There is only one place to eat at Cape Point, and happily it is a good one, with one of the great views of the Cape.
The Two Oceans Restaurant sits just below the funicular at Cape Point, inside the Cape of Good Hope section of Table Mountain National Park. A broad deck and floor-to-ceiling windows look out over False Bay, with the mountains of the far shore on the horizon and, on a clear day, the sea stretching away to the south.
After the climb to the old lighthouse and the photograph at the Cape of Good Hope sign, everyone is ready to sit down. The kitchen leans towards the sea: fish of the day off the grill, a seafood platter for the table, and a sushi bar for anyone who would like something lighter.
John Sparks
What to order
The seafood platter
The restaurant’s best-known dish, for sharing: fish, prawns and mussels.
Fish of the day
Grilled line fish from these waters, simply done.
The sushi bar
Platters and rolls, for a lighter lunch.
Something else
Slow-roasted pork belly, vegetarian and halaal-friendly dishes, and a chocolate volcano to finish.
Before lunch
Most people come to Cape Point for two things: the old lighthouse, high on the peak, and the sign at the Cape of Good Hope, the most south-westerly point of Africa. The Flying Dutchman funicular runs up from beside the restaurant to just below the lighthouse, or you can walk up the path, short but steep.
From the top the cliffs fall away to the sea on three sides, and below you, on a calm day, you can see the line where the currents meet. Then down again, and to the table.
Lunch at the Point, the way I like it
The lighthouse first
Up to the old lighthouse and the Cape of Good Hope sign while everyone is fresh.
A table on the deck
We book ahead and ask for tables by the windows or out on the deck, looking over False Bay.
Share the table
A seafood platter or two for the middle, sushi for anyone who would like it, and time to sit.
On to the penguins
Then along False Bay to the penguins in the late afternoon.
Lunch at the end of Africa, with False Bay below.
Before you go
Where
At the Cape Point visitor area, in the Cape of Good Hope section of Table Mountain National Park, about an hour from Cape Town.
When
Open every day from nine to five. It is busy from November to April, so we always book ahead.
Entry
The park entry fee is paid at the gate; the funicular is extra.
Bring
A windproof layer. The Point is often windy, even on a warm day.