Best Tapas in Cape Town

A new crop of tapas bars (and restaurants) has washed over the Mother City, where sharing plates is obligatory. These are our favourites…

Tapas-style eating might have originated in the taverns of Spain in the late 1800s, but right now it’s all the rage in the Mother City, which is hardly surprising… With its sunshiney climate, excellent wine, and laidback lifestyle, Cape Town is perfectly suited to this leisurely communal eating experience.

Foxcroft

It’s one of the most talked-about restaurants in Cape Town – and deservedly so. The food at Glen Foxcroft Williams’ bustling fine-dining restaurant (which he co-owns with feted chef Scot Kirton) is inspired and utterly sensational. Glen’s heavily inked forearm bears the word soigné – “prepared with great attention to detail; showing sophisticated elegance; carefully or elegantly done” – a principle that underpins every single dish that comes out of his open kitchen.

Opening times 12pm – 2pm (lunch)
6pm – 8.30pm (dinner)
Contact 021 202 3304
Location Foxcroft, High Constantia Shopping Centre, Corner Groot Constantia Road and Constantia Main Road
TIG reviewer Nikki Benatar

2. Chefs Warehouse & Canteen

Chef Liam Tomlin serves innovative, internationally influenced tapas in his pompous-free deli-meets-tapas bar. He’s all about the casual essence of tapas and, as such, doesn’t take reservations (and recommends that diners arrive early to secure a seat – the kitchen closes at 8pm). It’s well worth it; as soon as you sit down at one of the communal tables and peruse the daily menu, you know you’re in for an inspired dining experience. Being a deli and cook’s supply shop, the shelves are decked from floor to ceiling with utensils, recipe books and other kitchen paraphernalia.

Opening times
 
Monday – Friday, (lunch) 12pm–2.30pm, (dinner) 4.30pm–8pm
Saturday 4.30pm–8pm
Contact 021 422 0128, info@chefswarehouse.co.za
Location Chefs Warehouse & Canteen, 92 Bree Street

3. Charango

The chic and trendy, Peruvian-inspired Bree Street bar and restaurant offers top-class tapas, tacos and other snacks, which one can wash down with good wine, sexy cocktails and craft beers on tap. Inside, it is a celebration of street-chic interiors, blended with a wonderful contemporary mural courtesy of Faith47. The innovative menu offers delicious, Peruvian-Japanese (or Nikkei) cuisine, created by head chef Kieran Whyte. The menu is primarily designed for sharing, so if it’s fantastic finger food in the buzzing CBD you’re after, then Charango is the place to be.

Opening times Tuesday – Saturday, 12pm – 10pm
Contact 021 422 0757, restaurant@charango.co.za
Location Charango, 114 Bree Street
TIG reviewer Tamlyn Ryan

4. Haiku

When Haiku opened over two decades ago, Asian tapas was a brand-new concept in the Mother City. Now 21 years later, the ever-popular eatery is still bowling us over with its simply delicious East Asian flavours – from Thai and Chinese to Japanese and Korean. The elegant Chinese-tearoom vibe allows diners to watch the skilled chefs in action, as you wait for your tantalising tidbits to arrive.

Opening times
Monday – Sunday, 12pm–3pm, 6pm–11pm
Contact 021 424 7000, haiku@bukhara.com
Location Haiku, 58 Burg Street, Cape Town
TIG reviewer Nikki Benatar

5. Tjing Tjing, Torii

You’ll find this charming eatery on the first floor of a heritage building on Longmarket Street, slotted between its genteel vego-vegetarian sister, Dear Me (on street level) and its heaving brother, Tjing Tjing (which happens to be one of our favourite rooftop bars). Owned by Ilze Koekemoer, Torii specialises in contemporary Asian cuisine – covering all the bases from tataki and tempura to ramen, kimchi and bao. Superbly. Which is quite a feat given that all those flavours and ingredients come out of one teeny kitchen. (It was the voted Best Asian Eatery in the 2015 in the Eat Out Readers Awards.) Keying into the de rigueur global food trend of sharing plates, Torii’s menu is all about small portions that are big on flavour. The décor is rather lovely, too – navy walls with white skirtings, Louis Ghost chairs and contempo-cool illustrations by Jade Klara on the window blinds.

