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The selected restaurants have been divided into five categories: Gourmet, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments.
 
The restaurants below have been grouped into four different pricing categories:
$$$$ (over R200)
$$$ (R150 to R200)
$$ (R100 to R150)
$ (under R100)
These prices are for an average three-course meal for one person and a bottle of house wine or cheapest equivalent; they include VAT but they do not include tip.

Gourmet

Aubergine
Intimate and confident with silver-service sophistication, Aubergine is ever popular with those in the gastronomic know. Seated around the palm tree on the terrace, diners can enjoy delights such as the ‘mosaic of sea and freshwater fish with green curry foam'. Dishes are inventive, with subtle Asian influences on classical favorites and an extensive wine list to complement each course; a sommelier is on hand to guide diners to the perfect choice.

39 Barnet Street, Gardens
Tel: (021) 465 4909.
Website: www.aubergine.co.za
Price: $$$$
Baia
This is one of Cape Town's best seafood restaurants and it's essential to make a reservation to get a table on the terraces that have fabulous views over the V&A Waterfront. The seafood platter with peri-peri sauce, bouillabaisse with shellfish and the line-fish in a classic beurre blanc sauce are legendary. They also serve poultry, beef and venison, and desserts include individually presented baked chocolate pudding with butterscotch sauce. The decor is chic and contemporary.

Shop 6262, V&A Waterfront
Tel: (021) 421 0935.
Price: $$$$
Buitenverwachting
Buitenvewachting takes its name from the wine estate upon which this sumptuous restaurant is located. The interior is classically stylish, with high-backed chairs, dusky blues and burnt reds. There is also an enclosed terrace offering stunning views of the vineyards. The cuisine is international in style, with local touches adding South African flavor. The comprehensive and award-winning wine list includes their own labels, as well as other local and international vintages.

Klein Constantia Road, Constantia
Tel: (021) 794 5190.
Website: http://buitenverwachting.com
Price: $$$-$$$$
La Colombe
La Colombe is just one of a handful of excellent dining opportunities at Constantia Uitsig, one of Constantia's premier wine estates. This homely white and light blue summerhouse-style restaurant offers poolside seating and exquisite cooking. The menu expertly blends Provençal delights with South African influences in an open-plan kitchen. With an award-winning wine list, a constantly changing menu and friendly and knowledgeable service, this restaurant is superb.

Constantia Uitsig, Constantia
Tel: (021) 794 2390.
Website: www.constantiauitsig.co.za  
Price: $$$$
Salt
Salt enjoys a stunning location inside a design hotel right on the waterfront in classy Bantry Bay. Specialties include grilled asparagus and the ‘specialty pie of the day', a re-imagining of a South African classic. The wine list is decent too with the Ataraxia Chardonnay 2007 the outstanding Cape wine. With mean cocktails and those views this is also a popular sundowner spot amongst the local glitterati.

34 Victoria Road, Bantry Bay
Tel: (021) 439 7258.
Website: www.saltrestaurant.co.za
Price: $$$

Business

Anatoli
Housed in a gutted warehouse, the high ceilings, tiled floors, bare brick walls covered with kilim tapestries, elegant photographs, live music and a trendy locale all conspire to make this Turkish restaurant one of the best in the city. Staff bring massive trays filled with a selection of hot and cold mezze, which can often be much tastier than the somewhat ordinary mains. Turkish coffee to finish is a must.

24 Napier Street, Green Point
Tel: (021) 419 2501.
Website: www.anatoli.co.za
Price: $$
The Cape Colony Restaurant
This award-winning restaurant brings some contemporary African chic to the Old World elegance of the Mount Nelson (see Hotels). Classic mains from the menu include the Cape Malay chicken and prawn curry with jasmine rice and roti, and the whole lobster or fish prepared Thai-style with lemon grass, chilli, garlic, ginger and coriander. Nightly jazz helps diners to unwind. No lunch.

Mount Nelson Hotel, 76 Orange Street
Tel: (021) 483 1737.
Website: www.mountnelson.co.za
Price: $$$$
The Conservatory
Located in the peaceful, cool conservatory of the Table Bay Hotel (see Hotels), this restaurant has delightful views of the harbor and Table Mountain. From the delicious foccacia bread embedded with dried tomato onwards, the menu includes imaginative creations. Mains might include pepper aged Angus beef with truffle butter and watercress salad, or skin roasted salmon on a bed of couscous with goat's cheese and onion confit.

