Richard Holmes

Cape Town is – let’s not be coy – the culinary capital of Africa. Whether you’re throwing on a jacket for an evening of world-class fine dining in landmark settings, or hanging with the locals in a neighbourhood mezcaleria where the queue is out the door, the Mother City is one place where you’re always spoilt for choice when it comes to eating out. What makes the city so special? Diversity. You’ll find menus that celebrate Cape ingredients and heritage, others that riff on global trends, and plenty that do both at the same time. It’s a city where casual ramen bars share the spotlight with world-class fine-dining destinations that crack global awards lists. And all at a fraction of what you’d pay overseas But with a city jam-packed with fine food, where do you start? Right here, of course, with the Time Out guide to the best restaurants in Cape Town. And no, it’s not all about expensive multi-course menus and tweezered micro-herbs. On this list you’ll find the best pizza joints, unforgettable sushi bars and – of course – the creative chefs that make Cape Town one of the world’s gourmet heavyweights. It’s a list that evolves as quickly as the city’s restaurant scene, so check back often to see what’s hot this month. Come hungry, explore widely and – our advice? – always leave space for dessert. RECOMMENDED:  🏨 The best hotels in Cape Town🍳 The best breakfast and brunch spots in Cape Town🍷 The best wine farms in and around Cape Town🍕 The best pizza in Cape Town📍 The best

Is there a better smell than a slice of slow-fermented sourdough layered with butter? Well, maybe only pain au chocolat, fresh from the oven. Hmm, I’m also partial to a pastéis de nata, though. Perhaps I’ll just take one of each. And happily, in Cape Town it’s not hard to indulge your carb-laden fantasies. Why would you settle for spongy, tasteless, never-go-stale supermarket loaves when you can seek out artisanal, handcrafted bread instead? Prefer pastries? You’re in luck, with the Mother City blessed with bakeries old and new, turning out flaky croissants, fine patisserie and indulgent crookies (scroll down to find out more about those!) But whatever floury fantasy is your favourite, you’ll find that Cape Town has a deep bench of bakeries worth crossing town for. From the city to the coast, here’s the Time Out Pick of the Best Bakeries in Cape Town. Bakeries where craft still counts, and you’ll find proper fermentation, real butter, local flour, and regulars who know to get there before the best stuff sells out. RECOMMENDED:  😋 The best restaurants in Cape Town🍳 The best breakfast and brunch spots in Cape Town☕️ The best cafés and coffee shops in Cape Town📍 The best things to do in Cape Town This article was written by Richard Holmes, a travel writer based in Cape Town. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines and check out our latest travel guides writ

With local government elections looming on 4 November, the Democratic Alliance is apparently taking its campaign to new heights. Literally. Alongside the usual posters and billboards, the party has been flying giant advertising banners above Cape Town, hoping to catch the attention of voters below. But political campaigning is just the latest reason to look skywards in the Mother City. Gaze up on any sunny day – especially in summer, or when there's a game on at DHL Stadium – and chances are you'll hear the distant drone of a Piper Super Cub making its way slowly across the skies. And following not far behind: an advertising banner. The banner could be touting business for an (in)famous gentleman's club or a sports betting brand, estate agent or online retailer. Whoever might be hoping for your eyeballs, one thing’s almost certain: you looked.   View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Cape Town (@timeout.capetown) Because in a world awash with transitory advertising, social media messaging and ceaseless input, there remains something nostalgic, arresting somehow, in spotting a plane that has slipped the surly bonds of Earth. Chances are, you’ll look up and remember the brand. And while the announcement of new dancers may generate the most consideration (or condemnation) in Cape Town, it’s certainly not the only brand buying into the world of high-flying advertising. It’s a bright winter’s morning when I pull into Cape Wineland

It began with 13 runners, a handful of volunteers and a stopwatch. On 2 October 2004, a small group of friends gathered in London's Bushy Park for a free, timed 5km run. The idea came from South African-born Paul Sinton-Hewitt, who wanted to create a simple, sociable way for people to get together and enjoy running. There were no medals, no entry fees and no elaborate race infrastructure. Just a marked course, a finish line and the promise of doing it all again the following Saturday. More than two decades later, that modest gathering has become a global phenomenon. Today, parkrun brings together runners and walkers in thousands of parks and public spaces across the world, united by the same simple concept: a free, weekly 5km event where everyone is welcome. And few cities offer a better backdrop for a Saturday morning parkrun than Cape Town. parkrun explained Forget the pressure of race day. There's no starting gun, no entry fee and no need to be particularly fit or fast. From serious runners chasing personal bests to families pushing prams and friends catching up over a leisurely walk, parkrun is as much about community as it is about exercise. Every event follows a measured 5km course, with a team of volunteers handling everything from marshalling and timekeeping to barcode scanning at the finish line. There's even a volunteer tail walker whose job is to finish last, ensuring nobody gets left behind. And of course, in Cape Town the scenery is an added bonus. Depending on w

There is no shortage of spectacular beaches in Cape Town. Whether you're chasing waves, planning a family day out, seeking a quiet stretch of sand, or simply hunting for the perfect sunset, there's a beach in the Mother City with your name on it. But not all beaches are created equal. While a beautiful setting is certainly a good start, there's more to choosing the perfect spot for a summer swim. That's where the international Blue Flag programme comes in. First introduced in Europe in 1987, the Blue Flag programme recognises beaches that meet strict international standards for water quality, environmental management, safety, accessibility and visitor facilities. It's not simply a beauty contest either: beaches are assessed against a strict set of criteria and must maintain those standards to keep their coveted Blue Flag flying. South Africa joined the programme in 2001, with the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) overseeing its local implementation. For the 2026/27 summer season, eight Cape Town beaches have once again earned full Blue Flag status. Even more impressive, it’s the fifth consecutive year the city has achieved this milestone! Get salty! The Best Tidal Pools in Cape Town And there's more good news for Cape Town's beach-goers. Alongside the eight fully accredited beaches, four additional stretches of sand – Chapman's Peak in Hout Bay, Big Bay, Strand and Strandfontein – have been designated Blue Flag pilot sites for the 2026/27 season. While

