These restaurants with spectacular views show why locals and tourists alike are spoilt for choice when it comes to eating out in the Mother City in summer.

Azure Restaurant (Camps Bay)

An institution of Cape Town, The Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa, where this restaurant is located, is a veritable five-star hospitality experience. Dining on the terrace with unimpeded views of the Atlantic Ocean makes moments here all the more magical. The Journey Through the Cape menu, which profiles flavours of the Cape such as duck, yellowfish tuna, lamb and gingerbread in fine-dining format, comes highly recommended.

Bobo’s Brasserie (Mouille Point)

New-kid-on-the-block Bobo’s arguably has one of the best views of Mouille Point Beach, where the remains of the shipwrecked RMS Athens can still be seen sticking out of the sea more than a century after it ran aground. History aside, this is an exceptionally stylish local bistro with an extensive wine list and unfussy meals that make it an ideal watering hole for any day of the week. Be sure to sample their pot-steamed mussels, swordfish rigatoni and spiced apple crumble served with cinnamon ice cream from their summer menu.

The views at Bobo’s Brasserie. Photo by Claire Gunn.

Cape to Cuba Restaurant (Kalk Bay)

Enjoy Havana nights in a fishing village with Cuban- and Spanish-inspired dishes and cocktails at this quirky family-owned restaurant that’s also a popular party venue. Located on the coast of False Bay, the restaurant has magnificent sea views with the option to dine in a sandy-floored cocktail bar too. The fare comprises good, solid seafood and fast food like burgers, ribs, pastas and tapas. Try the signature Cape to Cuba cocktail – made with three-year-old Havana Club añejo, gin, peach schnapps, fresh pineapple juice and blue curacao.

Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia (Constantia)

Casual fine dining in a spectacular space that overlooks the Constantia Valley is the order of the day. For chef Ivor Jones and his team, who cook meals in the stylish open kitchen, it’s about combining unusual flavours with locally grown ingredients to produce memorable plates. The yellowtail sashimi, for example – served chilled with freshly ground coconut, barbecued South East Asian dressing, pickled galangal and mustard, crispy curry leaves, ginger, and chilli – is perfection on a plate. Paired with Beau Constantia wine, the vines of which you can see from the restaurant, a meal here is memorable.

Chefs Warehouse at Tintswalo Atlantic (Hout Bay)

Liam Tomlin’s newest venture sees chef Braam Beyers head up the kitchen. The views are untouched and utterly breathtaking. Even on moody days, the dramatic ocean will have you completely transfixed. As for the food, look forward to Tomlin’s famed tapas-for-two concept with seasonal ingredients that are exquisitely plated.

The views from Chefs Warehouse at Tintswalo Atlantic. Photo supplied.

FYN Restaurant (City Bowl)

This internationally acclaimed contemporary fine-dining restaurant on the top floor of Speakers’ Corner in Parliament Street is the kind of space that perfectly showcases the beauty of Cape Town’s cityscape together with ingenious interior design. Featuring hanging wooden disc-shaped installations, the double-volume space feels both cutting-edge and cosy. And with the award-winning chef Peter Tempelhoff at work in an open kitchen just below the dining area with his team, it also feels comfortable and intimate. Consistent with their values of only preparing food of the finest quality and sourced from top producers, the summer menu is something to look forward to. Try out the summer plant menu. Featuring seasonal dishes such as Oudtshoorn ostrich egg custard with shiitake mushrooms and truffle kaeshi and amasi-and-coconut ice cream, served with rooibos espresso, spring blueberries and a salted caramel almond bun, it’s an extraordinary potpourri of flavours.

The interior at FYN Restaurant located in the Cape Town City Centre. Photo supplied.

Grand Africa Café (Granger Bay)

It has its own private beach and offers jaw-dropping views of the Atlantic Ocean, Robben Island, Table Mountain and Signal Hill. No wonder it’s one of the city’s most popular destination restaurants. An ideal spot to watch the sun set while sipping cocktails on the beach, it’s also popular for its pizzas. Try the Grand Seafood pizza, with prawns, mussels, salmon and mozzarella. Seafood, sushi, pasta, steak and salads are also on the list. You can also enjoy a drink from one of the various bars on offer – each with their own signature drinks – and sway to live music as the sun sets.

Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort (Constantia)

As the name suggests, this restaurant is housed in a building that looks like a greenhouse in the lush Constantia Valley. Which means not only is a light-filled glass delight, but every patron seated inside can view the hotel’s manicured gardens and pool as well as the surrounding mountains too. Using premium ingredients, the focus is on unique dishes that put South African flavours on full display. Think dry-aged chicken, bacon jam, burnt onions, sherry gel, shiitake and ginger latte arranged exquisitely on a tasting plate for example. Or a tartare served with rooibos dashi, lime-compressed apples and squid ink rice cracker. Book a table on the topiary-surrounded terrace for sundowners in summer.

