For a taste of classic Cuba, the Buena Vista Social Cafe is a throwback to the renowned sixties Cuban nightclub, Buena Vista Social Club. Located on Main Road in Green Point close to the site of the World Cup soccer and just minutes from the city center, this is a great place to meet your friends for great food, music and atmosphere. And this restaurant has atmosphere! Although casual and comfortable, every night of the week the cafe is bustling with young hip locals meeting up with friends over tapas, nachos and a great mojito. They have a cuban jazz band every Monday night at 9:00 pm, salsa dancing Sundays at 9:00 pm and feature a free glass of wine or local beer with every lunch ordered.

Their outdoor patio is a usually a little quieter and that is where we end up. We ordered a full order of Chicken Nachos for R64 (US$6.40), Chili Poppers (R29) and Margaritas and settled in for the evening. The nachos were so large that the four of us barely finished them and the poppers were spicy but tasty. There is a large assortment of appetizers and entrees ranging in price between R13 (US$1.30) for grilled prawns to R92 (US$9.20) for a fresh seafood platter.  Although it can be very loud at times, for the food and atmosphere, it’s worth a visit.

Buena Vista Social Cafebuena-vista-restaurants-cape-town-south-africa
81 Main Road
1st Floor Exhibition House
Greenpoint, Cape Town
+27 21 433 0611
http://www.buenavista.co.za/ 

Best deal: Half portion Nachos – R41 (US$4.10)

Pros:

  • Relaxed ambience
  • Good service
  • Easy to find on main road with street parking
  • Lovely outdoor tables
  • Average prices with some good deals

 Cons:

  • Can be loud at times
  • No views