The 15 Best Seafood Restaurants in Cape Town

Seafood is Nature’s ultimate fast food, and a nautical gateway to finger-licking deliciousness all year round. Whether you’re after fish and chips by the sea, an innovative tasting menu with sustainably-sourced credentials, or sensitively seared scallops with harbour and Table Mountain views, put these top Cape Town restaurants on your fish list.

Amura

There’s a Belle Epoque grandeur to the vaulted ceilings and cinematic interiors of the Mount Nelson’s newest restaurant… and a salt-tinged ocean breeze blowing through its kitchens. Michelin-star chef Ángel León (renowned for his innovative approach to sustainable seafood at ground-breaking Aponiente in Spain), explores the oceans of the Cape in an immersive marine-dining menu, drawing from the ocean’s mysterious beauty and rich biodiversity. Amura celebrates everything from delicate plankton and halophyte plants to humble by-catch fish, all elevated through fire-cooking, fermentation and spice. It’s rooted in Spanish culinary tradition but brought vividly to life with South African ingredients and flair. Think umami flavour bombs such as prawn toast, yellowtail chorizo and squid-ink croquettes, sublime oysters and beautifully fresh yellowtail with a green escabeche sauce, from an à la carte menu than encourages you to explore new ways to taste the ocean. The glamorous interiors, by award-winning local interior architect Tristan du Plessis, mirror the moody mystery of the Cape’s kelp forest – deep greens, warm timbers and bronze accents, anchored by an open-plan kitchen where the magic happens in full view. A bold new chapter for the Mount Nelson, Amura is already making serious waves.
Opening times Friday – Sunday, 12.30pm – 4pm
Monday – Sunday, 6.30pm – 11pm
Contact [email protected]
Where to find it Mount Nelson, 76 Orange Street, Gardens, Cape Town
Book through DinePlan

Nobu

Fresh from a serene, sophisticated redesign, the sleek, double-volume interiors at Nobu speak to a harmonious melding of cultures where Japanese wa meets African ubuntu, and the same spectacular One&Only Cape Town views over the waterways to Table Mountain. Gastronomically speaking, the Japanese-Peruvian dishes will send your tastebuds to Osaka and back, and the black cod miso is legendary (if you’re in the mood to splurge). Up for a culinary adventure? Chef Nicky King pushes boundaries, adding to the signature Nobu ethos with inspiration from South Africa’s diverse culinary heritage. Go for the omakase (chef’s choice) tasting menu to explore her unique take on local ingredients and botanicals (there are vegan and vegetarian options too). Try her yuzu-cured sea bass with orange amazu on the à la carte menu, or take a seat at the sushi counter for signature classics such as the scallop and smelt egg hand roll, the eel and cucumber maki and yellowtail sashimi. Nobu is an impressive destination for a special occasion.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 6pm – 10pm
Contact 021 431 5888, [email protected]
Where to find it One&Only Cape Town, Dock Road, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
Book through DinePlan

Willoughby & Co

You’ll always find a queue of hungry diners waiting to be seated at Willoughby & Co at the V&A Waterfront. And for good reason – the sushi here is consistently delicious (no wonder it’s one of chef Liam Tomlin’s favourite restaurants). Founded 30 years ago by Jens Tibshraeny, the extensive menu offers a variety of beautifully made Japanese and traditional seafood dishes prepared by experienced chefs under Singaporean head chef Sam Wong. With everything so scrumptious, it’s hard to choose, but one of our favourites is their signature 4×4 dish (four pieces of creamy rock-shrimp maki and four pieces of Rainbow Reloaded rolls topped with deep-fried prawns tossed in a spicy chilli-bean mayonnaise). You’ll also be tempted by oyster shooters (with sake and ponzu), salmon-belly skewers, sardines, clam chowder, rock-shrimp tempura and “The Colony” (12 of the best prawn dishes). Though you’re in a mall, the pale-wood furniture and comfortable padded booths shut out the passing traffic of shoppers and give it a spritz of personality. If you’re popping in for a quick bite, perch at the counter and watch the chefs at work.
Good to know Bookings are not accepted, but service is quick and efficient, so waiting for a table isn’t a big deal.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 12pm – 10pm
Contact 021 418 6115
Where to find it Shop 6132, Victoria Wharf, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