Table Bay Quay 6, V&A Waterfront
Tel: (021) 406 5762.
Website: www.suninternational.com
Price: $$$$
Kennedy's Restaurant and Cigar Lounge
With its shamelessly American affluence and undeniable gentleman's-club style, Kennedy's attracts a healthy business clientele. Sumptuous yet undeniably masculine, it's a combination of cigar lounge, jazz venue, plush restaurant and piano lounge with a dark wood and leather interior, as well as a balcony terrace. There is live jazz on most nights. The food has an international flair, with an excellent variety of seafood, meat and vegetarian options.

251 Long Street
Tel: (021) 424 1212. 
Website: www.kennedys.co.za
Price: $$$
Marco's African Place
Quintessentially African in every way, Marco's African Place is the favorite hangout for Cape Town's political elite and media jet set. Marco's excels in African chic, with all the prints, pots, beads, furniture and sculptures that make up the inimitable décor hand-selected by chef and owner Marco Radebe and his wife. And the food is just as authentically African as the design, with house specialties including upens (tripe prepared in the local tradition, with onions and brown sauce), crocodile tail, and ulwimi (steamed ox tongue with mustard sauce).

15 Rose Lane, Bo-Kaap
Tel: (021) 423 5412.
Website: www.marcosafricanplace.co.za
Price: $$

Trendy

La Med
A favorite watering hole for trendy locals and beach bodies, La Med is a fantastic sundowner spot, with a massive boardwalk terrace for alfresco dining (or just drinking). The venue is somewhat of a chameleon, changing from bar to restaurant to popular live music venue. The grub is basic but affordable, with a healthy selection of pizzas, burgers, seafood and salads. The pizzas are particularly good, with creations such as the Clifton First Pizza, with chicken strips, mushroom and avocado.

Glen Country Club, Victoria Road, Clifton
Tel: (021) 438 5600. 
Website: www.lamed.co.za
Price: $
Long Street Café
The sister bar of the Obz Café in Observatory (see Bars), this deli-style city café is a magnet for the beautiful people and the media set, with its industrial chic, big-screen TV, floor-to-ceiling art deco windows and fabulous cocktails. The food is average but tasty and inexpensive, with dishes including ostrich burgers, coconut chicken wraps with Thai curry sauce and creamy chilli or spinach roulade, as well as a range of pizzas, baguettes and ciabatta toasties.

259 Long Street
Tel: (021) 424 2464.
Price: $
Mama Africa
Mama Africa is not just another tourist trap peddling ‘authentic' Africana for gullible foreigners. The big crowd of locals and tourists that gathers to enjoy the nightly live music spills over into the dining area. The décor is African kitsch - bamboo-lined walls, multicolored chairs, a giant crocodile lamp and a zebra-striped pool table are just some of the splendid oddities. The food has a strong local flavor, including specialties like crocodile kebabs, Dovi Zimbabwean chicken and peanut stew, bobotie (a Cape Malay baked meat and egg dish) and frozen yogurt for dessert.

178 Long Street
Tel: (021) 426 1017.
Price: $$-$$$
Miller's Thumb
The seafood is the specialty at this bustling and extremely popular little restaurant on the fashionable Kloof Nek Road, although there is a number of other options available on the frequently changing menu. The atmosphere is cosy and friendly, menus are reeled off in such a tempting way it leaves you salivating, recommended wines are scribbled up on big blackboards, there's a dinky terrace for outdoor dining and a distinctive décor of colorful orange and green.

10b Kloof Nek Road, Tamboerskloof
Tel: (021) 424 3838.
Price: $$
Ocean Basket
An incredibly popular seafood restaurant chain, the V&A Waterfront Ocean Basket is the best located. Diners might have to wait some time before being seated among the families feasting on fresh and affordable fish dishes, as bookings are not taken. Items such as whole crayfish, kingklip, calamari steak, sushi and line-fish specials are complemented by spectacular platters (all with chips, of course) and a number of combo options.

Shop 222, Victoria Wharf, V&A Waterfront
Tel: (021) 419 4300.
Website: www.oceanbasket.co.za
Price: $-$$
Primi Piatti
This Italian restaurant is one of seven in an increasingly popular franchise, located in the ever-popular Cavendish Square shopping mall in Claremont and is a favorite spot for movie-goers looking for some pre-entertainment grub. There is a wide range of pastas and pizzas, as well as other Italian options such as the minestrone alla Genovese (vegetable soup with lamb stock and pesto). The mad, colorful décor includes a wall made of bottles, a comfy waiting area complete with carpets, sofas and newspapers, and blazing neon signs.

