Food & Drink in Cape Town: 15 That Survive a Close Look

1.The Cape Town Essentials Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 385 reviews · from $113Our pick

Spend four hours walking from Bo-Kaap through Bree Street and De Waterkant, sampling South African food, wine, beer, tea, and coffee. Guides such as Olivia add local stories about Cape Malay culture, city history, and food traditions. The route covers about 2 km and ends away from the starting point.

“This was a good opportunity to see some of Capetown upclose and partake of various food and drink at the same time. Our guide Olivia was outstanding and would highly recommend this tour with her.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.V&A Waterfront Gin Voyage Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 238 reviews · 1 hour · from $37

Meet the IQ Catamaran at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront for a one-hour Gin Voyage. You’ll enjoy two gin and tonics, a colour-changing gin experiment, a glass of sparkling wine or juice, and views of Table Mountain, the Twelve Apostles, and the Atlantic coast. Crew members such as Pride, Nico, and others help keep the mood easy and social.

“Loved loved loved it!!! So much fun and beautifull views off the boat. The boat was very nice and clean and the staff amazing”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Authentic African Cuisine Cooking Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 236 reviews · from $57

At Pahari African Restaurant in Salt River, Caleb and Florence guide you through traditional dishes including sadza, chicken stew, chakalaka, sugar beans, and peanut-butter greens. You’ll hear how the recipes developed, help prepare the meal, enjoy African drinks and snacks, and sit down together for tea or coffee.

“It was a great experience. The food was good and we learned a lot about the African cuisine. They were so nice and welcoming.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.The 10 Tastings of Cape Town With Locals: Private Food Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 169 reviews · from $103

Spend about three hours walking central Cape Town with a private foodie guide such as Daryl, Chris, Zuzy, or Gilbert. Expect 10 planned food and drink tastings, local history, Greenmarket Square, Company’s Garden, and City Hall. Dietary alternatives are available, but the exact stops and portion sizes can vary by guide.

“Our guide, Christopher, not only brought us around Cape Town to sample local cuisine, but also added history lessons and information that was fascinating. 3 hours well spent!”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.African Food and Storytelling Tour Cape Town City Centre

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 61 reviews · from $92

Walk through Cape Town’s city centre with guides such as Dennis, Tawanda, Sifiso, or Fez, stopping for Somali, Cape Malay, and West African food. You’ll visit old squares, markets, a mission, and local businesses while hearing how migration, trade, politics, and gentrification shape the city. Expect eight stops, three food experiences, and plenty to eat.

“It was a wonderful experience for the food, the history and learning about the various cultures within Cape Town, and how they keep their food traditions alive. Dennis is a wonderful storyteller. He weaves questions to his listeners as a meanRead more”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Essential Food and Drink Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 56 reviews · 4 hours · from $134

Spend four hours walking from Bo-Kaap through De Waterkant and Greenpoint toward the V&A Waterfront with an English-speaking food guide. Taste bobotie, koeksisters, pap, chakalaka, craft beer, rooibos, fynbos ice cream, and Inverroche gin while learning how Cape Town’s food and architecture reflect trade, slavery, apartheid, and cultural exchange.

“This was an excellent tour. The guide was friendly and knowledgeable and showed some amazing local spots.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Culinary Walking Tour with Food Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 32 reviews · 4 hours · from $155

Walk from Atlas Trading Company through Bo-Kaap and the City Bowl with a guide such as Brad or Lindy. Over four hours, sample Cape Malay, African, and Afrikaans dishes, plus rooibos tea, rusks, sweets, and more. Groups are capped at eight, with food and water included.

“Tour was excellent. Lindy was able to give us so much information with egards to Cale Town and its rich history. The food places she took us to were magnificent. Highly recommend.”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Authentic African Cuisine Cooking Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 31 reviews · 2h 30m · from $71

At Pahari African Restaurant, Florence and Caleb guide you through a 150-minute Cape Town cooking class covering Sadza, chicken stew, beef bones with greens, chakalaka, and sugar beans. You will hear how recipes passed through their family, sample African drinks and snacks, then eat together. Vegetarian and vegan options are available.