Pier

With artful plating conjuring enchanted underwater gardens, a focus on seafood and a fabulous harbourside location, Pier delivers a next-level culinary extravaganza (as is expected from a member of the La Colombe restaurant family). Chef John Norris-Rogers’ sublime multi-course tasting menus are conceived as an ode to the ocean, every mouthful a visual and palate-enticing delight, as you wind from the opening “snacks” to the petit four treasure chest, by way of deeply delicious curried hake butter with the bread course, octopus with salsa matcha, pillowy balls of snoek takoyaki made tableside, sublime Tandoori-style yellowfin tuna, and so much more. With polished and personable service, the team traverses a spider-silk thread between theatrics, molecular gastronomy and classic French technique, a memorable dining experience that overshadows even the floor-to-ceiling vistas.
Good to know There is a vegetarian tasting menu too.
Downstairs is sister restaurant The Waterside, a more casual approach to fine dining with chef Roxy Mudie.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 12pm – 1pm (last seating); 6.30pm – 8.30pm (last seating)
Contact 021 879 6328, [email protected] 
Where to find it Pierhead Building, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
Book Through DinePlan

Baia Seafood Restaurant

When you put special occasion and seafood in the same Cape Town sentence, Baia has been the place that comes to mind for 25 years. Upstairs at the V&A Waterfront (temporarily relocated to the back of the mall while its original location is under re-construction), it has ocean views across Granger Bay to Robben Island, white tablecloths, comfortable chairs, polished service, and an upmarket ambience. Known for its top-quality fish and seafood dishes, there’s an almost overwhelming choice on the menu: fresh oysters, abalone, linefish sashimi, prawn and langoustine ceviche, chargrilled sardines, whole baby kingklip, Portuguese-inspired platters of prawns, calamari and langoustines, Norwegian salmon and West Coast rock lobster. One of our favourites has to be the black mussels in Riesling – surely one of the tastiest mussel dishes in Cape Town.
Opening times Monday – Wednesday, 6pm – 10pm
Thursday – Sunday, 12pm – 3.30pm; 6pm – 10pm
Contact 021 421 0935, [email protected]
Where to find it Shop 7226, Victoria Wharf, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
Enquire Now

Galjoen

Sustainable seafood by the boatload is the core philosophy behind Galjoen, a semi-industrial dining space in the heart of the city. “Our approach is to serve only what is responsibly caught locally. If it’s not from South Africa, it’s not going on the menu,” says co-owner Neil Swart. He and Anouchka Horn continue the winning formula that wowed Cape Town foodies at Belly of the Beast: a set tasting menu, a limited number of seats and reservations only, plus of course fabulous local ingredients. Chef Isca Stoltz rolls out a delicious series of dishes on the frequently changing menu, including stunners such as the Rockpool: farmed abalone, seaweed broth, klipkombers and pickled kelp, or the braaied aged yellowtail with apricot and tamarind.
Good to know Seebamboes is the intimate 16-seater sister restaurant on the mezzanine upstairs from Galjoen, and celebrates the connection between land and sea.
Bookings open on the first day of each month at 10am for the following month.
Opening times Dinner seating: Monday – Saturday, 6.45pm
Lunch seating: Thursday – Saturday, 12.30pm
Contact 079 093 0559, [email protected]
Where to find it 99 Harrington Street, Cape Town
Book through DinePlan

Olympia Café

While their cavernous bakery at the back and “good coffee” is how it started and what it’s still known for, you can’t talk about stupendous seafood without including Olympia! Check the daily blackboard for the legendary seafood linguine (tomato-based, a touch of chili and loaded with prawns, mussels, calamari, tuna and white fish). Kingklip, yellowtail, and mussels in cream and white wine make regular appearances, too. On any given night, the café is packed with chipper customers, many of whom have been coming here for years. Don’t expect frills and frippery; do expect love made visible.
Opening times Restaurant: Daily, 7am – 10pm (last orders 9pm)
Bakery shop: Daily, 6.30am – 7pm
Contact 021 788 6396, [email protected]
Where to find it 134 Main Road, Kalk Bay, Cape Town