Shop 67, Cavendish Square, Claremont
Tel: (021) 671 2696.
Website: www.primi-piatti.com
Price: $-$$
Wang Thai
Excellent and authentic East Asian edibles at affordable prices is what Wang Thai is all about. Diners can choose from either a set menu or a range of mix-and-match dishes - each menu item comes with a heat rating on the menu, so diners can be sure to either feel or avoid the burn, as tastes dictate. The décor is exotic and chic, with sculptures and ornaments to enhance the Thai experience.

105 Main Road, Green Point
Tel: (021) 439 6165.
Website: www.wangthai.co.za
Price: $$
Wasabi
In the genteel surroundings of Constantia Village, Wasabi has established itself as the restaurant for the trendy crowd, who come to enjoy the Japanese food. The décor dabbles with dark wood, bamboo, wicker and stone floors, while the menu is extensive, including Japanese favorites of ramen, sushi, wasabi, maki, as well as a variety of salads (including a sushi salad), stir-fry, meat, poultry and seafood options.

Shop 17, Old Village, Constantia Village Shopping Center, Constantia
Tel: (021) 794 6546.
Website: www.wasabi.co.za
Price: $$-$$$

Budget

The Brass Bell
While all the tourists cram into the trendy bars along the Atlantic Seaboard to watch the sun go down, the locals sit on the other side of the mountain in Kalk Bay, enjoying the scruffy charm of this local institution. The Brass Bell is five venues in one, with two pubs and three restaurants. The Terrace is an informal waterside restaurant located downstairs. Upstairs is more formal, with the Engine Room specializing in seafood and the Oriental Cabin serving East Asian fare.

Waterfront, off Main Road, Kalk Bay
Tel: (021) 788 5455.
Price: $-$$
The Codfather
This is where the smart Camps Bay set come to savour fresh from the boat seafood. This local institution specializes in sourcing fresh local shellfish and white fish, which are on display as you enter. Diners simply choose what they want and it is then grilled. The highlight is the Cape crayfish. They also have a separate section where diners sit on stools picking fresh sushi and sashimi as it passes by.

37 The Drive, Camps Bay
Tel: (021) 021 438 0782.
Price: $$$
Website: www.codfather.co.za

Personal Recommendations

Harbour House
Fresh seafood is the specialty of this light and airy restaurant, perched on the edge of Kalk Bay Harbour, with breathtaking views of the mountain, harbor and ocean. Dishes might include West Coast mussels with fresh herb and white wine sauce, followed by a selection of expertly prepared local favorites - kingklip, yellowtail, red steenbras and Cape salmon - and they have their own fishing boat in the harbor so you can't get much fresher.

Kalk Bay Harbour, Kalk Bay
Tel: (021) 788 4133. 
Website: www.harborhouse.co.za
Price: $$$
The Hussar Grill
One of Cape Town's best-kept secrets, the unassuming and dimly lit Hussar Grill is a welcome alternative to the city's many steakhouse chains. Here, chefs sizzle the sensational steaks right in front of diners tucked away in their cosy red and dark-wood booths. The house specialty starter is gin and tomato soup, while mains like grilled ostrich fillet, saddle of lamb, game steaks and other meats come with a variety of sauces (from fresh mushroom, garlic and white wine to creamy mustard and brandy).

10 Main Road, Rondebosch
Tel: (021) 689 9516.
Price: $$
Mesopotamia
With tapestries and drapery on the walls, this spacious upstairs restaurant is dark and tent-like. Large kilim rugs and cushions surround low circular metal tables, although traditional chairs are also available, as is second-story terrace seating with a brighter ambience. The Kurdish cuisine from a team of Kurdish chefs, includes a number of tasty mezze dishes as well as highly spiced mains like iskender (oven-roasted diced lamb with bread, garlic yogurt and tomato sauce) or beyti (minced chicken kebab rolled in naan bread with garlic yogurt).

Corner of Long Street and Church Street
Tel: (021) 424 4664.
Price: $-$$
Peddlars On The Bend
Teetering on the edge of the Constantia Wine Route, this picturesque, country-style restaurant is frequented by tourists and well-heeled locals who come for the award-winning wine list and excellent meat, seafood and veggie dishes on the very comprehensive menu. Dishes range from British pub-grub-style fish and chips and chicken and leek pie to international options like the German eisbein (roast hock of pork with mustard sauce and potato bake) and a variety of pasta dishes. There is also a cheaper pub menu for pub patrons only.

