Wonder what you should eat visiting the Western Cape in South Africa? Here are 10 foods to try.

South Africa’s Western Cape is one of the most amazing places to discover. Highlights include Cape Town with its stunning Table Mountain, the lively V&A Waterfront, colourful Bo-Kaap, Signal Hill, Robben Island, Company Gardens, the Cape Peninsula including Cape of Good Hope, and Boulders Beach. Leaving the Cape Town area the Cape Winelands, Cederberg Wilderness Area, Overberg and Walker Bay, the Klein Karoo, along with the many beautiful beaches and coastal towns along the beautiful Garden Route. 

I can only highly recommend visiting as soon as you can, planning enough time (minimum two weeks, three or more are even better) to road trip along the stunning Garden Route, and perhaps venturing into the Cape Winelands, the Overberg aera, or the Klein Karoo.

The regions amazing nature and wildlife will play a major part choosing the Western Cape as your next travel destination; or put it on your bucket list at least. Wine might come next, given the region has not only become a well-recognized new world wine region, producing excellent and affordable wines. It also made huge strides developing outstanding wine tourism experiences. And the incredible local food scene is part of the success.

South African food is as varied as the local culture with influences of African, Dutch, French and Asian cuisines. These different influences woven together with local products have created a wide list of truly iconic local foods like the well-known Bobotie, Cape Malay Curry, and Malva Pudding, among others.

If you are planning a trip to the Western Cape (or other parts of South Africa), it is well worth to sample some of these flagship dishes.

You should, however, look well beyond these traditional foods. Especially road-tripping through the Western Cape with its stunning Winelands and along the Garden Route, you will encounter an abundance of excellent foods typical of the area.

The region has turned into a true food heaven, and wine tasting and dining are now as much a reason to visit as the amazing local nature and wildlife.

Road-tripping through the Western Cape means an abundance of excellent restaurants, from fine dining to casual bistros and farmstalls. Local chefs are constantly reinterpreting local dishes, experimenting with different textures and flavours, and international influences. On top, what is defining the local cuisine is sustainability and seasonal quality food, which is typically sourced locally.

It is certainly no surprise Cape Town was named the World’s Best Food City by Condé Nast Traveller last year.

Key takeaways

  • Cape Town and the surrounding Winelands are among the world’s top culinary destinations.
  • The Western Cape is a region boasting a wide variety of local produce, foraged ingredients, wild herbs, fresh seafood and locally raised livestock including cattle, lambs, and poultry.
  • The local cuisine is defined by its farm-to-table approach whether it is street food or fine dining.
  • There is a wide range of popular traditional local dishes defined by the region’s multicultural heritage. The same heritage continues to influence the Western Cape’s local and international chefs to continuously innovate while using local ingredients.  

The foods to try on your next trip to the Western Cape

Discover the local foods of South Africa’s Western Cape you should try the next time you visit. Or try to recreate at home, ideally serving with a nice glass of South African wine.

Biltong

Hugely popular, biltong usually divides visitors. It consists of meat cured in vinegar and then air-dried, with the types of meat used ranging from beef to chicken and game meats. The name is derived from the Dutch words bil (meat) and tong (strip). Biltong is soft and intensely flavourful and usually enjoyed as a snack on its own.

Bobotie

Today considered South Africa’ national dish, bobotie is most likely an import from Asia. The dish consists of minced meat simmered with spices such as curry powder, herbs and dried fruits. Later, it will be topped with an egg-milk mixture and baked until it’s well set and crispy. 

Bobotie is traditionally served with yellow rice and mango chutney.

Cape Malay Curry

You can’t escape the traditional Cape Malay cuisine visiting the Western Cape. It’s origins go back all the way to the arrival of the first Dutch settlers in the 17th century. Whit them they brought slaves from Malaysia, Indonesia, and India together along with the traditional spices from Southeast Asia. Mixing traditional cooking styles and spices from Asia with local produce, a special type of delicious curries and stews emerged which became some of South Africa’s most popular foods.

The famous Cape Malay curries are characterised by their simplicity and fresh ingredients, stirring away from heavy spices as usually found in Asian cuisines. Slow food meats and vegetables as well as seafood is served in a curry sauce combining sweet and savoury flavours. Dried apricots and mangos are also a staple.

Seafood and sushi

With a coastline of more than 500 kilometres offering fertile fishing grounds, a wide variety of fresh seafood is served everywhere in the Western Cape. One of the most popular local varieties is Snoek, a thin species of snake mackerel, which is usually served grilled or smoked.

And in case you love sushi, thanks to the regions multicultural heritage, a large number of excellent sushi restaurants are distributed throughout Cape Town and the wider Western Cape.

Oysters

Oysters are a staple in the Western Cape too, where they are caught just off the coast.

You will find oysters on the menus of most restaurants within the Western Cape, and they pair extraordinary well with the local Cape Classique, South Africa’s very own sparkling wines. And yet again, there is one place that tops it all. Known as the oyster capital of the world (I know, we just had that with the ostrich, but well, it is what it is), you must have your fix of oysters at the beautiful coastal town of Knysna. The town even hosts its own annual oyster festival, typically in July during the local winter.

Game meats

From kudu to impala, eland, gemsbok and springbok are hugely popular thanks to their lean, flavourful and healthy qualities, offering lower fat and distinct flavour. Game meats are often served as braai, which is the South African name for barbeque. It is also used for many types of sausages and various stews and pies.

Due to strict food regulations, it’s rare to find South African game meats outside of South Africa/Africa. Therefore, when visiting, make sure to try a few dishes with these local meats.

Ostrich

Generally speaking, ostrich meat is part of the local game meats, though it will typically come from commercially farmed ostriches in the Klein Karoo.

If you are road-tripping along the Garden Route, plan a quick detour visiting Oudtshoorn in the Klein Karoo. It’s only around 45 minutes (around 60 kilometres) from George to Oudtshoorn on the other side of the Outeniqua Mountain range but it is a different world altogether. While you will find ostrich meat all over Africa, no place will serve such a wide range of ostrich dishes as this little town known as the ostrich capital of the world.

Karoo Lamb

Protected since October 2023 by geographical indication, Karoo Lamb is one of the highest quality lambs you can find. To bear the tag ‘Karoo Lamb’ the lamb must be born and nurtured in the Karoo. It’s the particular characteristics of South Africa’s semi-dessert where large herds of sheep are hold in free-range conditions, grazing on wild vegetation such as the local fynbos, that lend the meat it’s distinct flavour.

Karoo Lamb will be served around the Western Cape in a wide range of different dishes. It’s delicious slow-roasted, oven cooked, as pie, lamb stew, or lamb curry.

Melktert

As the name suggests, this delicious dessert is descendant from early Dutch settlers. Also known as South Afrikan milk tart, it is a sweet custard pie served in a crumbly pastry crust and a dusting of cinnamon.

Today, there are many variations of the original recipe. If you want to have a try on your own, try my favourite recipe.

Malva Pudding

Another Dutch dessert, malva pudding consists of a baked sponge flavoured with apricot jam and covered in caramelized sugar. It is typically served topped with a hot cream sauce. 

Are you planning a trip to South Africa’s Western Cape? Then make sure to eat your way through these iconic dishes. You will not be disappointed.