Top 13 Healthy Restaurants in Cape Town!
Being on a diet, detox or health kick doesn’t mean you have to eat nothing but tasteless rabbit food – believe it or not, it is possible to eat clean and dine out in style! We’ve rounded up the best healthy restaurants in Cape Town, including superfood pitstops, vegetarian and vegan restaurants, health-conscious eateries, juicing specialists and more to make your life so much easier the next time you’re looking for a healthy treat. Psst – we’ve also included restaurants that offer plenty of healthy dishes on the menu so you don’t have to ditch your less enlightened friends when you say goodbye to gluttony.
1. Plant Café – Cape Town CBD and Observatory
This vegan eatery isn’t just for non-meat eaters – everyone can find something deliciously meat-free on the menu. Plant is all about ethical eating and they’re hell-bent on only serving the tastiest preservative-free meals. In fact, their food is so good that Plant Café has been rated one of the best vegan restaurants in the world! Some notable items on the menu include the Breakfast Wrap, Vegetable Thai Wraps, and the beyond decadent gluten-free fudge brownies with peanut butter fudge topping.
But wait there’s more – if you can’t be persuaded to leave the office, then they’ll deliver straight to your desk! Click here for more information.
2. Orchard on Long – Cape Town CBD
If it’s a healthy juice kick you’re after then this tiny little CBD juice bar is where you’ll find the best, freshly made juices in town. Pick your juice of choice from the menu and then watch as they grab fresh ingredients from the fruit and veggie boxes within arms reach to make your healthy drink. They also have other healthy snack options and choices if you’re in search of an afternoon nibble. Favourites include Dr. Ozzy’s Lemonade with lemon, organic apple cider vinegar, apple, cayenne pepper and Sunflower Special with sunflower greens, wheatgrass, kale, celery, lemon, apple).
Click here for more information.
3. Tortilla Modern Mexican – Cape Town CBD
We all know that Mexican food is the best thing ever but the tasty grub has a bad reputation for greasy and heavy food. Enter, the patron saints of Mexican food, Cape Town’s Tortilla Modern Mexican. At this joint, they believe in producing healthy, light, Mexican food that is not only delicious but wholesome as well. The ingredients are sourced locally and the dishes are made with fresh ingredients and essential spices imported directly from Mexico. Trust us, you’ve never had Mexican quite like this before! Their burritos are a must try and we love that you can create your own from a choice of proteins, salads, and sauces.
Click here for more information.
4. Nü Health Food Café – various branches around Cape Town
There’s a reason your local Nü Health Food Café is always packed – health conscious Capetonians flock to this hip and funky health food joint for their delicious salads, wraps, sandwiches and smoothies. Whether it’s vegan, vegetarian, carb-conscious, diary-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, or wheat-free, Nü Health Food Café is all about well-balanced, nutritious, and, most importantly delicious food. Some favourites from the menu include the Nutri K multigrain wrap and the Baked Tuna Fish Cakes (gluten-free) served with a side salad. Their guilt-free frozen yoghurt imported from Italy, is also a must-try! It’s low in fat and sugar, free from artificial colour and flavour, and rich in calcium and live yoghurt cultures.
Click here for more information and to find a Nü Health Food Café near you
5. Pure Good – Gardens, Cape Town
The brainchild of Masterchef South Africa contestant, Shannon Smuts, Pure Good is the go-to spot for healthy eats. At this unique spot, you won’t be charged an arm and a leg for a slice of gluten-free toast, a salad, or raw juice. This popular lunchtime hangout caters for office workers looking for an affordable but wholesome lunch on a daily basis and boy do they deliver. With everything from wholewheat-herbed wraps, salads, smoothies, and raw juices on the menu there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, a carnivore, or just fussy, they’ll make a plan for you here.
Click here for more information.
6. Sababa – Sea Point
This Mediterranean staple offers Cape Townians a little bit of spice in their lives. They offer a wide range of hearty and healthy specials for lunch each day. Their family-style meals are also super popular and it’s easy to see why this joint is such a popular spot for those looking for real food made with the best, fresh ingredients. The daily lunch table includes delights such as Chilli and Lemon Chicken Pieces; Lamb and Lentil Curry; Butternut and Sweet Potato Bake; Aubergine, Tahina and Roast Mushrooms, to name a few.
Click here for more information.
