by Travel Writer Sasha Arms

The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is Cape Town’s hub of refined activity – a polished destination enjoying an enviable spot on the water next to Table Bay Harbour, and guarded by Table Mountain nearby. It’s a tourist destination through and through and is apparently the most-visited attraction in South Africa.

The V&A Waterfront is named after Queen Victoria and her second son Alfred, who constructed the harbour in the 1860s. Nowadays, it’s a hive of activity, with bars, restaurants and cafés aplenty; shopping malls and craft markets; museums and cultural hotspots; top-notch hotels; plus the option to take a helicopter ride or boat trip on anything from a catamaran to a Pirate ship.

Eating in the V&A Waterfront

The choice of restaurants at the V&A Waterfront is astounding and you’ll find everything from fast food outlets in the malls and well-known and loved South African chains, to international cuisine served in restaurants ranging from the informal to the slick.

A lot of people rave about 221, which serves exceptional seafood and has an illustrious view from practically every table in the restaurant. British chef Gordon Ramsey has his ‘Maze’ restaurant on Dock Road, which is also known for its seafood, as well as locally sourced fresh produce and game. It also boasts the largest wine collection in South Africa, while the multiple award winning Belthazar Restaurant and Wine Bar is known for the longest wine list in the world. A bit of healthy competition between restaurants maybe?!

Even the more formal restaurants have a fairly relaxed atmosphere, but the Waterfront also has some straightforward alternatives for good, unfussy food in chilled-out surroundings. Emily’s on the water is one of them and its huge outdoor seating area is often packed – always a good sign of a popular restaurant. Track down the seals that can sometimes be found on the concrete landing by the water. Across the way from Emily’s is the popular Paulaner Bräuhaus for German food and beer at its finest, and round the corner is the picturesque Den Anker for delectable Belgian cuisine.

Options for international flavours are absolutely guaranteed at the Waterfront. The Greek Fisherman, Jewel of India and Wang Thai are all noteworthy restaurants, and it’s obvious what food you’ll get when there. Meloncino is an emerging favourite among locals and visitors alike – the trendy Italian eatery ensures all its food is cooked by Italian chefs. Tasca de Belem serves Portuguese and Turkish food, while Baia serves up seafood with a Portuguese influence. The Conservatory has tapas and sushi on offer.

If you’re looking for more locally-inspired food, then Rooti’s Cape Malay restaurant has what you’re looking for. Ocean Basket is a chain restaurant, but is well-loved by South Africans and serves really flavoursome seafood. The Green Dolphin also makes for an atmospheric evening out – they have live jazz playing every night.

When eating out anywhere in Cape Town, and across the country in fact, remember to leave a tip. Waiting staffs’ wages are shockingly low in South Africa by most international visitors’ standards and you almost always get genuine service with a smile. Leaving a reasonable tip (at least 10-15%) will go a long way. 

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Drinking at the V&A Waterfront

Like most of the restaurants on the V&A Waterfront, the drinking scene ranges from the sleek and sophisticated to the urban and understated. It’s worth remembering that most restaurants effortlessly double as bars too, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to be able to eat and/or drink in either.

Italian-style Alba Lounge his both classy and uncontrived. The bar’s focus is its cocktail list, but it’s also good for other drinks and light snacks, as well as an impressive view. Friday nights celebrate La Bella Vita (the beautiful life) with DJs or special acts playing.

Cape Town has a few atmospheric Cuban and Latin bars and the Buena Vista Social Café is the Waterfront’s addition to the city’s Hispanic portfolio. It has a few memorable events going on throughout the week, including live bands and salsa dancing. People seem to get peckish at some point during the evening, when the social café’s tapas dishes and nachos go down well.

Inside the Cape Grace Hotel is the award-winning Bascule Bar – known for its whisky, wine and cocktails. The bar prides itself on its impressive selection of more than 400 international whiskies, as well as some of the best wines from the Cape, and attracts the well-to-do from the region who enjoy the relative seclusion. The One&Only hotel is also home to Vista bar, which embodies wealth and opulence a little more obviously. The eight metre high window wall perfectly frames the view of Table Mountain beyond.

If you want to get away from the moneyed crowds and just have a simple pint of lager, Mitchell’s Scottish Pub is the place to go. Surprisingly, it has a range of locally brewed beers as well as more internationally recognised ones.

Café culture is very much part of Capetonian life and this is no different at the V&A Waterfront. Combine a spot of people-watching with a coffee at South African favourites such as Vida E Caffe or Mugg & Bean. Love Revenge & Cappuccino, Caffe San Marco and Café @ Portswood are also recommended.

Shopping at the V&A Waterfront

There are more than 450 retail outlets at the V&A Waterfront, found in malls, standalone shops and markets. The two malls on the V&A Waterfront are Alfred Mall and the much larger Victoria Wharf Mall. While they both have a combination of popular, chain shops together with those selling good quality souvenirs and crafts, the malls lack the soul of Africa’s craftsmanship at its best. It's prudent to look at the markets and standalone craft stands before deciding on your favoured options for arts, crafts and souvenirs to take back home.

There are lots of markets and craft stands across Cape Town, including the Waterfront Craft Market and Wellness Centre, the Red Shed Craft Workshop and The Barrow Court in the V&A Waterfront itself.

