Cafè Paradiso

Disappointed to be honest. This was a gem in the 90’s, it’s been a landmark in Cape Town, a place you can go to, take anyone to without a doubt. But let’s be honest: this is not the same place anymore. Is Cafe Paradiso still in the hands of Frieda and the other ladies? However the owner is, clear don’t read reviews. A really pity. Empty on a Friday night, dilapidated decor, thoughtless food, pathetic service. I need to deal with the fact that I will NEVER go there again, it feels like death in my family of trusted restaurants. The prices are exorbitant, to say the least. Only piece of advice: Stay away. Not worth it, not even the view.

We had breakfast here yesterday and ordered 2 rounds of their delicious actual butter fresh croissants and freshly squeezed orange juice besides our mimosa and cappuccino. The restaurant setting is very beautiful and we sat in the balcony and was able to enjoy the early morning breeze. Gareth who served us was an absolute delight to deal with and my husband and I really enjoyed speaking with him. If you haven't been there, don't miss it.

Beautiful garden setting with Table Mountain as the backdrop. Unfortunately the food let it down. My husband ordered the roasted cauliflower, pita etc. We saw the person next to us had ordered one & it looked great. When his meal came it was presented differently. The pita was not charred or even toasted at all. There was so little humus that the meal was extremely dry. Two sad little cocktail tomatoes and a smidgen of feta topped it off. My meal - the creamy veal tagliatelle was excellent. The desserts - cheesecake & lemon meringue were nice, but I’ve had better. The crust was pretty much non existent. The service was a little slow but only because they were short staffed & the waitress had told us there was no manager on duty. Our waitress, Patience, was lovely & under the circumstances handled the pressure very well. She stayed calm & did her best to please all of her tables. At some point in the evening we were greeted and served by all three of the staff(and that was the sum total of all the waiting staff for a very busy Sat month end evening. Hats off guys!) All in all we had a good evening & we would give it another go.

Great wines and lovely menu. Loved that the pasta was made from scratch, and the crème brûlée was on point! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their food, conversation and the atmosphere as it wasn’t noisy like some other restaurants. Service can be much better though, but it’s fixable. Will definitely return!

Lovely place, service is great and food is amazing 👏 😋 definitely recommend it but check your weather never go on a windy day, you will make a big mistake everything will blow of your table If you sit outside 🫣

It's been over 10 years since I last visited Café Paradiso. The restaurant feels like it's in need of some TLC. We sat on the balcony area overlooking the courtyard. Restaurant wasn't very full, but service was slow. The food, however, was top-notch 👌🏽. The chili chocolate steak, well prepared and tasty, the chicken burger crispy and juicy, the tortellini were plump and perfectly cooked. It's worth a visit for the food and the view, but the restaurant needs a warm hug.

This place has a lot going for it, but also a few things that can be improved. The staff were all very friendly and did such a great job helping our kids make their own pizzas. That was quite a highlight for them and it was lovely to see how attentive and caring the staff were towards that. 5 stars for that. The food was satisfactory, as were the milkshakes. The creme brûlée was definitely the star of the day and made quite the impression. Unfortunately it was disappointing that they didn’t have alternative options for payments with regards to loadshedding. That dampened our evening a bit. The food and drinks also took a very long time to arrive which was disappointing considering that the waitress was so friendly and attentive once the food had arrived. That can definitely be improved. