Cape Town's cooking comes out of a specific and uncomfortable history. 20 bookable food tours below — plus the neighbourhoods and dishes the city is built around.
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The guide
Cape Town's cooking comes out of a specific and uncomfortable history. Enslaved people brought from Southeast Asia by the Dutch created what is now called Cape Malay food, sweet and spiced rather than hot, and it remains the most distinctive thing on the table here. Layered on top are Dutch farm cooking, British colonial habits, Portuguese and Mozambican chilli from further up the coast, and some of the best value fine dining in the world thanks to the exchange rate. The wine country starts twenty minutes out of town. Seafood comes from two different oceans meeting at the point.
Where to focus
Four neighbourhoods to anchor a few days of eating
Bo-Kaap
Painted houses on the slope above the city, and the historic centre of the Cape Malay community. Spice shops, koesister on Sunday mornings, and home-run kitchens serving curry.
Woodstock
Old industrial area east of the centre. The Neighbourgoods Market on Saturdays, plus restaurants in converted warehouses along Albert Road.
City Bowl
Bree and Loop Street between the mountain and the harbour. Where most of the ambitious restaurants and wine bars are, within walking distance of each other.
Constantia & the Winelands
Vineyards inside the city limits at Constantia, and Stellenbosch and Franschhoek an hour out. Long lunches at estates, most needing a booking.
What to eat
The dishes the city is known for
- 01
Bobotie
· Spiced minced meat under a savoury egg custard, with raisins and chutney. Cape Malay in origin and the closest thing to a national dish. - 02
Cape Malay curry
· Fragrant rather than fiery, built on cinnamon, cardamom, and turmeric, usually with fruit. Different from Indian curry in intent. - 03
Braai
· Not a barbecue in the American sense but a social occasion built on wood coals. Boerewors, lamb chops, and sosaties are the standards. - 04
Snoek
· An oily local fish, smoked or grilled with apricot jam. Sold on the harbour at Kalk Bay and Hout Bay. - 05
Gatsby
· A foot-long roll stuffed with chips, meat, and sauce, invented in Athlone in the seventies and cut into portions to share. - 06
Malva pudding
· Baked sponge with apricot jam, soaked in hot cream sauce out of the oven. Dutch farm dessert, on almost every menu.
Practical notes
Meal timing, tipping, payment
Lunch 12:00 to 15:00, dinner from 18:30, and top restaurants book out weeks ahead in the December and January high season. Tipping is 10 to 15 percent and matters to staff wages. The rand makes serious cooking affordable by European or American standards. Wine estates mostly close by 17:00. Do not walk between neighbourhoods late at night; use a car or a ride app.
All 20 food tours
Updated 2026-09-11The full list · sponsored partner links
- 01
Private Full-Day City & Constantia Wine Valley Tour
Start your day with a visit to Table Mountain via cable car (weather permitting; tickets excluded). After enjoying the views, we continue to Signal Hill, another stunning viewpoint ideal for photos and sunsets. The tour
9h - 02
All in One African Penguins and Wine Tasting
Our package 2day will be carefully planned for visitors that might have a limited time in Cape Town to see all in one day. We combine full Peninsula scenic drive, penguin viewing at boulders beach and wine tastings at Ca
10h - 03
Horse riding & WIne Tasting
Our private wine tour package is designed for individual travelers,families with children.We visit farms that can accommodate children by offering experiences and adventures that can be enjoyed by all,while the kids are
9h - 04
Cape Wine Valley Tours
Our special day out in the winelands is friendly tailor made for your special interests to fulfill your expectations.If you have some specific wineries or restaurants that you would like to visit,we can assist for a visi
33h - 05
Winelands Tour (Stellenbosch, Franschoek, Paarl)
Explore one of the worlds leading wine production regions, with majestic landscapes and vineyards stretching for miles. Your local guide will provide insight into the history of the region, and highlight some of the plac
- 06
Private Constantia Wine Tour
I am passionate about good wine and showcasing South Africa's international award winning wines. I am committed to ensuring that people leave having had a truly unique experience. As a Cape Town resident and a wine lover
5h - 07
Wine Farm Tour
We depart Cape Town at about 09:00 in the morning and head toward Wynberg Park and past Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens enjoying stunning backdrops of Table Mountain. We arrive at Steenberg Wine Estate for our fi
8.5h - 08
Best of Cape Town
We drive towards signal Hill, then after proceed to Chapman's Peak embarking on the 9 km route with its 114 curves, climbing steeply up to Chapman's Point. The drive offers stunning panoramic views of the sandy bays belo
8h - 09
5 Days Cape Town to Garden Route
This tour takes you on a tremendous adventure and discovery of South Africa’s diversity with its warm-spirited people, mesmerizing cultures and traditions. Enjoy a scenic drive of the Cape peninsula taking you all the wa
120h - 10
3-Days Cape Town African Dinner-Zip-lining -Cruise with Champagne
Aquila’s traditional vehicle safaris are led by experienced game rangers and field guides, ensuring guests have the best opportunity to see the reserve’s natural wildlife. Your safari guide will take you through Aquila’s
17h - 11
Cape town private, Wine Tasting Tour
Expand your palate and enjoy three wine tastings at the most prestigious, award-winning wine farms of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Paarl. Enjoy wine tasting, cheese tasting, and cellar tours all while gaining knowledge
8h - 12
Private Big Red Wine Tour
A Private Tour in wine country tasting the BIG REDS that have made South African wines famous ! Luxury transport, we collect you from your accommodation and transfer to the wine country where you get to visit 4 carefull
7h - 13
Private Wildlife and Wine Tour
A Personal Tour (The game drive is a group experience) that takes in wildlife and wine . We experience some of the best that Stellenbosch has to offer
8h - 14
Private Zesty White Wine Tour
We travel to the beautiful "Heaven and Earth" Wine Region in Hermanus. The journey has us traveling over two mountain passes and through the Apple and Stone fruit region of Elgin before we descend into the wine valley.
9h - 15
Cape Winelands - Stellenbosch, Franschoek & Paarl, small group tour
If you prefer to follow your own time and schedule, let us provide you with a vehicle and a guide to explore the Cape’s unspoiled beauty. Plan your own tour and experience the Cape in your own style! We offer Individual
9h - 16
Cape Town: Full-Day Winelands Tour with Wine Tastings
The traditional wineries of Franschhoek, Paarl, and Stellenbosch are widely believed to produce some of South Africa’s finest wines, with fertile vineyards thriving in the warm sunshine. On this tour, explore the cellars
8h - 17
Private Cape Town Wine Tasting with Vineyards and Scenic Views
Explore Cape Town’s top wine regions on a private full-day tour with a professional English-speaking driver. Start at Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards, perched on the Helderberg Mountains, offering award-winning wines like Ch
8h - 18
Stellenbosch Winelands Experience
We have designed the tour in such a way that you get to visit and taste wine at 3 distinctly different wineries in terms of setting, size, production, style of wine and winemaker. A strong focus has been placed on suppor
7h - 19
Half Day Stellenbosch Winelands Private Tour from Cape Town
Experience Top Wine Tasting at three of the finest wine estates on this private Half-Day Winelands Tour from Cape Town to Paarl and Stellenbosch with a personal tour guide/driver in a private vehicle. Enjoy a Cheese and
5h - 20
Cape Town Half Day Walking City Tour and African Food Experience
Meet your Qualified Tour Guide in the heart of the City and explore Cape Town on this Half Day Walking city Tour and African Food Experience. On this tour you will learn more about the history and culture of South Africa
4h