It seems the tide might be finally turning when it comes to where – and how – we travel. In some of the world’s most visited cities and destinations, overtourism has become such a pressing issue that travellers are finally starting to look elsewhere, keen to avoid adding to the problem and eager to discover what else the world has to offer. Trends like the ‘quiet-cation’ and the ‘coolcation’ are on the rise, while popular destinations like Japan and Italy continue to come up with ways to redistribute tourism from densely crowded hotspots to lesser-visited regions. If you’re trying to be a more responsible traveller in 2027 – or if you’re simply craving quieter, cheaper alternatives to the overcrowded hotspots – read on. Time Out’s newly updated list of the world’s most underrated travel destinations features empty national parks and tiny time-warp towns; placid jungle stretches and deserted beaches; wild mountain regions and overlooked cities.  Why trust us? Because we’ve been to them all. Every spot on this list was picked by one of our expert editors and globetrotting travel writers, recommended because they offer great (or quiet) alternatives to the classics – and in many cases, because they’re places that are actively seeking tourism. In other words, travelling to any of these 41 destinations is a win-win situation. RECOMMENDED:🏰 The most underrated travel destinations in Europe🚞 13 ways to be a better tourist right now🌎 The countries that actually want travellers rig

Welcome to Mother Sippy, where we shine a light on the talented winemakers, brewers, distillers and mixologists who make sure the Mother City never goes thirsty. From new wine releases to taprooms pouring perfect pints, Mother Sippy is your guide to all that’s good and great in Cape Town’s world of drinks. Winemakers love to wax lyrical that wine is made in the vineyard. But for Johan Jordaan, his latest signature releases began somewhere else entirely. In his notebook. “I’m by no means an artist, but for me, drawing is a way of focusing, thinking and making sense of ideas. Often, ideas stay on a page. In this case, they all made it into the bottle,” adds Jordaan, who says doodling is part of his creative process. This year, the most significant scribble in the notebook was a single word: Grenache. Photograph: Spier |Spier cellarmaster Johan Jordaan doodling in his notebook Stellenbosch estate Spier offers a diverse range of wines, from the coastal-focused Seaward to the premium Creative Block blends and 21 Gables single-varietals, right up to the flagship Frans K. Smit wines. But the Ideology collection is less a conventional wine range than a space for experimentation: a place where an idea that catches the winemaking team’s attention can be scribbled down, explored, and, if it’s good enough, turned into wine. “Ideology can be an annual release, and it can also not be annual,” explains Jordaan, cellar master at Stellenbosch estate Spier. “Whenever something piques our int

I first wrote this article around the time that ad for a certain car-buying/selling platform came out, featuring comedian Schalk Bezuidenhout. The one where petrol is so valuable he uses it as eau de cologne and gets a bunch of guys to push his kombi around? It's funny, not funny. But Schalk, we heard you. And this week, the ad got funnier (and the tears felt more real) as petrol prices reached record highs. Almost R30 per litre of petrol at the coast just isn’t funny any more. And if you drive a diesel? Well, thoughts and prayers.  With fuel prices through the roof, it’s tempting to just put the car up on bricks and accept that you’re never going to take a road-trip holiday again. But hold up. Not so fast. One of the joys of living in Cape Town is that we have so much on our doorstep. Whether it’s the ocean, mountains or vineyards your soul craves, it’s never too far away. So, with a little weekend escape on our minds and a beady eye on the fuel gauge, we scouted out destinations less than 100 kays from Cape Town. Now, I don’t know what car you drive, but with a light foot on the pedal you can probably get 10 litres per 100 km, right? 10 litres of petrol is just under 300 bucks. Return trip: R600 on petrol for a weekend away. That's about the same price as two movie tickets with popcorn, right? From the misty cliffs of the southern Peninsula to the vineyards of Wellington, these gems are all under 100 km from Claremont (where the Time Out office is). Time to fill up and head

It’s been called tennis with training wheels, and squash in the sun, but however you frame it, the game of Padel has become a global sensation. And Cape Town is no exception, with locals and tourists flocking to indoor and outdoor courts across the city. Padel – pronounced 'pa-del', not 'paddle' – is believed to have started in Mexico in 1969, but exploded onto the global stage in the 1990s. The International Padel Federation (FIP) was established in 1991, and today the FIP estimates millions of active players in more than 90 countries worldwide. If you’re new to the sport, here’s the basics. Padel is a racquet sport played on an enclosed court about one-third smaller than a tennis court, with glass and metal walls and Astroturf underfoot. The game is played with a Padel racquet, usually made of foam, fibreglass or (for more expensive options) carbon fibre. Think of an oversized space-age beach bat and you’ll get the idea. Padel balls are 10 percent smaller than a tennis ball and – because they have a lower compression, bounce less. Padel is usually played in doubles, though smaller single courts are sometimes offered. Scoring is the same as tennis – 15, 30, 40, Game – and a match consists of three sets of six games. The first team to two sets wins the match. Sound like fun? It certainly is, and across Cape Town, you’ll often struggle to find a free court on sunny weekends. Luckily, the global Padel booking app Playtomic lists most Cape Town courts, making it easy to find a

