V and A Waterfront Restaurants

Caffe San Marco’s relaxed atmosphere, great views and Italian influence, as well its sidewalk location in the V & A Waterfront means patrons can sit back, sip on a gourmet cup of coffee and people watch. A truly Italian experience, Caffe San Marco offers patrons an authentic slice of that la vita e bella, or the beautiful life. Nestled in the bustling Waterfront, looking out over the harbour where the seals frolic and water traffic goes to and fro, Caffe San Marco’s menu is made up of a selection of delicious fare to satisfy and delight. Whether its breakfast, lunch, dinner, a light snack or a cup of the best coffee, Caffe San Marco has something to offer. Real Italian food, made the traditional way, each meal is freshly prepared and made to order. The beef carpaccio is one of the house specialities cut from the finest fillet, garnished with the finest salina capers. There are a range of pastas and salads made with authentic Italian ingredients. There is an extensive breakfast menu, served until 12pm, as well as a selection of gourmet sandwiches. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, Caffe San Marco offers an the best views, the finest coffees and fabulous food, while being the perfect place to watch the world go by.

Cape Town Fish Market is a bustling, vibrant restaurant offering great dishes, fresh seafood, and delectable Teppanyaki and Sushi. Aside from traditional seafood, meat and poultry dishes prepared from the freshest ingredients, the restaurant also offers great seafood platters that enhance the ‘social and sharing’ atmosphere. Pick out your sashimi, California rolls, fashion sandwiches and other treats from the conveyer-belt, a trademark of the franchise, or watch the skilled chef prepare Teppanyaki dishes with nothing but a knife, a fork and two metal spatulas. The restaurant is fully licensed and wine lovers can select from a wide range of South African wines. Cape Town Fish Market is a family restaurant and the atmosphere and menu cater for children. Fresh crayfish, prawns, oysters, mussels and fish are specially prepared for customers to take home and try their hand at their favourite recipes with the best ingredients. Clean lines, delicious flavours, chic surroundings and affordable prices all contribute to make Cape Town Fish Market a great choice for young and old.

Located in one of the best spots in the V & A Waterfront, this great seafood restaurant boasts panoramic views and a front row seat on the Victoria Basin. Most of the dishes are quite simple but do not lack in quality. Having plain old fish and chips becomes a treat and large portions at very reasonable prices make this restaurant a winner. Fish gets delivered daily ensuring the freshest produce on your plate - the hallmark of any good seafood restaurant. Fisherman's Choice is open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week. Experience the most amazing sunsets and the infectious sound of the water and the gulls while enjoying your favourite seafood.

The Greek Fisherman is in the heart of Cape Town’s V & A Waterfront. Diners are treated to traditional Greek and Mediterranean food and hospitality. Encouraged to sit back and relax while taking in the out-of-this-world view of Table Mountain and the bustle of the working harbour, patrons are treated to great friendly service and delicious food. Best known for its traditional Greek and Mediterranean menu, the restaurant as added a modern twist to some dishes. With a selection wonderful homemade breads, fresh out of the oven, and over twenty five meze and tapas starters to choose from, including Souvlaki (meat skewers served with tzatziki), Spanokopita (spinach and feta parcels) and Atherina (white bait), diners can feast and soak up the lively atmosphere. The main courses are predominantly fresh fish and seafood dishes, as well as the highest quality meats, all cooked to perfection over and open charcoal fire for an authentic taste sensation. The wine list has something for everyone, with With the motto “Food is family, family is life, life is everything” a meal at the Greek Fisherman is a treat to share with the whole family, and one that won’t be forgotten.

Melissa’s The Food Store in Cape Town’s V & A Waterfront is owned by Mark and Melissa van Hoogstraten. They have taken their love of food and fine things and translated into Cape Town’s best known deli. Visitors can feast on range of deliciously prepared meals, snacks and tasty treats. The Melissa’s range is made up homemade delectables prepared with the best ingredients and lots of love. All the food is freshly prepared with the intention that good food should be made using only the best ingredients. The ethos at Melissa’s is great food made with highest quality ingredients: the value of quality food produced in a traditional, old-fashioned way using locally sourced, seasonal, all natural local ingredients. Melissa’s at the Waterfront serves breakfast, lunch and light suppers, as well as a buffet from which patrons can choose a range of freshly made quiches, pies and assorted salads. Breakfast delights include fresh baked croissants with homemade jams and preserves, eggs Benedict and a traditional English breakfast, as well as healthier options including homemade muesli, yoghurt and fresh seasonal fruit. For lunch or dinner, diners can feast on deliciously prepared fresh sandwiches, homemade chicken and leak pie, sweet potato wedges with garlic aioli, Asian seared beef carpaccio and a range of yummy home cooked pastas and fresh salads.

One of the most famous restaurants in Cape Town’s V & A Waterfront is Quay Four. Patrons can choose between the tavern downstairs which serves good pub grub and seafood, or Upstairs @ Quay Four, which offers diners a more sophisticated eating experience, overlooking the bustling harbour. With live music every night, Quay Four’s Tavern downstairs hums with activity all year round. The water laps the edge of the restaurant, and diners are usually treated to a show from the harbour’s resident seals while they enjoy a cold beer, thirst quenching cocktail and feast on a delicious meal. There is selection of light meals, salads and traditional pub grub – one of the most popular dishes is the traditional fish and chips. There is also a huge variety of fresh seafood, including oysters, mussels, prawn, crayfish and fresh line fish, as well as a selection of seafood platters. For the more carnivorous diners, there is a delicious range of fine cuts of meat from the grill. Upstairs the focus is on fine dining. Diners can feast on a choice of lobster, fine seafood. All meals are complimented by an outstanding wine list, as well as superior service. Quay Four prides itself with its reputation for good, fresh food and friendly service, and time and time again it delivers.

