Touring

Cape Town City Eats Walking Tour

History through its food, guided by Pam McOnie

Cape Town City Eats - a cultural walking tour

This tour explores Cape Town from all sides, using the city’s vibrant food scene as a common theme.

Cape Town is a city that has been metamorphosing at a rapid rate over the last ten years and previously run down areas are emerging as cutting edge hotspots, leading the way in innovative cuisine. Walking the streets you’ll discover the city’s history, the people, their cultures, their cuisines, as well as contemporary Cape Town and its artisanal trends.

By the end you will have both a deep appreciation of the cutting-edge cuisine of the area, and a long list of cafes, bars, shops and restaurants that you need to go back to!

EXAMPLE TASTINGS & STOPS

PLEASE NOTE:

The following stops are examples only. Every food tour is tailored to your tastes and preferences meaning no two tours are ever the same. If you've already explored areas on this list you can be taken elsewhere. If you love gin but hate biltong, that's easily catered for and so on. The conversation with your guide will shape your tour and the whole experience will be spontaneous and highly personal. That's why we love it!

Bree Street & Kloof Street

Over 40 new spots have opened here in the last 18 months and this is the hub of quirky and creative openings in the city. You’ll spend time exploring the many artisanal offerings on these two famous streets, sampling whatever takes your fancy. From fynbos kombucha to French fancies - there is so much on offer!

The Bo-Kaap

One of the most beautiful areas of the city and the heart of the Cape Malay community. Sample favourite local dishes including samosas freshly cooked by Wardia, who gets up at 3am to make her own pastry, and milk tarts—the traditional snack served at home on a Sunday with tea. Both the Afrikaans and Cape Malay community claim this one as their traditional dish!

Neighbourgoods Market (Saturdays only)

A lively market which showcases Cape Town’s finest micro-merchants, designer-makers, specialty-producers and food-alchemists, held in the Old Biscuit Mill which is bringing the area of Woodstock to the fore. Live music plays and drinks flow making this a popular spot with a young, trendy crowd.

Oranjezicht City Farm Market (Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays)

A big, colourful farmers market that bursts with fresh flowers, local produce and street food style eats, as well as a range of fashion, ceramic and antique stalls. It attracts local families, well-heeled foodie types and even photographers since it is a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds! Lots of the market is under cover making this a good spot if the weather is inclement.

MonkeyBiz

A non-profit community initiative which now has more then 400 beaders supplying them with beaded artworks. Not food, but worth a stop all the same!

Bunny Chow

South Africa is home to a large Indian community and one of their favourite street food dishes is Bunny Chow - curry served in a half loaf of bread.

Coffee

Micro coffee roasters are scattered all over Cape Town and Woodstock. Truth Coffee Cult boasts that they offer the best cup of coffee in the world and with their Steampunk brewing technique (which uses a siphon brewing method) they are one of the most fascinating coffee shops to visit....even if you don't love coffee!

Maize / Mielie meal

The staple of many tribal communities in South Africa. A foodie exploration would not be complete without trying it.

Fynbos Tea

Know your Rooibos from your Honeybush? A stop at a speciality tea producer will afford the opportunity to try dozens of teas all produced from South Africa’s famous fybos. Learn about the history and production methods as you make your way through a tasting flight in the beautiful setting of the Company’s Garden.

Biltong

A South African staple that must be sampled! Kloof Kerf is a tiny shop that does some of the best in the city.

Post-Pandemic Pop-Ups

The Pandemic saw Cape Town’s food scene turned upside down as long standing establishments folded and new ventures sprung up on every street corner. There are plenty to choose from including chocolate shops, bakeries, gin producers, NYC style bagel shops and micro-cocktail bars all with their own unique stories and specialisms. Talk to your guide about which ones to visit – there are hundreds.

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NEED TO KNOW

Pricing available on request

START: Cape Town | Finish: Cape Town

Guided by local authority on all things gastronomic, Pam McOnie
Available on a private basis only
Approximate timings: Mon-Fri 0900-15.30 OR Sat 08.30-15.30 if you would like to include the Neighbourgoods market.
No touring on Sundays.
Timings are flexible and will be tailored to your requirements

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YOUR GUIDES

Pam McOnie

Pam writes:
"About 8 years ago we were the first to launch a foodie walking tour of the city of Cape Town. We sliced it differently from the foodie tours I had done overseas. We combined the history and the creativity of the city into the tour – a cunning device to make sure we digested so that we could explore and nibble some more throughout the day.

We pretty much turned our foodie tour into a whole day affair. We only offered the tour as a private tour. We slowed down to stop, to people watch, to discuss politics to dig deeper so that through our conversations in the day we would reveal the pulse of the city.

While we were walking the world changed. People started to realize that the language of food is one of the most important insights into the culture of a country. An integral part of travel is to gain an insight into the cultures and the cuisine. New statistics show that 70% of people now travel with the local food being a major pillar of what they wish to achieve. People no longer wish to sit in a bus and watch the world go by. They want to slow down and talk to people and to have intimate discussions.

As time went by we started training up a team of guides that all shared the same passions. People. Food. History. Cape Town. We all live in the same hood – and our tours introduce you to our playground."

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