Café at Zeitz MOCCA — Cape Town, South Africa

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An arrangement of 4 seating per table with amix of dark grey leather and oak wood chairs and square tables dressed with plates and and glasses
(Image credit: Adam Letch)

British designer Thomas Heatherwick’s restoration and reinterpretation of the old grain silo in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront as the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) was always going to be a head-turner. From afar, its pillowy bubble-wrap façade is a striking contrast to the area’s industrialised silhouette and since its recent opening, it’s been drawing an appreciative audience as much for its soaring cathedral-like interiors as for the views of the surrounds, harbour and the imposing backdrop of Table Mountain.

Rather cleverly, Aleit Swanepoel – founder of the Aleit Group, the country’s leading wedding planner and, therefore, a man who understands a thing or two about making dramatic statements – has been tapped to capitalise on those views, the top floor given over for the new Zeitz Café.

Local design firm K/M2K has resisted the temptation to go off-script, cleaving, instead, to the building’s industrial origins through the use of hard surfaces like steel and polished concrete with lashings of timber for warmth.

Executive chef Christopher Law unfurls a menu of modern bistro-style dishes accented with modern African flavours. To wit – a Reuben sandwich filled with lightly smoked South African beef that’s spiked with kimchi, and seabass flavoured with fennel, saffron and orange.

Lounging area of the restaurant with grey sofa and cushions, with a view of outside through a glass windows

(Image credit: Adam Letch)

A round table with 8 wood and leather chairs with a plant filled vase in the center of the table

(Image credit: Adam Letch)

The restaurant's grey coloured bar with a display of wine bottles, 7 white bar stools and a plant filled vase on the right end of the bar.

(Image credit: Adam Letch)

Left: Seating area with high tables and chairs with a vase of flowers in the center. Right: The restaurant's grey coloured bar with a display of wine bottles and 6 white bar stools

(Image credit: Adam Letch)

Interior view of the restaurant showcasing the hard steel design with high tables and high chairs, and dressed dining tables with chairs

(Image credit: Adam Letch)

Dinner table setup with 4 seating per table with a mix of dark grey leather and oak wood chairs and square tables dressed with plates and and glasses

(Image credit: Adam Letch)

Lounging area of the restaurant with grey sofa, cushions and black tables. Marble designed center piece

(Image credit: Adam Letch)

ADDRESS

Zeitz MOCAA
V&A Waterfront
Silo District
S Arm Road
Cape Town 8001

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Daven Wu

Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.