Cape Town is known for its incredible and diverse food scene and vegans and vegetarians will never go hungry in the Mother City. Here are some of our favourite vegetarian and vegan-friendly eateries, offering everything from quick takeaways to delicious gourmet meals.
Plant Café, City Bowl
One of Cape Town’s vegan food gems is Plant Cafe. It calls the CBD home and is a fully vegan eatery that prides itself on its delicious, plant-based meals, smoothies, juices, and desserts. While you’re there you can also stock up on supplies like milk alternatives and vegan baking ingredients.
Website: plantcafe.co.za
Tintswalo Atlantic, Hout Bay
This five-star boutique lodge at the foot of Chapman’s Peak has an exquisite fine-dining vegan tasting menu that will knock your socks off. The four-course menu can be booked for lunch or dinner (advance booking is essential) and promises plates of plant-based goodness infused with flavours inspired by the indigenous flavours of the Cape. The only thing you’ll love more than the food will be the panoramic view.
Website: tintswalo.com
Planet Restaurant, Gardens
Not to be confused with Plant Café, Planet is a fine dining establishment where chef Rudi Liebenberg serves up a top class gourmet vegan menu, with dishes such as mushroom terrine, sweet pea risotto, and cashew cheese.
Website: belmond.com
Regent Burger Bar, Sea Point
Regent Burger Bar in Sea Point is a build-your-own-burger eatery popular with both locals and tourists. While the real fun is in designing your own burger, they also offer delicious ready-made gourmet burgers, all with the option of substituting ingredients with vegan-friendly options such as vegetable patties.
Website: facebook.com/RegentBurgerBar
Scheckter’s RAW Gourmet Health Food, Sea Point
At the top of Regent Road in Sea Point, you’ll find a piece of heaven for ethical and health-focused foodies. Inspired by the food trends and accessibility of good looking nutritious food in New York, Scheckter’s RAW has established itself as a favourite with Cape Town vegans. The food is inventive and indulgent, but nutrition remains the hero. If pumpkin pie flapjacks with vegan ice cream, a probiotic bowl, or smoothie with activated charcoal sound like your thing then you know where to find them.
Website: schecktersraw.com
Indigo, Bellville
Heading out of the city towards the Northern Suburbs, you’ll find Indigo, a delightful Indian take-out spot that offers a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan options like potato samoosas, bean curry, and dhal bunny chow, and even a great burger and chips. They take their vegan cooking very seriously and have separate fryers for cooking these meals to ensure there’s no cross-contamination.
Website: facebook.com
Raw and Roxy, City Bowl
If its raw food you’re after, Raw and Roxy is now an online-only service. Offering gourmet meals, delicious desserts, tapas, and a range of juices, smoothies, and hot drinks, Raw and Roxy will change the way you think about raw food forever.
Website: facebook.com
Lekker Vegan, East City
Finally, vegans have a gourmet junk food joint to get their gatsby fix in Cape Town. Lekker Vegan on the corner of Harrington & Barrack Street in town serves up accessible vegan fast food that anyone can enjoy. Their 100% plant-based options include mock chicken burgers, “beef” sandwiches, gatsybs, chip rolls, and bubblegum soft-serve.
Website: lekkervegan.co.za
Honest Chocolate, City Bowl
Cape Town’s favourite artisan chocolate producers use only raw, organic cacao and a touch of the natural sweetener agave. Their chocolate is unique and crafted with love and care. At their cafe on Wale Street, you can enjoy delicious treats and shop their chocolate selection.
Website: honestchocolate.co.za
Unframed Ice Cream, City Bowl
Unframed Ice Cream in Kloof Street makes vegan ice cream so good you’ll never want to have traditional ice cream again. You’ll always find at least four coconut milk-based vegan flavours with more to come in the near future.
