
Southern Africa • Eat & drink • The 2025 hot list: Cape Town’s best new restaurants, bars and cafés
Do you want to know where to eat and drink in Cape Town, South Africa, right now? Restaurant aficionados want to know what’s new, what’s popular and where their favourite chefs have settled — and with a slew of highly anticipated debuts, there are more places to explore than ever before. We maintain a current list of all new Cape Town restaurants, bars and cafés that have opened in the last year, conveniently divided down month by month so you can see exactly when they opened. Here is the complete guide to Cape Town’s newest, best and buzziest restaurants, bars and cafés.
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Top photography courtesy of Claire Gunn and Seebamboes
7/3
Photography courtesy of Claire Gunn and Seebamboes
1/3
Draped in velvet and illuminated by a cosmic glow, Baby offers an intimate atmosphere where premium cocktails meet refined bar snacks, all set to a high-fidelity, disco-inspired soundtrack. This luxury cocktail bar seamlessly blends 1980s-inspired aesthetics with modern elegance, with a first-floor vantage point, offering you glimpses of the bustling Sea Point streets below. We love the cocktail offering at Baby, some of the signature cocktails to try are the Disco Inferno with Don Julio Blanco, watermelon, fresh strawberry, habanero and lime and the Fluffy Paloma with 1800 silver, fluffy grapefruit, Aleppo salt and grapefruit soda. On the food side, give the teriyaki chicken skewers and fish tacos a try. Baby knows how to set the mood – pop in for an impromptu drink, stay for dinner and dance the night away.
Photography courtesy of Baby
31/1
Our Local, a cherished eatery in Cape Town, has expanded to another location in Sea Point. This new branch offers the same cosy and inviting atmosphere that we love from the OG spot. Our Local remains a top contender for the best breakfast spots in Cape Town and this new location shines bright with its bright and airy interiors, exposed brick walls and just the right touch of greenery to balance the old and new. The menu features some of their signature breakfasts, like the shakshuka, plus some new additions like the Pistachio Whip – pistachio, mint whipped feta with crispy kale, roasted carrots and pumpkin seeds served on a slice of toast. While the original Our Local in Kloof Street, Gardens is all about laid-back quirk and antique beauty, the Sea Point spot brings fresh energy to the brand with a sea breeze and that electric Sea Point atmosphere that’s hard to find anywhere else.
Photography courtesy of Our Local Sea Point
25/1
Alfi Pizza, the latest venture from the team behind Jarryd’s and Ariel, has introduced some fresh flavour to Cape Town’s culinary scene by bringing New Haven-style pizza to Sea Point. Originating from Connecticut in the 1920s, this thin-crust Neapolitan-style pizza is characterized by its hand-stretched dough and wood-fired preparation, resulting in a crispy yet chewy base with a distinctive char. Their pizzaiolos or sourdough DJs as they like to call themselves, serve up hand-rolled sourdough pizza with a variety of toppings. You’ll find four varieties of garlic pizza featuring mozzarella, ricotta, Parmesan or simply olive oil and garlic. The menu also includes the classics like Quattro Stagioni and some seriously meaty options with double pepperoni, pancetta or chorizo. They even have a sweet option for dessert – a S’mores pizza!
Photography courtesy of Alfi Pizza
6/1
Housed within the lush gardens of Cape Town’s iconic Mount Nelson Hotel, The Fountain by Planet Bar offers a Mediterranean-inspired outdoor dining experience, where you can enjoy leisurely meals under umbrella-shaded tables surrounding a central fountain. The menu, curated by Chef Luke Barry, emphasises locally sourced ingredients, working closely with renowned local suppliers, including Farmer Angus and Meuse Farm. Standout dishes include the Zuney Wagyu bone marrow and the Nonna-style pork and beef meatballs with fresh bread. The seafood options are also plenty with dishes like West Coast prawn scampi, Saldanha Bay mussels or roasted calamari. But the best for last, dessert – decadent pistachio bomboloni or limoncello-infused tiramisu accompanied by fresh berries. Don’t forget the cocktails, expertly curated by the head mixologist Jonathan Makonga, try the Green Goddess!
Photography courtesy of The Fountain by Planet Bar
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