It is, quite simply, one of South Africa’s greatest natural spectacles. Each spring, winter rains transform the dry plains and rocky valleys of the Western and Northern Cape into one of the world’s greatest floral displays. From the renosterveld reserves near Darling to the bulb-rich Bokkeveld Plateau and the orange carpets of Namaqualand, millions of dormant seeds and bulbs burst through the soil in a brief explosion of colour. The American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that "The earth laughs in flowers". If that’s the case, there’s a comedy show of note waiting for you to take a seat. Keep exploring: Where to watch whales near Cape Town But the flower season is never entirely predictable. Rainfall, sunshine and temperature affect when each area reaches its peak, and different species flower at different times. A cloudy day can leave entire fields closed; a few warm afternoons can suddenly bring the veld to life. Daisies pop out first. Bulbs tend to take their time. So where should you go if you want to see the spring flowers in South Africa at their best? We’ve got that all taken care of for you with Time Out's expert guide to seeing spring flowers in South Africa. RECOMMENDED: 🏔️ The best mountain getaways near Cape Town📍 The best things to do in Cape Town🥾The best day hikes in Cape Town Born and raised in the city, Richard Holmes is a travel writer based in Cape Town. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities insid

I spend a lot of time travelling to and from Cape Town International Airport. It comes with the territory when you’re a travel writer. Even more so when you have an Instagram handle like mine. The other week, I was barely home in time to do the laundry before packing another bag and heading back down the N2. Almost every time I fly, I run through the same calculation: do I drive to the airport or call an Uber? I think most locals heading out do the same.  In truth, I’d much rather drive.  My car turns up on time. It doesn’t cancel on me last minute. I know how much fuel is in the tank. It has working shock absorbers. And my car, unlike so many Ubers I’ve been in lately, doesn’t smell of feet. Especially when rushing for a red-eye in the early hours, or landing late at night, I feel much more comfortable driving myself home along the N2 rather than staring at the back of a stranger’s head, watching the fuel light click on on the dashboard. There are many upsides to driving myself. But then, there’s that parking ticket. I’ve just come back from four days on assignment in the Northern Cape. If I’d left my car in P3 or P4 – the shaded outdoor parking at Cape Town International – ACSA would have stung me for around R820. If I’d taken the easier route of parking under cover in the P1 or P2 multi-storey car parks, those four days would have come to more than R1000. My Uber to the airport and back? Less than R400, before discounts. So, I took the Uber. Of course I did. But here’s

This list is from 2024. Read our 2025 ranking or check out our latest ranking for 2026 here. In 2024, what exactly makes a neighbourhood cool? Craft breweries, natty wine bars and street art are well and good, but the world’s best, most exciting and downright fun neighbourhoods are much more than identikit ‘hipster hubs’. They’re places that reflect the very best of their cities – its culture, community spirit, nightlife, food and drink – all condensed in one vibey, walkable district. To create our annual ranking, we went straight to the experts – our global team of on-the-ground writers and editors – and asked them what the coolest neighbourhood in their city is right now, and why. Then we narrowed down the selection and ranked the list using the insight and expertise of Time Out’s global editors, who vetted each neighbourhood against criteria including food, drink, arts, culture, street life, community and one-of-a-kind local flavour. The result? A list that celebrates the most unique and exciting pockets of our cities – and all their quirks. Yes, you’ll find some of those international hallmarks of ‘cool’. But in every neighbourhood on this list there’s something you won’t find anywhere else. Ever been to a photography museum that moonlights as a jazz club? Or a brewery with a library of Russian literature? How about a festival dedicated to fluff? When communities fiercely support and rally around their local businesses, even the most eccentric ideas can become a reality.

The cherry-blossom petals falling like candy-coloured snow in Ueno Park. Sipping a frighteningly expensive martini in the Park Hyatt’s New York Bar (the one made famous by Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson in ‘Lost in Translation’). Early mornings at the Tsukiji Market. Global fashion on Takeshita-dori in Harajuku. My first trip to Tokyo made quite the impression. But if there’s one thing seared into my memory, it’s the noise and bustle of Andy’s Shin Hinomoto. One of Tokyo's most famous izakayas, tucked under the railway arches of Yūrakuchō Station, it’s where I found myself on my last night in town, nursing a bottle of Asahi Super Dry and marvelling at the plate of whole salt-grilled squid that had landed in front of me. Those Tokyo memories came rushing back this week as I took a table at Ramenhead Izakaya on Kloof Street and the waitress slid a bowl of whole ‘chokka’ onto the table with a smile. It’s one of many good reasons to visit Ramenhead’s new home. The backstory Ramenhead first opened on Parliament Street in 2022, when chef Peter Tempelhoff and his FYN team set out to up Cape Town’s Japanese ramen game. They imported Africa's first Yamato noodle-making machine, allowing them to produce fresh noodles with precisely controlled hydration and texture, tailored to the different broths. Four years later, the move to Kloof Street – taking over the space once home to ëlgr – marks an ambitious new chapter. Tempelhoff and culinary director Ashley Moss have expanded the offer

There are hotel renovations, and then there are total reinventions. The last time I stayed at The Table Bay Hotel, it was pretty dire. The rooms were tired, the furniture in poor condition, and the carpets made you think twice about walking barefoot in your own room. Opened by Nelson Mandela in 1997, it had once set the benchmark for five-star hospitality in Cape Town, but nearly three decades later the heavy wooden furniture and floral chintz were showing their age. So I was more than a little relieved when The Table Bay closed in February 2025. There was little doubt that the grand old dame of the V&A Waterfront needed a nip-and-tuck. What emerged instead was more like an episode of Ultimate Makeover. Enter a R1-billion refurbishment, 45 additional rooms and suites, an entirely new food and beverage offering, a destination spa, and a change of flag. Reopening as the InterContinental Table Bay Cape Town, it became the first InterContinental hotel in the city, even though Sun International still runs operations behind the scenes.  Likewise, the bones of the original hotel are still here. That enviable location on the edge of the working harbour, to start with, as well as the soaring lobby and mountain-facing terrace. And with a celebrity chef in residence and a very swish new spa open to the public, it’s a space for locals and residents alike.   Why stay at InterContinental Table Bay? Location, for starters. You’re quite literally attached to the V&A Waterfront, with direct a