Website: facebook.com
Moro Gelato, City Bowl
Moro Gelato has some seriously creamy and delicious dairy-free sorbet to fall in love with. Their hazelnut and chocolate sorbet variants are so creamy and smooth, you would never guess it’s a water-based gelato. Find their store on the popular Long Street or visit their mobile truck at the Oranjezicht City Farm Market Saturdays at the Waterfront.
Website: morogelato.co.za
Grumpy & Runt
Everything is created from scratch. From their butter, cheese, vegan deli meats, to pies, pastries even their mayonnaise is made inhouse. Try their unique selection of 8 different flavoured doughnuts, but you must be quick, their flavours change each Wednesday (and rarely repeated).
Website: http://www.grumpyandrunt.com/
LEXI’s Eatery
The team at Lexi’s are on a mission to change the landscape of healthy eating, and sustainability in South Africa, ‘one beetroot falafel wrap at a time’.
So, whether you’re vegan, vegetarian or ‘flexitarian’, get a jump start on your day with their savoury ‘Sexier Spinach Scramble’, tofu scrambled with spinach, kale, and fresh parsley, with slow-roasted tomato, avocado, savoury granola, and rye toast. Or for something sweeter, try their ‘Almond Quinoa Porridge’, a delicious porridge with vanilla, cinnamon, nut butter, served with seasonal berries, flaked almonds, desiccated coconut, and chia seeds.
Website: https://lexiseatery.com
BamBoo Plant Power
Meatless Monday anyone? ‘BamBoo Plant Power’ is a quick-service eatery focused on healthy eating and the sustainability of the planet. Try their many unique propositions with tons of health benefits.
Like their Drummie, which consists of four southern style jack fruit “drumstix”, with crispy skin, served on a cauli rice with spicy harissa sauce, mmm delicious!
Website: https://bambooplantpower.co.za/
Harvest Cafe & Deli
Are you looking for an inspiring space to relax, while filling your tummy with beautiful, healthy, and vibrant dishes? Then pop into Harvest Café & Deli in Newlands or Muizenberg.
Celebrate Mother Nature and feed your soul with their range of, delicious smoothie bowls, quinoa porridge, salads, soups, and healthy wraps.
Pop in at their Muizenberg branch and experience a refreshing seaside surf café, sprinkled with handcrafted wooden surfboards and bamboo furniture. Did we mention it’s right by the beach?
Or visit the beautiful café in the leafy Newlands Quarter. Sit in the swing chairs whilst sipping on a smoothie or grab some yummy vegan treats before you dash.
Website: https://harvestcafe.co.za/
Nourish’d Café and Juicery
From her dad’s old garage, to one of Cape Town’s hot spots, Tash has turned her passion for the planet into a plant-based, zero waste cafe and juicery.
Quench your thirst with their long list of cold-pressed (slow masticating method) juices, or increase the medicinal powers of your drink by adding a Transformative Tincture, like ‘Mood Magic’ (excellent for memory retention, concentration and brain health).
For food options, tuck into Toasts & Toasted Sandwiches, Fill Me Ups, Rainbow Bowls and much much more!
Website: https://nourishd.co.za/
The Sunshine Food Sprouting Co Vegan Café
It’s easy to miss this little hidden gem in the heart of Three Anchor Bay, called The Sunshine Food Sprouting Co Vegan Café.
From fresh green juices to burgers, tortillas, poke bowls and wraps, the quirky #FoodFARMacy serves up 100% organic vegan food, bursting with rich, tangy and scrumptious flavours – with everyone coming back for more!
Bonus Section: Vegan Wines
Yes, wine can be non-vegan. Many wines use a fining agent that is animal-based, like gelatin or casein. Winemakers are now more conscious of this fact and many have created vegan-friendly wines that anyone can enjoy. Whether you’re out and about or decide to relax at home, below is VeganSA’s ultimate guide to over 100 wines to try.
Everything from Anatu Wines to Yonder Hills “frisky but approachable and friendly” range of reds, there’s something for every palate on this list. You can find these wines at your local restaurant and most liquor stores. Visit: http://www.vegansa.com/foodstuffs-wine.php for more information
