Olympia Café

Olympia Café is a Kalk Bay institution, a bakery and deli restaurant on the corner of Main Road and Windsor Road, a few steps from the harbour and the False Bay shoreline. It has long been a favourite with locals and with visitors driving along the peninsula, and the combination of fresh baking and a casual, unpretentious dining room is the reason people keep coming back.

The operation has two parts. The bakery shop opens early, from 06:30 until 19:00, selling bread, pastries and other baked goods, and it is a good place to pick up supplies for a picnic or a drive towards Cape Point. The deli restaurant opens from 07:00 until 22:00, with last kitchen orders at 21:00, and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner from a menu that changes daily and is shown on the website as today's menu.

Because the menu changes, it is best approached with an open mind. Expect relaxed cooking that suits a seaside village, with breakfasts in the morning and a fuller menu for lunch and dinner, supported by the bakery's own bread. Orders for collection can be placed by phone, which is useful if you want something to take to the beach or back to your accommodation.

Olympia is popular, and weekend mornings in particular can bring queues for both the bakery and a table. Arrive early or come on a weekday for a calmer visit. The space is informal and lively, and it suits families, couples and walkers stopping for a break.

Kalk Bay is a charming fishing village on the Southern Line railway, about 30 to 40 minutes from the city centre by car or train, and Kalk Bay station is a short walk away. Combine a visit with a stroll around the harbour, where fishing boats unload and seals gather, and along Main Road, with its antique shops, galleries and bookshops. Muizenberg's surf beach is a few minutes north, and Boulders Beach and Cape Point lie further south.

Parking along Kalk Bay's Main Road is often tight, particularly at weekends and in summer, so arriving by train is a relaxing alternative and gives views of False Bay along the way. If you are driving, allow time to find a space in the side streets or near the harbour.