Spaanschemat River Road, Constantia
Tel: (021) 794 7747.
Price: $-$$
Rhodes Memorial Restaurant
Tucked away behind the monolithic memorial to the De Beers big man, Cecil John Rhodes, is the cosy thatched cottage of Rhodes Memorial Restaurant. Sitting underneath the umbrellas on the terrace, there are breathtaking views through the trees, while the stone walls and wooden furniture complete the gardener's cottage feel. Dishes on the lunch menu have a mostly English theme, with a selection of pies such as spinach and feta or smoked salmon and line fish.

Groote Schuur Estate, Rondebosch
Tel: (021) 689 9151.
Website: www.rhodesmemorial.co.za
Price: $



Nightlife:

Cape Town is a party town, especially in summer, when tens of thousands of tourists (foreign and local) descend upon the city. But even during winter, the action never stops. The city has also become an international mecca for DJs, running huge rave, trance and ambient parties - often held in stunning locations on beaches or in forests. The city is also firmly entrenched on the international rock music touring circuit.

Much of the nightlife activity is concentrated on a handful of popular city streets and suburbs. Long Street and Kloof Street in the city center are alive with restaurants, live music clubs, bars, coffee shops and the occasional strip club. On the outskirts of the city center, the De Waterkant/Green Point area has a string of gay and gay-friendly clubs and restaurants, while the V&A Waterfront is simply awash with nightlife hotspots popular with both tourists and locals. The Camps Bay beachfront brings LA-style outfits, trendy restaurants and some stunning sunsets over the ocean. Heading towards the southern suburbs, Lower Main Road in the suburb of Observatory is another gay-friendly area and the territory of Cape Town's students, offering up a more Bohemian and laid-back style of entertainment. This is the place for local alternative music, slightly seedy pool halls, philosophy, poetry, stand-up comedy and vegetarian food. On the N1 highway, north of the city center, the Century City development combines a state-of-the-art amusement park with scores of restaurants, several sound stages and the Dockside multi-level club and live music venue. The seaside suburbs of Kalk Bay, Fish Hoek and Simon's Town, although traditionally family orientated and ‘dry', are becoming increasingly trendy for nightlife beyond the city limits - although this is largely centered upon restaurants.

There are no strict licensing hours in Cape Town and many clubs stay open until the small hours and even sunrise. The dress code is almost always as casual as you wish, although shorts and trainers are not appreciated in some venues and a ‘no effort no entry' rule is sometimes enforced. Admission prices to clubs and raves range from R20 to R200 - many are free before 2300. The legal drinking age is 18 years, although some pubs demand a 21- or even 25-year age limit for entrance. Alcohol is usually cheap for foreigners.

The Friday editions of the Cape Times and The Cape Argus newspapers, as well as the weekly Mail & Guardian, all have arts and entertainment sections. Information on Cape Town's club scene is available online (www.clubbersguide.co.za).

Bars: In the city center, the Long Street Café, 259 Long Street, is one of the trendiest haunts in town, while Tank in the impossibly hot Cape Quarter in Waterkant Street, is where Cape Town's media and modelling community strut their stuff and sip fantastic summer cocktails, and a DJ entertains on Friday nights. The equally trendy Café Camissa, 80 Kloof Street, features live music, stand-up comedy and poetry readings. A great pre-club treat for Capetonians is a trip to Jo-burg, 218 Long Street, a contemporary bar brimming with urban chic.

The V&A Waterfront has dozens of bars and cafes, many with beautiful sea and mountain views. Paulaner Braühaus and Restaurant, Shop 18/19, Clock Tower Square, brings a staggering array of German beers to this trendy brewery-restaurant with a menu of German fare like bratwürste and apple strudel. Alba Lounge, Pierhead Building, nearby caters to a trendier drinking crowd. Situated on the water's edge of the international yacht marina, the Bascule Whisky Bar and Wine Cellar, in the Cape Grace hotel, West Quay (overlooking the Alfred Basin), is an atmospheric, nautically themed hideaway, with over 400 whiskies on offer (the largest collection south of the equator).

Lower Main Road, in the arty district of Observatory, has Cool Runnings, a laid-back but crowded Caribbean-themed bar with a balcony, and Obz Café, where the terminally hip serve up cocktails to beautiful bohemians. Despite facing east rather than the setting sun, the informal bar at the Brass Bell, Main Road, St James, has long been a favorite with tippling locals and refugees from the ‘dry' Fish Hoek. The Kalk Bay area is exploding into nightlife and earning itself a bohemian and arty reputation with quirky venues.

One of the best venues in which to watch the sun go down is La Med, at the Glen Country Club, Victoria Road in Clifton. Bikinis are optional. Another trendy sundowner spot favored by those who have had a trying day sunbathing on the fabulous beach below is the Clifton Beach House, 72 The Ridge, Fourth Beach, Clifton or Baraza and Sunset Beach Bar, both located on the ‘strip' along Victoria Road, Camps Bay. But for the best view in town, enjoy the sunset from Table Mountain Bistro (see Key Attractions).

