As our doors temporarily close for Labotessa’s annual reprieve, we’d like to keep a couple of the windows ajar. Whilst we’re on our own jolly little holiday, we’d like to ensure that we leave you not with absence, but inspiration. Labotessa will be closed from the 23rd of July, and reopen on the 20th of August 2025. During that time, our connoisseurs of Cape Town have compiled a unique list of activities to explore. So when you’re in need of some advice on an adventure, here’s your secret concierge, imploring you to go slightly off-script this August.
The Mother City’s ever magnetic and quietly complex attributes rewards the curious traveller with moments that are often hidden in plain sight. Places that are still to be discovered. Restaurants that have been revamped and reimagined. Scenic spots that are best enjoyed on a moody, wintry afternoon. As we know, the month of August often dishes up all four seasons in one day. A frosty, misty morning meets a blushing summer afternoon that escorts you into a cosy spring evening. With all of the autumnal colours. We suggest you dress accordingly, and explore the lesser-beaten paths of Cape Town, and her meandering peninsula.
Skip the postcard bustle and trace the rugged footpaths that lead you to the Southern Suburbs. Wander the quiet alleys of Wynberg’s Chelsea Village – a pocket of Georgian architecture that’s rarely mentioned in guidebooks. Duck into quaint antique shops, or linger over a quality cortado at Four & Twenty Café – where the pace is as languid as the surrounding ancient oak trees.
Kalk Bay is always ready and waiting to charm you. Winter doesn’t deter the fish-and-chips crowds. In fact, the village slips into something a little more intimate than the summer months. Vintage bookstores are warm with literary enthusiasts. Laughter always spilling from the local theatres, and the fragrant hot bakes wafting out of the ovens of Olympia Café.
If you’re up for it, try some caving in Kalk Bay, too. Adventure into the Echo Valley caves above Kalk Bay, like Boomslang Cave – which requires crawling, scrambling, and a headlamp.
Discover those sublime quiet moments in nature, along Chapman’s Peak. Stop off and watch the waves roll under the grey skies. Pack a warm picnic and a decent novel, if it’s a lovely solitary moment. The cliffs will always be your companion for great contemplation. Or a blanket and a backgammon board if you’re sharing the magnificent views with a chosen someone.
Why not join wild food innovator, Roushanna Gray in Cape Point? Foraging for seaweed, edible fynbos, and coastal herbs. It ends with a tasting that feels both ancient and avant-garde.
For a different dinning experience, make a booking at Reverie Social Table in Observatory.
An intimate, communal dining experience lead by chef Julia Hattingh. One long table, five courses, exceptional wine pairings, and complete strangers – who often leave as friends.
Do some city strolling. Swap galleries for alleys and enjoy an art walk in Salt River, admiring all of the street murals. The walls tell the city’s stories in colour and concrete. Best explored with a guide who knows the artists and meanings.
Tucked behind a winery in the city centre, Bouchon Wine Bar on Hout Street is a moody little spot that serves excellent tapas and rotating local wines in a candlelit setting. Echoing sentiments of a romantic, European cellar.
Whilst we’re on the bar brigade, The secret Gin Bar that’s hidden behind Honest Chocolate Café on Wale Street never fails to pour the best gin concoction in town. Discreetly tucked behind a chocolate shop, this courtyard gin haven offers local infusions named after medicinal remedies, like “Ambition” and “Soul.”
We’ll be back soon. Until then, may Cape Town surprise you – on the quiet streets, the untamed paths, and all of the moments in between.
Labotessa…A Marvel in the Mother City
- Share this blog
