Athos Euripidou’s Little Black Book Of Cape Town

As the man behind The Athletic Club & Social and other soon-to-open happening hotspots, Athos is the host with the most, with his fingers firmly on the pulse of SA’s music and social scene. But where does this legendary local like to eat, play and listen to quality tunes? We join him on an exclusive tour of Cape Town’s hidden gems, best-kept secrets, daytime adventures and nighttime delights… and we find out what’s on his quintessential SA jazz playlist.

On dining out

Ouzeri is one of my favourite restaurants. I’m more into authentic experiences than fancy places, and I just love the way that Nic Charalambous, the owner and chef, has put together a finessed authentic experience. That combination really excites me, as did his carrot ouzo dish. I didn’t expect it to be insane, but it blew my mind.

I really enjoy breakfast spots. Because of the work that I’m involved in, I gravitate towards tranquility and calmer spaces. A really good treat is driving out to Hout Bay Coffee, which looks like an old hobbit shop. It’s a coffee shop and roastery where you can choose from a variety of blends and single-origin coffees from around the world. For me, that’s the best coffee in town.

I also like going to South Yeaster in Hout Bay. Brode [Gleason], the co-owner, used to be a baker at Jason’s before he and his sister, Amber [Gleason], started South Yeaster in their garage. Five or six years later, it’s grown into a massive shop where there’s always a queue (and for good reason). Brode is the baker and Amber is the business, and what I love about them is that they have a perfect balance between work and relaxation. They’ll close on Sunday and Monday because it’s not about how much money they can make; it’s about keeping their energy good so they can do what they do with passion and positivity.
Inside tip Try the sourdough croissant. It’ll change your life.

I enjoy going for an early-morning swim at Dalebrook, followed by a coffee and breakfast at Salt. They do really nice vegan options (my wife’s vegan) and we usually order the Vegan Dream: Za’atar, mushrooms, Swiss chard and hummus on freshly baked sourdough.

I love popping into Loading Bay for lunch. Darlington [Munyoro], the barista, makes an insane mesquite – a coffee alternative that’s made using a pod from the Karoo. It contains no caffeine and is a superfood, but it has a coffee profile. If you’re having an intense day with lots of meetings, coffee is actually the wrong thing to have because it’ll only add to your stress. What you need is a mesquite from Loading Bay to decompress.

The food there is also really well-sourced – mostly organic produce from small farmers – which, for me, is really important. JP [Bolus], the co-owner, puts a lot of emphasis on where the ingredients come from and whether the produce is organic.

I recommend going to Obi Restaurant, where the starters are amazing and the Agedashi Tofu is insane. Whenever I take anyone there, we order the Agedashi Tofu and they’re like, “Oh wow!”

Photo: Claire Gunn

Dorp Hotel does an amazing vegetarian curry. The food is simple and homely, the decor is beautiful and you kind of get lost or submerged in their little world when you’re there. The views are spectacular and the quirky team that Gail Behr, the late founder, put in there gives you this warm feeling of hospitality. For me, that’s the most important thing when you go into a space – to feel welcome – and I always feel that with the team there.

If you’re a fan of Thai food, the chilli basil stir-fry at Yindee’s a winner. People go there for the amazing food, but there’s also a uniqueness about the décor. You’ll feel like you’re in a very Thai place, without it being too clichéd. I particularly love the room with wooden floors, where you sit on the floor; reserve a spot there for a special experience.

I would like to spend more time at The Mount Nelson. It’s a real Cape Town gem, and they’ve done an amazing job of elevating our city. Whether you’re having tea on the lawns or a drink at Planet Bar, it’s a real treat if you’re coming from out of town. The events they’re curating are next-level. As part of the LVMH [Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton] group, they’re doing amazing fashion shows with Lukhanyo Mdingi and other local designers. I really respect how they’re uplifting the creative community.

On live music

Don’t miss Nduduzo Makhathini and Black Coffee at the Cape Town Jazz Festival on 25 and 26 April, at the CTICC. Their collaboration would be in my top-five must-see performances, along with Bongeziwe Mabandla, Kujenga, The Brother Moves On and Thandiswa Mazwai.

I’ve got so much live music going on in my basement at The Athletic Club & Social. There’s jazz from Wednesday to Saturday, but it’s not just one category – there’s Cape Town jazz; African jazz, folk music, trip-hop jazz… so many different genres. We like to curate a lot of music coming from the townships, and to give those musicians an opportunity, but we’ve also hosted many very established musicians and internationals.

I love what the guys are doing at One Park in Park Road. It’s not just a venue that happens to have live music; they’re really digging deep and curating different experiences. It’s a vinyl listening bar, so they’ve always got interesting DJs playing music you’re not going to hear somewhere else. They’ve also often got some really awesome live acts.

I’ve found that, in the last couple of years, since we established our four nights a week at Athletic Club & Social, there’s been a buzz in the Cape Town music scene. You can watch live music at Gorgeous George; there’s The Blue Room; I see The Crypt (an old jazz club) has reopened; there’s The House of Machines; Kloof Street House does live music once a week, Asoka does once a week… And a lot of the venues having success aren’t just jazz venues; they’ve also got DJs; it’s not just about live music.

