Camps Bay is where Cape Town comes to sit in the sun, and Café Caprice has been at the heart of it since 1995.
It stands on Victoria Road, right across from Camps Bay's main beach, with the Twelve Apostles rising behind it and the Atlantic in front. Inside it is all arches, palms and ceiling fans, with a long bar and tables spilling out onto the terrace.
The day starts quietly with breakfast and coffee. By lunchtime the rosé is flowing, and by golden hour there is a DJ, a saxophone at the tables and people dancing between them. It is the most fun you can have in Camps Bay, and I love bringing guests here on a warm afternoon after a morning on the mountain or along the coast.
John Sparks
From breakfast to dancing
Across from the beach
The tables look straight out over Victoria Road to the white sand and the Atlantic. You can walk across for a swim and come back for lunch.
Coastal food
Breakfasts in the morning, then plates made for sharing: fresh seafood, salads, grilled prawns, and sushi as the sun goes down.
Cocktails and rosé
The bar is known for its cocktails, and on a summer afternoon there is rosé on almost every table.
Golden hour
The sun sets over the sea right in front of you, and the Twelve Apostles behind turn pink and gold. It is the best hour of the day in Camps Bay.
Music
As the afternoon goes on, a DJ takes over and a saxophonist plays among the tables. Before long people are on their feet.
Victoria, upstairs
Directly above the restaurant, with its own entrance and the same view of the beach, Victoria is a private room for celebrations, dinners and parties.
Café Caprice, the way I like it
Come in from the coast
It is the perfect stop after a morning on Table Mountain or the drive along Chapman's Peak. We book a table with a view of the beach.
A long lunch
Order to share, take your time, and walk across the road for a paddle in the Atlantic between courses if you like. It is cold, but very refreshing.
Stay for the sunset
The light in Camps Bay in the late afternoon is extraordinary. Stay on for a cocktail as the sun goes down and the music starts.
Make it private
For a birthday, an anniversary or a group of friends, we can take Victoria upstairs for the evening and have the whole room to yourselves.
Photographs to keep
Thirty photographs of Café Caprice and Victoria upstairs, to view large and download.
Open the gallery ↗Stay for the sunset. You will not want to leave before it.
Before you go
Where
37 Victoria Road, Camps Bay, across the road from the main beach. About fifteen minutes from the city and the V&A Waterfront.
When
Monday from midday; Tuesday to Sunday from nine in the morning. Open until midnight, and until one on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Booking
Summer weekends are very busy. We book your table well ahead, ideally one with a view of the sea.
What to wear
Smart beach: linen, sunglasses and a light layer for when the sun goes down.
Pairs well with
The drive along Chapman's Peak, a morning on Table Mountain, and a stay at Tintswalo Atlantic in Hout Bay.
Photographs courtesy of Café Caprice.