When Hesheng changed hands in 2023, regulars had reason to worry. For years, the unassuming little restaurant on Sea Point Main Road had built a fiercely loyal following around the cooking of Zeng Meie – known simply as ‘Ma’ – who was as famous for her taciturn (to put it kindly) service as for her handmade dumplings. The new owners, who had worked alongside Ma before taking over, did the smartest thing possible: they changed very little. The service is a little warmer than before, but the dining room is little changed – still no-frills to speak of – and the menu remains as extensive as it is delicious. And, most importantly, the xiao long bao are still good enough to justify a journey across town. The backstory Hesheng has been part of Cape Town’s Chinese restaurant scene for more than a decade. Ma became something of a local legend, not least for the dumplings and noodles made from scratch in the kitchen. Although the restaurant was sold, little has changed, and Hesheng remains one of the most dependable places in Cape Town for handmade dumplings, noodles and Chinese dishes that are a welcome change from your typical ‘sweet-and-sour ' fare. The vibe  Hesheng is not about to win any décor awards. And regulars love it that way. Step inside from the busy Main Road strip and the dining room is much as you’d find in a backstreet of Hong Kong or Beijing: bright lighting, tables crammed in and a waving golden cat on the counter. It’s not the space for fine napery (here it’s a bo

Forget sitting on the couch doom-scrolling on your phone. If you’re going to be looking at a screen, Cape Town’s newest virtual-reality attraction wants you on your feet, ducking, dodging and working up a sweat. What is The Park? The Park Cape Town opened in August 2026 on Kloof Street, bringing a fully immersive VR experience to the City Bowl. VR isn’t exactly new, but what sets The Park apart is that it is Cape Town’s first ‘free-roam’ VR experience. That means players move around a large physical arena, rather than standing in one spot while exploring a virtual world, with wireless headsets and controllers translating their movements into the game. So how do you not run into a wall? I hear you ask. Good question. At The Park, the digital world is mapped onto the real world, with digital ‘walls’ and no-go zones showing you where you can and can’t move.  It’s all colourfully, wonderfully disorientating. The empty room you walked into suddenly becomes a futuristic saloon, an interplanetary battlefield or a decidedly creepy horror show. Those humanoid friends you walked in with? Suddenly they have become carnival entertainers, intergalactic soldiers or offbeat robots. And you’ll want to bring your friends, because this virtual experience is made all the more fun by real-life connection. I took my teenage son and some friends for a trial, and they alternated between howling with laughter at those who couldn’t ‘walk the plank’ high above London (OK OK, it was me who couldn’t s

Michael Broughton is smiling again. The chef who spent nearly two decades turning Terroir – on De Zalze estate in Stellenbosch – into one of the Cape Winelands’ best-known restaurants has swapped the vineyards for Hermanus, and fine-dining flourish for a tiny cottage kitchen and fish fresh off the boats. And it looks like he couldn’t be happier. This new chapter for Broughton is certainly not Terroir-by-the-sea, though. At Fisherman’s Cottage, Broughton is deliberately keeping things simple with a compact menu, blackboard specials (where the real magic lies), superb seafood and a wine list that takes its cue from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. As he puts it, he doesn’t want anything ‘poncy’. He says it’s fine to arrive in your shorts and plakkies, as long as you eat well surrounded by friends and family and leave thinking: “That was flipping lekker. I’ll be back.” Now what’s not to love about that? The Backstory Fisherman’s Cottage is in the heart of town and is certainly not new to Hermanus. The building itself dates to the late-1800s and was built first as a home, then became a coffee shop and, eventually, a seafood restaurant. Most recently it was run for 11 years by the late Anton Verhoogt, who died tragically in an accident in 2025. Broughton’s journey to Hermanus was unintended. After Terroir closed during Covid, he spent several years consulting and developing plant-based products. When Verhoogt passed away Broughton offered to help keep Fisherman’s Cottage running for a f

Cape Town has no end of fancy fine-dining restaurants: all starched white tablecloths, hefty wine lists and plates covered with gels, foams and purées where you can spend hours playing ‘spot the food’.  BURI is not that. Rather, at this brand-new eatery in the city’s ever-buzzy East City precinct, two of the city’s most energetic chefs have given the humble boerewors roll – hence the name ‘BURI’ – a little lift without getting too fancy. It’s like that boerie roll you remember from the family camping holiday or the school fête. Only... better. The backstory BURI, which opened on Harrington Street in August 2026, is the newest concept from chef-restaurateurs Neil Swart and Anouchka Horn, co-founders of the Belly Restaurant Group. But while their other restaurants – Belly of the Beast, Galjoen and Seebamboes – are all about smart multi-course menus and long evenings at the table, BURI is more of a hit-and-run kind of spot. Their premise is simple: make a proper boerewors roll, pay proper attention to every component and resist the temptation to turn it into something unnecessarily fancy... and unrecognisable. The vibe Set on up-and-coming Harrington Street, BURI is a walk-in, spur-of-the-moment kind of place, not destination dining that requires a deposit and months of planning. Hungry now? Let’s go get a ‘BURI’, is more the vibe.  From the BURI-master to the merch on sale, it all feels proudly South African, with a hint of nostalgia. There’s even a photo of chef Neil on a lino

