Cape Town has been at the forefront of the raw food and organic, plant-based lifestyle trends for some time already, and right now, it is easier than ever to find a vegan-friendly eatery in the city!
November 1st marks World Vegan Day, and to celebrate, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best vegan restaurants to visit in Cape Town.
With a number of health-focused and conscious-eating restaurants popping up all over the mother city, you are sure to find the plant-based, cruelty-free dish you are craving at one of these eateries. If you’re looking for a superfood smoothie bowl, a creamy cashew nut pasta, or even a gourmet vegan burger, this list will guide you to the meat-free dish your heart desires!
Lekker Vegan
The home of gourmet, meat free, dairy free and cruelty-free junk food! Open until the early hours of the morning, Lekker Vegan is a popular eatery that brings in plenty of non-vegan patrons looking four nourishing and delicious food.
Lekker Vegan’s menu includes scrumptious gourmet burgers, gatsbys and nuggets that are so tasty, you won’t want to share. The vegan eatery showcases how vegan food can also be delicious take-out dishes, perfect for eating at any time of the day or night.
The food at Lekker Vegan is 100% cruelty-free! The “meat” products are made from soy and wheat protein, and contain no genetically-modified ingredients. The new lunch options include the Bunini Toastie, a panini-style toasted burger bun stuffed with vegan goods.
Lekker Vegan: Location | Website | Instagram
Opening Times:
- Monday to Thursday: 12 PM – 10 PM
- Friday: 12 PM – 3 AM
- Saturday: 1 PM – 3 AM
- Sunday: 3 PM – 10 PM
Plant Cafe
Established in 2013, Plant was one of the first gourmet vegan restaurants to enter into the Cape Town food scene. This eatery’s vision is to educate people on the health and environmental benefits of eating a plant-based diet, as well as to promote a more compassionate lifestyle by making plant-based options more readily available.
Plant provides a space for vegans and those with food allergies and intolerances to nutritious food without any harmful ingredients or preservatives. While you’re there, you can also stock up on supplies like milk alternatives and vegan baking ingredients.
Plant Cafe: Location | Website | Instagram
Opening Times:
- Monday to Saturday: 8 AM – 10 PM (kitchen closed between 3.30 PM – 6 PM)
Raw and Roxy
Raw and Roxy is a specialist vegan gourmet restaurant in the buzzing neighbourhood of Woodstock. The chef at this organic cafe gives popular dishes a gourmet twist, offering breakfast dishes such as granola with coconut, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, stripped zucchini pasta with a creamy cashew nut sauce and plenty more delicious dining options. All of the meals at Raw and Roxy are prepared with zero animal and dairy products.
Raw and Roxy: Location | Website | Instagram
Opening times:
- Monday to Friday: 10 AM – 6 PM
- Saturday: 10 AM – 4 PM
Nourish’d Café and Juicery
Nourish’d Café and Juicery is a health foodie’s paradise. Two locations, one in Town, the other in Observatory, customers can expect decadent smoothies, cold-pressed juices, smoothie bowls, sandwiches and rainbow bowls, all made from fresh and flavorful ingredients.
The simple menu reflects the mantra that health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. This vegetarian/vegan-friendly sanctuary offers visitors a seasonal menu with local ingredients that will keep the body Nourish’d. Whether you’re strolling in from the beach or bringing along one of your furry friends, everyone is welcome to Nourish’d café.
Nourish’d Café & Juicery: Kloof Street Location, Observatory Location | Website | Instagram
Opening Times:
- Monday to Friday: 7 AM – 6.30 PM
- Saturday: 8 AM – 2 PM
Scheckter’s Raw
One of Cape Town’s most famous health food restaurants Scheckter’s RAW Gourmet Health Food offers a menu filled to the brim with plant-based healing foods that are packed with nutrients and love.
The popular eatery on Sea Point’s Regent Road is a vibey space which strives to share natural, authentic, plant-based, cruelty-free and beautifully presented healthy and healing food. The ingredients are sourced from the best local and international suppliers, who all share the same values as the eatery itself.
The epic Super Bowls are a must try! Wash it all down with a cold-pressed juice or a refreshing bottle of kombucha.
Scheckter’s RAW: Location | Website | Instagram
Opening times:
- Tuesday to Saturday: 8 AM – 8.30 PM
- Sunday to Monday: 8 AM – 4 PM
Masala Dosa
Situated in the heart of Long Street, this southern Indian eatery offers dishes that are exotic, healthy and bursting with flavour. With a fully dedicated vegan menu, Masala Dosa merges plant-based eating with the spicy flavours of Eastern cuisine. The delectable vegan-friendly dishes include ingredients such as rice, potatoes, lentils, coconut chutney, curry leaves and rotis.
The restaurant is not only health conscious, but environmentally conscious too! Masala Dosa is big on recycling, and they offer biodegradable packaging for take away containers!
Masala Dosa: Location | Website
Opening times:
- Monday to Saturday: 12 PM – 10.30 PM
- Closed Sundays
Honest Chocolate
A vegan’s chocolate fantasies come true at this charming cafe in Wale Street. Honest Chocolate sells raw cacao treats as well as a selection of vegan cakes, pastries, tarts and of course, chocolate!
All of the chocolate slabs and truffles are 100% vegan, and 60% of the chocolate baked goods are vegan too. Honest Chocolate uses ethically sourced, unroasted cacao beans which are high in antioxidant levels. A far better alternative than regular chocolate, even for non-vegans, all of the chocolate is free from dairy, preservatives and artificial flavouring!
Honest Chocolate: Location | Website | Instagram
Opening times:
- Monday to Thursday: 9 AM – 6 PM
- Sunday: 9 AM – 6 PM
Spirit Cafe
Not an explicitly vegan restaurant, Spirit Cafe is another popular healthy food restaurant offering creative, seasonally driven dishes made with farm-fresh ingredients. Boasting a menu of healthy, delicious food, Spirit Cafe’s menu is not fussy or complicated and the dishes stay close to the source as possible and work with seasonal availability.
Spirit Cafe has two locations, one in Gardens, the other in the quiet suburb of Constantia.
Spirit Cafe: Constantia Location, Gardens Location | Website | Instagram
Opening Times:
- Monday to Friday: 7:30 AM – 4:30 PM
- Saturday: 8:30 AM – 2 PM
If you’re closer to the southern suburbs, you can also try these vegetarian and vegan-friendly eateries in the area.
- Babylon Theatre Cafe
- Rootbar
- Maharajah Vegetarian Restaurant
- Govinda’s Pure Vegetarian Cafe
- O’ways Cafe
Image: Brooke Lark via Unsplash