Sevruga has become one of Cape Town’s most renowned restaurants. Famous for its sophistication and elegance, the ethos behind Sevrugs is to offer patrons the best possible raw ingredients combined with awesome professional and creative suppliers, as well as craftsmen, to create a truly amazing experience. With over 200 of the finest South African wines to choose from and a sophisticated menu, patrons are spoilt for choice. On offer is the finest caviar and oysters, as well as the freshest fare from the sea; all meals are expertly prepared by some of Cape Town’s finest chefs, and the sushi bar is overseen by Alan Huang, considered to be the best in his field. Diners can choose from elaborately prepared meals to sushi, from meat dishes to seafood, as well as being able to opt for lighter meals, salads and a range of freshly prepared sushi. The chef’s specialities include Kingklip and Langoustine with tarragon butter, pomme neuf and a lemon beurre blanc sauce and the Wharf Fillet, which consists of fillet and a crayfish tail with a garlic and lemon velouté. The flavours are strong, but the ingredients are simple and perfectly matched. Sevruga is fast becoming the word in fine dining at the V & A Waterfront.

Right on the water’s edge as the waves break Tabago’s Restaurant, Bar and Terrace in Cape Town offers patrons one of the finest dining experiences in the city. There is no better way to enjoy Cape Town that looking out over the Atlantic Ocean, eating some of the finest foods, drinking some of the finest South Africa wines while basking in the glorious African sun at Tabago’s in the Radisson Hotel. The Mediterranean twist to the menu adds to the experience. Emphasis is placed on the use of the finest local ingredients combined delicately with exotic elements from the Mediterranean and around the world. Dishes such as Fresh Saldanha mussels in a delightful light white wine, red onion and chive tomato concasse, accompanied by a healthy portion of crunchy bread are the perfect example of the exquisite food on offer from executive chef Andrew Lee. The menu offers a delicious choice of snacks and starters to share while sipping cocktails on the Terrace gazing out towards the ocean in the warm South African sun. Dishes include a perfect round of rich Camembert cheese skewered with rosemary sprigs, accompanied by wild fig compote and crunchy bread, which serves two. The chef’s award winning starter of Crimson Venison Carpaccio comes highly recommended. The whole menu is offers some of the finest dining in Cape Town, and the lunch time buffet is a popular choice for businessmen and revellers alike.

The Grand Cafe and Beach is one of the trendiest places to be seen in Cape Town. Beach cafe style meets Parisian chic with vast crystal chandeliers, Persian rugs, rich fabrics and antique furniture. This eclectic mix of style and panache is set against the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain, with views that are out of this world. The menu is melange of old meets new, with fabulous east meets west fusion, as well as tried and tested classics and modern contemporary dishes. Pushing the envelope with its unique style, the Grand Cafe and Beach offers patrons a unique dining experience. Open for lunch and dinner, the menu is exciting and varied, and is filled with strong flavours, fresh ingredients and fabulously innovative combinations. The Grand favourites include tempura prawns, classic Caesar salad, bouillabaisse, fillet béarnaise and an out of this world crayfish sandwich. The Grand Cafe and Beach also offers diners fabulous thin crusted gourmet pizzas, served on long wooden platters. With a sun deck and sea sand beach that is gently lapped by the ocean, fabulously opulent decor and delicious food, the Grand Cafe and Beach offers all the ingredients for a perfect meal.

The Green Dolphin Restaurant is one of Cape Town’s premier jazz hotspots. Located in the V & A Waterfront, on the water’s edge, patrons can sit with Table Mountain as their backdrop, watching the seals at play while taking in the smooth sounds of some of the finest jazz the Mother city has to offer. Relaxed, intimate and jivey, the Green Dolphin is a popular haunt for tourists as well as Capetonians who are looking for a great night out. The menu is varied and has a little something for everyone. With plenty of fresh seafood on offers, as well as delicious meat and vegetarian speciality, diners will be delighted. The seafood chowder and fresh mussels with a creamy white wine sauce with chilli, coriander and garlic are a must on the starter menu. And the venison kebabs and prawn and crayfish duo are a tasty treat for those with a bigger appetite. The wine list offers some of the finest wines from around South Africa, the perfect complement to any of the dishes on the menu. With jazz every night of the year, fabulous food, unsurpassed views and a wonderfully warm and welcoming atmosphere, the Green Dolphin should be on everyone’s list of places to eat in Cape Town.

Willoughby & Co, in Cape Town’s V & A Waterfront, is best known for its deliciously prepared fresh seafood and sushi. Named Best Seafood Restaurant for 2007/8 by the V & A Waterfront Restaurant Guide, Willoughby & Co offers diners sublime food, great service and an outstanding wine list. Using only the finest ingredient and freshest seafood Willoughby & Co is committed to providing its clientele with a menu that reflects modern food trends that are innovative, delicious and for the most part unique to the restaurant. Whether it is sushi, mussels, freshly shucked oysters, fresh line fish or carnivorous dishes from the menu, diners are guaranteed to be dazzled by the outstanding quality of food that is produced by Willoughby’s. There is a full Japanese kitchen where signature dishes such as Rainbow Reloaded and Soft Shell Crab in Ponzu Sauce are prepared under the watchful eye of Asian Chef Sam. The renovations in 2008 gave an entirely new dimension to the restaurant, creating more seats inside. Diners can sit at the sushi bar and watch as their meal is prepared, alternatively there is a seated area in the mall where diners can feast on a variety of fresh seafood, sushi, oysters and a selection of other dishes. Famous for quality, freshness and consistency, Willoughby’s is great value for money.