My Cape Town: Cape Town From A Local

Prompted by this very cool list, 20 Spots where you can experience Cape Town like a local, I thought it would be fun to share a list of the 10 places I miss while I'm away from home. The 10 places that make Cape Town home to me. Some of them are a repeat of the list I just mentioned, but that just proves that they're really worth checking out.

1. The Kitchen, Woodstock

My favourite breakfast or lunch spot in Cape Town, The Kitchen serves these delicious creamy scrambled eggs with toast and coffee in the morning, and a variety of healthy and hearty salads at lunch time. It's incredibly hard to choose, but a plate of 6 delicious salads will fill you right up with goodness. Their famous Love Sandwich is made with fresh ingredients like homemade pesto and yes, love. They do the best iced coffee in the world and the vibe over lunch time is unbeatable. I often long for a dose of The Kitchen while I'm away.

Details: 111 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock, Cape Town
Website

2. Scar Hair, Kloof Street

I never let anyone but Scar touch my hair. My stylist, Carlos and I have become good friends and he doesn't mind me explaining in six different ways exactly what I want him to do ("Make my hair look like my highlights are grown out but in a chilled way not a poverty way"). There's nothing like a head massage at the basin and leaving looking "salon good". The vibe at Scar is very Cape Town, very Kloof Street - it's kind of grungy, almost everyone who works their either has rainbow hair or tattoos or both and they play the best music.

Details: 22 Kloof street, Gardens, Cape Town | 2721 422 5900 | [email protected]
Website

3. Lefty's, Harrington Street

Since Lefty's opened, I must have eaten my bodyweight in cheese burgers, pulled pork and fried chicken with waffles and bacon. The kind of someone's living room feeling of the place combined with the Southern food and local beer just make me feel really chilled when I'm there. It has to be said that the food is absolutely phenomenal too. The service is sometimes slow and it's sometimes hard to find a table, but Lefty's is just so Cape Town that I always long for it when I'm away.

Details: 105 Harrington Street, Cape Town | 2721 461 0407 | [email protected]
Website

4. Stellenbosch

There's nothing like getting up early on a weekend to head through to Stellenbosch for a day of wine tasting and eating amazing food. The views are spectacular from every angle and I always leave with a car boot full of wine. I've got 10 suggestions of things to in Stellenbosch here and a list of some of the best places to eat here. They've also got some exciting winter packages coming up, so keep an eye on their Facebook page for details.

Details: www.wineroute.co.za
Website/Blog

5. The Streets of Cape Town

One of the things that I love most about Cape Town is that you can walk the streets. The city is small, clean and safe (obviously, it's a city, so you need to be vigilant and street smart and keep your wits about you - but I have never been mugged or harassed since I moved here in 2010) and walking from Long Street to Bree Street to Green Point, you'll find a variety of micro-cultures and people, languages and accents. I love it so much.

6. The Company's Garden

I love taking a stroll through the Company's Garden at lunch time or over a weekend. It's beautifully kept and I think there's something kind of magical about being in a quiet, green and leafy park in the middle of a bustling city. There are squirrels everywhere and I even spotted the elusive albino squirrel the last time I was there.

Website

7. Planet Bar, The Mount Nelson Hotel

When I feel like being a little bit fancy I like to visit the Planet Bar at the Mount Nelson. That big pink building has something special about it and I love it even more after watching the Grand Budapest Hotel. I'll order a gin and tonic and sit in the garden and just watch the people. I also particularly enjoy their high tea, which is pricey but fancy.

Details: 76 Orange St, Cape Town | 27 21 483 1000
Website

8. Trenchtown, Observatory

image credit
Observatory feels like a completely different city to Cape Town, even thought it's only about six minutes away from the city bowl. It's the hippy heart of Cape Town, complete with slightly questionable art, drum circles and rampant vegetarianism - and I mean all of this in a good way. If you're looking for a place to watch the soccer or have a long afternoon of beers in the summer, there's always a vibe at Trenchtown. The cocktails and the food are really good too, and they've got specials and happy hours every day.

Details: 92 Station Road, Observatory | 2721 448 0516

9. The Promenade, Seapoint

If I need some air or to clear my head or just want to get in some exercise, I love heading to the Promenade in Seapoint. There are always people walking their dogs, running or riding their bikes and the sunsets are beautiful. Whether it's a hot summer's afternoon or a gloomy winter's morning, it's always beautiful. I often miss the cold sea spray splashing over the walkway when I'm away.

10. Yogazone

I haven't been practicing nearly enough yoga recently, and I really miss it. Yogazone is such a nice studio with a great, positive energy and awesome teachers. It's something I often think about and miss the studio. They offer regular drop-in classes for visitors.

Details: 58 Strand Street, Picbel Arcade, 10th Floor, Cape Town | 2721 421 8136
Website