Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town Overview by tobias-reich-1GgWbP74phY-unsplash.jpg
I knew very little about Cape Town before we began to plan our trip. I soon learned that Cape Town had its origin in 1652, when the Dutch East India Company established a refreshment station for its ships on the shores of Table Bay. It was bound by the mountains just inland from the ocean, Lion’s Head, Signal Hill, Devil’s Peak and Table Mountain. Today, Cape Town is a sprawling city that begins with the waterfront and downtown region, but extends to fishing villages and coastal towns along the coast, mountains slightly inland and on the eastern side of the mountains lays fertile soil where vineyards and farms abound. We were there in March, which is their fall. The weather was perfect, though quite windy. It was around 60 degrees F in the mornings and would quickly rise to the mid 70s. The wind acts to keep the air pollution low, but also provides the perfect environment for surfers and kite surfers alike.
We arrived in Cape Town around 9 pm so we checked into our hotel, the Westin Cape Town, and settled in for the evening. The Westin was a spectacular property. Not only was it beautifully appointed and perfectly situated, but the people were so incredibly friendly and warm. They have a beautiful spa, pool and workout area. None of which did we use. We were too busy exploring. We were provided access to the executive lounge where they had breakfast as well as canapes in the evening. They went out of their way to ensure that every time I was there I had delicious and safe food to eat. If there were no canapes that were safe for me, the chef would make me something special. The manager there became our personal friend (so it seemed) and protector. She was there every morning with an almond milk latte for me and made sure that everything I ate was perfectly safe and amazing.
We had 4 full days to explore this wonderful city. I had arranged for a tour guide for 2 ½ of the days. He was able to help me plan our independent time through chatting online and learning about our interests. All of his suggestions were spot on, including his restaurant suggestions.
The first day, since we got in late the night before we decided to explore on our own. Craig, our tour guide had sent me several suggestions including a walking path. We began our day with a wonderful breakfast in the lounge at the hotel. From there we took an Uber to the waterfront, less than a mile away, but since we were unfamiliar with the area we chose to take an Uber. We were dropped off at a market that Craig had recommended. He knew that we loved food, were gluten and dairy free and loved visiting markets in different countries. He recommended several markets for different reasons. The Oranjezicht City Farm Market was one that he recommended for our Saturday lunch. We could not have imagined what to expect. Despite going to markets all over the world, this was the first that seemed to have “me” written all over it. There were fresh fruit and vegetable stands, flowers, organic nuts, organic skin care, vegan and gluten free bakeries, a vegan creamery, gelato stands (with GF and DF options), loads of food stands with prepared foods from all over the world (most of which had some GF and DF options) as well as clothes, leather goods and more. Oh my! I was in heaven!
From here we walked to the Promenade, a 4 ½ mile broad paved path that runs along the Atlantic coastline. Along the way are playgrounds, a gym, mini golf, a historic lighthouse, beaches and more with amazing views of the ocean on one side and Table Mountain, Signal Hill and Lions Head (mountains) on the other. Opposite the ocean are grassy areas where you will see families, dogs and children playing as well as restaurants and shops. It is a great area to walk, bike ride or run.
Instead of walking the entire Promenade, we walked about 1 mile and then made our way through Greenpoint park, a beautiful park with lily pads, soccer fields, a nature preserve and a view of the Cape Town Stadium built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
We then headed back to our hotel to shower and get ready for dinner. This turned out to be the most spectacular dinner of our entire trip! We had reservations at Reverie Social Table based on recommendations from Craig as well as my internet searching. The chef/owner Julia Hattingh, is not only a phenomenal chef but also a wonderful host. The concept of Reverie Social Table is that you are having a 5 course dinner party with wine pairings in Julia’s home. She hosts one long table each night with a fixed menu of her choosing. She collaborates with local wineries and highlights small-scale local vendors and farmers in her cooking. She encourages guests to come early and socialize as well as to switch seats throughout the evening to get to know everyone at the table. The night we were her guests, she also had the winemaker that she was highlighting there to explain the wines as she explained each dish. I had informed her in advance of my gluten and dairy sensitivities. She planned the menu around this so that 2 of the courses she modified slightly, but for the most part I was able to share in everything. She even baked a separate GF bread and made me a bean dip to go with it since I could not have the standard bread and butter! This evening was the highlight of our trip to Cape Town! It was perfect from start to finish. This was not a quick dinner. We were invited at 6pm and the next thing we knew it was 11pm. If you have the opportunity to join Julia when you are visiting Cape Town, I highly recommend it!
