Where to eat in Cape Town

Restaurants, cafés and street food in Cape Town, South Africa that locals actually go to — plus the local names for the chains you already know.

• Kalky's — Fish & chips, Kalk Bay Harbour (1). Order the Hake & chips. Harbour-side hake straight off the boats — seagulls negotiate.
• Mariam's Kitchen — Cape Malay / halaal, CBD (1). Order the Chicken salomie. CBD counter for salomies and akhni with a loyal lunch crowd.
• La Colombe — Contemporary, Constantia / Silvermist (4). Order the Signature tasting menu. Mountain-top tasting menus — the Cape's crown table.
• Biesmiellah — Cape Malay, Bo-Kaap (2). Order the Denningvleis + rooti. Bo-Kaap's Cape Malay standard-bearer since 1979.
• Charly's Bakery — Bakery, District Six / Zonnebloem (1). Order the Chocolate ganache cupcake. The rainbow-frosted bakery of Mrs Charly fame.
• Golden Dish — Gatsby, Athlone (1). Order the Masala steak gatsby. The gatsby — Cape Town's foot-long legend — done the Athlone way.
• Mzansi Restaurant — Xhosa home cooking, Langa (2). Order the Umleqwa (hard-body chicken) + umngqusho. Family-run township dining with marimba nights — book ahead.

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