De Waterkant, Cape Town

De Waterkant at a glance

Nestled on the lower slopes of Signal Hill between the CBD, Bo Kaap and Green Point is the historic suburb of De Waterkant. Quite possibly the prettiest as well as the smallest of all of the Cape Town suburbs.This area is steeped in history, initially being the home of Malay slaves and latterly British soldiers before its most recent incarnation as a desirable residential area that is at the heart of Cape Town's gay community.

As with the Bo Kaap visitors flock to see the brightly painted cottages and villas and it's a haven for tourists with a multitude of guest cottages, bed and breakfasts and Airbnb accommodation to choose from.

For such a small neighbourhood there are an incredible number of restaurants. Locals and visitors alike love the colourful Café Manhattan, one of the city's oldest gay bars, renowned for their burgers and cocktails while for a leisurely weekend brunch Café Charles or the Loading Bay are hard to beat. Lovers of Italian food are well catered for with both Osteria Tarantino and the Cape Town Institution that is Il Leone Mastrantonio in the area. For the lively crowd there's the eminently instagrammable Restaurant Bôujee as well as Kong Bar and Grill. The Rockwell apartment block houses a dinner theatre and on the ground floor one can experience Japanese cuisine at Izakaya Matsuri or hearty Portuguese dishes at the Vasco da Gama Taverna.

The Cape Quarter shopping centre houses yet more restaurants as well as an award winning  Spar supermarket, a Clicks and a variety of boutiques, salons and upmarket homeware shops.