Cape Town's bar scene punches above its weight. Cause Effect appears on the World's 50 Best lists; The House of Machines is the most original space in any African drinking city. The 10 below cover the City Bowl, V&A Waterfront and the Atlantic Seaboard — Cape Town's three drinking quadrants. Most are walkable from each other.
Part of our 50 Best Bars in the World listThis article is one chapter in our larger global guide. See the full pillar with every featured city.
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The 10 best bars in Cape Town
01 · Cape Town
City Bowl
$$
Speakeasy · Reservations
City Bowl serious cocktail bar. World's 50 Best Bars Africa fixture. Reservations only. Modern South African-spirit-led drinks.
Order: A drink built around their house-aged amarula or Cape Brandy
02 · Cape Town
City Bowl
$$
Motorcycle workshop · Bar
Genuinely strange — motorcycles being repaired in one half, cocktails in the other. Cape Town's most distinctive room.
Order: Anything off their boilermaker list
03 · Cape Town
V&A Waterfront
$$$
Whisky bar · 500+ bottles
At the Cape Grace Hotel. 500+ whiskies. South Africa's deepest whisky cellar.
Order: A flight of three South African and Scotch whiskies
04 · Cape Town
City Bowl
$$
Cocktail bar · Long bar
Long-running Bree Street cocktail bar. Classics-driven menu, knowledgeable bartenders, casual atmosphere.
Order: A perfect Manhattan
05 · Cape Town
City Bowl
$$
Hidden · Through a chocolate shop
Through a working chocolate shop. Tiny bar focused on South African gins. Eighty+ bottles.
Order: A G&T with their reserve South African gin
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06 · Cape Town
City Bowl
$$
Champagne bar · Hotel
At the Taj Cape Town. Champagne-and-cocktail bar with a polished feel and live music programming.
Order: A glass of champagne + their oysters
07 · Cape Town
City Bowl
$
Coffee + cocktails · Steampunk
Steampunk-themed coffee shop and cocktail bar. Coffee in the morning, cocktails after dark. The aesthetic is the show; the drinks hold up.
Order: A coffee-led signature in the steampunk room
08 · Cape Town
De Waterkant
$$
All-day · Casual
De Waterkant all-day bar. Coffee, breakfast, cocktails. Outdoor seating, neighbourhood-feel, the Cape Town café-bar template.
Order: A patio cocktail at sunset
09 · Cape Town
Kloof Street
$$
Asian-influenced · Late-night
Kloof Street late-night bar with Asian-leaning cocktails. Live music programming, lush garden interior.
Order: An Asian-spirit signature
10 · Cape Town
Long Street
$
99 craft beers
Long Street beer specialist. 99 craft beers on tap, mostly South African. Casual, late-hours, the SA craft beer reference.
Order: A flight of three South African craft beers
More Cape Town bars by categoryCocktail, hidden gem, whisky — the full Cape Town index.
See the full list
How Cape Town drinks with the mountain in view
Cape Town drinks with Table Mountain in the frame from almost everywhere. Cause Effect is the technical reference; The House of Machines is the most distinctive room. The whisky scene (Bascule, Cause Effect's whisky list) reflects South Africa's strong distilling culture. Most bars peak between 9 and 11 PM; some run later in Long Street.