Before you decide where to stay for that weekend break in Hermanus, it’s best to decide why you’re there. Is it to tee up at the golf course? Book a B&B on that side of town. It’s a 27-hole layout, so there’s plenty to keep you busy. Or is it to head up the valley in search of the fine wines of the Hemel-en-Aarde? You might want to look at a farm stay instead. But if you want easy access to the Cliff Path for whale-watching, as well as the ease of walking to the shops and restaurants of the town centre, then One Marine Drive ticks all the right boxes. Set on the western edge of the centre – a 10-minute walk at a leisurely pace – it sits directly opposite the ocean and the famous Cliff Path, with Fick’s Pool, the tidal pool and seaside restaurant, just about on the doorstep. Turn right for a coastal walk to New Harbour. Turn left for Hermanus’s restaurants, galleries and Old Harbour. In season, guests in the front-facing sea-view rooms can pretty much watch for whales in Walker Bay without leaving their rooms.   Why stay at One Marine Drive? Well, apart from the chance to watch cetaceans from your couch, there’s plenty more. Let’s start with the location. One Marine Drive sits right on the seafront, with just Marine Drive and a patch of grass separating you from the Cliff Path. From here, the Overberg’s your oyster. During my stay, I walked the entire length of the path, from Klein River Mouth at Grotto Beach to New Harbour, so you can pretty much leave your car in the free un

Cape Town has never been short of neighbourhood cafés and coffee shops, but when it comes to the kind of experience that would give NYC’s famous Katz’s Deli a run for its money? Well, those are harder to find. For more than a decade, Kleinsky’s in Sea Point has perhaps been the city’s most reliable answer to that particular hunger pang, with a loyal following flocking to their Regent Road store for hand-rolled bagels, proper pastrami and perhaps the best rugelach in town. It’s a formula that worked so well that they expanded to Johannesburg and London. And now they have come around the mountain, opening a brand-new branch at the High Constantia Centre, bringing bagels, breakfasts, ‘noshes’ and New York-style deli classics to one of Cape Town’s leafiest suburbs. The Backstory Kleinsky’s started out in 2014 as a small Sea Point eatery, with brothers Adam and Joel Klein drawing inspiration from the Jewish delis of New York. But this was no cut-and-paste; instead, the plan was to create a Cape Town version of a classic Manhattan deli: old-school recipes and cultural memory, served with a contemporary twist and local attitude. Despite the expansion, Kleinsky’s holds firmly to its founding principles of getting the basics right before letting loose with a little menu creativity. The bagels are still hand-rolled, slow-fermented, boiled in malted water and baked. The pastrami is still made just the way it was at the start. The Russian dressing is made in-house. And yes, the Reuben ba

There’s a lot of construction going on in Claremont right now. If they’re not digging up Imam Haron Road or blocking the side streets, houses are being pulled down and apartments are going in.  But for the last month or two, it’s the shopfront of 109 Belvedere Road that’s caught my eye, not least because one of the first things to go on the wall was a new sign.   “Chingu. Authentic Korean Food.” The Backstory   This corner of the southern suburbs is a surprisingly diverse hotbed of global cuisine. Lebanese Bakery is perhaps the OG of the area, but I’m also partial to Pho House next to Coimbra Bakery. Further down the road, Edo Sushi hits the quality/price notes just right. The kitchen at Hot Stuff always looks a little dubious, but their naan breads and Pakistani plates are superb. But Chingu is the first Korean restaurant in this part of town, and long may it last. While the restaurant may be new, the energy in the kitchen comes with a Cape Korean pedigree. Chingu is the new outing from Chone-Hee Cho, who also runs the popular Korean Kitchen in Stadum on Main. At Chingu, she works hand in hand with Saburo Adaniya. “At Korean Kitchen, we found that a lot of Muslim customers would come in and ask about the food, but unfortunately, we sell pork there,” explains Saburo. “So she had the idea to open a restaurant that would be more inclusive for Muslim diners. ‘Chingu’ means ‘friend’ in Korean, and she wanted the restaurant to feel friendly and for customers to build a relations

There are plenty of places to find good fish and chips in Cape Town, but often they’re let down by plastic tablecloths and indifferent service, or only offer a simple takeaway menu. The food might be good, but the occasion is forgettable. The leafy suburb of Newlands might not immediately spring to mind when it comes to finding great seafood, but when you throw in a central location, lovely décor and a restaurateur with decades of experience in the business, you have a restaurant worth seeking out. Say hello to Fishmonger. The Backstory Fishmonger may be new to Cape Town, but for once those Joburg foodies are ahead of the game. This is the first Cape Town outpost for a restaurant brand already familiar to many diners in Gauteng, where you’ll find branches in Rosebank, Bryanston and Centurion. That it arrives in Newlands is thanks to owner Aki Hadjipetros, who brings 40 years of restaurant experience to this new venture, adding a much-needed seafood option to a corner of Cape Town filled with its fair share of cosy pubs, coffee shops and Italian eateries.  In fact, with Fishmonger adding to the menu of restaurants in Newlands, the suburb is turning into quite the foodie hotspot! The Vibe Let’s be clear: this might be part of a (small) chain, but it’s not the seafood-chain experience you might have had elsewhere. From the moment you step through the front door, the feeling is upmarket yet relaxed. Modern, with a bit of vintage style. It’s a restaurant of two halves, but the low

Set on the historic Blaauwklippen wine farm, founded in 1682, the rebuilt manor pairs Cape heritage inspiration with contemporary interiors. It’s all surrounded by generous gardens to offer an easy sense of winelands escape on the quieter fringes of Stellenbosch. With wine tasting and plenty of activities on the farm, it’s as much a base for exploring as it is a destination in itself.  Why stay at Blaauwklippen Manor? Start with the setting. Blaauwklippen is close enough to Stellenbosch to make it easy to explore this historic university town. It’s not quite close enough to walk, but a few minutes’ drive and you’ll soon discover the vibey streets of the Eikestad. But there’s also plenty to keep you settled in on the estate without feeling the need to venture out. Because this is not simply somewhere to sleep after a day of indulgent tastings. On Blaauwklippen you’ll find estate walks and tastings on site, as well as weekend markets and family-friendly activities (more on that in a bit). The hotel’s understated sense of luxury is another draw, and from the concierge-style service on arrival to the considered approach to hospitality, there’s a boutique charm to Blaauwklippen. What are the rooms like? Blaauwklippen Manor offers a choice of room categories, spread across the restored Manor House and the adjoining Jonkershuis. Far and away my favourite are the four expansive suites in the restored Manor House, all shaped by high ceilings, layered interiors and a modern-heritage ae

