Last Updated on December 22, 2025 by Hannah Stephenson
If you’re coming to Cape Town for the food, you’re doing it right. And if you’re looking to get the absolute MOST out of 3 days in Cape Town as a food lover, then you’ve come to the right place.
After living here for several years and eating my way through the city, I’ve put together a 3-day foodie itinerary that includes iconic Cape Town experiences and some truly incredible food.
This itinerary assumes you’ll be spending time in the Winelands either before or after, so the focus here is firmly on the city itself. Loosen your belt and let’s get ready for 3 fun-filled days of culture and immersive foodie experiences. Bon appetit!
Day 1
Breakfast – Jarryds Brunch and Bistro
The only way to start a foodie itinerary is with a big breakfast, so head to Jarryds this morning to get your fill of Cape Town’s most amazing pancakes. The stacks are huge so you might even want to share!
Jarrdys is one of Cape Town’s biggest foodie hotspots. It was even featured on Somebody Feed Phil! They don’t take reservations so I recommend getting there when it opens at 7:30, as this place is always buzzing. Plus, this will give you plenty of time to eat before this morning’s tour begins.
Of course, if you’re not into sweet breakfasts there are plenty of other dishes on the menu. Personally, I really like the huevos rancheros here.
Once you’ve eaten, I recommend heading down to the Sea Point promenade, which is just a block away. The walkway runs along the seafront, all the way to the V&A Waterfront, so take a quick stroll in the sunshine to let your breakfast digest before we head to our next stop.
Morning – Table Mountain
You can’t visit Cape Town without heading up Table Mountain! It’s without a doubt Cape Town’s most famous attraction, and you can see the entire city from the top.
To make life as easy as possible, I highly recommend booking this tour, which includes cable car tickets, transport, and a guide to teach you about this epic natural landmark. Go for the 9 am time slot so that you have plenty of time to enjoy your breakfast before pickup.
Speaking of which, you can either head back to your hotel after breakfast for pickup or be collected from near the restaurant. Just set your pickup location as Latitude Aparthotel at 4 Kings Road, as it’s super close to Jarrdys.
Now, the queues for the Table Mountain cableway get super long during the summer months. If you’re visiting in December or January, I highly recommend upgrading to fast track entry as this will save you a ton of time!
Going with a guide means you’ll really get the most out of exploring Table Mountain, and discover the best walking paths and viewpoints. The tour lasts for about 4 hours in total and it also includes drop-off afterwards, so you can always be asked to be dropped off on Kloof Street, where we’ll be having lunch. Happy days!
Lunch – Kloof Street House
If you book the 9 am tour, it will wrap up at around 1 pm, just in time for lunch at Kloof Street House! This is one of Cape Town’s most beloved restaurants, so you really can’t pass up the chance to eat here.
Best of all, Kloof Street House offers an amazing lunch special that I just love to take advantage of whenever I can. From 12 – 2 pm, you can get 2 courses for R250 or 3 for R295 – not bad if you ask me! And of course, wine pairings are available – wink wink.
I suggest making a booking here for 1:15 pm to ensure you have time to get here after your tour. If you arrive a little early, you can always take a wander down Kloof Street to pass the time!
Afternoon – Beach Time
After lunch, I suggest grabbing your swimwear from your hotel and heading to the beach for a few hours of relaxation. Well, you can’t just eat nonstop!
I recommend going to one of the Clifton beaches, as they’re absolutely beautiful. Clifton 2nd beach is probably my personal favourite but it has a lot of steps down to the bottom, so if that’s an issue for you I’d suggest going to 4th beach instead.
Either way, use this time to chill out, let your lunch digest, and enjoy some sunshine! Of course, you could always head back to your hotel for a well-earned nap instead – I won’t judge.
If you do go to the beach, I suggest making your way back to your hotel at about 4:30 or 5 pm to shower and get ready for tonight’s epic dinner experience. Of course, this depends on how long you take to get ready!
Evening – Reverie Social Table
Reverie Social Table is Cape Town’s most unique dining experience! It’s a dinner party with a menu curated and prepared by an incredible local chef, with a big focus on seasonal ingredients from the Western Cape. It’s a great way to try some of the region’s very best produce, while also enjoying a fun and social atmosphere.
In fact, you even get up and switch places a few times during the evening so that you get a chance to speak to everyone throughout the course of the meal! There’s also a wine pairing with each course and the staff do an excellent job of keeping you topped up – let’s just say I had a very sore head the next day.
This was truly one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in Cape Town. I mean, great company, local wine, and a chef-prepared 5 course meal – what more could you want?
Just make sure to book your evening at Reverie well in advance. Spaces are limited and the word has definitely gotten out about how incredible it is, so don’t leave it to the last minute. You have to pay at the time of booking, but you get free cancellation until 48 hours beforehand.
