Cape Town Fish Market
Cape Town Fish Market things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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Visited in December 2024. South Africa. Capetown. This Waterfront restaurant boasts ample seating, including a sprawling veranda offering breathtaking views. We opted for a table inside, directly overlooking the open kitchen. While this provided a fascinating glimpse into the culinary process, it also meant contending with the aroma of sizzling oil and escaping smoke – a double-edged sword. Food: The menu presents a delightful fusion of Japanese and Mediterranean cuisine, with a clear emphasis on seafood. We began with two appetizers and ordered langoustines as our main course; our initial crayfish choice proved unavailable. Given the restaurant's considerable occupancy, appetizers took approximately 35 minutes to arrive, with the main course following a further 50-minute wait. The shrimp tacos, two to a serving, featured delicate, crispy tortillas. The tempura shrimp were juicy and crunchy, though the mayonnaise-based sauce rendered them overly rich and heavy. The mini calamari, however, stole the show. Tender and succulent, their garlic dressing was the perfect complement; a testament to the chef's skill in achieving the delicate balance needed to cook calamari to perfection. Our langoustines, while well-cooked, were somewhat on the small side and presented a minor aesthetic issue. Some were inadequately cleaned, requiring us to remove their stomachs ourselves – a detail that detracted from the overall presentation. Service: Service, though friendly and efficient, suffered slightly from the restaurant's evident busyness. Our waiter, however, was a standout, demonstrating excellent product knowledge and providing impeccable service. In conclusion: This is an excellent Mediterranean seafood restaurant. Overlooking minor flaws, such as the imperfectly cleaned langoustines, I would highly recommend it, particularly for its seafood offerings. The ambiance is unpretentious, making it ideal for a casual lunch or dinner.
Olga Maevskaia
00
Definitely not a fine dining venue. We were a table of 10 people which makes for a fair review. The food was okay with hits and misses. It reminds me of a seafood takeaway. The location is excellent. Obviously V&A has the best location. Our waiter Brian was superb. But then again we were not a demanding crowd compared to the other large tables near us. I wish some people would have manners regardless of circumstances. What a disgusting bunch of women, rude to waiters and disregard for other patrons, money definitely does not buy class in these cases. The food portions were value for money in some cases and others not. Prawns were overcooked. The main fish was tiny, definitely not worth the price. The rest was okay. It's a good venue for a chillaxed eating, which can be pricey. The set menu price R550 upwards on the website differs from the in-store price by a huge margin. Not sure what that was about. From R188 to R334 online. Is this tourist pricing during the season? This is terrible if this is the norm. I have friends who refuse to visit Cape Town due to this behaviour of businesses charging different prices when it suits them. My first time trying a different setup, not sure if I will return.
Amanda Lan
00
The other half just wanted to eat out and we didn’t want to have something too heavy so we opted for seafood and saw CTFM was recommended. Made our way down at 8pm and got seated almost immediately. Server was Siya, and we proceeded with our order as soon we were ready. Remember me saying that we didn’t want to have anything heavy so we opted for 4 pcs of fresh oyster and mussels for the starters. We also opted for Executive Surf and Turf since my missus wouldn’t mind some meat. And I thought a bit of prawns and squids should complement the whole dinning experience. When the starters were finished, and came the main, we were shocked. A big platter was staring at us. “I” contemplated a while and I thought I should ask Siya if I had ordered surf and turf or platter. He told me platter. It occurred to me that he did mention that the main doesn’t come with crayfish like the illustration in the menu which I acknowledged, however I did not expect my surf to have evolved to a platter. He did ask if we wanted fries, onion rings or veg beside the rice. We said onion rings. And I did not see any onion rings. And why would I have ordered mussels for starters when the platter has a portion of it. I was also thinking why wasn’t I asked about how would I like the steak to be done? If you were to ask me, CTFM is overpriced compared to Ocean Basket and OB tasted so much better. And of course when it came to the billing part, I just opted to round up the bill instead of a customary 10-15% tips I supposed. I got a cold shoulder from my server. LOL. Any probable diners, do double check the orders with your server before he heads back to the kitchen for your order. Lousy dinning experience and the take aways are sitting in the fridge now as I’m typing this. I hope the hotel can heat it up for me in the morning.
Mark
00
We visited the Fish Market Cape Town twice during our trip — first on Sunday 25th of May, and then again today. On our first visit, we were thoroughly impressed. We enjoyed delicious calamari, tempura prawns, sushi, Corona beer with passion fruit. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly served, which made us excited to return. Unfortunately, our second visit was very disappointing. We ordered marinated olives, focaccia, oysters, crab cheese spring rolls, calamari, mussels, tempura prawns, halloumi edamame salad, sushi, peach iced tea, and cucumber rose gin & tonic. This time, the food was served cold, and despite trying to get the attention of the waitstaff multiple times, no one responded. We were hungry and ended up eating part of the food before I had to walk to the bar to voice our concerns. Only then did the manager come over. He was kind and offered to have everything recooked, but by then we were nearly full and didn’t have the time to wait. What added to the disappointment was being asked to pay a 10% service charge — even after we had clearly expressed our dissatisfaction. While we paid it, hoping to avoid bad energy or unfairness towards others, the experience left us feeling quite let down. We were looking forward to another great experience, but instead felt that our time and money were not respected. Sadly, we could have used this opportunity to explore another restaurant and try something new. We hope this feedback helps improve service consistency going forward.
BETÜL DORİK
00
The food was absolutely fresh and delicious. Covid protocol strictly adhered to from signing in, temperature check to table spacing. We sat outside at the edge of the tabled area close to the swinging pedestrian bridge where the boats come through to and from their moorings and the view was lovely as the sun was setting. The atmosphere was pleasant and relaxed until typical pub live music started emanating from the Kapstadt Brauhaus just above the fish market. It is such a pity that the owners of these franchises often tend to use the same premises because the clientele of the two businesses are vastly different. The service was quick and efficient at first but to the end we had to sit and wait for our plates to be cleared because our waitress was nowhere to be seen. There may have been a valid reason for this and I can by no means say whether it is the norm because this is our first time at this establishment. Overall I found the experience to be a pleasant one and would return next time we are in the Waterfront and in the mood for seafood.
Gary Baris
00
The food, the service, and the atmosphere were all excellent. The food was fresh and delicious. The wide variety to choose from was also great. If you love sea food, this is your plug, and the food portions are very generous at reasonable prices. I loved the whole sea food experience. We went there for lunch and it was also awesome watching the bridge open and close for boats to pass.
Juliet Majachani
00
Nearby Attractions Of Cape Town Fish Market
Two Oceans Aquarium
The Cape Wheel
Oranjezicht City Farm Market
The Nelson Mandela Gateway To Robben Island
Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa
One&Only Cape Town
HintHunt Cape Town
The Silo Hotel
Protea Hotel Cape Town Waterfront Breakwater Lodge
AC Hotel Cape Town Waterfront