Two incredibly professional live-music venues that curate good shows and are great platforms for musicians in our city are The Commons in Muizenberg and Selective Live on Buitengracht Street, in Gardens. And Café Ganesh in Observatory has reopened – which is a really fun vibe. It’s owned by the owners of Bodega in Wale Street, and they’ve got really nice live music there twice a week.

Then there’s Texas, a new venue near Harrington Street. I haven’t been yet, but a gig popped up on my radar and I’ll be going there at the end of the month. It’s a bit of a younger market, but you can feel that it’s a curated experience – they’re not just booking any act. It used to be in an old building that burned down and now it’s more of an open-air space with a pop-up bar.

On city living

I like going to the Oranjezicht Market in Granger Bay. I love fresh produce, so buying my weekly groceries there is a good experience for me. I also enjoy shopping at Sans in the Adelphi Centre. It’s a deli and all their veg is organic, plus you can buy organic wines.

It’s always worth visiting the Olive Branch Deli in the Lifestyle Centre on Kloof. It’s run by an amazing Cypriot brother-and-sister duo – Omeros and Hélène Demetriou – and they sell stuff from all over the world. When you step in there, it’s like you’re stepping into another world, and the owners are super-passionate about everything. You can ask them about any ingredient in that store and they’ll have a story to tell.

When friends come to Cape Town, I take them on a walk around the city. We do a loop of Bree, Shortmarket and Loop Streets; there’s a nice balance of great clothing shops and good restaurants. I love the night and day energy in the city, with all the little pools of creatives operating there. I always pop into Philippa Green, an amazing jeweller in Shortmarket Street. She does her own range, so it’s really unique and exclusive.

There are many amazing creatives in the city. When I have time, I’ll do a walk and pop my head into different places to say hi. My parents come from a village in Cyprus, so it’s that village mentality: walk down the road, have a coffee with the owner, and so on. I think it’s important to live a life that’s not too controlled and planned; there has to be a sense of spontaneity.

I really recommend Anthm cocktail bar on Loop Street. It’s run by Tetsuo [Hasegawa], a Japanese guy who loves Cape Town and has curated this little cocktail bar. He serves Japanese food and his cocktails are next level. He’s always changing the selection, but whatever you have there is going to be an experience. He also loves music and is always playing beautiful vinyl; he’ll put a record on while he makes the cocktails, so there’s this awesome synergy between music and mixology.

In other news, we’re about to open a rooftop bar called Take Me to the Moon at The Trade Boutique Hotel in Shortmarket Street. The décor is Wes Anderson-style and we’ll be doing live gigs and jazz up on the roof. Look out for it in the next month or so. We’ll also be launching an innercity jazz festival called Jazz in the City in March next year, so watch this space!

On outdoor experiences

I love doing the Suikerbossie hike going back towards Llandudno. It takes three-and-a-half hours, but it’s super-beautiful and easy. You walk up the back of Suikerbossie and towards Llandudno, catching all of those beautiful views of Llandudno from the top. If you’re driving from Llandudno to Hout Bay, turn left into Suikerbossie as you go over the hill, and the trail’s at the back of that entrance.

Cape Town’s best-kept secret lies between Maiden’s Cove and Clifton. Drive down to the bottom parking at Clifton Fourth, then walk down and turn left when you get to the rocks; you’ll see people swimming on the left-hand side. You’ll find little coves and natural rock pools, where you can just pick a spot to sit with no one around you. I probably shouldn’t be telling you about this, because I love the tranquility there.

On weekend getaways

We love going to spots that are submerged in nature, like Oudebosch Eco Cabins at Kogelberg Nature Reserve. Those little pods are amazing and there are beautiful hikes. If you hike about an hour-and-a-half up the river, there’s this spot where the sand looks like beach sand and you swim in this rooibos-coloured river water.

Fazenda in Swellendam is also beautiful. They built these well-designed cottages including one in the forest and one called The Hacienda, which has a Mexican feel.

We also enjoy Lambert’s Bay, where we hire an old fisherman’s cottage that’s completely off the grid – there’s solar, but that’s just for the fridge. It’s right on the vlei and you can walk to Yoyo’s, where surfing is a special treat. The cottage is rustic and beautiful; you use lanterns instead of electricity (you can’t even charge your phone), so it’s ideal if you want to disconnect.

I recommend a visit to AA Badenhorst Family Wines in Malmesbury – especially on Thursday nights or the first Friday of each month, when he makes amazing pizzas and there’s sometimes live music. His chenins are also really good. I like the rawness and authenticity of Adi’s farm – and the fact that he likes to play vinyl while he makes wine. The first time I met him, I gave him a very rare Sipho Hotstix album because his son was so into this one song and I had a spare copy. Adi’s a big ambassador for live music; he does events up the West Coast in Saldanha, where he bought an old Shell petrol station and turned it into a venue called The Sea Shell.

Check out Athos’ quintessential SA jazz playlist on Spotify

For The Athletic Club & Social’s latest lineup, visit their  Instagram page and website.

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