The 15 best Italian restaurants in Cape Town

Don’t be misled by the unassuming location alongside a suburban library. Since 2008 A Tavola has been serving up an outstanding menu of seasonal Italian plates. The menu is divided along classic lines, from inspired Antipasti to start, Insalate for the not-so-hungry and hearty pasta bowls for Primi. The tagliolini tossed with truffle paste and wild mushrooms is especially good. For Secondi, locals swear by the veal scallops in lemon sauce. There’s a wonderful selection of local and Italian wines on offer too.

‘Not Your Mamma’s Pasta’, claims the cheeky napkin at Scala. And it’s not wrong. This sexy subterranean Italian eatery is as far from a family-run trattoria as you could imagine. Instead, Executive Chef Justin Barker, working with Italian master chef Luciano Monosilio, has created an elegantly upmarket take on Italian cuisine

Start with Scala’s signature negroni as you browse the selection of modern piccoli Piatti tapas-style dishes (served here in generous portions): char-grilled melanzane is a standout, lifted by bright tomato salsa and hits of basil, while the imported Italian burrata served with panzanella would make your nonna weep. For something light, don’t miss the scallop and yellowtail carpaccio.

Next up is ‘Pasta’ – the main event – served in small portions, allowing you to sample a few of the 10 variations on offer. The Scala carbonara is the highlight, but the tortelli of roasted tomato and burrata are equally memorable. Also look out for the chalkboard menu of seasonal specials. The curated wine list is a perfect foil for the fine food, making this one of the city’s must-visit Italian eateries.

In the depths of suburban Pinelands, Magica Roma is the very definition of an old-school gem that’s stood the test of time. The menu is rooted firmly in Italian classics, served up in a dining room that’s changed little since the 1970s. Not that the crowds of loyal locals mind in the least. With owners Ezio De Biaggi and Franco Zezia keeping a close eye on the floor – or telling what you should be ordering – it’s as reliably good as the day it first opened. The tagliata Fiorentina is always excellent.

Old-school classics: Magica Roma made the list!

On Napier Street in De Waterkant, Libertino opened in late 2024 with a focus on handmade pasta and Neapolitan-style pizza. What’s not to love? The compact menu changes seasonally, but expect rigatoni with aubergine, truffle fettuccine with shiitake mushrooms, and ravioli filled with gorgonzola and caramelised pear, topped with burnt butter and sage. The extensive cocktail menu tells you that this is perhaps not the spot for a quiet night out. A courtyard terrace and eye-catching interiors give it a relaxed De Waterkant vibe, while the confident, contemporary Italian cooking is handled with care.

Trust us here; it’s OK to dine in a mall. Well, as long as it’s at Mamma Roma, which hides inside a small suburban shopping centre in the suburb of Newlands. Family-run since 1986, Mamma Roma serves up an impressive menu of northern Italian dishes. The risottos are a worthy house speciality, especially when wild porcinis are in season, but the oven-baked pasta plates are also an excellent order on a cold evening. While the sound of shopping trolleys rolling past is a little bit of a buzz-kill, it’s worth enduring for the wonderful food. And, if it really bothers you, ask for one of the cosy table sets inside the restaurant.

Arlecchino opened on Regent Road in early 2026 and quickly became part of why this might be Cape Town’s coolest street. It’s a new offering from the Tashas Group, combining the usual considered interiors and polished service with a menu strong on Italian and Mediterranean plates. 

Pasta is, of course, a signature, and the bucatini with lemon, cream and parsley is a standout. Like your meaty? Don’t miss the paccheri all’Amatriciana, made properly with guanciale and parmesan, but here with a spicy vodka sauce. Elsewhere, expect antipasti, seafood and larger plates – hello, Bazaruto prawns – alongside delicious fritto misto and sea bass carpaccio. Far from your casual trattoria, this is a more contemporary take on Italian dining, a perfect fit for Sea Point’s busy restaurant strip.

Neapolitan-style pizza meets New York glamour on the streets of Sea Point, at this chic eatery by the same crew behind Sea Point favourites such as NV-80 and Jarryd’s. Pizza is the focus, from the 00 flour and authentic fior di latte to the signature sweetness of San Marzano tomatoes. The spicy salami kick of the Diavola remains a favourite, but also look to the umami punch of truffle on the Funghi. But there’s more here than pizza: start with a few antipasti plates – hello, burrata and arancini! – or go for hearty pasta, ranging from pappardelle with slow-cooked lamb ragù to gnocchi with gorgonzola. 

