Slowly but surely Bree Street in the Cape Town city centre has become the most talked about restaurant street, with ten new restaurants having opened in the past twelve months, and more are to come.

We have compiled a list of the 26 restaurants on Bree Street below.  While Kloof Street has about ten restaurants more, the Bree Street restaurants generally are of a higher standard, with only one franchised restaurant outlet on Bree Street, unlike Kloof Street.  We have started our Bree Street restaurant list from the Table Mountain side, moving down towards the harbour, the FNB building being the bottom boundary:

*   Crust Café, 243 Bree Street, Breakfast, Lunch, and coffee, some take-away.  Monday – Friday 7h30 – 15h30. Tel (021) 422-2222.

*   Sababa Kitchen & Deli, 231 Bree Street, a small Mediterranean and Middle Eastern take-away as well as sit-down restaurant with freshly prepared foods daily, with a sister restaurant in St John’s Arcade in Sea Point.  Monday to Friday 7h00 – 16h00, Falafel on Thursdays 18-00 – 21h00.  Tel (021) 424-7480.

*   Johann’s Dining Room in Orphanage Cocktail Emporium, corner Bree and Orphan Street, which has just opened, with Chef Johann Breedt, who was previously at The Westin, Shimmy Beach Club, and The Taj.  Small plate food. All dishes under R100.   Monday – Saturday evening.  Tel (021) 424-2004

*   Mother’s Ruin Gin Bar, 219 Bree Street, offering 60 different gins (soon to increase to 75), and six tonic waters.  Very rustic interior. Spanish and Italian charcuterie platters offered at R 115, and R95 for a South African cheese platter.  Monday – Saturday from 16h00.  Cell 0824552223.

*   Palma, 213 Bree Street, Mama Palma Carluzzo  is the chef and son Roberto the GM, newly opened after their arrival from Portofino.  Full a la carte menu, chic interior, seating on the pavement too.  Excellent Tiramisu. Monday – Saturday dinner from 18h00, Lunch Monday and Friday.   Tel (021) 422-0948 (right)

*   The Odyssey Gastropub, 199 Bree Street,  Gastro Pub. Monday – Friday 12h00 – late. Saturday 16h00 – late. Tel (021) 422-4084.

*   Jason,  185 Bree Street.  ‘Beer, Bread, Bubbles’. Breakfast and Lunch, Monday – Friday 7h00 – 15h30.  Saturday 8h00 – 14h00.  Tel (021) 424-5644

*   Café Frank, 160 Bree Street.  Best known for its roast chicken. Coffee Shop, small deli selection.   Monday – Thursday 7h30  – 18h00. Friday 7h30 – 17h00. Saturday 8h00 – 14h00. Tel (021) 423-0360.

*   Lattitude33, 165 Bree Street, mix of coffee shop, clothing shop, and art.   Monday – Friday 7h00 – 15h30, Saturday 8h30 – 14h00.   Tel (021) 424-9520

*   Issi on Bree, 130 Bree Street, Coffee Shop and Tea Room, Monday – Friday, 6h30 – 17h00.  Tel (021) 422-1325.

*   Bocca, corner Bree and Wale Street, sister restaurant to Burrata, serving pizza and small plate sharing dishes.  Seating inside and on deck outside.  Monday – Saturday, Lunch and Dinner.  Tel (021) 422-0188. (left)

*    Clarke’s Bar & Dining Room, 133 Bree Street.  Monday 7h00 – 17h00, Tuesday – Friday 7h00 – late, Saturday 8h00 – late,  Sunday 8h00 – 15h00.  Tel (021) 424-7648

*   Lucky Fish, 120 Bree Street.  Very good value fish and calamari with chips. Sit down or take away.  Belongs to Harbour House Group.  Monday – Sunday, 10h00 – 21h00 Tel (021) 426-4659.

*   Peruvian restaurant, corner Bree and Church Street – to be opened, no details available yet.

*   Bird’s Café, 127 Bree Street.  Bistro.  Monday – Friday 8h00 – 16h00, Saturday 8h00 – 15h00.  Dinner from 18h30 Wednesday – Saturday. Tel (021) 426-2534.

*   Weinhaus & Biergarten, 110 Bree Street.   Owned by Jason Lilley of Jason’s Bakery.  Monday – Saturday. Tel (021) 422-2770

*   La Parada, 107 Bree Street.  Very inexpensive Spanish tapas and beverages, very popular.  Spanish Chef Andres Condé has lifted the quality of the tapas dishes.   Monday – Sunday 12h00 – late. Tel (021) 422-2770

*   Chef’s Warehouse & Canteen, 92 Bree Street.  Offers pre-prepared starters and desserts, as well as 8-dish tapas to share amongst two.  Star outlet on Bree Street, with five stars in Diners Club Rossouw’s Restaurant Guide, and Eat Out Best Everyday Eatery.  Chef Liam Tomlin hands-on in the kitchen (main photograph).  Monday – Friday 9h00 – 20h00, Saturday 12h00 – 14h30. Tel (021) 422-0128

*   Street Food, below Chef’s Warehouse & Canteen.  Top quality take-away food in the main, made by Chef’s Warehouse.  Coffee by Deluxe. Pastries by Jason.  Monday – Friday 7h00 – 15h00.

*   Silver Moon Deli, 34 Bree Street, ‘Continental Deli with Turkish Twist‘.  Monday – Friday 6h00 – 18h00, Saturday 8h00 – 13h00.  Tel (021) 421-0788.

*   B @ 1 (formerly Tribakery), Bowman Gilfillan House, 22 Bree Street.   Monday and Tuesday 7h00 – 18h00, Wednesday – Friday 7h00 – 21h00, Saturday 8h00 – 14h00.  Tel (021) 421-9171.

*   Orinoco, 17 Bree Street.   Latin American restaurant, hands-on run by Venzualan owner Midgalia Bellorin.  Tuesday – Friday 10h00 – 22h00.  Saturday 17h00 – 22h00.  Tel (021) 418-4544. (photograph)

*   Tru Italic, 15 Bree Street.   Charming young Italian owner Luca, hand-made pasta.   Monday – Saturday 10h00 – 22h00 Tel (021) 418-7655

*   I Love my Laundry, 14Bree Street.   Part laundry, part coffee shop and dim sum bar, part wine sales, part events venue, part Fondues on Thursday evenings. Monday – Sunday, 7h00 – 19h00.  Cell 0739397619

*   Hard Pressed, Portside, FNB Building, 4 Bree Street.  Coffee Shop serving light snacks, name reflects that they play vinyl records.   Monday – Friday 7h30 – 17h30, Saturday 9h30 – 14h30.  Cell 0790668883

*   Active Sushi, Portside, FNB Building, 4 Bree Street.  Asian food.  Monday – Saturday, 11h00 – 22h30. Tel (021)  418-0064

*   Vida e Caffè, Portside, FNB Building, 4 Bree Street.  Coffee, Breakfast food, muffins, pastries.  Monday – Friday, 7h00 – 17h00 Tel (021) 461-0424 (head office)

Interesting will be to see what the Peruvian restaurant will turn out to be like.  There is talk of a brewery opening on Bree Street too.  Snob Food and a fining dining restaurant are to open on the mountain side of Bree Street.  Giancarlo’s Italian Deli has just closed next door to Tribakery, so this space is available for a new restaurant too.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com  Tel (021) 433-2100, Twitter:@WhaleCottage Facebook:  click here