The following morning, we were picked up by Craig at 7:30 am so that we could be at the cable car up to the top of Table Mountain when they open at 8. The cable cars run on a double cable making them more stable in the high winds that are typical of Cape Town. Each cable car rotates 360 degrees while making the 4-5 minute ascent to the summit. The interesting thing about Table Mountain is the way the clouds form a “table cloth” over the main plateau. This is formed when a southeasterly wind is directed up the mountain slopes into colder air, where the moisture condenses to form the “table cloth”. When this happens, you can not see 10 feet in front of you, so as soon as the clouds begin to form, the mountain is closed. Thankfully, our tour guide was fully aware of this and helped us formulate our plans to ensure we fully enjoyed our cable car ride and hike on top of the mountain. If you have limited time in Cape Town, I highly suggest hiring a guide to help you with this. In addition to ensuring perfect timing for our excursion, he also was familiar with the best hike, all the different trails, the flora and the fauna. We were lucky enough to spot a King Protea in bloom even though it was not prime season for them!
Following our hike on Table Mountain, Craig drove us to Stellenbosch, a quaint town at the base of the mountains and home to many wonderful wineries. We wandered around and shopped while we waited for our lunch reservation at the Postcard Cafe. This restaurant was suggested by our tour guide as it sits at the base of the mountain on an incredibly scenic winery overlooking a lake. They have their own organic gardens which he knew was totally my thing and although GF and DF was not marked on the menu, they were very accommodating. We had called in advance to be sure it was safe.
Finally, it was off to a wine and chocolate tasting at Waterford Estate. What a perfect day! We were so tired by the time we returned to the hotel we decided to have a snack in the lounge and call it a night. Tomorrow was another day of touring!
Day 3 of our time in Cape Town we had arranged for a cape tour down to Cape Peninsula. We started our day at the well known Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. This is a tremendous botanical garden with different plants and flowers to see depending on what time of year you visit. In March (late summer/early fall) we saw lilies, lion’s ear flowers, irises and more. They also have periodic art installations and concerts in the gardens. It was a wonderful start to our day!
Our next planned stop was Boulders Beach, the home to a colony of penguins. Along the way, Craig stopped at Kalk’s Bay, a beautiful fishing village on the coast of False Bay. We got out, stretched and walked around a bit, stopping to see the harbor seals resting on the pier. The views were spectacular with the blue ocean and the mountains in the distance. Next stop, Boulders Penguin Colony, a nature preserve in False Bay. The penguins came here in 1983 and haven’t left. There are now 2-3000 of them here. We saw babies, parents sitting on eggs and lots of penguins playing. They are so cute and fun to watch!
Last official stop of the day was Cape Point, the south western tip of Africa. The tip of Africa is where the waters from the cold Atlantic near Antarctica and the warm Indian Oceans meet. This explains the winds and the long history of shipwrecks here. The nature reserve is known as one of the most pristine and unspoiled places on earth. The park is rich in plant and animal diversity. Our first stop at the park was the Two Oceans Restaurant. A lovely restaurant with views that can’t be beaten. Again, the menu here was not marked GF, but we had called in advance and were assured that they could safely prepare my meal free of gluten and dairy. I had the fish of the day with vegetables. It was perfect and I felt great afterwards. You can hike to the top viewing point or ride the “Flying Dutchman” funicular. We chose to save time and ride the funicular. Once at the top, you can go directly out to the viewing area or up the stairs to the old lighthouse built in 1860. It is indeed the old lighthouse, because it was not always visible to ships due to low hanging clouds. In 1919 they built another one at the end of the peninsula which is lower and does not have the same problem. The views from the lighthouse as well as the viewing area down below were breathtaking. In addition to the spectacular views, during our visit we also spotted some eland, ostrich and baboon!
The 2 hour drive back to our hotel was made so pleasant by our guide who pointed out all the different beach towns along the way. We stopped for a quick snack and shop in Hout Bay after the spectacular Chapman’s Peak Drive, a beautiful drive along the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
By the time we returned to the hotel, we again canceled our dinner plans as we were exhausted. We had planned to go to the Mojo Market where food and cocktails are served into the night along with live music. We just did not have the energy for it! The following morning would be our final day in Cape Town. We planned a relaxing morning at the hotel followed by a half day city tour with Craig. This would culminate with him driving us to the airport for our 6 pm flight.
