Kloof Street House

Kloof Street House occupies a Victorian house near the lower end of Kloof Street in Gardens, one of the city's liveliest streets for eating and drinking. The restaurant describes the house as both enigmatic and intimate, and the interiors are richly decorated, with a series of rooms that each have their own character and a garden for outdoor tables in warm weather.

The food is brasserie-style, with a broad menu that suits anything from a light lunch to a full dinner. The restaurant says that all of its meat is free-range, grass-fed and responsibly sourced, which is a selling point for many diners. The bar is known for its cocktails, and many people come for a drink before dinner or stay on afterwards.

One of the restaurant's advantages is its long hours. It opens from 11:00 on Mondays and from 10:00 from Tuesday to Sunday, stays open until late, and the kitchen serves until midnight. That makes it a useful choice for a late lunch, an early evening drink or a late dinner after a show or a sunset on Signal Hill.

Booking is recommended for evenings and weekends, and you can reserve through the website's reservations page, by phone or on WhatsApp. Ask for a table in the garden on warm nights, or one of the cosier inside rooms in winter. It suits couples, groups of friends and visitors looking for a lively, atmospheric evening, and it can be busy and loud at peak times.

Kloof Street is lined with restaurants, bars and cafés, so it is easy to continue the night on foot nearby. The house is a short taxi ride from the city centre, the Bo-Kaap and the Atlantic Seaboard. Use a taxi or ride-hailing service late at night.

Kloof Street itself is worth exploring in daylight. Between the restaurants and bars are boutiques, delis and cafés, and the street climbs gently towards Kloof Nek, the gateway to Camps Bay, Lion's Head and the Table Mountain cableway. A daytime meal here combines easily with a morning on the mountain or a hike up Lion's Head, followed by a relaxed late lunch in the garden.