Braai, Biltong and Boerewors: Eating Well in Cape Town

How to eat your way around the city's braai culture, Cape Malay kitchens and supermarket counters without wasting a day or a rand.

The Braai: What It Is and Where to Find One

A braai is not quite a barbecue and not quite a restaurant meal. It is a fire, usually wood or charcoal, built in a suburban garden or on a municipal grill at a picnic spot, and it comes with boerewors — a coiled, coarse beef-and-pork sausage — lamb chops, chicken pieces and stywe pap, a stiff maize porridge eaten by hand. For visitors without a local host, the most straightforward introduction is a commercial braai venue or a guesthouse that fires up on weekends. Ask your accommodation directly whether they braai and whether guests can join; many Cape Town guesthouses in the southern suburbs do this on Friday evenings.

If you want the picnic version, head to Green Point Park or the lawns at Kirstenbosch, both of which have braai stands, and buy supplies at a butcher on Main Road in Sea Point or in the food hall at the V&A Waterfront. Expect to pay for meat by weight — lamb chops sit well above chicken in cost, and boerewors is the cheapest way to feed a group. Bring your own charcoal, matches, tongs and something to clean the grid. Buy a bag of wood rather than firelighters if you want the flavour that locals actually aim for.

Cape Malay Cooking in the Bo-Kaap and Beyond

The Cape Malay kitchen is the city's most distinctive food tradition, and it is best understood through a handful of dishes: bobotie, a mince bake topped with savoury custard; denningvleis, a slow-cooked lamb dish with tamarind; and koeksisters, plaited doughnuts soaked in syrup. The Bo-Kaap, the colourful neighbourhood on the lower slopes of Signal Hill above Wale Street, is the historic heart of this cooking. Several family kitchens there run cooking classes and set lunches, usually bookable a few days ahead, and a handful of small restaurants on Wale and Rose streets serve Cape Malay plates at lunch.

For a cheaper, faster version, look for a takeaway selling samoosas, dhaltjies and vetkoek. The food courts and delis around Athlone and Lansdowne, along Klipfontein Road, are where many Capetonians go for this food, and prices are lower than in the city centre. A dozen samoosas from a suburban bakery costs a fraction of a restaurant starter. If you only have time for one sit-down Cape Malay meal, book the Bo-Kaap lunch rather than chasing takeaways across the Southern Suburbs — the setting and the explanation of the dishes are worth the difference.

Biltong, Markets and the Everyday Food Day

Biltong — air-dried, salted beef or game — is sold everywhere, and the quality varies wildly. The best counters are in dedicated biltong shops and butchers, where you can ask for a slice to taste before buying, and where the staff will tell you the difference between wet and dry cuts. Buy a small bag rather than a large one; it dries out quickly in Cape Town's summer air. Pair it with droëwors, the dried sausage version, which travels better and is the more sensible purchase if you are taking food home. Vacuum-sealed packs from a butcher in Durbanville or Tokai survive a long flight far better than loose biltong.

For a broader picture, the Saturday markets are the efficient option. The Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock runs on Saturdays and packs in stalls from across the peninsula — cheese, charcuterie, bread, coffee and prepared food. It is busy by 10am and very busy by noon, so arrive early. The Oranjezicht City Farm Market near the waterfront, open on Saturdays and Sundays, is easier with children and has more seating. Both are priced for visitors rather than locals, so treat them as a tasting session and eat your main meals elsewhere.

Practical Eating and Where to Stay

Cape Town's food geography rewards a little planning. The City Bowl and De Waterkant put you within walking distance of Long Street and Bree Street restaurants and a short taxi ride from the Bo-Kaap; the Atlantic Seaboard suburbs of Sea Point and Green Point are better for self-catering, with easy supermarket access and the promenade for a morning walk. If you plan to braai, a guesthouse in Constantia or the southern suburbs gives you garden space and a quieter evening, at the cost of a 20-to-30-minute drive into town. Summer, from November to March, is braai weather but also peak season; May and September are quieter and still mild enough to eat outside at lunchtime.

One thing worth skipping: the promenade restaurant strips with photo menus, which charge waterfront prices for food you can find better and cheaper two streets back. Instead, follow where the Friday lunch queues form in the City Bowl, or ask your hotel reception where the staff eat. Book accommodation with breakfast included if you plan early starts — a full cooked breakfast at a guesthouse in Oranjezicht or Tamboerskloof will save you a stop later. Allow a 25-minute drive from the airport to the City Bowl outside rush hour, and rather more between 7am and 9am on weekday mornings.

Questions, answered

Do I need to book a braai or cooking class in advance?

Cape Town's family-run Cape Malay cooking classes and guesthouse braais usually need a few days' notice, and weekend slots fill first. Commercial braai venues and Saturday markets need no booking, though arriving before 10am at the Neighbourgoods Market avoids the worst queues.

Is Cape Malay food hot?

Not particularly. Cape Malay cooking uses cinnamon, cloves, turmeric and tamarind rather than chilli heat, so bobotie and denningvleis are gently aromatic. If you want heat, ask for a chilli sauce on the side — many takeaways sell it separately, and dhaltjies are usually the hottest item on the counter.

Where should I stay to be near the food?

The City Bowl, De Waterkant or Green Point put restaurants, markets and the Bo-Kaap within a short ride. Choose Constantia or the southern suburbs if you want garden space for a braai, accepting a 20-to-30-minute drive into the centre. Book early for November to March.

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