Cape Town’s winter stings, gusts of wind whipping down the street. Inside Belly of the Beast, a restaurant renowned for its fresh take on Afrikaans and Cape Malay dishes many South Africans grew up eating, I relish the comforting warmth of vetkoek (crispy fried bread) slathered in smoked butter with a dash of furikake and tipsy tart, a cake drenched in brandy syrup often served at Christmas, jazzed up with guava sorbet and orange marmalade foam.
When Belly of the Beast, founded by chefs Neil Swart and Anouchka Horn, opened in 2018 inside a former bicycle shop in East City, the neighborhood was still known as a gritty industrial zone on the edge of the more vibrant District Six. Eight years later, a wave of experimental kitchens, artisanal cafés, and edgy bars serving biodynamic wine have helped revitalize the cultural district into one of Cape Town’s most exciting culinary hubs. It’s a departure from destinations such as Bree Street where the trendy restaurant scene—noticeably full of seafood and international cuisine and devoid of traditional African food—primarily caters to tourists.
Galjoen’s staff at work in the kitchen, preparing a tasting menu with some of South Africa’s most succulent seafood.
Photo by Claire Gunn
Rather than opening another trattoria or taqueria, Swart, Horn, and other East City chefs have embraced what has come to be known as New Cape cuisine: a reinterpretation of South African traditions that uses contemporary techniques to showcase the remarkable diversity of the country’s flavors and ingredients.
“Nostalgia is always the starting point, but we are not trying to recreate our grandparents’ food exactly as it was,” says Swart. “We are bringing those memories into a modern restaurant setting.”
Related: Cape Town Travel Guide
That philosophy extends to other East City restaurants. Galjoen, named after South Africa’s national fish, is dedicated to local, sustainable seafood, while Buri elevates the humble hotdog-like boerewors roll with toppings such as homemade tomato onion relish, garlic mayonnaise, and chili chutney. At East City Grill & Yakiniku Grill, braai (grill) culture—the proudest of South African traditions—gets a subtle Japanese twist. Diners choose from wood-fired filet that hails from the owner’s family farm in Swartland, tartare dressed in yakiniku (Japanese barbecue sauce), and wagyu biltong—the fanciest jerky you’ll ever eat. “From the start we decided we would only cook over open flames,” says East City Grill & Yakiniku chef Jaycee Ferreira. “We are moving back to simpler versions of creative food with more emphasis on the ingredients.”
Farai Maungwa (L) is assistant manager at Belly of the Beast, where dishes include chicken liver parfait, garnished with onion marmalade, smoked hazelnuts, bacon crumble, and dill.
Photos by Claire Gunn
During a recent dinner at Tambourine with my friend Rupesh Kassen, founder of the food tour company Eat Like a Local, we rave over ember-roasted leeks and charred cabbage grown at the restaurant’s regenerative farm project in Khayelitsha, Cape Town’s largest township. He tells me many of his clients from around the world arrive eager to try traditional South African food, only to be surprised by how difficult it can be to find.
“[New Cape cuisine] leverages the best of these flavors and marries them into one cohesive, interpretive experience,” says Kassen.
For years, Cape Town’s most celebrated restaurants looked outward for inspiration. East City is helping change that, putting South Africa’s own culinary heritage at the center of the table—and, in doing so, helping travelers understand the city through its food.
