Cape Town’s gourmet revolution might have kicked off amid the vineyards beyond city limits, but these days it’s just as evident in the buzzing, cosmopolitan streets nudged in below Table Mountain.

Local gastronomy has found its very own authentic, homegrown identity, influenced by a global provenance-driven, farm-to-fork movement while consistently paying homage to regional heritage and indigenous, often foraged, flavours.

These days, chefs are flexing their experimental muscles just as often as they’re sharpening their knives. Whether high-end, hole-in-the-wall, gourmet food trucks lining the streets, markets taking up Sunday afternoons, or that curious regional diet called Banting—Cape Town’s offerings run the gamut. And the following establishments are single-handedly elevating the city’s culinary status quo.

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