Bukhara: Fine Indian Cuisine on Cape Town’s Church Street

For 30 years, Bukhara has been a much-loved destination for upscale Indian cuisine in Cape Town. When it first opened, its perch above Church Street was at the heart of the newly revitalised innercity… Now that the epicentre of the dining scene has shifted to Bree Street, it’s gained a “hidden-gem” cachet – follow the fairy lights down Church Street and look out for the Bukhara sign and a world of fragrant spices is revealed. After a brief name change to Awara (when they added streetfood tapas), it’s reverted to its original name, Bukhara (which Capetonians never actually stopped using). With chefs (and spices) from India, Bukhara is synonymous with the most authentic North Indian cuisine, and many regulars have been customers for decades.

Fire cooking in action

The interior is sleek and moody in tones of dark green, black and gold. The marble floor is divided into different dining areas by decorative walls of greenery, and doors open onto a wraparound balcony that is level with the treetops (grab a high table out here for a pre-dinner cocktail and snacks). The place to be for dinner itself is at one of the coveted tables in the middle section, opposite the glass wall into the kitchens. Here flames flare up dramatically from a wide pan, a chef deftly wields long skewers at the tandoor oven with a mesmerising touch of theatre, another swiftly flips a supple sheet of dough on a domed tawa for the delicious Romali roti. These are specialist chefs who mastered their craft in India, so you’re watching years of expertise in action.

Tongue-tingling tapas

We kicked off with pani puri for pops of palate-waking flavour; and the tongue-tingling palak papdi chat – crispy chickpea-battered fried spinach leaves, used like nachos to scoop up a finger-licking salad of tomato and chickpeas with mint and tamarind dressing… so good that I’d have been happy just with that and the tender and juicy chicken tikka from the Tandoor oven that came next. But we had to taste more… and the Tandoori chicken, succulent lamb Bara chops and cumin-flecked aloo jeera were equally appetising.

Re-discovering old favourites

Longtime favourites from the curry section of the menu are as good as ever… smooth butter chicken, fragrant chicken korma, a rich lamb bhuna gosht, the thick spiced tomato and onion gravy mopped up with a light and layered paratha. Ingredients are sparkling fresh, curries made from scratch daily and executed to high standards, and the portions are generous enough for take-home bags to be essential. Especially if you want to leave room for dessert, which has to be the caramel cheesecake flan… smooth, rich and decadently creamy, it was first inspired by a dessert that the owners fell in love with in Brazil.

A Cape Town institution and hidden treasure, 30 years on Bukhara is on top of its game.

Good to know There’s a parking garage close by on Burg Street (opposite sister restaurant Haiku). No children under 12 allowed at the dinner service.
Opening times Monday – Thursday, 12pm – 10pm
Friday + Saturday, 12pm – 11pm
Sunday, 12pm – 9pm
Contact details 021 424 0000
Where to find it 33 Church Street, Cape Town
Book through DinePlan

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