Positioned with clear sightlines of the harbor, Table Mountain and the ocean, Cape Town Fish Market has one of the best views in the city. Located in the heart of the V&A Waterfront, the restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating, along with a side restaurant serving mostly sushi via a conveyer belt and to-go items. There is also plenty of space, so I got the feeling that even during a holiday you wouldn’t be waiting in line that long there. The inside area has a great area around a large bar, large tables, and its own bonfire pit around a beach area where tables and chairs sit on top of sand. The outside is floored with the astro turf and covered by a large tarp that still lets plenty of sun in.

Being a fish market (with several other locations across South Africa), the menu is obviously geared towards seafood and offers a variety of standard dishes, along with curries and sushi (which is all-you-can-eat on Thursday). Though if you are just coming for the view and not a huge seafood fan, there are some non-fish meat dishes and veggie dishes to pick from as well. We ordered the salt and pepper crusted calamari as an appetizer and it was juicy, fresh and had just the right amount of balance. To keep with the seafood theme, we got the seafood platter for two for main our course, which featured a different kind of calamari, creamy garlic mussels, hake, and eight over-sized grilled prawns. The presentation was excellent and everything was cooked to perfection. My only small complaint would be the small amount of mussels, given that the platter was supposed to be for two people.

The service was prompt and polite the entire time, and our server was able to explain several items on the menu to us. While you can probably find more gourmet seafood in Cape Town, the ambiance and location make this restaurant a seafood lover’s delight during the day or at night. The next time we’re there, we’ll try to come back at night to watch the city light up and go for the all-you-can-eat sushi.