“ha sido espectacular, no solo la clase de cocina, sino toda la explicacion sobre la alimentación y las costumbres de Africa. realmente excepcional, los anfitriones encantadores.”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Afternoon High Tea at Mount Nelson Hotel from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 30 reviews · from $88

Join a small group of up to six for a 2.5-hour afternoon at Mount Nelson, Cape Town’s classic luxury hotel. After pickup from selected city-center hotels, choose loose-leaf teas such as Rooibos, Earl Grey, or Darjeeling, then sample sandwiches, empanadas, éclairs, petit fours, cakes, and pastries before returning by minibus.

“The Mt. Nelson Hotel is a truly beautiful location for High Tea and the food was delicious. The service was excellent!! I would definitely put this on your Cape Town must do list...”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Explore the best Big 5 Aquila Safari Tour and Wine Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 29 reviews · from $248

Travel from Cape Town with guide Paul Polano to Aquila Private Game Reserve for welcome drinks, buffet breakfast, a two to three hour open 4x4 game drive, and lunch. Finish with wine and cheese tasting at Fairview. Hotel pickup, transport, park entry, water, and meals are included.

“everything about the place was great we like we still aquila safari and comfortable service amazing experience Paul is best known legible”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.Aquila Game Reserve Safari with wine tasting, Transport & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 23 reviews · from $158

You’ll travel from Cape Town to Aquila Private Game Reserve with hotel pickup, stop at Fairview for five wines and cheese, then enjoy a welcome drink, buffet lunch, and a three-hour 4x4 game drive. The Big 5 are possible, though sightings are never guaranteed. The reserve fee of about R1890 per person is extra.

“Great place to see Africa's Big 5. Value for money. Very informative guides. Reasonably close to Cape Town.”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Cape Town Private Food Tour with a Local: 100% Personalized

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 11 reviews · from $25

Spend about three hours with a local guide such as Parinita or Tafa, sampling 6 to 8 Cape Town specialties at 2 to 3 eateries. Your route can include Bo-Kaap, Bree Street, and the V&A food market, but the host adjusts stops, timing, and meeting point to suit your tastes.

“Tafa is an excellent guide. He took us to some wonderful restaurants to sample local food. Highly recommend Tafa and the tour.”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Private Cape Town City Tour table Mountain with wine tasting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $120

Spend about eight hours exploring Cape Town in a private, air-conditioned vehicle. Visit Bo-Kaap, Table Mountain, Zeitz MOCAA, Maiden’s Cove, Kirstenbosch, World of Birds, and Beau Constantia, with wine tasting available for an extra fee. Pickup, parking, fuel, water, and selected admissions are included.

“We really enjoyed this tour,specially the wine so nice, we recommend this to another's also cape town is so beautiful, will come back again.”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.Koeksister and Samoosa Class by the Malay Cook Up

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 9 reviews · from $23Best value

Spend two hours in a Bo-Kaap home kitchen learning Cape Malay samoosas and koesisters with an accomplished local cook. You will prepare savoury pastry triangles and sweet-spicy doughnuts, hear local history, then sit down to taste the results. The class is in English or Afrikaans and costs $23 per person.

“Though our host was lovely and very welcoming we found the actual cooking experience a bit disappointing. The samosa pastry was store bought and there was no insight into how to make the pastry from scratch. I understand it is a complicated and long process but even a partial experience with homemade dough would have been nice. The fillings were pre-done, so one missed out on tasting and smelling and working with the ingredients. The Koesister part of the class was a more interactive and thus more enjoyable and they did taste very good. All in all we had a pleasant experience, just not quite as hands on as we…”

Check availability →Read our full review

15.Aquila Reserve Safari with Lunch and Wine Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 9 reviews · from $57

You’ll start with Cape Town pickup, stop at Fairview for optional wine and cheese tasting, then continue to Aquila Private Game Reserve. Enjoy a welcome drink, buffet lunch, and a 2 to 3 hour open 4x4 game drive with an expert ranger. Paul Polano Tours limits the group to 12 people and provides hotel drop-off.

“The tour was excellent. We had a wonderful tour guide - Paul who made sure we were able to enjoy all the activities”

Check availability →Read our full review