The Taste of Cape Town festival joins the global calendar of food festivals alongside London, Paris, Dubai, and São Paulo this November. Over two days, the Green Point Cricket Club venue will transform into a single festival zone where 12 restaurants will cook side-by-side with culinary demonstrations, wine and Cap Classique service, and for visitors.
After the dates were announced, the main question asked by ticket holders and everyone else was: who would be cooking? The answer remained hidden for a long time. Today, the first five participating restaurants have been revealed.
La Colombe and Chef James Gaag
La Colombe is listed among the 50 best restaurants in the world in 2024 and has received the title of best restaurant in Africa. Furthermore, it was recognized with three stars in the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards 2025. Gaag began his career as a student in 2010, worked under Raymond Blanc in Oxford, and then returned to Constantia Nek to head the kitchen. His main principle is that taste comes first, and the dish must be immediately delightful.
EDGE Africa and Chef Vusi Ndlovu
EDGE Africa specializes in African fire-cooked products, where smoke is used as a spice. Ndlovu won the Young Chef title in Africa and the Middle East in 2018, and was also honored at The Best Chef Awards in Milan in 2025.
Basson & Co. is also among the participants. Chef Bertus Basson is well known in South Africa as a television barbecue judge, author, and chef of establishments such as Ongetem in Gardens, Chorus in Waterkloof Wine Estate, and Spek & Bone on Dorp Street. Green Point will be one of the first locations outside of Stellenbosch where his new cuisine can be tasted.
Upper Union and Chef Amori Burger
Burger's culinary approach is based on her love for hosting friends and family at home, and Upper Union recreates an atmosphere of relaxation and socializing around good food. Food is served continuously, wine flows, and no one rushes to leave. In 2025, Upper Union received one star from Eat Out Woolworths and was named Luxe Contemporary Restaurant of the Year, while Burger won the Culinary Rising Star Award.
Vuur and Chef Shaun Scrooby
Scrooby spent 17 years as a safari guide before turning an old stable yard at Remhoogte Wine Estate into a restaurant. The kitchen operates exclusively on wood fire, and all dishes are made to order, with the wood selected as an ingredient to impart flavor, not just as fuel. Since opening in 2022, Vuur has been included in the list of 101 best steak restaurants in the world for 2024, 2025, and 2026, and now ranks 52nd, holding the title of best steak restaurant in Africa.
Visiting all five restaurants would require five bookings, five evenings, and several long trips between Constantia Nek, Kloof Street, the city center, and two wineries outside of Stellenbosch. However, on November 28 and 29, this is possible with one ticket and one address in Green Point.
Bonke Shipalana, CEO and founder of The Allure Group, noted: 'Since the dates were announced, the first thing people ask about is not the price or parking. It is who is cooking.' He added: 'We kept this answer hidden until we could give it properly. These five kitchens built their names one service at a time, and for two days they will be cooking some distance apart, on one site, for anyone who has a ticket.'
The remaining seven restaurants will be announced in the coming weeks, increasing the number of kitchens at the festival to twelve. From 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM, renowned DJs will provide musical accompaniment with the freshest beats. As part of the Feed Every Sense platform, the food is only half the story.
Tickets start from R450 for the Taste Festival Entry Pass, which grants full access to all restaurants, demonstrations, and tastings. Seats can be booked at tasteofcapetown.com or Quicket. Taste of Cape Town will take place from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Saturday, November 28, and Sunday, November 29, 2026, at the Green Point Cricket Club.