Top 5 Places to Grab a Cocktail at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town

The V&A Waterfront is one of the biggest restaurant hubs in Cape Town. This unique, vibrant place is filled with a wide array of restaurants, cocktail bars, and sundowner spots where you can grab a drink or two to soak up the vibe. With so many options, it can be hard to decide where to grab the perfect cocktail. We’ve hunted down the Top 5 Places to grab a cocktail at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.

#1 Bascule Whisky, Wine and Cocktail Bar

Bascule Bar is situated on the bottom floor of the renowned Cape Grace Hotel, at the water’s edge of the beautiful V&A Waterfront Marina, offering relaxing views over the buzzing marina, with the stunning Table Mountain as a backdrop. This brown-hued space complements the hotel’s overall nautical feel. It features warm, wood interior furnishings and a quaint fireplace. The bar also makes use of whiskey barrels as tables beside plush leather couches.

This vibrant destination is perfect for a light lunch or a cup of coffee during the day. At night, it transforms into a lively bar, making it a perfect setting to take in the sights and sounds of the busy Waterfront. As the sun sets, cocktail connoisseurs and social butterflies gather to enjoy sundowners and lively music, along with tasty tapa dishes.

A delectable array of over 400 whiskeys from across the globe matches the breathtaking views from the bar. They also have an exceptional selection of the Cape’s most sublime wines. Bascule Bar offers a great whiskey, wine, and cocktail menu. And while whiskey is at the beating heart of this bar, its skillful bartenders have mastered the art of mixology and can shake up a wide variety of signature cocktails. And their whiskey-based cocktails are top notch.

Visit the Bascule Bar website for more information.

#2 Harbour House

Harbour House is a sophisticated restaurant that offers a fine dining experience of international cuisine with Mediterranean elements in an elegant setting. It overlooks the bustling Victoria Basin and the quay. Harbour House is known for its superb blend of time-honoured favourites and creative new dishes. They serve the freshest seafood and ingredients, making it one of Cape Town’s favourite seafood restaurants.

They have a good wine list and serve some of the best cocktails in town. This famous restaurant is the ideal spot to observe the bustling Waterfront from up high while you feast on splendid food and drink flavourful cocktails.

Visit harbourhouse.co.za for more information.

#3 Shimmy Beach Club

At Shimmy Beach Club you can sip a cocktail with your toes in the sand, while looking out over the ocean. It’s situated on the harbour edge, giving you a different perspective of the V&A Waterfront, away from the bustling main section. The menu offers you light meals, wood-fired pizza, and sushi.

Shimmy Beach Club hosts regular events, with a yearly summertime music series by local musicians Goldfish. Schedule your cocktail outing just before a show to start off the party on a high note!

Visit shimmybeachclub.com for more information

Related: Top 10 Things to Do at the V&A Waterfront

#4 Quay Four

It’s one of the oldest landmark restaurants in the charming V&A Waterfront quay. They offer high-quality food with breathtaking harbour views. At Quay Four, you can choose between the terrace right on the quay, known as the downstairs tavern, or the elegant upstairs restaurant. The terrace seats up to 360 people and buzzes with locals and visitors all year round. They offer a variety of light meals and salads as well as an impressive range of award-winning beers on tap. It is a great place to meet with friends and savour a few drinks as the sun sets.

The restaurant upstairs, on the other hand, offers a smart casual dining experience and places emphasis on mouth-watering seafood, venison and meat/poultry dishes. They also have a notable wide selection of delicious cocktails. Whether upstairs or downstairs, both visitors and tourists alike can enjoy a delicious drink and excellent food while watching the stunning harbour views of a glorious Cape Town sunset.

Visit quay4.co.za for more information.

#5 The Willaston Bar

The Willaston Bar is situated on the sixth floor of the famous Silo Hotel and showcases some of the Mother City’s most extraordinary views through the 5.5m high pillowed glass windows at a high vantage point. The bar got its name from the first ship to export grain from the original silo building to Europe in 1924. They welcome their guests with the bar’s colourful and meticulously designed interior. The bar has a wide selection of crafted cocktails, classic drinks and an indulgent variety of local and international wines.

What makes this bar one of the top places to grab a cocktail in the Waterfront is because the menu boasts with a cocktail for everyone and for all occasions. Whether you’re after an old favourite or something complex and intriguing, The Willaston Bar has got it for you. Your other option at the Silo Hotel, is the rooftop bar, if you want fresh air while sipping a cocktail.

Visit the Willaston Bar website for more information.

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