Cape Plates Food Tour with 15+ Tastings

4 hours (approximately)
Offered in: English

Cape Town is often described through its scenery. Table Mountain, dramatic coastlines, and spectacular sunsets dominate the postcards. We'll show you the city through something far more revealing: its food.

This small-group food tour explores the cultures, migrations, and communities that shaped modern Cape Town, from the colourful streets of Bo-Kaap to the cafés, restaurants, and local institutions. Along the way, we'll enjoy 15+ tastings that trace a journey across continents.

We'll sample South African game meats, discover the deep roots of Cape Malay cuisine, experience a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, and taste the everyday foods that fuel life in the Mother City. From smoky boerewors rolls and spice-laden bobotie to roasted coffee and local wines.

It's an introduction to one of the world's most fascinating food cities, where African, Asian and European influences have blended over centuries to create something entirely unique.

What's Included

Bottled water and some alcoholic drinks
Moveable feast with 5-6 stops around the historic area of the Gardens and Bo-Kaap
Led by professional foodie guides
Max 8 exclusive guests, smallest group size in Cape Town (private tour or 9+ available)
15+ food tastings included, more than any other Cape Town food tour
Alcoholic drinks which are not part of the tour's tastings
Pick up and drop off from hotel excluded

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point
Yours Truly

The meeting point at the outdoor area of the Yours Truly cafe is easy to reach from most of Cape Town's central hotels. Uber is widely available and operates 24/7 throughout Cape Town.

End point

The tour concludes at the Openwine wine bar. The tour duration is approximately 3.5 to 4 hours depending on the pace of the group. Your guide can help you to find transport back to your accommodation if you wish.

Itinerary

Duration: 4 hours (approximately)
  • 1
    Cape Town

    Cape Town is a city where two oceans collide, mountains rise dramatically from the sea, and recipes arrive from every corner of the world. It's a place shaped by sailors, traders, settlers, enslaved peoples, and immigrants, all leaving behind flavours that continue to define the city today. Our feasting tour of 15+ tastings explores the colourful streets of Bo-Kaap, the leafy avenues of Gardens, and the historic heart of Cape Town's CBD, uncovering these cuisines. Led by our team of professional foodie guides, we'll journey through four centuries of history.
 Before we get started, our tour reflects the local cuisine and the limitations of eateries means we unfortunately cannot cater for every dietary restriction. Here's an honest appraisal for the tour so no-one is disappointed: 
 ✔ Suitable for no pork diets, lactose intolerance, mild nut allergies and no seafood diets ✖️ Unsuitable for vegetarians, vegans, gluten intolerance and pescatarians

    15 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 2

    South Africans have never been shy when it comes to meat, and our first stop wastes no time proving it. We'll dive straight into a feast of game meats that have sustained communities across southern Africa for centuries. Tender kudu and ostrich showcase two of the country's most celebrated meats, while sticky warthog ribs arrive smothered in smoky barbecue sauce. Alongside them sits a fragrant crocodile tagine, paired with cinnamon-spiced pumpkin mash and creamy spinach. It's a plate that tells the story of a nation where indigenous ingredients, colonial influences, and modern cooking traditions continue to collide.

    45 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 3
    Cape Town

    Cape Town's food scene is constantly evolving, and our next stop highlights a new generation of chefs who are reimagining South African classics without losing sight of their roots. Expect vetkoek, the beloved fried bread found throughout the country, stuffed with savoury minced meat. Alongside it comes spicy chakalaka, a vegetable relish born in Johannesburg's townships, and rich peri-peri chicken livers served atop toast and egg. These dishes may have humble origins, but they've become staples of modern South African dining. As we continue through CBD’s famous streets, we’ll try South Africa’s most famous food for travel: biltong. Air-dried, spice-cured meat has fuelled travellers, farmers, and adventurers for centuries.

    45 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 4
    Cape Town

    Cape Town's story cannot be told through South African food alone. For generations, immigrants from across the African continent have enriched the city's culinary landscape. At a traditional Ethiopian café, we'll experience one of Africa's oldest and most important food rituals: the coffee ceremony. Green coffee beans are roasted by hand until smoky aromas fill the room before being brewed and served according to centuries-old tradition. Accompanied by popcorn, a customary pairing in Ethiopia, this isn't simply a coffee break. It's a celebration of hospitality and community.

    45 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 5
    Bo-Kaap

    No South African food tour would be complete without a boerewors roll. Often described as South Africa's answer to the hot dog, this beloved street food features a coiled beef sausage grilled over open flames and tucked into bread with mustard sauce and crispy onions. Found everywhere from rugby matches to roadside braais, it's one of the country's great comfort foods. The journey continues into the world of Cape Malay cuisine, one of Cape Town's most important culinary traditions. Developed by enslaved people and political exiles brought to the Cape from Southeast Asia, the cuisine combines African, Indonesian, Malaysian, and Dutch influences into something entirely unique. Here we'll sample bobotie, South Africa's national dish in all but name, alongside spinach fritters, bean rotis, fragrant samosas, and syrupy koesisters.

    45 minutes Admission ticket free
  • 6
    Cape Town

    We finish the only way Cape Town knows how: with wine. South Africa's vineyards have been producing world-class wines for more than 350 years, making them among the oldest wine-producing regions outside Europe. We'll enjoy a flight of three carefully selected wines paired with a few cheeses and charcuterie as we reflect on the flavours, cultures, and stories encountered throughout the afternoon. There's more to this Cape Town food tour than the dishes themselves. It's a discovery and understanding of the communities, migrations, and traditions that transformed a remote trading post into one of the world's most dynamic food cities. Whilst it's possible to eat well in Cape Town alone, you'd be hard-pushed to uncover these stories, flavours, and local favourites without our tastemaker guides.

    45 minutes Admission ticket free

Additional info

  • Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Supplied by A Chef's Tour

Tags

Half-day Tours
Private and Luxury
Walking Tours
Street Food Tours
Small Group
Food & Drink
Short term availability

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

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