We got up, packed and had our last breakfast in the lounge of the hotel. Before meeting Craig for our city tour we went to one more city market, the Watershed, right on the waterfront. It is a multi level building that houses artisans of all sorts from clothes to leather, to sculpture and skincare. We had a great time and found lots of gifts to bring home!
Craig had shown us much of the city in our adventures the last few days, so this last day was an opportunity to see some of the less known spots in the city. During COVID, Craig had been involved in a project to bring street art to the city. He was trained to do a walking tour of the murals around the city. We didn’t have time to do the walking tour, but he drove us by many of the pieces and explained them to us.
From here we went to Bo-Kaap, an area of the city best known for its very colorful homes. Bo-Kaap was formerly known as the Malay Quarter since it was inhabited by Cape Malays, slaves brought from Malaysia, Indonesia and other areas of Africa to work in the city. When the slaves were freed back in the 1760s they painted their previously white, leased homes in bright colors to show that they now owned them and were free to choose.
Last stop was Blouberg Beach. This is a beach on the north side of town which is renowned for some of the best kite surfing in the world! It also has fantastic views of Table Mountain and Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. I had never actually seen kite surfing before, but it was mesmerizing! It was so beautiful and exciting to watch all the colorful kites as the surfers leapt 30 feet in the air! We sat on the windy beach and watched for a solid half hour.
Finally it was time to head to the airport. I must say that Cape Town made it into my top 5 cities in the world… so far. This is a coveted spot shared by Florence, Edinburgh, Jerusalem and Mexico City. I look forward to much more travel and many new favorites! In the meantime, if you have the opportunity to visit Cape Town I would highly recommend it. We did not even touch the historical sites in Cape Town. A city for foodies, we really only enjoyed one dinner here. Though it was exceptional, I look forward to coming back and trying some more restaurants. I have included my pre-travel list of GF restaurant options in case you get to Cape Town before I return. There is so much left for our next visit!
GF Cape Town Restaurants:
Off the Gluten Path: GF baked goods and shop for GF products
Wildsprout: Cafe, bakery and store specialize in GF, and other allergens. Have a great brunch/lunch menu salads, sandwiches, bowls, eggs, etc.
Mango Ginger: coffee shop, bakery, breakfast and lunch with lots of GF and DF options, grass fed beef - omelets, sandwiches, burgers, wraps, wheat free meat pies, bowls
Lime Tree Cafe: lunch or dinner - wheat free pizza, salads, vegan cheese, sandwiches (doesn’t look like GF bread)
Lily’s: breakfast, lunch and dinner on the water. Menu is well marked GF, vegan, etc.
The Pot Luck Club: High end, small plate menu
It’s All Greek to Me: Greek restaurant with lots of seafood options and meat recommended by Celiac Travel group
City Grill: same owner as “it’s all greek to me”, supposed to be a great steak house
Maria’s Greek Cafe - good lunch option with menu clearly marked GF, V, VGT, beautiful shaded courtyard: dedicated GF space in the kitchen with dedicated equipment, knowledgeable staff: 31 Barnett Street, Dunkley Square, Gardens, Capetown
El Burro Taqueria - fresh hand pressed tortillas, helpful staff for GF
Greenpoint 79 Main Rd, Green Point, Cape Town 021 433 2364
Kloof Nek 1 New Church St & Kloof Nek Rd, Tamoerskloof 021 422 3554
Mozambik - lots of great options, fresh good quality: grilled fish, chicken, steak, skewers, curries - open for lunch and dinner
Fine Dining:
Fyn: highly recommended from Celiac travel group Japanese/African fusion tasting menu which they were able to accommodate her diet well. Tasting menu can accommodate GF and DF
The Waterside - The more casual side of the Pier, both are high end and accommodate GF very well
Pier
Reverie Social Table - See description in blog
Madam Taitou - Ethiopian food with great GF options including injera
Miller’s Thumb- fish and seafood straight off the boat
NV 80 - steak and seafood, GF not marked on menu but reportedly very accommodating
Surrounds:
Reuben’s in Franschhoek - very nice restaurant that says it can accommodate food sensitivities: FindmeGF said they have GF bread and that the food was excellent,
JH Eatery - Groot Constantia, Cape Town +27 21 794 6255
Has GF bread, vegan cheese
Salads, pastas, burgers, curries, meats and fish with GF chocolate cake (not DF) but vegan cinnamon ice cream
outdoor dining option