The OK Guide to Cape Town: Arts and Culture

Music

Good spots for live music in town include Zula Sound Bar and The Waiting Room (Long Street); Straight No Chaser for serious, intimate jazz (Zonnebloem); and Mercury Live and theAssembly (Zonnebloem) for dance and rock. Further out, there are some decent spots in Observatory with erratic schedules and talent (Tagore's, Obviouzly Armchair; Obz Cafe; Mojo's).

Theatre

Artscape, the Fugard Theatre, and the Baxter Theatre generally put on good productions that – from an international perspective – are amazing value.

Maynardville Open-Air Theatre makes for a great picnic and show in Wynberg during the summer.

Be on the look-out for interesting theatre festivals, especially the free public-art festival Infecting the City (in March).

Art

Cape Town has a number of good small galleries and exhibitors. Here are a few favorite spaces in town:

·      Salon 91 (Gardens, 91 Kloof St)

·      AVA Gallery (Town, 35 Church St)

·      SMAC Gallery (Town, Cnr Buitengracht & Butensingel)

·      SA National Gallery (Company's Garden; small but usually solid)

·      Erdmann Contemporary (town, 63 shortmarket St)

·      Commune1 (town, 64 Wale St)

Woodstock is a fun neighborhood for gallery hopping and offbeat shops.

·      A Word of Art (rotating)

·      Stevenson Cape Town (160 Sir Lowry Rd)

·      Goodman Gallery (176 Sir Lowry Rd)

·      Blank Projects (113 Sir Lowry Rd)

Urban wanderings: 

·      Long Street: antique shops, hip boutiques, and colorful facades

·      Bo-Kaap: Cape Muslim history, brightly painted houses of every shade

·      Company's Garden: pretty garden in town with many museums and great views of the mountains

·      Woodstock: art galleries, grungy urban renewal, and funky shops

·      Sea Point Promenade: stroll along the sea wall, stop as you wish at beaches and saltwater pools

·      Muizenberg / Kalk Bay: take the train to cute beachfront towns on the False Bay side; decent swimming, cute boutiques, delicious seafood (a.k.a. the perfect day-trip)

The OK Guide to Cape Town: Outside

Hiking and Outdoors

In Town:

·      Lion's Head: great 2.5 hour hike to the top, with 360-degree views of the city and the ocean. Big elevation change and some definite rock scrambles, but delightful.

·      Table Mountain, via Platteklip Gorge: 2.5-3.5 hours of Stairmaster, with breathtaking reward at the top. Can take cable car up and/or down if so inclined.

·      Devil's Peak: harder than Table Mountain, but many fewer people. Often lost in the clouds.

·      Clifton Beaches: beautiful non-commercial beachfronts (but likely crowded). Great for a sundowner picnic in summer.

·      Signal Hill: not a traditional climb, but even driving to the top provides beautiful views and a great sundowner spot (although the traffic to get back down in season can be hectic).

Out of town:

·      Chapman's Peak: not many other hikers for the amazing views after a nice, gradual but challenging climb (2-3 hours). Chapmans Peak Drive is one of the most stunning drives in the Western Cape.

·      Silvermine: beautiful and easy hike with great views of entire Cape Peninsula; awesome cave optional (2-4 hours)

·      Cape Point: amazing hike between two points, with amazing ocean views the whole way; serious schlep from town (1.5 hours) 

The OK Guide to Cape Town: Restaurants, Part 1

After spending a year in Cape Town, I am proud to present a hand-made list of favorites in food, wine, and beyond:

The OK Guide to Cape Town

Food

There is a lot of good food in Cape Town. There is a lot of terrible/regrettable/overpriced food in Cape Town. Choose wisely. It is often advisable to book ahead, especially on weekends or in high season. Do not expect world-class service in the less-expensive restaurants.

[ Restaurants are listed by neighborhood and then from cheapest to most expensive. Highlighted restaurants are still memorable years later.] 

