Bree Street in the Cape Town city centre has become the most talked about restaurant street, with 20 new restaurants and bars (marked with an asterisk) having opened since we last compiled a similar list in January 2015!

We have compiled a list of the 40 restaurants and bars (up from 26 in January 2015) on Bree Street below, updated on 21 March, now having overtaken Kloof Street, which has about four restaurants less. The Bree Street restaurants generally are of a higher standard, with no franchised restaurant outlets on Bree Street, unlike Kloof Street.  We have started our Bree Street restaurant list from the Table Mountain side, moving down towards the harbour, the FNB Portside building being the bottom boundary:

#   Sexy Food*, 190 Bree Street. Health food café. Monday – Friday 9h00 – 17h00, Saturday 9h00 – 14h00.  Tel (021) 422-5445.

#   Crust Café, 243 Bree Street, Breakfast, Lunch, and coffee, some take-away.  Monday – Friday 7h30 – 15h30. Tel (021) 422-2222.

#   Sababa Kitchen & Deli, 231 Bree Street, a small Mediterranean and Middle Eastern take-away as well as sit-down restaurant with freshly prepared foods daily. Monday to Friday 7h00 – 16h00, Falafel on Thursdays 18h00 – 21h00.  Tel (021) 424-7480.

#.  Orphanage Cocktail Emporium, 227 Bree Street, Monday – Saturday evening.  Tel (021) 424-2004

#   Little Saint*, 223 Bree Street. Varied menu, sourcing fresh and local ingredients, farm to table.  Monday – Saturday 8h00 – 16h00, Dinner Thursday – Saturday.  Cell 071 696 4269.

#   Door 221*, 221 Bree Street. Tacos, and chalkboard menu.  Tuesday – Saturday 16ho0 – 2h00. Cell 082 770 3366.

#   Mother’s Ruin Gin Bar, 219 Bree Street, offering 75 or more different gins and a number of local and imported tonic waters.  Very rustic interior. Spanish and Italian charcuterie platters offered at R115, and R95 for a South African cheese platter.  Monday – Saturday from 16h00.  Cell 0824552223.

#   Bacon on Bree*, 217 Bree Street. Croissants, sandwiches, and baguettes all with bacon, and take-away Richard Bosman charcuterie products to buy too. Monday – Friday 7h00 – 17h00, Saturday 8h00 – 14h00. Tel (02) 422-2798

#   Culture Club Cheese*, 215 Bree Street, with more than 100 cheeses sold. Good menu which is not just cheese-based. Tuesday – Friday 8h00 – 17h00, Saturday 9h00 – 16h00.  Cell 072 428 9572

#.  Palma, 213 Bree Street, Mama Palma Carluzzo is the chef and son Roberto the GM, from Portofino.  Full a la carte menu, chic interior, seating on the pavement too. Monday – Saturday dinner from 18h00, Lunch Monday and Friday.  Tel (021) 422-0948

#   Nunnery*, 207 Bree Street. part bar, part brothel! Cell 061 903 2172

#.  The Odyssey Gastropub, 199 Bree Street,  Gastro Pub. Monday – Friday 12h00 – late. Saturday 16h00 – late. Tel (021) 422-4084.

#.  Jason,  185 Bree Street. Breakfast and Lunch. Pies, sandwiches, croissants, and breads. Monday – Friday 7h00 – 15h30.  Saturday 8h00 – 14h00.  Tel (021) 424-5644

#   Café Frank, 160 Bree Street.  Best known for its roast chicken. Coffee Shop, buffet, sandwiches, salads, and small deli selection. Monday – Thursday 7h30  – 18h00. Friday 7h30 – 17h00. Saturday 8h00 – 14h00. Tel (021) 423-0360.

#   Arcade*, 152 Bree Street. Resto Bar serving pizza, burgers, and salads.  Monday – Saturday 10h00 – 23h00.  Cell 060 861 0511

#   Lattitude 33, 165 Bree Street, mix of coffee shop, clothing shop, and art.   Monday – Friday 7h00 – 15h30, Saturday 8h30 – 14h00.   Tel (021) 424-9520

#  Issi on Bree, 130 Bree Street, Coffee Shop and Tea Room with breakfasts, sandwiches, and cheesecake. Monday – Friday, 6h30 – 17h00.  Tel (021) 422-1325.

#  Bocca, corner Bree and Wale Street, sister restaurant to Burrata and Open Door in Constantia, serving pizza and small plate sharing dishes.  Seating inside and on deck outside.  Monday – Saturday, Lunch and Dinner.  Tel (021) 422-0188.

