RFK Rankings · Cape Town
Best Restaurants for Family-Friendly in Cape Town (2026)
Family-friendly dining · Cape Town · 6 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published April 9, 2024 · Updated June 11, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Cape Town is built for children: long outdoor tables, a harbour to watch, grills that put ribs in front of a five-year-old without a fuss. The V&A Waterfront alone could fill this list, but the best family rooms spread from the harbour to Camps Bay. These six, ranked, are where the kids' menu is real, the view holds a child's attention, and the parents still eat well.
1.Den Anker
A harbour-edge Belgian room where seals swim past the deck; book the terrace for an easy family lunch.
Den Anker sits right on the water at the Pierhead on the V&A Waterfront, a Belgian brasserie where Cape fur seals haul out on the rocks below the deck. The moules-frites run about R200 and there is a proper kids' menu of smaller grills and pasta.
The terrace tables give restless children seals, boats and the harbour to watch through the meal, and the room takes prams without complaint. Book the deck at lunch for the easiest family booking on the Waterfront.
2.Hildebrand
A century-old Italian harbour room with a real kids' menu; book the waterfront tables for a family dinner.
Hildebrand has cooked Italian and seafood at 130 Victoria Wharf on the V&A Waterfront for generations, in the historic Harbour-Side Café building. Pizzas and pastas run about R140 to R190, and the children's menu keeps simple pasta and pizza for the table's youngest.
The big, busy room and the harbour-front tables suit families, with high chairs easy and a pram no trouble. Come early for the waterfront seats and let the kids split a pizza while the parents work through the seafood.
3.Spur Steak Ranches
The country's family grill institution, ribs and a play area in every branch; walk in with kids.
Spur is South Africa's family-restaurant institution, and the Cape Town branches, from Seven Spur in the Protea Hotel in Sea Point to Santa Monica in Muizenberg, all run the same playbook. Ribs, burgers and the bottomless soft drinks sit around R130 to R180, with a kids' menu and a free play area in most rooms.
The loud, cheerful dining rooms are built for children, with a supervised play corner that buys parents a quiet course. No booking is needed; walk in with the kids, and the staff bring crayons before the menus.
4.The Hussar Grill
A proper Cape steakhouse that still welcomes children; book the Camps Bay room for a family grill night.
The Hussar Grill has grilled steak since 1964, with Cape Town rooms in Camps Bay, Mouille Point and Rondebosch. The dry-aged sirloin runs about R280 and the kitchen will plate a smaller steak or a burger for a child without making it a project.
It is a grown-up steakhouse that does not flinch at a family booking, the kind of room where a celebration dinner works with kids at the table. Book the Camps Bay branch for the sea-front version and an early sitting.
5.Bootlegger Coffee Company
Cape Town's all-day breakfast chain with high chairs everywhere; walk in any morning with the children.
Bootlegger Coffee Company runs all-day breakfast across Cape Town, from Sea Point to Kloof Street, a local roaster turned family café. The full breakfast and toasties run about R90 to R130, with a simple kids' plate and a babyccino on the menu.
The bright, busy rooms welcome prams and high chairs, and there is no weekend-only window, so a slow start with children is fine. Walk in on a weekday morning to find a table and a high chair without a wait.
6.María's Greek Restaurant
A leafy Gardens courtyard where kids run between mezze; book the outside tables for a relaxed family dinner.
María's has run a Greek kitchen on Dunkley Square in Gardens for decades, a tree-shaded courtyard a short drive from the city centre. The mezze platters and souvlaki run about R120 to R180, easy to share down a long family table.
The square is closed and leafy, so children can move between courses while the parents stay at the table. Book the courtyard on a warm evening for the most relaxed family dinner in the City Bowl.
Not for everyone
Great rooms, wrong for kids
La Colombe. Scot Kirton's Constantia tasting-menu room is a long, formal, expensive evening built for adults. Book a sitter and save it for a date night, not a family lunch.
The Test Kitchen Fledgelings. Luke Dale-Roberts' Woodstock tasting rooms run coursed, quiet, grown-up dinners that do not suit restless children. Bring the kids to Den Anker or Spur instead.
FYN. Peter Tempelhoff's CBD fine-diner is a polished, top-floor tasting menu, the wrong room for a high chair. Keep it for an adults-only celebration.
How to eat out with kids in Cape Town
The easiest family rooms cluster on the V&A Waterfront, where Den Anker and Hildebrand put the harbour and the seals in front of the children, with the aquarium and the wheel a short walk away. Sea Point, Camps Bay and Gardens fill in the rest, and the Spur branches are everywhere.
Book early sittings and outdoor tables where you can. Den Anker's deck, the Hussar Grill in Camps Bay and María's courtyard all give children something to watch or somewhere to move. For a no-booking morning, Bootlegger and any Spur take walk-ins and bring crayons before the menus.
Frequently asked
What are the best family restaurants in Cape Town?
Den Anker on the V&A Waterfront Pierhead leads, a harbour-edge Belgian room where seals swim past the deck. Hildebrand on Victoria Wharf is the century-old Italian harbour room with a real kids' menu, and the Spur branches are South Africa's family-grill institution with a play area in most rooms.
Which Cape Town restaurant is best for kids on the Waterfront?
Den Anker at the Pierhead is the pick, with a harbour-side deck where seals and boats hold a child's attention and a kids' menu of smaller grills and pasta. Hildebrand on Victoria Wharf is the other Waterfront option, an Italian room with simple pasta and pizza for children.
Are Cape Town restaurants good for kids?
Yes. Cape Town dines outdoors, watches the harbour and grills generously, which makes it forgiving with children. Casual rooms like Spur, Den Anker and Bootlegger welcome prams and high chairs, and several pair the meal with a view or a play area.
Where can kids eat and play in Cape Town?
The Spur branches are the answer, with a free supervised play area in most rooms that buys parents a quiet course. Den Anker's harbour deck and Maria's leafy Dunkley Square courtyard give children somewhere to watch or move between courses.
Do Cape Town family restaurants take reservations?
Some do and some do not. Den Anker, Hildebrand and the Hussar Grill take bookings, so reserve the family table ahead, ideally an early sitting. Spur and Bootlegger are walk-in, so arrive early with children to skip the queue and the wait for a high chair.
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Browse the full Cape Town dining guide, plan a weekend morning with the Cape Town brunch ranking, compare family rooms in the Johannesburg family ranking, read the global guide to celebration dining, or open the full RFK rankings index.
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