Best Restaurants Open Monday in Cape Town 2026

Why a Monday list matters in Cape Town

Cape Town's dining week peaks Thursday to Sunday, and a number of the city's best kitchens close Monday and Tuesday to rest. A visitor who lands on a Monday expecting the full run of the city's best rooms will find several of them locked. But not all: the Constantia wine valley, a short drive south of the centre, keeps Monday lunch and dinner across most of its estates, and a few city-centre rooms hold the line too.

South Africa has never had a Michelin guide, so a Monday list here is built on the country's own measures: the World's 50 Best Restaurants longlist, where FYN and La Colombe both feature, and the Eat Out Mercedes-Benz awards that rank the national field each year. The list below leads with the two internationally ranked rooms, then the wine-farm tasting kitchen and the two neo-bistros that round out a Monday. The order runs from the most ambitious tasting menu to the most relaxed à la carte. Every hour was checked against each restaurant's own booking page in June 2026. For the rest of the week, start with the Cape Town dining guide.

The Monday list

FYN

Modern African-Japanese · City Centre · R750–1,950 per head

Monday hours: Monday, lunch 12:00–14:00 & dinner 18:00–20:30

FYN, Peter Tempelhoff's room on the fifth floor of Speakers Corner at 37 Parliament Street, is Cape Town's highest-ranked restaurant on the World's 50 Best list and the city's most ambitious Monday option. The cooking marries South African produce with Japanese technique, the braai-smoked line fish and the trolley of house teas the signatures, with a Monday meal from R750 at lunch to R1,950 for the dinner tasting. It opens Monday for both lunch and dinner and closes only on Sunday, which makes Monday a core service night. Book the counter overlooking the open kitchen; it is the best Monday seat in the city centre.

La Colombe

Contemporary fine dining · Constantia · R1,395–1,950 per head

Monday hours: Monday, lunch 12:00–14:00 & dinner 18:30–21:00

La Colombe, perched on the Silvermist Wine Estate high on Constantia Nek, is the grande dame of the Cape winelands tables and a fixture on the World's 50 Best longlist. The tuna-tin trompe-l'oeil, the smoked springbok and the forest-themed plating are the order, with a Monday five-course lunch at R1,395 and the full dinner tasting at R1,950. It opens Monday for lunch and dinner, the lunch service the better value and the way to catch the valley view in daylight. This is the room for a Monday that wants an occasion; book the terrace and plan a long afternoon.

Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia

Tapas tasting · Constantia Nek · R650–1,150 per head

Monday hours: Monday, lunch 12:00–14:30 & dinner 18:30–20:00

Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia clings to a hillside on Constantia Main Road with one of the best valley views of any Cape table, and it serves the group's signature format: a no-choice tapas-for-two tasting that changes constantly. The run of small plates, from line fish to slow-cooked lamb, lands around R650 to R1,150 a head. It opens Monday for both lunch and dinner, unusual for a tasting kitchen, and the open-air deck is the seat to ask for. It is the Monday pick for a couple who want a view and a long, low-key tasting rather than white tablecloths.

Foxcroft

Neo-bistro & bakery · Constantia Nek · R450–700 per head

Monday hours: Monday, lunch 12:00–14:00 & dinner 18:00–20:30

Foxcroft, the more relaxed sibling to La Colombe, reopened in early 2026 in the historic buildings at Constantia Nek after a move from High Constantia, pairing a working bakery with a neo-bistro kitchen. The wood-fired breads, the house charcuterie and the seasonal à la carte are the order, with a Monday meal at R450 to R700 a head, a fraction of the tasting rooms up the hill. It opens seven days, Monday included, for lunch and dinner. It is the value Monday pick in the valley and the easiest of the Constantia rooms to book on short notice.

Grub & Vine

Refined bistro · Bree Street · R395–650 per head

Monday hours: Monday, lunch 12:00–15:00 & dinner 18:00–21:30

Grub & Vine, Matt Manning's bistro at 103 Bree Street, is the city-centre Monday standby, an honest, refined room on Cape Town's best-known eating street with a wine list to match. The steak frites, the daily fish and a deep by-the-glass list are the order, with a Monday meal at R395 to R650 a head, the two-course special the smart play. It opens Monday for lunch and dinner while much of Bree Street rests. It is the most central and most affordable table on this list, the one to book when you want a good Monday dinner without leaving town.

How to book a Monday table in Cape Town

A Cape Town Monday rewards a plan, because fewer rooms are open. FYN and La Colombe, the two ranked rooms, both take bookings through Dineplan and both fill their Monday tastings in season, so reserve a week or two out; La Colombe's Monday lunch is the value slot and the easier one to land. Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia and Foxcroft, both up at Constantia Nek, are an easy pairing for a Monday in the valley and both hold same-week tables. Grub & Vine is the central walk-in option, with its bar the easiest seat. For a solo Monday, the FYN counter and the Grub & Vine bar are the best perches and a fine solo-dining move. Driving the valley? Pair a Beau Constantia lunch with a La Colombe dinner.

Frequently asked questions

Are restaurants open on Monday in Cape Town?

Some of the best are, but many close. Cape Town's dining week peaks Thursday to Sunday, and a number of CBD kitchens take Monday off. The reliable Monday options are in the Constantia wine valley, where La Colombe, Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia and Foxcroft all open, plus FYN and Grub & Vine in the city centre. For the full week, see the Cape Town dining guide.

Does Cape Town have Michelin-starred restaurants?

No. The Michelin Guide does not cover South Africa, so there are no starred restaurants in Cape Town. The city's reputation rests on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list, where FYN and La Colombe both feature, and the annual Eat Out awards that rank the national field. Judge Cape Town's rooms on those and on the chefs behind them rather than on Michelin stars.

What is the best Monday dinner in Cape Town?

FYN, Peter Tempelhoff's modern African-Japanese room in the city centre, is the highest-ranked option open on a Monday and serves both lunch and dinner. For the winelands setting, La Colombe on Constantia Nek runs a Monday lunch and dinner with a valley view. Both feature on the World's 50 Best longlist; book either a week or two ahead, especially over the summer season from November to March.

Which Cape Town wine-valley restaurants open on Monday?

In Constantia, La Colombe, Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia and Foxcroft all open Monday for lunch and dinner, which makes the valley the most reliable place to eat well on a Cape Town Monday. The three sit within a short drive of each other on and around Constantia Nek, so a Monday lunch at one and dinner at another is an easy pairing with a hired car or a cab.

What time do Cape Town restaurants serve on Monday?

Most open for a midday lunch from noon and a dinner from six to half-six, with kitchens closing earlier than in a late-night city. FYN, La Colombe, Beau Constantia and Foxcroft all run Monday lunch and dinner; Grub & Vine on Bree Street serves latest, to half-nine. South African dinner is an early affair, so book the main meal for seven rather than nine.

Hours verified against each restaurant's published booking pages in June 2026; confirm directly before travelling. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.