#    Clarke’s Bar & Dining Room, 133 Bree Street.  All-day breakfasts. Burgers and Pizzas. Monday 7h00 – 17h00, Tuesday – Friday 7h00 – late, Saturday 8h00 – late,  Sunday 8h00 – 15h00.  Tel (021) 424-7648

# Easy Tiger*, 120 Bree Street.  Very good burgers with chips. Sit down or take away.  Belongs to Harbour House Group.  Monday – Sunday, 10h00 – 21h00 Tel (021) 426-4659. (Photograph right)

#   Max Bagels*, 120 Bree Street. Tiny bagel bar.  Monday – Friday 7h00 – 16h00, Saturday 8h00 – 16h00.  Cell 076 042 0224

#.  Elixir*, 120 Bree Street. Vegetarian and Vegan-friendly Café, coffees. Monday – Saturday 7h00 – 16h30 Cell 076 768 0733

#.  Charango*, 114 Bree Street.  Peruvian-style food. To become a franchise restaurant collection.  Monday – Saturday Lunch and Dinner Tel (021) 422-0757.

#   Bird’s Café, 127 Bree Street.  Bistro.  Monday – Friday 8h00 – 16h00, Saturday 8h00 – 15h00.  Dinner from 18h30 Wednesday – Saturday. Tel (021) 426-2534.

#   Weinhaus & Biergarten, 110 Bree Street.   Owned by Jason Lilley of Jason’s Bakery. Craft beer, and live music.  Monday – Saturday. Tel (021) 422-2770

#   La Parada, 107 Bree Street.  Very inexpensive Spanish tapas and beverages, very popular.  Part of Harbour House Group. Monday – Sunday 12h00 – late. Tel (021) 422-2770

#   I Y O Burgers*, 103 Bree Street. Burgers and cheesecake.  Monday 17h00 – 22h00,  Tuesday – Saturday 12h00 – 22h00. Tel (021) 422-1313

#   Chef’s Warehouse & Canteen, 92 Bree Street.  Offers pre-prepared starters and desserts, oysters, as well as 8-dish tapas to share amongst two for R480. Owner Chef Liam Tomlin usually hands-on in the kitchen.  Monday – Friday 9h00 – 20h00, Saturday 12h00 – 14h30. Tel (021) 422-0128

#   No Reservations*, Bar below Chef’s Warehouse & Canteen, to wait at to get a table at Chef’s Warehouse & Canteen. Monday – Friday 15h00 – 21h00 (photograph left)

#   Beautifull Food*, Youngblood Gallery, 70 – 72 Bree Street. Serves organic local-grown food : ‘Clean, Green and Lean‘. Monday – Friday 8h00 – 16h00, First and third Saturday 10h00 – 14h00.  Tel (021) 424-1960

#   Dapper*, corner Bree and Strand Streets. Coffee shop with cakes, burgers, breakfasts, and sell classic cars from the showroom too, as well as Smart Car rentals. Monday – Friday 7h00 – 17h00 Saturday 8h00 – 15h00.
Tel (021) 823-2444  (photograph right).

#   Locando Restaurant at Villa 47* Italian restaurant, which is the talk of the town, and new queen of Bree Street! Outstanding!  Monday – Saturday from 6h30 until late.  Tel (021) 418-2740 (main photograph above)

#   The General Store*, 22 Bree Street. Bakery, buffet, light  meals, coffee. Monday – Friday 7h00 – 18h00, Saturday 8h00 – 13h00.  Tel (02) 418-2305

#   SMAK Deli*, Bowman Gilfillan House, 22 Bree Street. Breakfast, Home-made pasta, sandwiches. Monday – Friday 7h00 – 17h00.  Saturday 9h00 – 15h00. Tel (021) 421-9171. (photograph left)

#.  Orinoco, 17 Bree Street.   Latin American restaurant, hands-on run by Venzualan owner Midgalia Bellorin.  Tuesday – Friday
10h00 – 22h00.  Saturday 17h00 – 22h00.  Tel (021) 418-4544.

#   Tru Italic, 15 Bree Street.   Charming young Italian owner Luca, hand-made pasta.   Monday – Saturday 10h00 – 22h00 Tel (021) 418-7655

#   Ravish*, Touchstone Building, 7 Bree Street. Salad Bar and other health foods. Monday – Friday 7h00 – 15h00, Saturday 7h30 – 13h00. Tel (021) 418-1770.

#   Folk Coffee Anthropology*, Touchstone Building, 7 Bree Street.  Excellent coffee. Breakfast, Burgers, sandwiches, ready-made take-away too.  Monday – Wednesday 7h00 – 17h00, Thursday – Friday 7h00 – 20h00, Saturday 7h00 – 14h00.  Tel (021) 276-1795  (photograph right)

#   Hard Pressed Café, Portside, FNB Building, 4 Bree Street.  Coffee Shop serving light snacks, name reflects that they play vinyl records.   Monday – Friday 7h30 – 17h30, Saturday 9h30 – 14h30.  Cell 0790668883

#   Borage Bistro, Portside, FNB Building, 4 Bree Street. Chef Frank Marx has worked for Chefs Luke Dale-Roberts and Heston Blumenthal, and serves quality dishes at value pricing.  Monday – Friday 7h00 – 16h00, Saturday 7h00 – 13h00 Tel (021) 418-0992

Interesting will be to see what happens to the restaurants on Bree Street in winter, which has officially started in Cape Town.

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whalecottage.com/blog  Tel 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@WhaleCottage  Facebook:  click here