Opening times
Tuesday – Friday, 4pm – 2am
Saturday, 6.30pm – 2am
Contact 021 422 4374, info@tjingtjing.co.za
Location Tjing Tjing, 165 Longmarket Street, Cape Town
TIG reviewer Nikki Benatar

6. Bistro Sixteen82

With its rolling gardens, surrounded by the Steenberg vineyards and mesmerising mountain views, Sixteen82’s location is hard to beat. There’s even a swanky glass bridge across the poolside dining terrace that makes you feel like you’re in the Napa Valley and not the South Peninsula! The state-of-the-art tasting room and wine cellar sit cheek-by-jowl with the restaurant, so you’re guaranteed of world-class accompaniments with your meal…

Fresh from a culinary quest in Barcelona and London in October 2016, chef Kerry Kilpin has added exciting tweaks and twists to her summer 2016/7 menu. “What fascinated me most about the tapas in Barcelona was how simple it really is,” she explains, something Kerry does with aplomb in her fresh, seasonal, flavourful plates.

Opening times Monday – Sunday, 9am – 8pm
Contact 021 713 2211, reservations@bistro1682.co.za
Location Steenberg Estate, Steenberg Road, Tokai
TIG reviewer Nikki Benatar

7. Foodbarn

It’s all farm-fresh and fabulous out in the country where chef Franck Dangereux’s renowned Foodbarn is located. The perfect Sunday-lunch venue becomes a tapas bar by night where guests get to enjoy the chefs’ creations in a relaxed atmosphere.

Opening times
Monday and Sunday, 12pm–3pm
Tuesday–Saturday, (lunch) 12pm–3pm, (dinner) 6.30pm–9.30pm
Contact 021 789 1966, info@thefoodbarn.co.za
Location The Foodbarn, Noordhoek Farm Village, Corner Village Lane and Noordhoek Main Road, Noordhoek

8. Lucky Bao

This cool eight-seater Asian Street Food Bar on the Hout Bay strip is one of the Mother City’s most sought-after dining experiences. Chef-owner Cheyne Morrisby of the ever-popular Cheyne’s next door has a knack for creating deep and delicious Asian flavours that he has passed on to charming Zambian-born cooks John and Samuel who are deft hands in the open kitchen. What started as a bao bar (fluffy steamed buns crammed with flavourful meat and veg fillings) now also serves two ramen dishes (noodles), two yakitori (skewers), and two desserts, which we sadly had left no space for, after gorging on the above and the flipping amazing waygu burger (with maple-and-soy-glazed bacon, mature boerenkaas, kimchi, miso, spring onion, bourbon, all crammed into a toasted Japanese milk bun).

Opening times Monday – Wednesday, 5pm – 10pm
Thursday – Saturday, 12pm – 3pm; 5pm – 10pm
Contact 079 067 4919, cheynemorrisby@gmail.com
Location Lucky Bao and Asian Shake Bar, 1 Pam Arlene Place, Hout Bay, Cape Town
TIG reviewer Nikki Benatar

9. Nomad Bistro Fusion

It opened in April this year, but already this rustic bistro has already become one of the city’s popular eateries. It’s perfect for relaxed meals in a unique setting, with its floor-to-ceiling, honey-coloured wood panelling and unique wall art, including the intriguing Nomad world map. The select staff team is efficient and welcoming from the moment you enter.

Opening times Tuesday – Saturday, 8am – 10pm
Contact 021 418 3020, nomad.bistrofusion@gmail.com
Location Nomad Bistro Fusion, 33 Waterkant Street
TIG reviewer Tamlyn Ryan

10. La Parada

The tangy smack of freshly fried garlic draws you through the door of this Bree Street restaurant that’s headed by Martin Senekal, formerly of the Cape Grace Hotel and The Showroom Restaurant. Under the guidance of the late Bruce Robertson, Martin developed a flair for compiling flavour combinations. Launched as a predominantly Spanish-style restaurant in 2013, La Parada’s new tapas menu (summer 2016) incorporates South African ingredients and Asian accents, which come together in delicious and picture-perfect dishes. Long wooden communal tables and Spanish paraphernalia enhance the overall experience.

Opening times Monday–Sunday, 12pm–10pm
Contact 021 426 0330, breestreet@laparada.co.za
Location La Parada, 107 Bree Street
Other branch Constantia Nek
TIG reviewer Michelle De Bruin

11. The Pot Luck Club

Though its name refers to the practice of guests contributing a dish to a shared feast, don’t panic, you won’t have to bring anything to this party – chef Luke Dale-Roberts and his adept team have got it covered. Situated on the top floor of the Old Biscuit Mill, the restaurant is decked out in edgy furniture and fittings, and boasts killer views of Table Mountain and the City Bowl. Like in Luke’s other restaurants, the kitchen is on display, and the shared plates – divided into Salty, Sour, Bitter, Sweet and Umami flavour profiles – is cutting-edge comfort food.

Contact 021 447 0804, reservations@thepotluckclub.co.za
Location The Pot Luck Club, Silo Top Floor, Old Biscuit Mill, 373-375 Albert Road, Woodstock