The market?
Initiated by energetic Swede Madelen Johannson in April last year, this weekly market has gone from strength to strength. Situated at 14 Hope Street, the City Bowl Market is housed in a building constructed as a synagogue in 1926, which then became a Hindu temple, and is now let by a local church. Roughly 50 traders gather here every Saturday from 9am to 2pm, selling a diverse range of tasty treats.

The crowd?
Not as hipster-dominated as you might expect for this central city location. While there are certainly skinny jeans and ironic moustaches around, plenty of young families also make this a regular Saturday morning brunch stop.

Best time to go?
The market is busiest between 10am and 12.30pm, so if you’ve got little ones or intend on doing some serious shopping, it’s best to come early. That said, you won’t need to elbow any hippies, hipsters or hooligans out of the way to get to the stalls.

To eat
?Here for brunch? Kick off with an egg, free-range bacon, bacon jam and tomato croissant from Cure Deli. Wash it down with a juice from Dr Juice or a limonata (traditional preservative-free lemonade) from Cyprus foods and pick up some köftes, dolmades, halloumi bread, and tzatziki while you’re there. Also not to be missed is the South China Noodle Factory – run by the boys from Long Street dim sum spot, South China Dim Sum bar. Their crispy beef and cabbage pot-stickers are superb dipped in dark rice vinegar.

For dessert, hit Le Petit Moo for cheesecake brownies, Saszali chocolates for handmade truffles in innovative flavours such as lavender and cinnamon, or succumb to Nutella worship at The Creperie. Thirsty? Care for Coffee owner David Coleman serves up a different sort of bean every week, giving you a chance to sample beans by Origin or Bean There or another of the Cape’s top artisan coffee roasters. Oh, and upstairs, there’s Darling Brew on tap.

To take home?
Taste rare raw honeys like Buffalo Thorn and white Aloe Davyana from The Honey Connoisseur, order a box of Como empanadas to keep in your freezer, and stock up on veggies at Salad Lover, where you can either have to take home or eat there.

There is antibiotic and hormone-free meat to be had at Cure Deli – choose from the likes of wild boar, chorizo and gluten-free bangers – and traditional artisan breads made with organic, stone-ground flour at Dirk Bakes Bread. Don’t miss the amazing Turkish pesto from Olive Tree Country, in flavours from Thai peanut to roast red pepper and pumpkin seed.

Kids’ stuff?
Leave your kids in the capable hands of Kerry at Bit by Bit Kids Factory, where they can have a go at mosaic or sand art, or have their face painted while you shop.

Seating
?Trestle tables, fashioned out of re-purposed front doors, and straw-filled sacks provide plenty of seating in the centre of the space. If it’s sunny, head out the door on the right facing the stage, and find a spot at the tables made out of old wooden pallets. There’s also seating upstairs in the gallery.

Parking?
While parking bays are hot property during the week on Hope Street, you should find plenty of spots on Saturday mornings. If space is tight, car guards employed by the market will direct you to neighbouring Dunkley Square.

And…?
Dogs are welcome, there’s a free-standing ATM for those without cash, and every fourth Saturday of the month the market swells to 80 traders, with an additional fashion market upstairs.

By Katharine Jacobs