The décor is contemporary, with plush banquettes and an Art Deco bar serving a solid cocktail selection. The three-course ‘Date Night’ menu at Ariel Modern Italian (offered on Tuesdays) offers excellent value. 

One of Cape Town’s best-loved Italian restaurants, set in a heritage building in Green Point, Il Leone’s menu is firmly rooted in traditional Italian cooking. The menu runs from antipasti and handmade pasta to risotto, seafood, and meatier plates. The wine list is substantial and includes both Italian and South African wines. The dining room retains an old-school, understated charm, with tables upstairs best for a catch-up with friends. For classic Italian rather than modern reinterpretation, Il Leone is one of the city’s most reliable spots.

In a rather unlovely corner of the East City, you’ll find one of the most charming, characterful restaurants Cape Town has to offer. The Cousins Italian Restaurant is run by three, yup, cousins hailing from Romagna in northern Italy, and has fast grown a rep for delicious plates at reasonable prices. There’s a wide selection of dishes, but the somewhat theatrical signature is a herby taglioni tossed in a wheel of Grana Padano and plated at the table. It’s as delicious as it is entertaining.

Giorgia Nava brings his signature Italian flourish – he hails from Milano, after all – to more meaty plates at Carne on Kloof. Here the beef carpaccio is the starter to kick things off, followed by the impressive La Fiorentina – a 1.2kg T-bone steak perfectly grilled and sliced at the table. The wine list is excellent, with well-informed wait staff on hand to advise. It’s all served up in a bright contemporary space of blonde woods and exposed brick walls, with terrace tables spilling out onto the buzz of Kloof Street. And hey, now that one of the best Italians in town has its second spot at Time Out Market Cape Town, you may as well visit twice. 

For Italian cuisine that’s a far cry from the humble trattoria, look to the elevated ‘cucina moderna’ on offer at Villa 47. This elegant space is bright and bold, with tables set close together to create a happily boisterous atmosphere. On the menu the sharing Antipasto platters are the best way to begin, laden with imported Italian cheese and charcuterie, house-roasted peppers and grilled artichokes. There’s a selection of antipasti plates, or dive right into the pasta, pesce and carne. Bookings are advised, and it’s worth arriving early for an aperitivo in the first-floor Martini Terrazza Lounge.

This owner-run eatery in trendy De Waterkant combines the warmth and charm of a traditional osteria with a contemporary flourish to the décor and a light, modern touch on the menu. There’s a welcome simplicity to the pared-down menu here, with a laser focus on top-notch ingredients: look no further than the glorious burrata and Parma ham starter for evidence. Osteria Tarantino is also famous for its carpaccio, and the octopus with citrus and fennel is a fine foil for a bottle of South African Chenin Blanc.

While many restaurants on Sea Point’s busy Main Road come and go, Posticino is almost part of the furniture. And that’s just how loyal locals love it. While there are a handful of other branches now open across the city, the Sea Point Posticino is the mothership and the best. Most diners come for the wide-ranging menu of thin-crust pizzas, but you'll also find a substantial menu of Italian classics. The Veal Limone is superb.

323 Main Rd, Sea Point, Cape Town, 8060

The southern reaches of the Cape Peninsula harbour a handful of neighbourhood gems, and Limoncello is one of the best. Locals wept into their last glasses of limoncello when Luca and Cecilia Castiglione closed the inner-city original, but the new outpost beneath a canopy of milkwood trees is arguably even better. For starters, there’s a sea view out over Noordhoek beach, and for starters his Parmigiana di melanzane is as good as it’s always been. Luca loves seafood, and you’ll find superb tuna plates on offer in the summer season. Those aside, look for the wonderful wood-fired pizza, hand-made gnocchi and, of course, finish with a shot of his house limoncello.

What Nava has done for meat, owner-chefs Nico Rovarini and Federico Rocca did for seafood when opening Riva Fish Restaurant in 2018. It’s a cosy and convivial space in the nightlife neighbourhood of De Waterkant, with an open kitchen allowing diners to soak up the bustle of the kitchen. The menu is compact, informed largely by what’s on offer from local fishmongers, but always inspired by Italian culinary traditions. The slow-grilled octopus with ink chips is superb, as is the crusted tuna. It’s not only about seafood though, with a handful of excellent pasta plates on offer. The oven-baked pomodoro gnocchi with fresh fior di latte cheese and Parmesan crust is a hit on cold winter nights.