The Granary Café at The Silo Hotel (V&A Waterfront)

Set to reopen in the beginning of December, this is a perfect setting to take in the views of all the natural beauty the city has to offer – the Atlantic Ocean, the V&A Waterfront, the surrounding picturesque hills and Table Mountain. From the Silo Hotel’s sixth-floor restaurant, you can see it all through the Granary’s 5.5m-high pillowed glass windows while seated in plush and comfortable jewel-toned furnishings. The Granary classics of Cape seafood curry, steak tartare and prawn chilli pasta are well worth looking forward to, as is the Sunday roast, which comes highly recommended.

The Lawns at The Roundhouse

Slightly less formal than neighbouring Salsify, this is a picturesque outdoor dining spot for a languid day spent in the gardens of this spectacular piece of architecture set on the mountainside of Table Mountain National Park. Enjoy a meaty pizza, vegan Beyond Meat burger, Thai chicken curry or pork ribs with a refreshing cocktail while taking in the views of the ocean and Twelve Apostles mountain peaks. There are three lawns, with the Cabana lawn being the most private. Book a canvas cabana and picnic basket for a small, intimate physically distanced outing.

Harbour House (Kalk Bay)

Set on Kalk Bay harbour’s quayside, this restaurant is a fine-dining experience with an emphasis on elegant, minimalist décor complemented by floor-to-ceiling glass panels for unobstructed seascapes, and a fuss-free scrumptious menu comprising mainly seafood dishes. Sushi and Mediterranean-inspired dishes are also very good options. Try the grilled crayfish, which comes with a garlic aioli, or their seafood pasta – handmade pappardelle with calamari, mussels, prawns and linefish in a creamy Parmesan sauce. The fact that you can see and smell the sea as you eat only enhances the experience.

The view at Harbour House Kalk Bay

La Colombe (Constantia)

One of the country’s foremost fine-dining restaurants, this restaurant is a culinary experience bar none and has the awards to prove it, including the Eat Out Best SA Restaurant 2019 title. The lush setting above the Constantia wine valley only enhances the unique experience in the converted treehouse on stilts that’s surrounded by tall trees and boasts views of the Silvermist Wine Estate and surrounding mountains. The meal can set you back a couple of a thousand but is something to write home about. The signature marinated raw tuna La Colombe, which is part of the chef’s menu, remains the stuff of legend.

On the Rocks (Bloubergstrand)

When dining at the West Coast restaurant, patrons are also treated to views of Table Mountain and Robben Island while taking in the sea vista. This restaurant is literally on the rocks of Blouberg beach and has tastefully decorated interiors that give it a crisp, cool and overall calming effect. From Cape Malay curry, rack of lamb and seafood to dry-aged beef fillet and freshly baked rooibos-infused crème brûlée, the plating is always perfection. Try the grilled kudu fillet, served with olive oil mash, wild mushrooms and bacon jus, a chef’s specialty dish.

The Pot Luck Club (Woodstock)

The top-floor setting of this chic restaurant in a silo complex of the trendy Old Biscuit Mill is perfect for taking in hip Woodstock and Devil’s Peak as well as glimpses of Table Bay’s docks. With an emphasis on sharing plates, the tapas-style meals are sophisticated and unassuming. Think fish sliders, crispy calamari served with curry aioli, tamarind jam, turmeric and cashew XO, or coal-seared trout with kohlrabi kimchi, guacamole and broad bean with apple-and-dill emulsion. An open kitchen together with studio lighting in the restaurant makes the modern industrial space intimate. Don’t leave without trying one of their cocktails using house-made purée and syrups.

The exterior of The Pot Luck Club in Woodstock. Photo by Michael Le Grange.

The Skotnes (Tokai)

Set in a sculpture garden in the Steenberg wetlands, this restaurant is perfectly positioned to treat the eye of the visitor to all the best views Tokai has to offer: vineyards, the Constantiaberg mountains and the Steenberg forest. Named after South African artist, Cecil Skotne, The Skotnes reflects the creativity of its namesake and the world-class Norval Foundation art museum where it’s based. Enjoy South African dishes like bobotie and braaibroodjies while taking in the surrounding art and installations on the walls inside and the Sculpture Garden outside.

Salsify at The Roundhouse (Camps Bay)

The location of chefs Luke Dale-Roberts and Ryan Cole’s Salsify at The Roundhouse affords patrons spectacular views of Lion’s Head and the ocean below the heritage building. Inside Salsify are two dining rooms, the Leather Lounge with a cosy fireplace and the Sea Room, which has a lighter, more modern feel. The sumptuous interiors set the backdrop for a fine-dining culinary experience that makes a seat in Salsify one of the most enviable things to have. Foraged ingredients feature prominently in dishes whether you order à la carte or from the tasting menu. Their octopus comes highly recommended. Book in advance for Sunday lunch.

Did we miss your favorite restaurant with a breathtaking view in Cape Town? Let us know in the comments section below.