There’s certainly no shortage of great steakhouses in Cape Town, whether you prefer yours old-school in the mould of Hussar Grill, or something more contemporary like the recent addition of East City Grill. But in a crowded landscape, CARNE stands apart, and has done ever since chef Giorgio Nava first opened the doors to his Milanese-inspired steakhouse in 2007. In a city where restaurants come and go, a run of almost 20 years is pretty darn impressive, but it’s not hard to see why. The Backstory CARNE – ‘meat’ in Italian – is the work of Giorgio Nava, one of the best-known chefs in Cape Town’s Italian restaurant scene. He first made his name in the Mother City with 95 Keerom, which fast became one of the city’s favourite Italian restaurants, before the pandemic put paid to this palace of pasta (and so many other delicious dishes). But, just a few steps away, across Keerom Street, CARNE endured. In a similar vein to 95, Nava opened CARNE with a simple but powerful idea: apply Italian refinement, and a discerning approach to ingredients, to cuisines South Africans love to eat. It worked for pasta at 95, and proved a hit when it came to meat at CARNE. The Vibe Unlike the leather booths and dusty-wine-bottle aesthetic of many steakhouses, the Keerom Street setting of CARNE is elegant and contemporary without being flashy. It’s changed little since opening, and yet still feels on point. Translucent ‘ghost’ chairs, art on the walls, low ceilings. It’s intimate, sexy and modern, wi

If you've ever struggled with pull-ups at the gym, or dreaded the monkey bars in the school playground, look away now. South African athlete Thomas van Tonder is preparing to take the humble monkey bars to new heights when – on 26 or 27 October, weather permitting – the Red Bull athlete will attempt to become the first person to swing their way along 600 monkey bars suspended beneath the famous Bloukrans Bridge on the Garden Route. Yes, it’s that Bloukrans. The one where adrenaline-seekers strap into a bungy cord and take a leap of faith. The bridge that flies 216 metres above the Bloukrans. Those 600 bars will mean can Tonder has to tackle 280 metres of swinging and climbing, all while dangling high above the Bloukrans River. And as if that weren't difficult enough, those bars don’t go in a straight line. Rather, the specially engineered track follows the curved arch of the bridge, meaning van Tonder must first climb a steep incline – 45-degrees! – swing across the highest point and then carefully control his descent towards the opposite end. "The initial incline is so steep that I can't do it facing forward, in what we call the forward swinging position," explains van Tonder. "I literally have to turn my body around facing backwards, pull myself up, and then reach for the next bar." Photograph: Craig Kolesky / Red Bull Content PoolThomas Van Tonder gets ready for Red Bull Bridge Bars. But van Tonder is no stranger to crazy feats of endurance. He was crowned 100-metre obst

South Africa’s summer concert calendar just got a little louder. Icelandic blues-rock outfit KALEO are heading to South Africa for the first time, with concerts at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden on Thursday, 4 February 2027, and at Marks Park in Johannesburg’s Emmarentia on Saturday, 6 February. The Grammy-nominated quartet will bring their Way Down We Go Tour to the Mother City as part of a two-date South African tour presented by BreakOut Events. Tickets are now on sale via Webtickets. Who are KALEO? If the name doesn't immediately ring a bell, the music almost certainly will. Formed in the Icelandic town of Mosfellsbær – loosely translated from Icelandic as ‘Moss Mountain Town’ – in 2012, KALEO have built an international following for their distinctive blend of bluesy guitar riffs, folk-inspired melodies and the powerful vocals of frontman Jökull Júlíusson. Photograph: KALEOKALEO frontman Jökull Júlíusson Their big break came with the release of A/B in 2016, an album that produced a string of international hits, including ‘All The Pretty Girls’, ‘No Good’ and, most famously, ‘Way Down We Go’. That final track has become something of a modern rock anthem, with its brooding vocals and slow-burning blues riff appearing in countless film soundtracks, television series and advertising campaigns. KALEO's music has featured in shows including Yellowstone, Grey's Anatomy, Suits and The Morning Show. It's been quite a journey for four musicians from a small town outside

The sign on the wall says it all: 'Sandwiches & Coffee'. While The Melting Pot is known for its globetrotting menu of inventive small plates, the bright orange street hatch that is Pappa's Deli is pleasingly low-key. Tucked away on Waterkant Street in De Waterkant, this new takeaway sandwich shop is the latest venture by chef John van Zyl, whose children call him 'Pappa'. It opened at the end of September, but if my visit this week is anything to go by, it's already keeping curious tourists and local office workers well fed. Van Zyl is the chef behind The Melting Pot, which began as a tiny Loop Street pop-up in 2019 before finding a home on Oak Valley Estate in Elgin. A seafood-focused outpost at Time Out Market Cape Town followed, and the restaurant returned to the city in late 2025, settling into new premises in De Waterkant. Along the way, Van Zyl – who previously worked alongside Liam Tomlin at Chefs Warehouse and Thali – has built a loyal following for his inventive take on global street food, drawing on his travels across Asia, Europe and beyond. Photograph: Pappa's Deli, Cape TownHot Fried Chicken from Pappa's Deli, Cape Town And at Pappa's Deli, he's simply packing all that flavour into the sandwich of your dreams. “The menu is very much inspired by the same concept as The Melting Pot: globally inspired food, drawing on ideas from around the world,” explains Van Zyl. “It's basically The Melting Pot between two pieces of bread.” While The Melting Pot encourages diner