The Waterfront Craft Market is located in the ‘Blue Shed’ adjacent to the aquarium and has well over a hundred stalls inside. Products on offer range from African cloths and furnishings, beadwork and paper jewellery, woodwork, handmade African clothes and the Ostrich egg lights you see everywhere. The Wellness Centre is a recent addition to the Blue Shed and offers a number of holistic treatments, including the African Vunkuwa massage. It’s not a typical market in the sense that stall-holders have been there for years and prices are more or less fixed.

The Red Shed Craft Workshop is another indoor market, this one felicitously located in the ‘Red Shed’. The products here are a little more unusual and visitors can see craftsmen at work and even order custom-made products. The Siyakatala stall is worth stopping by – it sells products made by groups of people from the townships.

The Barrow Court in Victoria Wharf is an interesting stop – sellers display their wares in barrows and products range from trendy t-shirts, bandannas and animal print socks, to jewellery and ‘name translation gifts’ that explain a name’s origin, meaning and personality-types associated with it.

The African Trading Post is worth stopping at too, for the impressive building as much as the products inside.

Shops are for the most part open from 9am to 9pm, Monday to Saturday and 10am to 9pm on Sundays.

Activities at the V&A Waterfront

There is a lot going on at the Waterfront for those who want to soak up a bit of culture or do something more active than shopping, eating and drinking.

For a bit more history about the harbour itself, the Clock Tower precinct is an interesting place to start. Accessed via the swing bridge that connects the V&A Waterfront across the middle, the gothic-style, red brick clock tower was built in 1882 as the Port Captain’s office. Filled with mirrors, it was designed to ensure the Port Captain could see everything that was going on in the harbour. The Clock Tower precinct is also now home to the ruins of the Chavonne Battery, where guns would be fired to signal that a ship was in trouble on the coast near Cape Town. The cannon battery is one of the oldest structures in Cape Town and was excavated a few years ago.

Another point of cultural and historical interest is Nobel Square, where the four bronze statues designed by Claudette Schreuders stand in tribute to South Africa’s Nobel Peace laureates – FW de Klerk, Albert Luthuli, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. The sound of music from performers drifts across the water every now and again which adds to the atmosphere.

One of a couple of museums located at the Waterfront is the Shimansky Diamond Museum, where visitors can go on a tour through the workshops and showroom to learn about the history of diamonds and the science of diamond cutting. For a more hands-on experience of precious stones, head to Scratch Patch. Visitors are invited to ‘scratch’ their way through piles of polished gemstones that cover the floor and then purchase the ones they want to take home.

The Waterfront is also aptly home to the Iziko Maritime Museum, where objects associated with shipping in Cape Town can be found, alongside the largest model ship collection in the country. Those who enjoy sea life as well as maritime history should make a stop at the Two Oceans Aquarium. Visitors seem to unanimously enjoy the experience, where they see the 3,000 marine species, including seals, turtles which are fed by divers, and ragged-tooth sharks.

Next to the aquarium entrance is the Hop-on hop-off bus ticket office and the start of the bus that takes you on a tour of the city, allowing you to get on and off at designated stops along the way.

Those who want to get away from the Waterfront for a while should book a helicopter experience. There are a number of helicopter operators located there – try The huey helicopter co., NAC Makana Aviation or Sport Aviation. Seeing the Cape from above is an incomparable adventure if it’s within your budget.

Boating from the V&A Waterfront

The V&A Waterfront wouldn’t live up to its name if there wasn’t the opportunity to go on a boat. There are, in fact, several different boat trips to choose from.

A lot of people go to the Waterfront to catch ferries that depart from the Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island every day. This trip is absolutely worth doing, as well as at least one of the other ocean trips on offer.

There’s the choice of embarking cigarette boats, catamarans, yachts, sailing boats, cruise ships, and even the Jolly Roger Pirate Boat. They will either take you on a general trip along the coastline and top points of interest, or do a tailor-made trip to suit your needs. The high speed boat experience is more of a thrilling experience than a sightseeing one, but worthwhile nevertheless.

Staying at the V&A Waterfront

Hotels at the Waterfront are all about comfort and luxury while having a ready-made ‘resort centre’ on the doorstep.

One&only is an internationally-known opulent brand and One&only Cape Town matches the standards of One&only’s hotels across the globe. Cape Grace is a pricey and luxurious hotel, with an individual and understated edge. The Table Bay is also well regarded and their complimentary high tea is apparently not to be missed.

The Waterfront’s namesake Victoria & Alfred Hotel is more traditional than some of the other hotels in the vicinity and makes for a comfortable stay.

The Dock House is a small luxury boutique hotel and a popular choice for those who like an intimate stay close to the activities on offer at the Waterfront.

The Breakwater Lodge was once a 19th century prison and has excellent views over the bay. It’s great for the novelty although some find the rooms a little too cell-like.

The V&A Waterfront isn’t really the place for budget accommodation so it’s better to look elsewhere if you’re travelling on a shoestring. That said, the City Lodge is a small hotel and widely regarded as a good value Waterfront option.

Sasha Arms is a freelance writer, editor and web communications strategist. She has travelled extensively, particularly across South Africa, Europe and the Americas and has contributed to a number of notable publications, including the Lonely Planet Bluelist. Read more about Sasha Arms

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