A Taste of South African Heritage at the V&A Waterfront

Heritage Month in South Africa, anchored by Heritage Day on the 24th of September, is dedicated to the diverse cultures of our country — and that includes all their many different cuisines. This year we’re celebrating the very best of South African culture through something we all have in common: food!

There are so many things to do in Cape Town this Heritage Month that it can be hard to narrow down the best places to visit, but luckily the V&A Waterfront has restaurants to cover all of your food cravings in between museum visits and city tours. We are home to some of the finest restaurants in Cape Town serving South African cuisine — be it traditional or fusion — that will take your tastebuds on a journey through Mzansi.

Follow your senses to these V&A eateries that capture the essence of our diverse South African heritage:

Set beside the harbour on Breakwater Boulevard, Karibu Restaurant gives guests an opportunity to explore vibrant South African flavours while they enjoy some of the best views of Cape Town. The chefs at Karibu have taken favourites from across the country and compiled a menu that makes it easy to try a variety of different dishes from braais and bredies to curries and seafood platters.

Based at the Portswood Hotel, Quarter Kitchen Restaurant serves up authentic Cape Malay dishes and other South African-inspired meals like bobotie, seafood curry and malva pudding. The relaxed eatery is also steeped in history, located in an original section of the Breakwater Convict Station built in 1860.

Pap en vleis got a gourmet makeover thanks to former My Kitchen Rules South Africa contestant Gomotsegang Modiselle, who opened his restaurant Mosi Smoke & Braaihouse in early 2021. Located in Makers Landing, Mosi is dedicated to the iconic South African combination of pap en vleis in all its glory, keeping the menu simple with meat options, pap and chakalaka.

On the upstairs level of the V&A Food Market is Seven Colours Eatery, a home-style South African restaurant that celebrates Xhosa cuisine. Eastern Cape-born chef Nolu Dube-Cele serves up multi-coloured soul food like umleqwa (“hard” chicken), mogodu (tripe), umngqusho (samp), chicken sosaties, and umfino (maize meal cooked with greens) to share her passion for traditional eats.

Before opening his Makers Landing restaurant, Pitso Chauke was a detective for the South African Police Service. Now, the self-taught chef is bringing the South African traditional-style cuisine he grew up eating to the V&A Waterfront — creating a “home away from home” for township favourites like mogodu, trotters and a “smiley” (sheep’s head), or two.

Emazulwini is a modern Zulu-inspired restaurant located at Makers Landing and owned by award-winning ​​chef Mmabatho Molefe. Molefe’s spot, which means ‘heaven’ in Zulu, seeks to celebrate and showcase traditional Nguni cuisine in a contemporary manner. Her menu includes butter-basted ox liver served with yellow lentil chakalaka and onion jus, and a tartlet with roasted tomato relish, chicken liver and biltong-cured yolk creme.

Chef Ammaarah’s Cape Town-inspired eats can be found in the bustling V&A Food Market. Cape Malay House spoils customers with all the Halaal-friendly fusion tastes of the Cape — like the Cape Malay curry salomie (roti wrap), butter chicken, masala steak baguette, chili bites, loaded fries, and a variety of samosas.

Faieez Alexander, also known as Fuzzy, won ‘Best Koesister’ at the World Koesister Day awards in 2020 after starting a side hustle making koesisters during the pandemic. Three months later he opened his shop at Makers Landing offering the Cape Malay “Sunday” treat as well as samosas, pies and other pastries.

 Signal Restaurant

The Cape Grace Hotel is home to Signal Restaurant, a fine-dining take on the abundance of local Capetonian dishes. With an innovative menu that explores the influences of the French Huguenots, British and Dutch settlers, Asian traders and Cape Malay community, Signal is a must-visit for contemporary food lovers.

Did you know that there were so many South African eateries at the V&A Waterfront? These are the best restaurants in Cape Town to get a taste of every corner of our beautiful country.