There is no better way to come up close and personal to the Cape Town locals love so passionately than to explore the kinds of food and drinks being cooked and served up by the eclectic mix of lively locals! To explore the true magic of Cape Town itself is best to head off the beaten track to feel the authentic pulse of this beautiful city at the foot of Table Mountain expressed in the rich mixture of cuisine served up by lively locals themselves and dive into a bucket list of food items to try in Cape Town.

Cape wines are the best, don’t even try to convince a local otherwise, and there is no better way to immerse yourself in the fascinating and colourful local culture of Cape Town than to relax and enjoy a wide variety fabulous foods and wines as an insider among those who enjoy sharing their love of creating very different experiences for the taste buds!

It is almost impossible to come to Cape Town and not try traditional biltong and droewors, which is a spiced and cured meat many travellers have dreamed of smuggling across continents as they attempt to take a slice of Cape Town with them. On the opposite spectrum of local taste buds, you will find ‘koeksisters’ which are a kind of doughnut soaked in a syrupy mixture if you like sweet stuff you will be in heaven!

You cannot explore Cape Town without coming into contact with, and more than likely falling in love with, the Cape Malay cuisine, nowhere else in the world will you find food as unique as the food that originated from slaves brought to Cape Town by the Dutch East India Company from Indonesia.

The picturesque Malay Quarter known as Bo-Kaap was where the eclectic mix of Japanese, Malaysian and Indian cooking was incorporated into traditional Dutch and European dishes, giving birth to the aromas of Cape Malay dishes that waft out of doorways in Cape Town. Cape Town is very much about Cape Malay spices, the most incredible samosas and milk tart you will find on virtually every corner, and to truly explore Cape Town is to dive into the distinct Cape Malay cuisine!

If you love artisanal coffee you will have discovered coffee heaven in Cape Town among the hundreds of coffee shops and cafes that form the fabric of daily life for locals, and in the middle of this huge coffee culture is an incredibly interesting mix of people to meet, this is truly an insider look into what makes the people of Cape Town magical! Add sustainable, organic, raw artisan chocolate into the mix and you will have the energy to start exploring Cape Town with beautiful South African wines!

There is a South African wine to suit the palate of every wine lover, from the Chenin blanc, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and Semillon to the rich reds of Cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, Pinotage and lovely sparkling wines. You cannot get a better insider perspective of Cape Town than to sit down and enjoy the best wine and great food with the locals…and nowhere else in the world will you ever taste locally distilled gins served with fynbos garnish…this is all pure Cape Town!

For many travellers who choose food as the reason they want to explore the world, taste new cultures and digest what makes them unique, memorable and delicious, enjoying a braai with the locals, known to foreigners as a barbecue, is a must-add for their bucket list of food to experience in Cape Town.

Enjoying a braai in Cape Town is about community and connecting strangers as much as it is about sinking your teeth into the finest meat this world has to offer. Mzoli’s in Cape Town is a stop-off that will introduce you to the pleasure of gathering to grill meat over an open fire and indulging in a truly unique South African cuisine.

For an authentic experience of Cape Town choose an off-the-beaten track tour offered by Explore Sideways, this team has its finger on the pulse of the Mother City, and with tours like the Cape Town City Foodie Tour or The Ultimate Foodie Tour in Franschhoek, you will experience Cape Town cuisine at its best!

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