Cape Town, South Africa

By Ashley Rudolph

Cape Town easily made it's way onto my "favorite cities in the world" list. It's known for all of my favorite things: great food, delicious wine, vibrant culture, and beautiful landscapes -- to say I was blown away would be an understatement. I was able to check every item off my to do list in my five days in Cape Town, here are my faves.

Where to eat in cape town

Top Eats in Cape Town

Kloof Street House: Come here for the scene (you'll feel like you're in someone's impeccably designed home), to see pretty people, and, of course, to eat good food. I had my first taste of ostrich (contrary to popular belief it tastes like steak, not like chicken). My mom had the Kingklip for the first (and albeit not the last) time. Both were amazing.
Potluck Club: This place is a must. Some call it the coolest place in Cape Town and it's easy to see why. We tried our best to try some of the best restaurants and Potluck Club did not disappoint. It's a tapas style restaurant -- you order multiple items to share. I still have dreams about the Peri Peri chicken.
The Codfather: Located in the Miami (or Malibu) of Cape Town, The Codfather is a treat. Your waiter takes you to a display case, you pick out your choice of fish and they prepare it for you. We had the rock lobster and Kingklip (we couldn't get enough of it). If you love seafood, you'll love The Codfather. I'd recommend making dinner reservations and getting to Camps Bay early just to watch the sunset.
Ash Restaurant: I'd be lying if I said I didn't choose this place partly because it's my namesake :) You'll feel like you're in a stylish butchery at Ash, a charcoal cooking restaurant. Make no mistake - this place is for meat lovers. We had the duck and beets and the slow cooked lamb. Ash also has a solid wine list.
Pierneef à La Motte (Franschhoek): On our day tour of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, Explore Sideways arranged lunch for us at Pierneef à La Motte. It was a bit on the chilly side when we visited, but it seemed like the perfect place to enjoy lunch on a patio. The food was incredible, we ended up ordering the special for the day: the perfect short rib dish.

Where to wine

Stellenbosch and Franschhoek

There is no shortage of delicious wine in Cape Town and a trip to wine country is a must. Explore Sideways planned our full day trip to Warwick Estates, Oldenburg Vineyard, La Motte Winery, and Maison Estate but I could easily have spent multiple days visiting wineries and indulging in endless tastings.

Warwick Estates is a family run estate. If you do a tasting, you'll learn about their wedding cup tradition. My favorite wines were the Trilogy, their Cab Franc, and The Professor Black.
The sweeping views at Oldenburg Vineyard blew me away. It's another family run estate, you can even stay at their Homestead. My favorite wines were the Rhodium and the Chenin Blanc.
La Motte felt like a "traditional" winery/wine estate. This was my third tasting of the day with my mom and as you can imagine, we had had quite a bit of wine by this point. Luckily I purchased my favorite wine here as a memento - the Pierneef Sauvignon Blanc.
The wine, food, and dessert pairings at Maison Estate were incredible. I'll take my wine with biltong and dark chocolate truffles any day. While we didn't eat a full meal here, we got a taste of how delicious their full menu must be. I'd definitely come back to Maison Estate!

What to do

Top 5 Things To Do

Visit Robben Island: We started our first day in Cape Town on Robben Island and if you can, I'd highly recommend doing the same. Hearing the former political prisoners' stories and seeing where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years was the perfect way to frame our trip. Book your tickets in advance (they sell out!) and try to do the morning trip.
Take the cable car up to the top of Table Mountain: You can practically see Table Mountain from anywhere in the city, it's beautiful and hard to miss. We purchased our tickets online, skipped the line, and took the cable car up the mountain right before sunset. It was the perfect spot to watch the sky turn beautiful shades of blue, purple, and cotton candy pink.
Drive down the Cape Peninsula: You'll want to see Muizenberg Beach, Hout Bay, Simon's Town, Cape Point (walk up to the Lighthouse and enjoy the sweeping views), the Cape of Good Hope, Boulder's Beach, Kalk Bay, and Chapman's Peak Drive. A good full day tour will take you to all these spots. We went with Cape Convoy Tours and Rob was a fantastic guide.
District 6 Museum: I was on the fence about whether or not I needed to visit the District 6 Museum before a handful of people in town highly recommended it and I'm glad we went. District 6 was a vibrant neighborhood torn apart during the Apartheid Era and some of its former residents are still suffering from the impact of being uprooted from their neighborhoods.
Greenmarket Square: We did a lot of shopping in Cape Town (practically at every stop we made) but spent a morning at Greenmarket Square getting more items to take back home. Come here for art, fabric, and woodcrafts. Put on your negotiating hat, because you'll need to negotiate with just about every vendor.

Where To Stay

The Waterfront and surrounding areas: We stayed near the V&A Waterfront at the Cape Royale Luxury Hotel (and I'd stay here again). Accommodations aren't pricey in Cape Town, if you can, spring for one of the 5-star hotels available in the city.
Camps Bay
Clifton Bay