You’ll be asked to arrive at 6:30 pm for a drink in the garden before a 7 pm sit down. You don’t have to dress up too much if you don’t want to, but I wore a fairly nice dress and sandals for my Reverie experience. I hope to repeat the experience soon!
Day 2
Midday – Food Tour
I’ll be honest, there’s a lot of wine involved at Reverie Social Table so if you’re anything like me, I imagine you’ll want to sleep in this morning. Take it slow and get a coffee by the pool before making your way to Bo Kaap just before 12 pm to meet today’s food tour!
There are plenty of food tours in Cape Town, but this particular one is spectacularly well reviewed and my friend and former housemate, Marianne, happens to be one of the guides. She’s just amazing, so if she’s your guide today please send her my love.
What I love about this tour is the fact that it delivers a really well-rounded overview of Cape Town’s food scene. You’ll start by diving into Cape Malay cuisine in Bo Kaap before checking out pastel-coloured De Waterkant and visiting one of the city’s most beloved pubs.
Over the course of the tour, you’ll be introduced to plenty of South African classics which might range from ostrich to malva pudding, and there’s usually wine or beer involved. The exact itinerary does change according to what’s open, but since the tour has 450+ 5-star reviews, I think it’s a pretty safe bet that you’re going to have a great time.
The only thing to note is that the tour doesn’t run on weekends, so if that’s how your second day in Cape Town falls then you might have to shuffle the days of this itinerary around a little to make it work!
This is also a really popular tour so it does tend to sell out a few weeks in advance, particularly during the busy summer months. I suggest taking advantage of the free cancellation policy and booking ASAP to ensure you don’t miss out!
Book this small group food tour here, before it sells out!
Late Afternoon – Aperitif
The food tour finishes at 4 pm, usually in the CBD, so I suggest taking advantage of this and going for a quick drink on Bree Street. Personally, I love Aperitif, which is a popular after-work cocktail among Capetonians. It’s a great place to sit with a drink and people-watch before this evening’s fun begins.
Aperitif also has a happy hour that runs between 3:30 pm until 6:30 pm, so take advantage! At this time of day, you can get a selection of drinks – including Aperol Spritzes and margaritas – for R90, or lager on tap for R45. Cheers!
Evening – Dinner and Drumming
Tonight, we’re going to enjoy food, culture, and entertainment in one vibrant package with this dinner and drumming show! It’s such a fun way to experience food from all across the African continent – in fact, you’ll get a whopping 14 courses to enjoy.
The drum show begins at 6:30 pm and you can even choose to be picked up right from Aperitif – how easy is that! Or if you’d rather head back to your hotel beforehand, that’s fine too. Also, I should mention that you’ll watch the performance before tucking into dinner so you should have time for all of the treats from the food tour to digest before dinner.
Either way, you’re in for a memorable evening that involves an interactive djembe drumming lesson, a Mali puppet performance, singing, dancing, and so much merriment that you’ll be smiling from ear to ear by the end of it all.
I also think this is one of the only places in Cape Town where you can try such a wide variety of different African cuisines under one roof, so this is just too good of an opportunity to pass up. You’ll also have the chance to have your face painted in a traditional style and try on an African head wrap if you’d like.
This is without a doubt one of Cape Town’s most fun and immersive foodie experiences, but you don’t just have to take my word for it – you can read HUNDREDS of 5-star reviews here!
Book this African dinner and drumming experience here, with free cancellation!
Day 3
Breakfast – Jason’s Bakery
Jason’s Bakery makes the best pastries in Cape Town, and I know I’m not alone in this opinion! So I highly recommend heading here for a coffee and a pastry this morning. We’ve got a cooking class at 11 am so you won’t want anything too heavy, but one of Jason’s light and fluffy pastries should work perfectly to tide you over this morning.
If you’ve got a bit of time before you need to meet the tour at 11 am, you could always take a quick walk through Green Point Park. It’s a scenic and pretty quiet park, so it’s a nice place for a post-breakfast stroll. Alternatively, you could wander up to the Cape Quarter Mall to check out the bougie lifestyle stops and maybe spend a bit more time admiring De Waterkant in all of its pastel-coloured glory.
Lunch – Cape Malay Cooking Class
The best way to really get to know a new cuisine is to learn how to make it yourself, so instead of a restaurant lunch today we’re getting hands on with this Cape Malay cooking class! It takes place in Bo Kaap, which is famed for its Cape Malay heritage, so you’ll truly be learning straight from the source.
The class starts at 11 am, so be sure to get to the meeting point just beforehand. It lasts for 2.5 hours so you’ll wrap up around 1:30 pm, ready for a spot of wine tasting this afternoon.
