Let’s get something straight: there’s no such thing as “African food.” There’s food from Africa, sure, but just like the continent isn’t a homogenous predictable place, so its food varies from town to town, country to country. Think New York’s pastrami on rye versus a Southern prawn gumbo… they’re both foods from America, but a world apart in the realm of “American” food.
And so The Africa Café is one of the few “African” restaurants that get it right in Cape Town. Situated on the historic Heritage Square, it has become a regular stop for most foreign visitors to the city. So yes, it’s touristy, and yes, you won’t find many locals here, but for a taste of what the continent has to offer on a plate it’s easily your best choice in Cape Town.
The meal is geared around a 13-course “African feast” that rambles from Cape to Cairo and changes with the seasons. Dishes include spinach patties from South Africa’s Xhosa heartland, delicious cheese and sweet potato balls from Malawi, mild beef curry from Botswana and spicy piri-piri prawns from Mozambique. Dishes are usually served “family-style” to share, and you’ll have plenty of fun here in a group.
The menu is a set price per person, and after a taster of all 13 dishes diners can order more of their favourites to their heart’s (and stomach’s) content. In essence, it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet without all that standing in a queue. There’s also a great wine list with both boutique and big-hitter estates represented.
Between courses, drummers and singers entertain diners, driving home the African theme daubed on the walls: each room here is devoted to a different tribe in Africa. Is it over the top? Absolutely, but loveably so. For a taste of crazy colourful Africa in the heart of the somewhat-Mediterranean Mother City, The Africa Café is hard to beat.
Expert Review
Let’s get something straight: there’s no such thing as “African food.” There’s food from Africa, sure, but just like the...
Let’s get something straight: there’s no such thing as “African food.” There’s food from Africa, sure, but just like the continent isn’t a homogenous predictable place, so its food varies from town to town, country to country. Think New York’s pastrami on rye versus a Southern prawn gumbo… they’re both foods from America, but a world apart in the realm of “American” food.
And so The Africa Café is one of the few “African” restaurants that get it right in Cape Town. Situated on the historic Heritage Square, it has become a regular stop for most foreign visitors to the city. So yes, it’s touristy, and yes, you won’t find many locals here, but for a taste of what the continent has to offer on a plate it’s easily your best choice in Cape Town.
The meal is geared around a 13-course “African feast” that rambles from Cape to Cairo and changes with the seasons. Dishes include spinach patties from South Africa’s Xhosa heartland, delicious cheese and sweet potato balls from Malawi, mild beef curry from Botswana and spicy piri-piri prawns from Mozambique. Dishes are usually served “family-style” to share, and you’ll have plenty of fun here in a group.
The menu is a set price per person, and after a taster of all 13 dishes diners can order more of their favourites to their heart’s (and stomach’s) content. In essence, it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet without all that standing in a queue. There’s also a great wine list with both boutique and big-hitter estates represented.
Between courses, drummers and singers entertain diners, driving home the African theme daubed on the walls: each room here is devoted to a different tribe in Africa. Is it over the top? Absolutely, but loveably so. For a taste of crazy colourful Africa in the heart of the somewhat-Mediterranean Mother City, The Africa Café is hard to beat.