I first went to Cape Town back in 2015, and I really wanted to eat at Chefs Warehouse, a no-reservation restaurant Anthony Bourdain had raved about on one of his shows. We sadly missed Chefs Warehouse on that trip, and the original is now closed. BUT (!!), the owners have expanded their empire and opened several restaurants since in and around Cape Town. I obviously looked into them and discovered that one is an Indian restaurant, one of my favorite cuisines. Named Thali, which is a complete Indian meal with numerous dishes, I made it a mission to dine there on our extended trip to Cape Town.
Thali menu.
Thali doesn’t accept reservations, but we had a free Friday night and decided to go for any early dinner. Thali is located in a small space on Park Road just off Kloof Street (near where we were on our food tour). We immediately put our name on the wait list for a table and took a seat at the bar. We spent our 30 minute wait sitting at the bar sipping Thali’s delicious cocktails. That being said, guests can eat at the bar, but we perferred a table.
Interior of Thali.
A very delicious cocktail made with egg whites.
One of Dan’s cocktails.
One more.
After a couple cocktails, we were seated in the back of the restaurant and presented with the menu. At Thali (at least when we visited), food is served as a prix fixe meal for two only, with a meat and vegetarian option, for 1100 South African Rand (vegetarian was slightly less). A meal is estimated to last around 90 minutes per the staff, and they will take allergies into account. For example, duck was on the menu but Dan is allergic. Thali easily replaced it with another meat.
Current meat menu – slightly different when we visited.
As you can see from the menu, Thali also has a good wine selection (and does not permit BYOB, a departure from many Cape Town restaurants). We, of course, ordered a South African red to pair with our meal.
A 2017 Syrah from Stellenbosch.
Thali’s meals are served in a few different course family style. The presentation was A+. I especially loved the copper trays. The first course we were served was a platter of appetizer type dishes – warm naan, some dips, a pakora type dish, etc. Everything was excellent. A smoking contained was also brought out with kebabs to enjoy with this course. Very yum.
The kebab container.
Said kebab.
We were also brought out some cold dishes shortly after the kebabs. I cannot recall what they were called, but they were very good and very pretty.
One of two salad type dishes.
The second salad type dish.
The second platter to arrive contained more main dishes. This plate included garlic naan (my faveee), rice, peppers, two types of Indian dishes. One was fish and the other lamb. Excellend.
Our main dish.
This was the last course of our meal – no dessert at Thali! In all, I loved this restaurant; it was one of my favorites in Cape Town. If its open when I return, I will definitely eat here again! And, if you are looking for a little night life after your Indian fare, there are a lot of bars in this area. I can suggest The Gin Bar, which is only a five minute Uber away. The Gin Bar is a bar specializing in gin (clearly), and the cocktails are delicious!
STEAL OUR TRIP
Thali Restaurant: 3 Park Rd, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa. Open Monday – Saturday 5:00 – 9:30. Closed Sunday.
The Gin Bar: 4A Wale St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa. Open Monday – Wednesday 5:00 – 1:00, Thursday – Saturday 3:00 – 1:00, closed Sunday. *There is also a champagne bar in the back!*