Dashi X The Mussel Monger

Known for supplying the freshest, sustainably farmed mussels and oysters from Saldanha Bay, seafood connoisseur and chef Kyle John Dods has taken his oyster-bar concept (a regular at the OZFM market) to its own flagship store at the new Riverlands complex, sharing a sophisticated, light-filled space with Dashi for the best fresh-from-the-ocean dining. Order rounds of oysters and bubbly, tempura mussels or moules marinières, poké bowls of salmon trout, tuna or tempura prawns with crunchy toppings and umami sauces, plus elevated Asian streetfood like tempura fish tacos and a selection of refined Asian tapas (with input from consultant chef Marco Cardoso of De Eetkamer). They’re keeping things simple, delicious and straight from the source.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 11am – 9pm
Contact 021 180 0674, [email protected]
Where to find it Riverlands Mall (Shop GP76), 51 Gogosoa Street, Observatory, Cape Town
Enquire Now

Riva Italian Fish Restaurant

If you love your seafood packed with authentic Italian flavours, and served by warm, passionate hosts, then Riva is a must. Opened in July 2018 by Italian chefs and friends, Nico Rovarini and Federico Rocca, it’s a popular informal haunt in the buzzy De Waterkant neighbourhood. The short menu changes weekly, according to the catch available, and majors on fresh and excellent ingredients and homemade pastas. Try the risotto mare (seafood risotto) or the polpo (slow-cooked octopus), the tuna carpaccio, or the pasta scoglio (fresh paccheri with clams, mussels and prawns) if they’re on the menu. And look out for the fish of the day, which also stars in the bouillabaisse alongside crayfish, prawns, mussels and clams.
Opening times Monday – Saturday, 6pm – 10.30pm
Contact 021 418 0657, [email protected]
Where to find it 24/4 Napier Street, De Waterkant, Cape Town
Enquire Now

Live Bait

This sea-scraping spot right on the breakwater in Kalk Bay harbour (downstairs from Harbour House) specialises in seafood, sushi and open-fire grilled meat and fish (if you love a good surf and turf, then look no further). Simple, no frills decor is all you need when the views are this good (False Bay, lighthouse, fishermen, seals, fishing boats, crashing waves, with whale-sightings an extra excitement in winter). The food is fresh and generously portioned with everything from fish and chips to seafood linguine, sardines and linefish. Or go for a sushi platter and an Aperol spritz or mojito from the cocktail menu.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 12pm – 10pm
Contact 021 788 4133, [email protected]
Where to find it Kalk Bay Harbour, Main Road, Kalk Bay, Cape Town
Book through DinePlan

Cafe Orca

Ease into a relaxed West Coast vibe, with Melkbos beach views and a cottage-style family-run seafood restaurant. Fish is the only thing on the menu: there are two or three different linefish options daily (maybe tuna or swordfish), cooked to perfection and beautifully plated with a choice of sauces, plus generous servings of roast vegetables, as well as chips or rice. Or go for one of several platters loaded with calamari, prawns, mussels or crayfish. The outside tables on the latte-shaded verandah are in high demand, especially for the golden sunsets, but you’ll also get sea views from indoors in one of the several small rooms.
Good to know They cannot accommodate groups of more than 6 people.
Opening times Wednesday – Saturday, 12pm – 3pm; 6pm – 9.30pm
Sunday, 12pm – 3pm
Contact 021 553 4120
Where to find it 88 Beach Road, Melkbosstrand, Cape Town
Book through DinePlan