As locals, we often curse the summer south-easters. But before the endless gales of February set in, that ‘Cape Doctor’ is the reason the highlights of the world’s kite-surfing calendar roll into Cape Town. And there are few sporting events in the city that offer quite the spectacle of Red Bull King of the Air. Forget queuing up for Cape Town Stadium. Here, the white-capped Atlantic Ocean is the arena, with Table Mountain as the backdrop. And yes, the (Cape) Doctor will see you now. It all combines to create the conditions for some of the most extraordinary aerial acrobatics you'll ever witness. This summer, the world's best kiteboarders are heading back to Bloubergstrand as Red Bull King of the Air returns to Cape Town from 21 November to 6 December 2026. Firmly established as one of the most prestigious competitions in international kiteboarding, the event sees the world's leading Big Air specialists launch themselves high above the waves, performing gravity-defying tricks, high-speed kite loops and spectacular rotations before, hopefully landing safely back on the water. The best part? It's completely free to watch from the beach. Why Cape Town is home to King of the Air The competition began in 2000 at Ho'okipa Beach in Maui, Hawaii, but found its permanent home in Cape Town in 2013. Since then, King of the Air has grown into an annual highlight of the kiteboarding calendar, drawing elite athletes and thousands of spectators to the city's Atlantic coastline. Cape Town's f

That tropical escape just got a whole lot easier, and local travellers suddenly have two very good reasons to start thinking about an island break. This weekend, Airlink launched not one but two new non-stop Indian Ocean routes from Cape Town, with its inaugural flight to Mauritius taking off on Friday (2 October), followed by the first-ever direct Cape Town-Zanzibar service on Saturday. That means fewer hours spent schlepping through Johannesburg and more time on the sun lounger, or dipping your toes into the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. A flying visit to Île Maurice First up was Mauritius, with Airlink launching its new twice-weekly non-stop service on 2 October. Flights operate on Tuesdays and Fridays, departing Cape Town at 10.05am and arriving in Mauritius at 5.15pm local time. The return flight leaves Mauritius at 6.15pm and lands back in Cape Town at 10.35pm. It’s Airlink’s first-ever route to Mauritius, operated with the airline’s new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, which carry 124 passengers across Business and Economy cabins. Better still, it’s a 2-2 seating configuration, so nobody gets stuck with the dreaded middle seat. While Mauritius may be best known for its white-sand beaches, warm lagoons and sprawling resorts, the new route also provides a useful direct connection for business travellers between the Western Cape and one of the Indian Ocean’s major commercial centres. Expect to pay from around R12 000 return, depending on dates and availability. Or choose Tanz

Summer is coming, and so is Get Lucky Summer. GoodLuck’s much-loved summer concert series is rebooting for its 14th year, with 10 shows confirmed across Cape Town, Hermanus, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay between December 2026 and January 2027. And this year there’s more than just a fresh line-up to get excited about. Get Lucky Summer has been given a complete makeover for the new season, with a new look and feel, redesigned festival spaces and new activations aimed at turning the long-running concert series into a more immersive summer festival experience. “We’ve really listened to what people want from Get Lucky Summer, and this year we’re taking the whole experience to another level,” says co-founder and Festival Creative Director Ben Peters. “From a complete rebrand and exciting new partnerships to bigger production, better spaces, more detail and more magic across every touchpoint, we’ve been working incredibly hard to bring a much bigger vision to life.” Local Intel: Goodluck's favourite places in Cape Town! But, of course, it’s all about the music. Alongside Get Lucky Summer regulars GoodLuck, the first wave of artists confirmed for 2026/27 includes Matthew Mole, The Parlotones, Prime Circle and Will Linley, alongside Booshle G, Anica Kiana, Veranda Panda, Amy Tjasink, Saxby Twins, Me & Mr Green, The Conquerors and Lee Cole. And more artists are still to be announced! But not all the acts will be at every show, so you’ll need to plan ahead as to which show you book. Photo

Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter Leon Bridges is heading to South Africa for two concerts this November. He kicks off his time in Mzansi with a show at Marks Park in Johannesburg on Saturday 28 November,  before plugging in at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden in Cape Town on Monday, 30 November. The two dates mark the acclaimed Texas musician’s long-awaited South African debut. “I’ve wanted to play South Africa for a long time, and I’m really excited to finally make it there, especially with this album, for these two special shows,” says Bridges. “I can’t wait to share the music with everyone.” From Coming Home to Cape Town Bridges broke through internationally with his 2015 debut Coming Home, its warm vintage soul introducing one of the most distinctive voices in modern R&B. Songs including ‘River’, ‘Coming Home’, ‘Smooth Sailin’’ and ‘Better Man’ quickly established his signature sound, but Bridges has spent the decade since steadily stretching beyond that retro-soul tag. Good Thing brought funk and contemporary R&B into the mix, while 2021’s Gold-Diggers Sound leaned into a moodier blend of R&B, jazz and alternative influences. His self-titled Leon followed in 2024. Along the way there have also been his hugely successful collaborations with Texas psychedelic-funk trio Khruangbin, including the Texas Sun and Texas Moon EPs. Bridges won his first Grammy in 2019, taking home Best Traditional R&B Performance for ‘Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand’. A new sound for Happiness Anyt

There are surely few better places to raise a glass of bubbles than the estate where South Africa’s Cap Classique story began. And now there’s another reason to linger at Simonsig Family Vineyards in Stellenbosch, with the opening of Vonkel at Simonsig, a brand-new restaurant alongside the estate’s tasting room. This year marks 55 years since Frans Malan produced the first Kaapse Vonkel in 1971, creating South Africa’s first (ever!) bottle-fermented sparkling wine at a time when most local fizz was carbonated and sweet. Malan kick-started a movement that has seen South Africa produce some of the world’s finest sparkling wines (even if we still can’t call them champagne). Today, the Stellenbosch estate is run by the third generation of the Malan family, with Michael Malan taking over as cellarmaster in 2022.  And while the bubbly is reason enough to visit, we now have Vonkel, which marks the return of a full restaurant to the estate. The restaurateur (and sommelier) behind it all is Marc Botes, who brings an unfussy, Mediterranean-inspired menu built around seasonal produce and top-notch ingredients. That means locally made burrata and mozzarella from Puglia Cheese, San Marzano tomatoes (chefs swear by these Italian beauties), imported Italian 00 flour, and Simonsig’s own extra-virgin olive oil. Pizza dough undergoes a 36-hour sourdough fermentation before being hand-stretched and baked in the wood-burning oven.  What’s on the menu? Vonkel opens at 9am for brunch, with everyth

