Restaurants come and go in Cape Town, as one closes another pops up somewhere. But as winter arrives each year, there is a flurry of closures as many places were just holding on for the summer. Below is a list of recent and impending closures and the reasons I have heard for the closures. I may be misinformed, so please don’t take what I say as the absolute truth.
Blonde was the third restaurant of the Caviar group, the fine dining sister of Beluga and Sevruga. It closed recently as it was not profitable enough to justify the time and effort it required.
Cheyne’s, a private dining restaurant in Bree street also closed recently due to a lack of support.
Jardine, further up Bree Street also closed recently. As one of SA’s top ten restaurants it will be missed. But the bakery below has expanded and become Jason’s.
It’s not only fine dining that is struggling. I noticed that Adega in Glengariff Road, Seapoint has been closed for a while. It came and went without much fanfare.
The Wooden Shoe, a steakhouse in Seapoint which has been there for a very, very long time closed a few weeks ago due to the passing away of the owner.
Kink in Park Road was a club, bar and restaurant which was quite popular for a while. It also closed a few weeks ago.
There are many closing at the end of April. One of them is Sand Bar which has apparently had a rent increase significant enough that the business is no longer viable.
Wild Woods in Hout Bay is closing at the end of April, also due to lacklustre support I believe.
The Green Dolphin which has been in the Waterfront since the early days and is the only venue in Cape Town offering live jazz seven nights a week, is closing at the end of April. I think we will see more restaurants in the Waterfront closing as their leases come up for renewal now.
Tequila Town in Buitengracht Street was a pop up bar for the World Cup that decided to stick around but is now closing as their lease has come to an end (or so I hear).
91 is a club in Claremont, also closing at the end of April.
And to many people’s disappointment, the Boer and Brit at the Alphen hotel is also closing soon. I heard that the whole hotel is actually closing and will be turned into offices.
There may be more closures which I don’t know about or have omitted, feel free to mention them in the comments below.
Comments
12 responses to “Cape Town Restaurant Closures”
Jay Cees which was Jacqui Daya in Newlands has closed down. Was a really great spot with free wire-less. Looking for a new spot in that area if anyone has any suggestions!!
Mezzaluna in Loop St has also closed.
I have heard that Beulah bar in Greenpoint is also closing, with a few other the other gay bars too I think.
Scarecrows in Hout Bay has closed too…
but on a good note: Massimo’s is now open!
Quench in Obz closed, and although it wasn’t excellent and the quality and service was really inconsistent, it was one more resource for vegetarians. However, this trend is often a good thing. I think that restaurants need to realise that the quality of their service and creativity of their menu needs to hold people’s attention in this gastro-frantic town. And as a vegetarian, if I have to eat butternut and roast veg one more time, I’m going to stay home. In my opinion, the chefs that really love to cook for everyone will win in the end. But, I will also miss Jardine’s.
Karma lounge in Camps Bay has closed down, as has the Happy Kitchen Korean restaurant in Seapoint.
There are so many restaurant closing down and yet service levels are non-existant in this industry. Couple that with rocketing prices and no wonder people loathe to eat out nowdays.
the industry has been affected by drinking laws, sin taxes, smoking laws, minimum wage and maximum work hours etc. to pay the vat (which the customer does not see as an addition to price) and all other forms of taxes as well as card commissions to the banks is near impossible. what one is left with is places that do not pay all the direct and indirect taxes, franchises that have buying power and economies of scale and can negotiate good leases, eg famous brand stable places like m&b, steers, Tasha’s etc, hotel restaurants and promotional restaurants like wine farm restaurants.
local restaurants do not offer tourists much anymore either. meat is expensive (rand much too strong and a steak costs close to what it does in the uk – used t obe a third of the price). fish is boring and shellfish is insipid – all the best stuff goes overseas all other places have salmon, yellowtale, grunter and little else. via monopolistic fishing industry. you cant find lekker kreef anywhere except where the places are breaking thelaw to get it to you – some places in CT and waterfront still do.
in France, Eng, Germany the vat rate for restaurants has been reduced significantly to help the industry.
Mezzaluna in Loop st also closed recently- in its place, “TOP” is said to open 1 June. Sort of an Easter style restaurant?…
Um, eastern style- (blush)
Adelphi in SeaPoint has also closed its doors
Cafe Max has closed, but still available for functions (day or night).