In Town:

·      Eastern Food Bazaar (96 Longmarket St) - cheap and cheerful "food court" downtown with Middle Eastern, Indian, and Asian food. Great Indian ice cream. Huge, ridiculous portions. Cool, diverse crowd. Lines at lunch can be epic.

·      Ou Meul Bakery (14 Long St) - great stop for fresh pies.

·      Clarke's (133 Bree St) - burgers and milkshakes are hip in Cape Town. Clarke’s is the best of several crowded "American food" restaurants; better than Hudson's or Royale Eatery.

·      Bird's Cafe (127 Bree St) - lovely spot for breakfast and lunch. Tall ceilings, wood tables. Delicious food with stunning presentation. Don’t miss the chicken pie.

·      Fork (84 Long Street) - small plates with South African / international flair. Great ambiance.

·      Masala Dosa (167 Long St) - solid Indian café with some vibe. Great lassis and solid vegetarian options. Thalis and dosas are highly recommended.

·      Addis in Cape (41 Church St) - solid Ethiopian place off of Long Street. Loud but atmospheric. Come with a large group and share something spicy.

·      Savoy Cabbage (101 Hout St) - some of the best fine dining in town: seasonal/organic + great atmosphere + game meats done perfectly.

Kloof St / Gardens:

·      Societi Bistro (50 Orange St) - classy Italian joint. Great vibe, especially in the bar.

·      Rick's Cafe Americain (2 Park Rd) - Casablanca-inspired Moroccan spot. Hearty portions. Can get noisy at dinner but is generally quiet at lunch. The deck upstairs is perfect for drinks after work.

·      Arnold's (60 Kloof St) - reliable Gardens spot for breakfast, WiFi, and delicious Modern South African game-meat dinners. Skip the fish dishes.

·      Takumi (3 Park Road) - respectable sushi.

·      Mount Nelson Hotel (76 Orange St) - afternoon tea plus buffet is legendary and delicious. Waste all afternoon eating sandwiches, pastries, and macarons. A fully colonial experience. Book ahead.

Tamboerskloof / Oranjezicht / Vredehoek

·      Toni's (88 Kloof St) - Portuguese and Mozambican place in Tamboerskloof. Best peri-peri chicken in town. Seafood curries are incredible.

·      Manna Epicure (151 Kloof St) - great lunch/brunch spot in Tamboerskloof. Delectable eggs benedict and other treats. Try the eggs with smoked salmon and coconut bread.

·      Cafe Paradiso (110 Kloof St) - pleasant Italian food in a house that is lovely inside and out. In winter they run a glorious lunch buffet that is a great deal (R55 for a big plate of goodies).

·      Sidewalk Cafe (33 Derry St) - delightful Vredehoek neighborhood spot. Modern South African food and a mean Pimm’s Cup. Dine on grilled linefish or fillet medallions. Book ahead.

·      Miller's Thumb (10B Kloof Nek Rd) - some of the best fish in town. Menu does not change, but they offer creative sauces, fresh seafood, and amazing springbok carpaccio. For dessert, try the poached pear with blue cheese ice cream. No corkage on your first bottle of wine; genuine good service in Cape Town. One of our favorite spots.

·      Bombay Bicycle Club (156 Kloof St) - wacky, weird, and delicious Modern South African food in Oranjezicht. Terrible service though. Funny hats and whimsical seating available/encouraged. Book ahead.
·      The Roundhouse (off of Kloof Rd) - there are few better places for a sundowner. Bottles of wine and tapas available on the lawn outside during summer. The restaurant itself features modern fine dining with South African touches. Book ahead.

The OK Guide to Cape Town: Restaurants, Part 2

[ Restaurants are listed by neighborhood and then from cheapest to most expensive. Highlighted restaurants are still memorable years later.]

Observatory, Woodstock, Mowbray, Rondebosch

·      aMadoda Braai (4 Strand Street, Woodstock) - township braai experience much closer to town. Not as good as Mzoli’s though.

