&A Waterfront, about 3-5 minutes from the Robben Island Museum. We had breakfast here just before our Robben Island tour.
We both had breakfast wraps, and I liked mine, but I remember the smoothie being really gritty, not well-blended like the ones we had at Jarryds. It’s alright if you don’t want to miss your ferry and need to grab a quick bite at the Waterfront before you go.
Where We Had Lunch & Dinner in Cape Town
We did a lot of Uber Eats and ate at some random places during our sightseeing and tours, but these were some of the memorable lunch and dinner spots we tried in Cape Town.
Ariel Modern Italian
Verdict: OK
Budget: $$ (Menu)
This is a big Italian restaurant next door to Jarryds. We came here straight from our photo shoot without a reservation, and we wound up being seated at the bar. I really liked the ambiance in this restaurant, and it was pretty packed that evening. The bartenders were very pleasant and chatted a bit with us, which was nice.
We started off with some appetizers and then ordered some spaghetti bolognese for my husband and tagliatelle ragu for me. The drinks were fantastic and the food was just fine. It didn’t blow us away and it took a while to arrive (but the place was packed, which is understandable).
If you’re in the neighborhood and need hearty Italian food and are willing to make a reservation (if your party is bigger than two people), then it’s worth a shot.
Ramenhead
Verdict: Liked
Budget: $$ (Menu)
I love a good ramen bowl, so when we visited TimeOut Market, I was excited to try Ramenhead. They’re a restaurant with a stall in the market, and their menu was pretty extensive compared to some of the other stalls. My husband ate pasta from Carne (which was miles better than Ariel, by the way) just two stalls away.
The broth was creamy and well seasoned, and the noodles were chewy and tender at the same time. It was the perfect meal for a windy Cape Town day. I also got their crispy fried chicken, but that was not as good or seasoned, so I’d recommend just sticking to the broth.
Tao Yuan Asian Cuisine
Verdict: Liked
Budget: $ (Menu)
This was the first meal we ate in Cape Town, and it was the perfect spot! It’s a two-minute walk from our Sea Point Airbnb, and the staff was so warm and welcoming. The menu is overwhelming in the best way, but everything we ate was really tasty, and the portions were huge, so you can’t go wrong.
The Pot Luck Club
Verdict: Loved
Budget: $$$ (Menu)
This was the number one place on my list of restaurants to try in Cape Town, and it did not disappoint. The Pot Luck Club is a tapas-style restaurant with teeny tiny portions across flavor profiles. My favorite thing about this place is the ingenuity behind their meals (almost every menu item is their version of something), which makes it an entire culinary experience.
I started with this basil-pineapple mocktail, which I enjoyed, and then they brought your menu and explained how to select items and how the tapas set-up works. You get to choose multiple menu items and share.
We started with their take on a fish taco (it was fine, but I didn’t like that the filling was cold), a steak (I think it was pork — really liked), their take on bibimbap (which I loved).
Then, we had a Thai curry dish and ended with a strawberry shortcake dish (loved and loved). They did give us a complimentary chickpea churro dessert (did not like).
All in all, I just had so much fun here — the foodie in me was delighted. My one quibble, besides the small portions, is that we had the LOUDEST group of folks sitting next to us. They were friendly, but my goodness, it was a nightmare.
Marco’s African Place
Verdict: Liked
Budget: $
Marco’s African Place was one of the restaurants on our Cape Town Culinary Tour. The food here was so comforting and hearty. I literally ate everything on this plate.
Here’s the info the tour guide, Justin, sent me about the meal and the restaurant:
Phone number: 021 423 5412. It’s on the border between Bo-Kaap and De Waterkant. We were hosted by local legend Marco who served traditional Southern African dishes of Ostrich Fillet, Springbok Goulash, Chakalaka, and Umnq!usho (with the the click on the !). We also got to try a traditional Umnq!ombothi beer.
Yama Asian Eatery
Verdict: Loved
Budget: $ (Menu)
We had lunch here during our time in Franschhoek, and the food was so good! It’s an Asian restaurant with nice decor, outdoor seating, and friendly staff.
The portions, though, were comically tiny. Every dish looked like an appetizer, which was depressing. We eventually ordered two portions of the rice. I had a ramen dish while my husband had the fried rice.
I’ve heard that the sushi is exceptional, so if you like sushi and find yourself in Franschhoek, it’s definitely worth trying!
Leopard’s Leap Restaurant and Wine Farm
Verdict: OK
Budget: $$
Even though we ended up skipping our Wine Tram tour (long story), I wanted to eat at a vineyard while we were in Franschhoek, so we honored our lunch reservation. I was really looking forward to the rotisserie buffet and it was fine.
I loved the pasta and roasted vegetables but found the meat to be underwhelming. Although it was juicy and tender, it was on the verge of being bland. I still enjoyed the overall experience and definitely recommend trying it out if you visit. The vineyard was beautiful, as was the restaurant, although the staff could have been more welcoming.
Shamani Indian Restaurant
Verdict: Liked
Budget: $$
After a disappointing experience at Maharajah, we were scarred but still craving Indian food, so we decided to try Shamani. Thankfully, the food was lovely. The curry was tasty and well seasoned, and their naan was impeccable. If you’re hit with a curry craving in Cape Town, this is one place I can recommend.
More Restaurants We Tried via Uber Eats
I don’t have pictures of the rest of these meals because we did Uber Eats, and I was starving. But I still want to tell you about them because I have strong opinions!
- Simply Asia Sea Point: Unremarkable Asian restaurant. We ordered Thai consommé, Hong Kong noodles, and fried rice-roasted chili with ground cashews. Verdict: OK.
- Kimchi Restaurant: FAVORITE Asian restaurant with reliable/consistent quality. We ordered from here four times during our stay and especially loved the Wok Made Rice with beef. If you’re in Sea Point and just want good takeout, this is a great place! Verdict: Liked.
- Little Italy: We ordered from here twice. The first time, I refrigerated my pesto pasta, so I blamed the reheating process and the pesto for the meh taste. It turns out the taste was just meh. Verdict: Meh.
- Maharajah: Y’all, I have never been more disappointed by an Indian restaurant. It was more disappointing because all the Reddit forums I checked for recommendations listed this as their “top Indian restaurant in Cape Town.” It’s a scam. This was the worst Indian food I’ve ever had in my life and I’ve eaten at restaurants like Dishoom and Swahili restaurants in Kenya where the curry quality is insanely good. The curry was tasteless –all we could taste was chili. Just horrible. Do not recommend. Verdict: Poor
Two Restaurants I Wish We Tried
We did our best to hit up as many places as possible, but we’re only human so sometimes we just ate a quick Nandos, a snack from Cinnabon, or a random bite from somewhere. Here are two places I’d definitely try on my next visit to Cape Town.
Our Local
I’ve seen so many amazing pictures of this brunch spot, and I love the greenery. If you get the chance to visit, please report back!
Curry Club
I so wanted to try this place but didn’t know that they’d be closed for the whole of December. We actually placed an order on their website, and they apologetically responded 24 hours to say they were closed. Thank goodness we hadn’t paid and I didn’t bother waiting for the order — we would’ve died of hunger.
The Top 5 Places to Eat in Cape Town
And now, my top five places to eat in Cape Town, out of the 20+ mentioned in this post! Here are the places you HAVE to try on your next visit to Cape Town and Franschhoek.
- Jarryds
- Potluck
- Kleinsky’s
- Ramenhead
- Yama Asian Eatery
Any fellow foodies in the house? Which other places would you recommend?
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