7. Café Frank – Cape Town CBD
This inner-city spot offers health-conscious eaters a wide range of interesting salads and freshly squeezed juices for those days when you can’t be bothered to make your own lunch. The café promises food that is free from preservatives and artificial flavourings. The menu at Café Frank changes on a daily basis to ensure that everything on the menu is fresh and unique. Popular menu items include the Roast Sirloin with artichokes, pecorino and bitter leaves and the Beetroot Salad with pear, feta, mint and sunflower seeds. Wash it all down with a deliciously refreshing fresh carrot, apple, summer fruits juice.
Click here for more information.
8. The Cooked Sisters – Woodstock
This little health eatery strives to create wholesome dishes that are both healthy and yummy to the max. From vegan and vegetarian dishes to protein loaded treats, there’s loads to discover on their menu. At The Cooked Sisters it’s all about homemade, organic and authentic food that tastes like your mamma made it. Try the gluten-free, sugar-free Vegetarian Lasagne made with Hymalayan crystal salt, and non-radiated spices or the Free Range Roast Chicken with sweet potato, beetroot plum relish, cauliflower Cous Cous and Asian side salad.
Click here for more information.
9. Sexy Food – City Bowl
For the tastiest healthy grub on Bree Street head to the recently opened Sexy Food restaurant. The eatery made a name for itself at the Hout Bay Harbour Market and it wasn’t long before they realised that there was a desperate need for them to open a proper restaurant. The eatery specialises in unique eats like alive bowls, probiotics, kimchi, kefir, kombucha and cold-drip tea juices. Try their organic offerings such as kimchi-and-leek brown rice, raw spiced falafels with cabbage and preserved lemons, or one of their fresh smoothie bowls.
Click here for moe information.
10. Food Fitness Factory – Salt River
If you’re serious about your health and fitness then you need to pop into Food Fitness Factory. The eatery offers healthy lifestyle meals and exclusive membership meals for those who want to make eating healthy as simple as possible. At Food Fitness Factory it’s all about gourmet food made the healthy way – everything is made with the freshest seasonal ingredients and even the meat is of the lean, free range variety. If you’re on a specialised diet then this spot has something for you and you can even pre-order meals for daily delivery or collection – members get personalised service and can sit down with the team to build a meal plan around your fitness goals, allergies, dietary plan or even around your likes and dislikes. Of course, they also cater to walk-in customers looking for a healthy bite. Try the Breakfast Salmon Stack or the Cajun Chicken Salad.
Click here for more information.
11. Rootbar – Newlands
It’s no secret that eating more fruits and vegetables in our diet is super good for you. But, with our hectic schedules and demanding lives, it can be easy to forget the basics. At Rootbar getting your five a day has never been easier – simply pop in and order a delicious juice or five and let the detox begin. At Rootbar the juices are made with fresh, organic fruit so you can be sure you’re only putting the best into your body. Try the Sweet Green with pineapple, apple, kale, spinach, lemon, ginger, and mint or the Deep Rooted with apple, celery, beetroot and ginger.
Click here for more information.
12. Pulp Kitchen and Deli – Gardens and Tygervalley
Pulp Kitchen & Deli invites you in with a warm smile and encourages you to enjoy a tasty, healthy meal while watching the world go by. This spot caters for all dietary requirements including gluten-free, sugar-free, wheat-free, low-carb and more. The eatery sources most of their produce from local suppliers and they use as many organic and free-range products as possible. We love that the herbs you see on your plate are restaurant grown in their own garden and the burger patties are made on site and are gluten-free! Try the Granola Breakfast Sunday or the Open-toasted Rye.
Click here for more information.
13. Raw and Roxy
After much success in Woodstock, Raw and Roxy have moved their delicious eatery to Bree Street. Every plate served at this unique restaurant celebrates raw food in every way and is loaded with colour and flavour. The raw food diet is all about making sure that you get as many nutrients from your fruits and veggies as possible and this vegan café does this by offering food in its purest, and most delicious, form.
Click here for more information.
Other healthy food spots include:
- Dear Me – Cape Town CBD
- The General Store – Cape Town City Bowl
- Thai Cafe – various branches
- Hungry Herbivore – Cape Town City Bowl
- Loco Lounge – Harfield Village, Claremont
- Mango Ginger – Observatory
- One Juice – Sea Point
- Green Beans Cafe – Westlake Lifestyle Centre, Tokai
- Breakaway Cafe – De Waterkant
- Evolution Cafe Experience – Cape Town City Bowl
** Last updated 16 January 2017**