This city beckons you to explore its dazzling nightlife, from admiring its skyline at dusk to sipping cocktails and listening to bands play jazz, indie tunes or classic rock.
Whether your taste leans towards cocktail and wine bars, cafés or rooftop studio settings, Cape Town by moonlight has something to offer every night owl in pursuit of a boogie.
And when the music is good, you dance.
Also read: Cape Town’s after-dark delights: 10 night-time adventures in the city
1. The Blue Room
The Blue Room takes all those who enter on a journey that transitions from the sultry, lingering notes of jazz to the heartfelt depths of blues, ending in soul.
Located on Bree Street and forming part of Grub & Vine, The Blue Room is a live music and cocktail lounge that enlivens the rich heritage of jazz and blues in an intimate setting.
The Blue Room at Grub & Vine is the product of a fruitful partnership between the restaurant’s owner, Chef Matt Manning and jazz virtuoso Buddy Wells.
From Tuesday to Saturday, you can enjoy pre-dinner cocktails while listening to some of the country’s best jazz, soul and blues musicians perform.
When the tapping of your feet and the snapping of your fingers conjure an appetite, Grub & Vine delivers an elevated dining affair that captures the essence of refined bistro-style cuisine.
The menu dances to the rhythm of the seasons, ensuring each visit has a palette of new flavours, keeping the experience fresh and enticing, and is accompanied by a thoughtfully curated wine selection featuring South Africa’s most distinguished producers.
Stay informed about The Blue Room’s upcoming events here.
- Location: 103 Bree Street, Cape Town, South Africa
- Times: Tuesday to Saturday, 4pm to late
- Contact: 087 1535 246 | [email protected]
- Website: theblueroomza.com
2. Harringtons
Harrington’s Cocktail Lounge is a live music venue, a restaurant and a boutique bar. The lounge is perched above Harrington Street, with panoramic windows to frame the view of the familiar Cape Town district below.
Polished wooden accents, velvet bottle service booths, a dedicated smoking lounge and a DJ station equipped for late-night revelry are all on the menu.
Opulence greets the eye, with the walls draped in velvet, botanical sketches, aged monochrome snapshots of Cape Town and regal Baroque canvases. Underfoot, the reawakened hardwood floors proudly bear the weight of time.
Every Thursday, Harrington’s ‘East City Sessions’ sees Cape Town’s best bands and performers take the stage. The doors swing open at 4pm, and entry is free.
Happy Hour extends till 7pm, offering classic cocktails created at the venue’s striking L-shaped bar.
As the clock strikes 7pm, the stage becomes a focal point for talented bands to take centre stage. Following the live performances, resident DJs step in, setting the scene with a selection of cool, old-school tunes, enticing even the most reserved to grace the dance floor.
The spotlight remains on jazz and acoustic sessions; however, first Thursday performances veer towards an Indie Disco flavour.
Recent line-ups have seen performances by Hezron Chetty, Buddy Wells, Year of Dogs, Giuliette Price, Adrian Mears, Taleswapper and Kujenga.
Harringtons shares a wall with its sister venue, District. Its weekly event, ‘Foul Play Presents’ is hosted every Thursday and features a weekly line-up of three local bands.
The evening begins with cocktails, segues into a jazz session and culminates in a series of indie band performances.
To stay informed about the weekly line-ups, check out Harrington’s website or find updates on Instagram under the handles ‘East City Sessions’ or ‘Foulplay_presents.’
- Location: 61B Harrington Street, District Six, Cape Town
- Times: Wednesday, 4pm to 12am | Thursday to Saturday, 4pm to 4am
- Contact: 078 916 7903 | [email protected]
- Website: harringtonstreet.co.za
3. The Alma Café
Located on the corner of a suburb with plenty of foot traffic, the Alma Café’s historical roots run as deep as the neighbourhood it calls home, with the building’s legacy spanning over a century. Tracing its lineage back to the 1950s, it has always been a family-run establishment.
In 2004, Richard and Retha Tait took the reins.
Initially, the Tait family’s enterprise encompassed a bakery, a coffee shop and a quaint corner store. In 2009, their expertise merged to establish the Alma Café we know today: a union of home-cooked fare and a setting made for live music entertainment.
Before the pandemic, the Alma Café operated as a live music and supper theatre. An hour before each show, patrons and performers would spill onto its stoop, mingling and enjoying homemade food and end-of-week drinks.
In the height of post-isolation blues, the Alma Café became a glimmer of hope, beckoning community members and curious souls who yearned for a taste of normality after months of seclusion.