Two Oceans Aquarium
4.6
(8.9K)
Click for details

The Cape Wheel
4.5
(4.4K)
Click for details

Oranjezicht City Farm Market
4.7
(2.8K)
Click for details

The Nelson Mandela Gateway To Robben Island
4.4
(2.5K)
Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Cape Town Fish Market
Quay Four Restaurant
Grand Africa Café & Beach
Den Anker
Hudsons - The Burger Joint (Green Point)
Life Grand Cafe Waterfront
GOLD Restaurant
Sevruga Restaurant
La Parada V&A Waterfront
Beluga Cape Town
Pigalle Restaurant

Quay Four Restaurant
4.0
(4.7K)
$$
Click for details

Grand Africa Café & Beach
4.4
(2.9K)
Click for details

Den Anker
4.4
(2.1K)
$$
Click for details

Hudsons - The Burger Joint (Green Point)
4.5
(2K)
$$
Click for details
Basic Info
Address
G12, Clock Tower V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, 8002, South Africa
Map
Phone
+27 21 418 5977
Call
Website
ctfm.co.za
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.2
(1.5K reviews)$$
Ratings & Description
Description
Chic chain restaurant combining classic fish suppers with Japanese dishes, teppanyaki and sushi.
attractions: Two Oceans Aquarium, The Cape Wheel, Oranjezicht City Farm Market, The Nelson Mandela Gateway To Robben Island, Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, One&Only Cape Town, HintHunt Cape Town, The Silo Hotel, Protea Hotel Cape Town Waterfront Breakwater Lodge, AC Hotel Cape Town Waterfront, restaurants: Quay Four Restaurant, Grand Africa Café & Beach, Den Anker, Hudsons - The Burger Joint (Green Point), Life Grand Cafe Waterfront, GOLD Restaurant, Sevruga Restaurant, La Parada V&A Waterfront, Beluga Cape Town, Pigalle Restaurant

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