South African Food & Wine: What to Eat and What It Costs
South African food centers on the braai (a social barbecue built around boerewors sausage and steak), Cape Malay dishes like bobotie (spiced, curried mince with an egg topping) and koeksisters (a syrup-soaked doughnut twist), and biltong (dried cured meat, the national snack). A casual meal runs $8-15, a nice dinner $20-40. Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, both under an hour from Cape Town, offer wine tastings for $5-15 per flight — some of the best value in world wine tourism.
South African food rarely makes the same 'world's best cuisines' lists as Thailand or Italy, and honestly, that's a marketing failure rather than a quality one — it's a genuinely rich, multicultural food scene, and the wine country twenty minutes from Cape Town could headline a trip on its own.
What is a braai?
A braai (rhymes with 'eye') is South Africa's version of a barbecue, but the word undersells it — it's a full social occasion, often lasting hours, built around an open fire and usually featuring boerewors (a coiled, spiced beef-and-pork sausage), steak, and chicken, alongside sides like pap (a maize porridge) and chakalaka (a spicy vegetable relish). If a local invites you to one, say yes.
Must-try dishes
| Dish | What it is | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|
| Bobotie | Spiced, curried minced meat baked with an egg-custard topping, a Cape Malay classic | $8-15 |
| Boerewors | A coiled, spiced sausage, the centerpiece of most braais | $5-10 as a meal |
| Biltong | Dried, cured meat (beef or game), the ubiquitous snack — sold everywhere from farm stalls to airports | $5-10 per 100g |
| Bunny chow | A hollowed-out bread loaf filled with curry, originally from Durban but found nationwide | $4-8 |
| Koeksisters | A syrup-soaked, braided doughnut — the classic Cape Malay dessert | $1-3 |
Wine country — Stellenbosch and Franschhoek
Both are easy day trips from Cape Town (Stellenbosch about 45 minutes, Franschhoek about an hour), packed with estates producing internationally competitive Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, and Pinotage — South Africa's own signature red grape, a Pinot Noir-Cinsault cross. A tasting flight of 4-5 wines typically costs $5-15, remarkably cheap next to comparable tastings in Napa or Bordeaux.
Book a driver or a wine-tram/shuttle tour for Franschhoek and Stellenbosch rather than self-driving between estates — tastings add up fast, and several operators run hop-on-hop-off wine trams specifically so nobody has to skip pours.
Cape Malay cooking, from Bo-Kaap
The Bo-Kaap neighborhood is home to South Africa's Cape Malay community, descended from enslaved and indentured people brought from Southeast Asia and elsewhere under Dutch colonial rule — their cuisine (bobotie, koeksisters, fragrant curries, samosas) is some of the most distinctive food in the country. Several home cooks run hands-on cooking classes in the neighborhood; it's one of the best-value cultural experiences in the city.
Dietary needs
Vegetarian and vegan travelers eat well in Cape Town specifically — a strong plant-based restaurant scene and clearly marked menus. It's noticeably harder at remote safari lodges, which default to meat-heavy menus, so flag dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, halal, or allergies) when you book the lodge, not on arrival. Halal food is readily available in Cape Town, given the city's substantial Muslim community, especially around the Bo-Kaap.
What it costs, all in
| Meal type | Price per person |
|---|---|
| Casual cafe or takeaway meal | $5-10 |
| Sit-down restaurant | $10-20 |
| Nice dinner with wine | $25-45 |
| Wine tasting flight (4-5 wines) | $5-15 |