The Lighthouse Café

Simon’s Town’s whitewashed walls and charming streets are full of history and memories, a place where change comes slowly. Its popular The Lighthouse Café, however, has seen subtle changes since the arrival of chef/owner Mike Israel in 2021. There is now a warm Thai seafood salad on the menu as well as pan-grilled locally caught fish with a coconut cream sauce with fresh ginger, coriander and lemongrass. But Mike has stayed true to the bistro-style dishes that locals and tourists have come to love at this relaxed eatery, including the famous beer-battered fish and chips.
Good to know There’s a breakfast menu and plenty of non-seafood options too.
Pets are welcome and bowls of fresh water are always available for thirsty furries!
Opening times Tuesday – Saturday, 8.30am – 10pm
Sunday + Monday, 8.30am – 4pm
Contact 087 700 6421, [email protected]
Where to find it 90 St Georges Street, Simon’s Town, Cape Town

Harbour House Kalk Bay

Perched high above the bustling fishing pier like a ship run aground, Harbour House is known for its seafood (fresh, delicious, not cheap), but you’re here for the luxury of lifting a glass to the ultimate knock-out view… False Bay in all its glory. Seafood is, naturally, the primary focus: sushi, grilled crayfish, scallops, tuna tartare and oysters, as well as the popular seafood platter for a little taste of everything – langoustines, prawns, chardonnay mussels, linefish, calamari tubes, and more. The creative chef’s pairings with swordfish, kingklip and seabass head towards the finer side of dining, and there are meat options too. Be sure to enquire about the daily specials – you never know what the trawlers may have hauled in that morning!.
Good to know If luck is on your side, ask to sit at table 40, the only outside table on a tiny balcony facing the sea with the waves crashing directly beneath you.
Harbour House also has branches at the V&A Waterfront and in Camps Bay.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 12pm – 10pm
Contact 021 788 4136, [email protected]
Where to find it Kalk Bay Harbour, Main Road, Kalk Bay, Cape Town
Book through DinePlan

The Codfather

If a Camps Bay restaurant not only survives but thrives this long without the blessing of a beachfront location, it’s got to be doing something right. Camps Bay’s OG of seafood has been doing things the unconventional way since its inception in 1998. With no menus (you read right), you can be sure that what’s on offer was still swimming a few hours earlier. The sushi conveyor belt is always rammed with locals and tourists, providing a buzzy vibe day and night. Just up the road from the seafront, the upstairs restaurant has glimpses of the ocean over trees and views of Lion’s Head, but it’s the huge selection of seafood you’ll be feasting your eyes on: yellowfin tuna, Norwegian salmon, wild-caught prawns, Mozambican langoustines, deep-sea south coast crayfish, scallops, smoked salmon and salmon roe, kingklip, yellowtail, swordfish, marlin, sea bass, east coast sole and sardines (depending on availability). Get plenty of help in making your decision from knowledgeable and friendly staff (and if you’re on a budget note the prices as your catch is weighed for you – it’s easy to get carried away with the cornucopia of abundance on display).
Good to know Vegetarian sushi is also on offer.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 12pm – 10.30pm
Contact 021 438 0782/3, [email protected]
Where to find it 37 The Drive, Camps Bay, Cape Town
Book through DinePlan

SeaBreeze Fish & Shell

Opened by Scottish restaurateurs, Alex and Ruth Grahame, from Aberdeen back in 2017, SeaBreeze has always celebrated the freshest of the local catch (on the SASSI approved list) with a menu guided by sustainability and seasonality. The heritage building at the top of Bree is relaxed but elegant, and includes the SugarBird Wine Bar, offering a selection of 15 cap classiques by the flute and 40 by the bottle (perfect to pair with the extensive oyster menu), as well as an extensive local wine list. On sunny days sit out on the wide pavement terrace and watch the world go by, while you feast on small plates such as fish tacos, hake ceviche, tempura  king prawns, pickled fish samoosas and sesame prawn toast. Or go for generous mains of line-caught hake and chips, Cape Malay seafood curry or whole-roast fish Asian style, with a cocktail or two for good measure.
Good to know Daily oyster happy hours of half price natural oysters run 12pm – 1pm and 5pm – 6pm. And there is a cocktail happy hour 5pm – 7pm (half price signature cocktails).
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 12pm – 9.30pm
Contact 074 793 9349
Where to find it 213 Bree Street, Cape Town
Enquire Now

You might also be interested in
Our Top Seafood Experiences in Cape Town.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for hot new openings, secret spots and incredible escapes – straight to your inbox every week.