One thing that I love about this cooking class is that it’s hosted by a mother and daughter duo – how wholesome is that? They are so welcoming and friendly, and will teach you how to make real, home-style Cape Malay cuisine with family recipes that have been passed down and perfected across multiple generations.
As well as getting to cook – and eat – a delicious Cape Malay feast, this tour is a fantastic way to learn more about local culture and what life is like in the famous Bo Kaap area. Your hosts will share stories and traditions with you, and they’ll definitely make you laugh along the way, too.
Perhaps best of all, you get a copy of the recipes to keep after the class ends so that you can recreate the recipes back home and impress your family and friends!
Read 450+ 5-star reviews and book this immersive cooking class here!
Afternoon – Beau Constantia
The cooking class should end at around 1:30 pm so from there, with a full heart and a full belly, you can call an Uber out to Beau Constantia for a cheeky afternoon wine tasting! This is one of Cape Town’s most beautiful wineries and it’s right here in the city – well, in the suburb of Constantia, anyway.
When you arrive at Beau Constantia, I’m sure you’ll be blown away by the views – I know I was when I first visited! And I’ve been back many times since because I can’t get enough of the gorgeous vistas and experimental wines.
Beau Constantia is (understandably) popular, so I definitely recommend making a booking, which you can do here. I suggest booking for 2:30 pm just in case the cooking class runs late or there’s traffic. If you arrive early, they’re usually pretty accommodating, and you can always just wander around and enjoy the views until your slot begins.
If you have time, you might even be able to get an Uber over to Groot Constantia or Constantia Glen for another tasting before dinner tonight. Or, you can just stay at Beau, drink more wine, and enjoy the glorious views! The tasting room is open until 6 pm during the summer months.
Dinner – La Colombe
La Colombe is one of Cape Town’s most celebrated restaurants, and I believe it was named the best restaurant in Africa. So if you’re a foodie visiting Cape Town, it’s definitely worth trying to get a reservation here for your final night in the city.
The restaurant is at the Silvermist wine estate, which is a short Uber ride or a 23-minute walk from Beau Constantia. I suggest booking a table for 6 or 6:30 pm but be warned – you’ll need to do this months in advance during the summer.
If you do manage to get in, you’re in for a very special experience. La Colombe is famed for its uber-creative dishes, which involve only the freshest and finest local ingredients. There’s a reason it’s so prestigious! You can check availability and make a booking here.
Alternatives
If you’re too late to book La Colombe, don’t worry, because Cape Town is home to plenty of epic restaurants to check out. Here are some other super reputable fine dining restaurants to consider…
- Chef’s Warehouse at Beau Constantia – a lovely, romantic spot. My friend even got engaged here!
- The Waterside – This is located at the Waterfront but it’s run by the same hospitality group as La Colombe, and they also offer really pretty, creative food.
- Pot Luck Club – A well-known restaurant in artsy Woodstock, known for its trendy sharing plates and industrial chic vibes.
- Cousins Trattoria – A really authentic Italian restaurant that went viral for its cheese wheel pasta. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but you’ll definitely need a reservation here!
Where to Stay in Cape Town
Okay, foodies! Now that you’ve got the perfect food-filled Cape Town itinerary, you just need a great place to rest your head between meals.
If you’re short on time in Cape Town, I generally recommend staying in the Gardens area as it’s super central and will make following this itinerary nice and easy. I’ve shared my top picks for every budget below, but you can also check out my where to stay guide here for more information.
The Mount Nelson – $$$
The Mount Nelson Hotel is truly the grand dame of Cape Town’s hotels. This pretty pink property has hosted everyone from Agatha Christie to John Lennon, which pretty much says it all.
It also boasts a prime location just off of Kloof Street, so it doesn’t really get much more central than this. There are two swimming pools on site, plus a tennis court and Cape Town’s best loved afternoon tea, so you might struggle to drag yourself away!
Rooms at The Mount Nelson typically start at around R24,000 per night. Check all prices and room categories here!
Derwent House – $$
If you want a gorgeous boutique stay that won’t break the bank, then Derwent House really delivers. This property kind of reminds me of a Balinese villa, and it’s solar-powered – how cool is that? It has an outdoor pool which you’ll definitely be grateful for on hot summer days, and there’s a jacuzzi to boot. Heaven!
Prices at Derwent House start at around 4,000 per night, including breakfast. Check out all the details and book your stay here!
Number5 Guesthouse – $
If you’re looking for a budget stay, then the Number5 Guest House is situated just off of Kloof Street. It offers modern, en-suite rooms that include breakfast, and I think it makes a comfortable and affordable base for exploring the Mother City.
Rooms here start at R2,300 per night. Check availability and book your stay here!
Thanks so much for reading this itinerary – I hope it has helped you to plan a perfect 3 days in Cape Town! I’ve got even more resources here, so be sure to check out the following…