8 Central Square Shopping Centre, Pinelands, Cape Town Central 7405, South Africa
Cuisine:
Italian, Pizza, Seafood
Good for:
Dinner, Large Groups, Late Night, Lunch, Reservations, Takeout
Magica Roma
14 Visitor Photos +
Expert Review
Magica Roma is one of those classic Italian places where you feel like you’ve been there before even though you...
Magica Roma is one of those classic Italian places where you feel like you’ve been there before even though you haven’t. It’s very traditional, and it’s clear the owners are passionate about the place. The menu is very large and there are also a bunch of specials. Despite the somewhat run down appearance from the outside, tucked in the corner of a shopping center near a grocery store, it’s quite a formal place inside with white linens, properly trained waitstaff, and a large wine list.
The menu has a little bit of everything and a lot of some things! There are plenty of cold and hot starters, salads, soups, pizzas, an alarming number of pastas of all types, a surprising variety of seafood options, and all the classic steak, chicken, and veal dishes. I opted to try the ham and mushroom pizza which I expected to be small, because it was very reasonably priced. Wrong! It was huge and there was an incredible amount of toppings for being a two-topping pizza. The crust was super thin and crispy and the flavors were very nice, but the mozzarella was a little too rubbery for my preferences. I also had a side house salad which was very fresh and tasty with a generous topping-to-lettuce ratio.
Magica Roma, located in the Pinelands suburb, is a bit isolated from busy downtown Cape Town, but that’s probably part of its appeal. It’s in a quiet neighborhood in the suburbs where you can actually find parking. So that’s a major plus. If you’re in the area anyway for some reason, it’s definitely one of your top options. The restaurant is open for dinner and weekday lunch. Lunch seemed popular with retirees and people having business meetings. A booking would be advisable during dinner or for a bigger group at lunch.
Expert Review
Magica Roma is a legendary authentic Italian restaurant in the heart of Pinelands, about 15 minutes out of Cape Town...
Magica Roma is a legendary authentic Italian restaurant in the heart of Pinelands, about 15 minutes out of Cape Town central. Bookings are full for months at a time and even celebrities have been known to travel to this classic restaurant for a meal that is out of this world. As soon as you arrive at Magica Roma, you are treated to top class serve and served some of the highest quality food I’ve experienced in Cape Town so far. It’s a very popular restaurant that serves classic Italian dishes like veal, pizzas, pastas and a wonderful selection of main meals. The clientele is made up of an older crowd, families celebrating special occasions and couples out on date night. The atmosphere is great, warm and friendly and when you leave Magica Roma, you’ll feel like you’ve just had the best dining experience of your life, and you might be right!
For starters, I enjoyed the Beef Carpaccio Magica Roma and complimentary bread and butter served on arrival. The Beef Carpaccio was lovely and delicate; thin slices of pink beef with a strong topping of parmesan shavings and olive oil. It was a big portion and was delicious with the bread!
For mains, I ordered Saltimbocca Magica Roma, which is a tradition Italian veal dish with ham, mozzarella, mushroom sauce and pasta, rice or chips. The veal was melt-in-your-mouth perfect and the mushroom sauce was delicious. I chose to accompany my dish with pasta and really enjoyed the ham and veal combo. What an amazing dish! My mouth waters just thinking about it.
For dessert, I ordered the Spumone, which is a classic Italian dessert of meringue, condense milk sauce and chocolate and vanilla ice cream. It was very interesting as I’ve never had it before and I’m a big fan of homemade meringue. The ice cream was high quality and I thoroughly enjoyed my dessert, even though I was incredibly full after the beautiful meal. I can’t wait to go back to Magica Roma!