Restaurants
Vegan Travel Series: Cape Town Seduces as a Top Food Destination
August 2, 2024
Cape Town, South Africa. The eponymous ‘Mother City’ of the nation with its progressive and metropolitan milieu is home to a significant number of the country’s plant-based and vegan population. The perennial culinary hotspot is home to some of the finest restaurants even on the international scene; but regardless of your budget you can find great plant-based options in the area.
Not just all about the food, but if you’re undecided about your next big holiday and need some convincing; Cape Town clinched the second spot in Time Out’s prestigious 50 Best Cities in the World to Visit for 2024, highlighting its status as a top tourist destination.
Some of the Best Vegan Eateries in Cape Town:
Aiko Sushi
The sushi space in Cape Town is the traditional home for the best-in-kind establishments in the country. Enter Aiko on Bree Street in the Foreshore area with a quality, fully vegan sushi menu, which makes it unique among vendors who may otherwise just have a handful of predictable options. Rolls to bowls, tempura, sandwiches and more, Aiko’s menu is impressively versatile, value-for-money and creative in terms of ingredient use: no more settling for just cucumber and carrots. Here we have the Mushroom Bomb (avo, mushroom tempura, red pepper, rockets, sweet chilli sauce, mayo) Orange Roses (carrot roses, with bean curd topping, spring onion, seven spices) and Toranj Vegan ( beetroot, tofu, smoked ‘salmun’, tofu, topped with carrot, vegan mayo, bean curd, spices).
Sunshine Food Co.
A tiny, yet fully vegan restaurant with big ideas. Easily located on the main road via Three Anchor Bay is this 100% organic, quirky vegan café. Sunshine Food offers a limited though high quality range of burgers, dhal, salads, fresh juices and smoothies – priced very affordably, especially considering the prime location. Their menu may only have a handful of items but every dish bursts with flavour and freshness, and overflows with homegrown greens. This is the Charcoal Burger, filled with their signature Sunshine veg patty, avocado, black bean salsa, cultured lemon sauce, hummus, crispy onions, sprouts and microgreens, and served with a side of the most delicious chickpea dhal (instead of fries).
Fat Cactus
With six locations around the southern suburbs and city of Cape Town, Fat Cactus remains a prime spot for casual Tex-Mex food. Vegan diners can expect heaps of guacamole and refried beans with their veg-loaded nachos, chilli poppers, fajitas and enchiladas. Ay caramba!
Nourish’d
100% plant-based and zero-waste, Cape Town’s Nourish’d is on a mission to raise awareness about the ecological crisis and the role of food in creating positive change, providing food that’s both kind to the human body and the earth. Here you’ll find a range of breakfast and lunch options spanning an eclectic variety of wraps, burgers, curries, pastas and more. ‘Eating the rainbow’ is a persistent theme with their colourful, healthful dishes.
Scheckter’s Raw
Fresh and local, Scheckter’s Raw is about natural, authentic, plant-based and nutrient-dense food. Their meals are delicious, wholesome, and sustaining. Featuring anything from noodles, sandwitches, gnocchi, burgers and bowls, you’ll find one of your favourites here.
Wildsprout
A plant-based café and grocery store with two locations around Cape Town – in Kenilworth and Constantia – providing wholesome, nutritious foods regardless of dietary requirements. Pop into their café for a smoothie or healthy breakfast or lunch to energise you for the day ahead. Wildsprout serves an extensive variety of salads, sandwiches, wraps and burgers, international cuisines as well as some delicious healthy sweet treats. All needs are catered for whether that be gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, vegan and banting options. Need something to take home? In their grocery store you will find a wide variety of fresh produce, pantry staples and delicious deli items, sourced mainly from local small businesses.
The Conscious Kitchen
Fashionable and contemporary, yet with an inimitable old-world Cape Town charm and great views of Table mountain, Kloof street has been voted as one of Time Out’s “coolest” streets on the planet. The Conscious Kitchen restaurant offers customers through a journey of not only conscious consuming, but producing as well. From an asparagus risotto to bao buns and Burmese tofu, they offer especially cleansing foods for every taste. Additionally their Conscious Collective range simplifies shopping for vegan customers with everything from ethically sourced clothing, to shoes and cosmetics.
Hudsons ‘The Burger Joint’
One of the best haunts in Cape Town for a burger par excellence, Hudsons maintains a selection of vegan burger options made from some of the best meat alternative products available on our market, or an artisanal blend of replacements. Their ‘Frontline Worker’ features a Cajun pea protein fillet topped with roasted garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato and home-made pickles. ‘San Fran’ has a mushroom & lentil patty topped with vegan cheese, caramelised onion, smashed avo, tomato and rocket. With several outlets situated around trendy Cape Town neighbourhoods they’re convenient to locate, and amazingly offer 50% off all their vegan burgers on mondays.
Special Mention: The Vegan Goods Market
Hosted at a gorgeous farmland venue at The Range in Tokai, The Vegan Goods Market takes place every first Sunday of the month, should you find yourself in the Cape at that time. The vendors are diverse and varying, but tend to include Vegan Streetfood, Romeo & Vero Vegan Butcherie, The Veg Kitchen and just about everything vegan under the sun. Not just a restaurant, but an experience; the market instils a sense of community and is a wonderful place to connect with other plant-based fans in the region.