Clubs: There are scores of clubs in Cape Town, varying from your average disco playing standard dance fare to deeply alternative clubs where bouncers assess dress, body piercings and language before deciding whether or not patrons make the grade. Rhodes House, 60 Queen Victoria Street, Gardens (www.rhodeshouse.com), housed in the former mansion of imperialist Cecil John Rhodes, is packed with beautiful people gliding between the elegant lounges and dance floor. The Purple Turtle, corner of Long Street and Shortmarket Street, offers a mixed bag of alternative music, theme nights and live music. Ignite, Victoria Road, Camps Bay is one of the most popular night spots on Camps Bay's trendy restaurant strip, while the Buena Vista Social Club, 81 Main Road, Green Point, is full of funky Latino sights, sounds and tastes. Located in Cape Town's ‘gay village' of De Waterkant in Green Point, Bronx Action Bar, 35 Somerset Road (www.bronx.co.za), and Cruz, 21B Somerset Road are Cape Town's most popular gay clubs. Also in Green Point, Pulse, 23 Somerset Road, Opium, 6 Dixon Street, De Waterkant, and Blush Lounge, 43 Somerset Road, are spacious clubs with sophisticated décor, while Chrome, 6 Pepper Street, is the city center's most upmarket and lavish club. The Dockside complex, Century City Boulevard, Century City, is the largest club in the southern hemisphere and hosts regular dance parties.

Comedy: Laughter is the best medicine and has helped South Africa over the apartheid years, both politically and emotionally. The Cape Comedy Collective Circuit provides the laughs at a variety of venues, including the Baxter Theater Center, Main Road, Rondebosch (www.baxter.co.za), which also hosts regular shows of South Africa's finest comic talent, such as Capetonians Pieter Dirk Uys and Marc Lottering. The ever-popular Theatersports (www.theatersports.co.za), Cape Town's longest running show, takes place every week at Kalk Bay Theater (www.kbt.co.za), Main Road, Kalk Bay. A rowdy crowd and often quite silly comedy can be enjoyed at The Grouse, Main Road, Rondebosch, every Wednesday. On Broadway (www.onbroadway.co.za), 88 Shortmarket Street, is an extremely popular dinner and cabaret venue. The Cape Town International Comedy Festival (www.comedyfestival.co.za) is held annually in September at a number of venues across the city.

Live Music: Live music fans would do well to check the local press and listings magazines for details of live music events, as many take place in obscure venues and on an irregular basis. A popular spot for hectic rock, goth noise, local stars and alternative sounds is Mercury Live & Lounge, 43 De Villiers Street, District Six (Zonnebloem), (www.mercuryl.co.za). Marco's African Place, 15 Rose Lane, Bo-Kaap (www.marcosafricanplace.co.za), is one of the first of a growing number of authentic urban African venues and is a popular spot for Cape Town's rich and famous, who come to enjoy the indigenous cuisine, stylish bar and nightly live music from the best of the local jazz bands. Mama Afrika, 178 Long Street, also provides great local food and live music in a rowdy atmosphere. The Drum Café, 32 Glynn Street, Gardens (www.drumcafe.co.za), provides African sounds with interactive Djembe drumming. Cape Town excels at jazz and for regular live performances, The Green Dolphin, Shop 2A, Alfred Mall, at the V&A Waterfront (www.greendolphin.co.za), is Cape Town's premier jazz venue. Other swinging venues include Dizzy Jazz Café, 39 The Drive, Camps Bay; Hanover Street Nightclub, GrandWest Casino, Goodwood (www.suninternational.co.za) and Kennedy's Cigar Bar, 251 Long Street (www.kennedys.co.za). For a good live-band line-up and studenty atmosphere, The Independent Armchair Theater, 135 Lower Main Road, Observatory (www.armchairtheater.co.za), is another good option for live local talent.

Big-name concerts featuring international artists are usually held at the Bellville Velodrome, Carl Cronjé Drive, Bellville. They used to be held at the Greenpoint Stadium, Fritz Sonnenberg Road, off the Western Boulevard (M6), Green Point, but it has been dismantled to make way for a new stadium for the FIFA 2010 Football World Cup, which in the future is a likely venue for large scale rock concerts. Local stars often shine at the Baxter Theater Center, Main Road, Rondebosch (www.baxter.co.za), and Dockside complex, Century City.

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