Africa Cafe

Even though Cape Town has recently appeared on the world's most violent cities list it remains an incredibly popular tourist attraction. It's not surprising then, I suppose, that quite a few of its restaurants aim to pull in as many of the hoards of visitors as possible. Sadly a lot of these establishments fall short when it comes to great food and service; relying purely on the never-ending supply of passing feet and hungry mouths.

Africa Cafe, slap bang in the middle of Cape Town’s City Bowl, in Buitengracht Street, is an eatery that promises to promote the flavours of Africa. They certainly do this, with interesting and flavoursome dishes, but more than this they manage to turn an experience that could be horrendously cheesy into something that is fun, relaxed and full of the true soul of Africa.

They have an a’ la carte menu for the less adventurous but the way to really make the most of their fare is to order the communal feast, a selection of 13 delicious dishes. From the Grilled Mozambican Piri-Piri Sardines to the Ethiopian Springbok Sik Sik Wat, the food takes your tastebuds on a rollercoaster ride through the essence of African cuisine. If I wasn’t impressed enough at this stage, I found out that they even do a Raw Feast menu, again with 13 super dishes, for vegans and those with gluten or lactose intolerance. They currently have their summer menu with things like a Botswana Lamb Masala and an Algerian Sweet Potato and Apple Bake.

Certainly worth a stop for anyone visiting Cape Town.