·      Queen of Tarts (213 Lower Main Road) - great stop for dessert and coffee.

·      Chai Yo (65 Durban Road) - solid Thai food in Mowbray.

·      Superette (66 Albert Road) - big open space for breakfast and lunch. A bit pricy, but they offer high-quality ingredients and robust portions for sandwiches and salads.

·   1890 House Sushi (40 Trill Road) - solid if somewhat pricy sushi. Very fresh.

     

·      The Pot Luck Club (375 Albert Road) - creative Asian small plates in the Old Biscuit Mill. Fun delight for foodies. Good luck getting a reservation. Book ahead.
·      The Test Kitchen (375 Albert Road) - delightful and charming molecular gastronomic experience, complete with foams, airs, and deconstruction galore. Expensive, but great value for one of South Africa’s best chefs. Good luck getting a reservation. Must book 30 days ahead.

Sea Point / Green Point / Waterfront / Atlantic Peninsula

·      Kitima (Hout Bay) - excellent Thai and Pan-Asian menu in a lovely, old house. Wonderfully dim and inviting. Good value though a bit pricey. Great lounge/bar in the back with a lengthy cocktail menu and some of the best cocktails in Cape Town. Too bad it's a long-ish drive home.

·      Chapman's Peak Hotel (Hout Bay) - best calamari in Cape Town, which is full of great calamari. Nice view of the bay. Skip the meat dishes.

·      Willoughby & Co (Victoria Wharf Mall) - Some of the best creative, fancy sushi in town. Unfortunately, it is in a shopping mall.

False Bay

·      Kalky’s (Kalk Bay Harbor) - humble fish shack at the harbor offers big portions of fresh fish and calamari, mountains of chips, and more for good prices. Great mix of patrons.

·      Brass Bell (Kalk Bay Train Station) - sprawling complex offers so many different vibes: English pub, South African watering hole, beachside picnic, fancy captain’s quarters, and Greek island. Call a few days ahead and ask for a table by the water – you might just get wet. The fish and chips, the calamari, and the seafood curry are world-class. Skip the meat and pizzas.

·      Olympia Café and Deli (134 Main Road, Kalk Bay) - simple but delectable fare, including fresh seafood throughout the day at this popular neighborhood joint. Come early. Also, do not miss the bakery around the side for great breads, florentines, meringues, and pastries.

Winelands and further afield

·      Mzoli’s (Gugulethu) - part block party, part braai, all delicious. Township restaurant features hot smoked meats in amazing sauce. BYOB (and earplugs) to the loud dance party and prepare to meet a cross section of locals, students, and more. Go for Sunday lunch and show up early.

·      De Oude Bank Bakkerij (Stellenbosch) - delightful pastries, bread, and lunches in this gorgeous space, which is tucked in an alley. Check out an evening concert here if you can book a space.

·      Bistro 1682 (Constantia) - hearty, creative small plates and delicious Steenberg wine. Beautiful outdoor space and great wine tasting.

·      Tokara Restaurant (Stellenbosch) - playful molecular gastronomy fuses Asian and South African cuisine. Shockingly good, and shockingly good value for the a la carte menu.

·      Terroir (Stellenbosch) - mind-blowing modern South African cuisine. Excellent and creative flavor combinations (truffled steak fillet with bacon foam!) at Kleine Zalze.

·      La Petite Ferme (Franschhoek) - lovely space with a view up to the mountains; the food is still the star, with creative European/African fusion that gets the balance right. They also make great wines that are very well priced and not available in town.

·      Heaven Restaurant (Hemel en Aarde) – breathtaking views over the Newton Johnson vineyard along with creative, seasonal modern South African food. Do not forget dessert!

·      The Tasting Room / The Common Room (Franschhoek) - high-quality, amazing flavors with a flair for creative presentation. The Tasting Room brings a full four-hour onslaught, while the Common Room lets you choose your small plates. Good luck getting a reservation at The Tasting Room, which you must book 30 days in advance. The Common Room should be an easier table to grab.