Unexplored Cape Town has been hosting unique heritage food tours for years, and now, they’ve launched a new digital space, offering a fresh lens through which to access culturally-rich food stories.
Heritage food tours
Unexplored Cape Town offers inclusive and authentic heritage food tours that illuminate the significant contributions of African diaspora communities to the city’s diverse food identity. They understand that in a city as spectacularly beautiful as Cape Town, there are also profound realities of inequality, gentrification, and the persistent struggle for African-owned businesses to secure affordable trading spaces, and gain the genuine recognition they deserve.
“For us, food is more than just lifestyle or tourist experience; there are so many layers of inherent political and historical influence, which offers a powerful mirror reflecting the city’s past and present struggles and triumphs,” says Dennis Molewa, Founder and Social Entrepreneur at Unexplored Cape Town.
“While there’s no shortage of high-end, Euro-centric dining experiences in the city, our commitment is to show you the hole-in-the-wall kitchens, the informal food traders, the vibrant food markets that offer a mix of Eastern to Western African diaspora cuisines, and all the history tied within these flavours. These are very honest food tours.”
Immersions into the city’s history
These are not merely walks between eateries; they are profound immersions into the city’s history, peeling back another part of Cape Town’s complex past, revealing how the city’s food culture has been profoundly shaped by history, urban development, migration, and even colonial legacies.
During Unexplored’s food tours, you can learn about historical sites that have shaped the nation, such as the Cape Town City Hall, where Nelson Mandela addressed the nation for the first time. How places like the Company Gardens, established in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) under Jan van Riebeeck’s leadership, was part of a supply station to grow fresh produce for VOC ships traveling between Europe and the East Indies.
You learn how global commodities like cloves and nutmeg were once so valuable, worth more than gold by weight when Van Riebeek arrived, illustrating the deep historical connection between trade, colonial ambition, and the spices that now form the backbone of many local dishes. The tours even invite you to appreciate the diversity of architecture that tells stories of different eras and influences woven into the city’s fabric.
A place intrinsically linked to the very start of Unexplored Cape Town’s journey, is Fatima’s Kitchen. What began as a humble ‘hole-in-the-wall’ on Long Street stands today as a powerful example of resilience and community spirit. Run by women from Mali, led by Fatima herself alongside her sister and niece, Awa and Bintou, this restaurant embodies overcoming significant odds in a rapidly gentrifying city where affordable trading space for small businesses is becoming increasingly scarce. Fatima has effectively adapted her cooking to resonate with critical South African taste buds, all while beautifully preserving the original West African soul of her dishes. Today, it’s a vibrant space where the favourite dishes of East, West, and South Africa are served; a true melting pot on a plate, reflecting the city’s own diverse identity.
Lesser explored parts of the city
Introductory Walking Tour of Cape Town (CBD) serves as an entry point into the city centre, moving from District Six to Bo-Kaap, exploring historically significant spaces and gaining insights into the socio-cultural realities of post-Apartheid Cape Town by examining its colonial past.
Little Mogadishu Food Tour invites you to Bellville, Cape Town’s “Little Mogadishu,” to discover the authentic East African and Afro-Arab culinary traditions of the Horn of Africa, highlighting Ethiopian and Somali diaspora cuisines in a vibrant neighbourhood often overlooked.
Two Sides of Cape Town Food Tour offers a 4-hour walking journey connecting the formal and informal economies in the city centre, exploring both heritage-rich African and local eateries alongside artisan-driven culinary destinations.
The African Food & Storytelling Experience delves deep into Cape Town’s rich African culinary heritage, shaped by migration, history, and urban development, celebrating South Africa’s multicultural food identity and honouring African diaspora communities.
“Our aim is to become South Africa’s most inclusive food tour. We want to foster a welcoming and respectful environment for everyone, keeping in mind the historical and current challenges that our country faces. We actively campaign against all forms of discrimination, including racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and other biases,” adds Molewa.
“When you join one of our food tours, a portion of the proceeds supports the African Food Business Fund, a registered non-profit organisation that we started to provide support to marginalised small and medium-sized African food businesses in Cape Town. Through targeted financial assistance, advocacy, and strategic connections within the tourism sector, the Fund helps nurture the development of a thriving ecosystem for these vital enterprises.
What: Unexplored Cape Town food tours
Cape Town Food Tours: Info here
Book a tour: Here
Where: Cape Town South Africa
Facebook, Instagram
WS