As the shackles of lockdown faded, live music reclaimed its stage at Alma Café, breathing life back into the melodies.
With an event schedule expertly curated by Richard and Retha’s son, Jono Tait, the Alma Café welcomes performers of all levels of experience to its stage every Friday and Saturday, and its seats are consistently filled with enthusiastic audiences.
Stay informed about the Alma Café’s upcoming gigs by visiting almacafe.co.za/gigs-friends/
- Location: 20 Alma Road, Rosebank, Cape Town
- Times: Friday and Saturday, 6:30pm for 7pm | Sunday, 6pm for 6:30pm
- Contact: 021 685 7377 | [email protected]
- Website: almacafe.co.za
4. The House of Machines
The House of Machines is located on Shortmarket Street, a narrow thoroughfare connecting Bree to Long. It sits shoulder-to-shoulder with an office equipment supplier and nose-to-nose with a government advisory firm.
Rock down to eclectic avenue?
Since its inception, THoM has evolved into an invaluable hub for local musicians seeking to discover their rhythm, refresh their sound and make new connections within South Africa’s music industry.
It provides respite from the clamour of daily life. Its vision was not to fashion the trendiest or most novel hotspot; rather, it aimed to provide a venue for camaraderie, where old friends gather and new bonds are made.
On gig nights, the stage area is laden with carpets and lit by the gentle radiance of fairy lights. Within this intimate environment, coffee, café culture, beer, cocktails and soul-stirring tunes seamlessly intertwine.
Keep up to date with THoM’s upcoming live performances here.
- Location: 84 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town City Centre
- Times: Monday to Friday, 7am to 2am | Saturday, 9am to 2am
- Contact: 021 422 0946 | [email protected]
- Website: thehouseofmachines.com
5. Selective Live
Selective Live is a music venue owned by Selective Hearing, a record label and production company. It finds its home in one of Cape Town’s best rooftop venues, a fortune that does not go unrecognised by its owners.
Its balcony, the ultimate location for a sundowner, has borne witness to countless moments of togetherness wrapped in laughter.
Against the backdrop of Table Mountain, an open invitation is extended to all, beckoning guests, musically inclined or not, to partake in the distinct warmth and cool vibes that define Selective Live.
Every Saturday, the space is filled with voices and instruments as musicians from all over the world take the stage. During special jam sessions, Selective Live invites those who are inspired to take the mic and join the band.
Week after week, a new constellation of talent graces the stage – a fusion of local gems and international performers comprising bands, DJs and comedians.
Guests are encouraged to completely immerse themselves in the performances of their favourite artists. Leave your inhibitions at the door.
With locally produced spirits and beer to accompany the tunes, Selective Live embodies a sanctuary of sound and soul.
Selective Live updates its Instagram page, @selective_live, about upcoming live performances.
- Location: 189 Buitengracht Street, Cape Town
- Times: Tuesday to Sunday, 4pm to 2am
- Contact: [email protected]
- Website: selectivecity.co.za
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6. café Roux
Opened in 2006, café Roux is a treasured resident of the Noordhoek Farm Village and a vital part of the South Peninsula community.
What was planted as an intimate familial venture has sprouted into a beloved restaurant and live music venue for performers who have earned the nation’s affection.
While music and mirth take centre stage, its food offerings deserve to share some of the spotlight. Breakfast and lunch menus cater to an array of palates, and on show evenings, a dinner experience awaits, replete with contemporary flavours that elevate traditional favourites.
The tropical flair of local brand Bungalow Living enhances its interiors’, combining elements of wood, leather and foliage.
café Roux exudes an inviting charm, whether you arrive straight from the beach with a canine companion in tow, drink a beer beneath the canopy of oak trees or secure a spot beside the playground in summer.
During the colder months, enjoy a meal next to the fire, accompanied by a calming soundtrack.
café Roux emerged from a heartfelt vision of a space where life’s simplest pleasures take precedence. It’s an oasis where friends and family can unwind in the sun while enjoying good food, wine and music that serves as the soundtrack to special memories.
Find out what’s on and what’s coming with café Roux’s event calendar, found here.
- Location: Noordhoek Main Road & Village Lane, Noordhoek, Cape Town
- Times: Monday to Sunday, 8:30am to 3:30pm | Open for dinner on select nights of the week for live performances
- Contact: 021 789 2538 | [email protected]
- Website: [email protected]
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Picture: Tegan Smith Photography