Activities in Gardens

Make a difference while enjoying a lazy Saturday and visit Cape Town's new and vibrant little community market on Kloof Street. Community projects and other organic producers will regularly uplift the community with Cape Town’s newest addition to its popular market culture, the Joy Market which is hosted by Love Project gift shop and Deli 55.

Ricks Cafe Americain is inspired by the cafe of the same name from the classic movie Casablanca. The decor and menu both illustrate this influence heavily which makes for a unique dining experience. Set in a 100 year old Victorian building on Park Road, the ambiance of the restaurant is relaxed and comfortable - with a fire in winter.

Carlucci's is a deli, restaurant and shop on Upper Orange Street in Gardens/Oranjezicht. With tables inside and outside the restaurant/deli is very popular. Carlucci's also sells unusual and imported foods and wines with many patrons arriving only to make use of the shop.

Vintage India is an authentic Indian restaurant in the Gardens Centre just off Orange Street. It seems that a lot of effort has been put into making the place seem Indian - the superb staff, the Hindi music, the decorations, and of course the food. This appears to have paid off because of the few patrons many are themselves Indian.

Greens is a modern and relaxed restaurant in Gardens offering a variety of meals: light meals, pizza, burgers, pasta and salads. The pizzas are thin based and normally excellent.

Crush specializes in providing "fresh food fast". They offer a variety of delicious and healthy salads, wraps and sandwiches for sit down or takeaway (at a lower price!).

Simply Asia is a small and reasonable Thai restaurant in Gardens (just off Kloof Street). The food is good and the prices reasonable which makes the restaurant worth a visit even though the service is frequently terrible (slow).

Café Gainsbourg is a restaurant on Kloof Street near Asoka. Gainsbourg has a fairly small menu but the food is good and the restaurant itself is great. The front of the restaurant is open to the street which is great on warm days and evenings.

The Labia is an independent artsy movie theatre showing mainstream and alternative movies. There are two branches quite close to each other - one at 68 Orange St and the other in the Lifestyle center on Kloof St.

Hatfields is a restaurant and bar in Gardens, very near to the famous Engen garage. The downstairs section is dedicated to a bar and restaurant which serves pub food. On the second floor there is a pool room and a room housing several slot machines. Finally, on the top floor there is a lounge section coupled with another bar for the more relaxed.

Yindees is a Thai restaurant on located in a historic Victorian house on Kloof Street in Gardens. They claim to produce authentic Thai cuisine. The food is good, but can be spicy so take care if you prefer mild food.

The Mount Nelson is one of Cape Town's iconic hotels. Since its opening in 1899 this hotel has hosted many royal visitors and is a beautiful, luxurious and expensive spot. It is located at the top of the Company Gardens on Orange Street and is an elegant location.

Arnolds is a buzzing little restaurant on Kloof Street which is famous for its excellent R16 breakfast - 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, grilled tomato, ostrich wors and 2 slices of toast - seriously! This excellent deal ensures that Arnolds is packed on mornings, especially weekend mornings.

Café Sofia is a small and modern tapas restaurant and bar on Kloof Street. The menu includes a variety of light meals and tapas choices for a relaxed meal and drink. There is a bar within the restaurant and a fairly extensive cocktail menu. Café Sofia is open for breakfast lunch and dinner daily.

Melissa's is a trendy café and restaurant on Kloof Street. They specialize in a homemade feel and serve breakfast and lunch buffet plates priced by weight. The food is of a high quality and feels healthy. Expect to find quiches, warm chicken meals, plenty of salads, sandwiches and good coffee.

Wembley Square is a trendy little centre in Gardens that contains a flagship Virgin Active, several cafes and some fashion boutiques. The tenants at Wembley Square include Virgin Active, a hairdresser, Vida E, Crush, Knead, Sinns Restaurant and 9 fashion stores. The full list of tenants can be viewed on the site (see contact information above).There is even a small Sinful Ice-cream store.

Five on Park is a restaurant and wine bar on the vibey Park Road just off Kloof Street. It is next door to Greens and Simply Asia and across the road from Ricks. Diners can eat inside (although this can be noisy because the bar is inside) or outside on the terrace where there are heaters for cooler evenings. The outside section is a smoking section.

Chef Pon's Asian Kitchen is an Asian restaurant in Gardens that has a large menu offering Chinese, Indonesian, Thai, Mongolian and other Asian dishes. The restaurant is located on Mill Street close to the Gardens Centre and is fairly popular.

Asoka (pronounced a-sue-ka) is a sophisticated and popular bar located in a Victorian house on Kloof Street in Gardens. It has an olive tree located in an internal courtyard which adds to the ambiance created by "Feng Shui design principles".

Knead is a bakery in Wembley Square that has quickly become popular among locals. There is a bakery section selling a variety of high quality breads, pastries, pies and treats over the counter.

The Gardens Centre is a relatively small shopping mall in the Gardens area of Cape Town. It is a double level mall with a good mix of shops and restaurants/coffee shops and serves several city bowl suburbs.

Opium is a cigar lounge and whiskey bar in Green Point with a lounge culture, several rooms and dance music. There are regular events and visiting DJ's and emphasis has been put onto creating a stylish interior.

'Artjamming', also known as 'paintertainment', is an experience store recently opened at Wembley Square that combines entertainment and art. The idea is that participants walk into the studio and are provided with a blank canvas, brushes, aprons and vibrant acrylic paints. In a funky and creative environment people then create paintings of anything and everything.

Limoncello is a quaint little Italian restaurant in Gardens. It has an upstairs and downstairs section (downstairs to be recommended) and serves a variety of Italian foods from the wood burning oven. Expect to eat salads, pastas or pizzas - there are a few meat dishes as well.

Café Paradiso is a restaurant on Kloof Street which serves "a mixture of French and South African traditional meals" including: pastas, seafood, beef fillet, provençal lamb shank, bobotie, warm lamb salad, duck breast, and snails. View a detailed menu here

Rafiki's is a very relaxed restaurant and bar on Kloof Nek road. There is a large open balcony and many benches and tables sprawled through the rooms of the restaurant. The crowd at Rafiki's is relaxed, fun and generally quite loud.