Start inflating the lilo! Up The Creek is heading back to the Breede River in February 2027, and organisers have announced the first batch of artists set to play one of South Africa’s longest-running outdoor music festivals. First of all, mark your calendars: the 2027 edition runs from 11-14 February, with more than 50 artists across four stages over the four-day weekend. Tickets are limited to just 2500 festival-goers, keeping Up The Creek nice and intimate compared with many of South Africa’s larger music festivals. Leading the first artist announcement is former Springbok Nude Girls frontman Arno Carstens – always a crowd-pleaser – alongside aKING, Barto, BCUC, Booshle G, Dierbaar, Georgetown, Keanan Eksteen, Magé, MaxX & Love, Pedro Barbosa and SUGARBIRD. There are plenty more names still to come, with organisers promising more than 50 live performances across the weekend. Carstens needs little introduction to South African rock fans. As frontman of the Springbok Nude Girls, he helped soundtrack the country’s alternative-rock explosion of the 1990s, before carving out a successful solo career spanning rock, pop and more atmospheric singer-songwriter material. Also heading back to the festival circuit is aKING, the rock band from Bellville built around vocalist and guitarist Laudo Liebenberg. Formed in 2007, the group broke through with 2008 debut Dutch Courage, blending melodic rock with touches of folk, country and pop. Expect the sort of big, radio-friendly choruses tha

Revenge for the Springboks will – we hope – be sweet this Saturday. The traffic in Green Point? Not so much. After New Zealand handed the Boks a bruising 33-16 defeat at Ellis Park last weekend, the rivalry moves south to DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday, 29 August, for the second Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour. And Cape Town is set to turn out in numbers – 62 000, a sold-out stadium, to be precise –  to cheer on the Bokke. And with thousands more supporters likely to descend on Green Point, the V&A Waterfront and the CBD to soak up the gees before and after the match, the roads are going to be... interesting.  So, whether you’re heading to the stadium for the game or just into town for the afternoon, it pays – like Rassie – to have a game plan. Which roads will be closed? The City of Cape Town has warned motorists to expect heavy traffic, temporary road closures and access restrictions across Green Point and the stadium precinct throughout Saturday. With no shortage of understatement, “we anticipate significant congestion on our roads on match day,” says Alderman JP Smith, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security. Here at Time Out, we're calling it 'Rugby's Greatest Traffic Jam'. So how can you avoid it? For starters, leave the car at home if you can.  If you can't, restrictions will be in place from 6am until 10.30pm, affecting the following roads and sections: Granger Boulevard, between Green Point Circle and Beach Road Beach Road in Gr

Eighteen seats. One long table. A gorgeous cottage set amid lavender fields. And a multi-course menu by Michelin-starred chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen. You guessed it... JAN Franschhoek is back.  This hugely popular seasonal dining experience returns to La Motte wine estate in Franschhoek this spring, marking the fifth year running for what has become one of the most sought-after pop-up dining experiences in the Cape Winelands. As in previous years, JAN Franschhoek sets up in the 18th-century Veepos cottage, hidden away among the lavender fields of La Motte, with all 18 diners seated around a single communal table decorated in Jan’s signature maximalist style. Season V will see Van der Westhuizen once again turn his attention to the South African family table, reimagining familiar flavours, regional favourites and nostalgic food traditions through the lens of contemporary global cooking. So what exactly will be on the menu? Well, that remains under wraps for now. But expect a proudly local celebration of seasonal ingredients, familiar flavours given an unexpected twist, and plenty of beautifully paired La Motte wines. How it all works JAN Franschhoek Season V will run from 4 September 2026 to 30 April 2027. Dinner is served Wednesday to Saturday. Guests meet at the La Motte Manor House at 6.30pm, with dinner beginning promptly at 7pm. Sundays are a more leisurely affair, with an extended lunch experience. Guests are welcomed to the Manor House from noon, with lunch be

Kleinsky’s, the Sea Point deli famous for its hand-rolled bagels, hot pastrami on rye, rugelach and Russian honey cake, has opened a new branch at the V&A Waterfront, taking the cult Cape Town brand into one of the city’s most high-profile restaurant and retail destinations. Founded in Sea Point in 2014 by brothers Adam and Joel Klein, the inspiration for Kleinsky’s came from the famous Jewish delis of New York. The original Regent Road store quickly became a local favourite, building a loyal following around slow-fermented bagels, properly made pastrami and deli classics reimagined for Cape Town. “The delis of New York are so intrinsically linked to New York culture that they’re adopted by everyone,” says Adam Klein. “Bagels and coffee are the New York breakfast of champions.” Introducing that deli culture to Cape Town has always been part of the ambition for Kleinsky’s, and was the driver behind opening a store in the V&A Waterfront; a space known for its stiff competition and no-nonsense rents, as much as the serious foot traffic. Photograph: Kleinsky's.Adam Klein, co-founder of Kleinsky's. “We’ve always said we’re a New York-style deli, and we try to be as authentic as the delis you find there, but we also want to introduce what we do to a broader audience, and that’s why the V&A is such a great move for us,” says Klein. “We didn’t want to only be connected to these very specific neighbourhoods, so to be in a place like the Waterfront is a great visual space for us… It