Fast Facts

Restaurant Name: Zama Restaurant and Prohibition Bar

Address: 100 Shortmarket St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town

Contact Number: 021 7456654

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday: 12pm to 11pm | Friday to Saturday: 11am to 11pm

Average price of a main course: R245 | light bites – R130

Parking Situation: Both street parking and secure parking available

Food Type: Mozambican and Middle Eastern fusion

Best for: Casual gatherings with friends and family

Nestled away in the middle of Our Local at Heritage Square, Zama Restaurant and Prohibition Bar offers a cosy fireside dining experience with a fusion-style menu with both Mozambique and Middle Eastern influences and an impressive selection of cocktails.

Food

After enjoying some complimentary olives, the flatbread board combo was seemingly endless! House-made smoky baba ganoush, creamy chickpea hummus and a charred red pepper and walnut pesto served with buttery toasted flatbreads made for a wholesome starter.

 

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To finish off the dippable starters, the smoked cauliflower served with a pistachio yoghurt and basturma spice dip also went down a treat. The dip offered a wonderfully fresh and delicately flavoursome note to complement the smoky cauli bites.

For mains, the grilled calamari, an assortment of calamari tubes and tentacles, was prepared in the house Mozambique style. With hints of smoked paprika, the house Mozambique-style calamari wasn’t overly spicy and was perfectly tender.

Whenever there is a prego roll on the menu, it simply must be ordered no matter what! Served simply without any fuss or frills, the home-baked Portuguese bun was fresh, the steak, marinated and flash fried in olive oil, garlic and white wine, was tender, and the hand-cut chips were crisp.

Zama’s version however differs somewhat from what you might expect from a characteristically sauced-up peri-peri version, but it was none the less delicious and very well received!

 

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Another classic menu item that did not disappoint was the Portuguese steak. A rump steak topped with a tomato and chorizo relish and a fried egg, served alongside hand-cut chips, was all things meaty. The only criticism of this dish is that it would have been nice to have the egg fried to order, as a runny yolk would have really added to the overall steak-and-egg experience!

The dessert options deviated somewhat from the Mozambican and Middle Eastern aesthetic, but housed all the comfort classics like bread pudding with a dolce de leche chocolate and mascarpone, tiramisu, and chocolate brownie served with ice cream and butterscotch sauce.

Overall, the food is hearty and plentiful as the main portion sizes are rather generous.

Drinks

Zama’s dining area is housed adjacent to the fully stocked bar, which means you should start your dinner experience with a house-made cocktail or two. From all the classic cocktails to a strawberry negroni or a black daiquiri, the drinks options are ample.

 

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If you’re a vodka lover, or just in the mood for a cheeky unique shot or palate cleanser between courses, be sure to order a Żubrówka. The Polish-style Bison Grass-flavoured vodka is served chilled alongside a pickle and is unique and surprisingly smooth, with notes of vanilla.

Service

Although it was a rather quiet night out in Cape Town, the service was friendly and welcoming.

Ambience

The booth-style seating was comfortable, and the fire added a lovely ambience to the otherwise dreary evening in Cape Town. The vibrantly decorated hide-away spot promises to be a great escape from a cold rainy winter’s night in the heart of Cape Town.

 

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Eat Out critics dine unannounced and pay for their meals in full. Read our full editorial policy here.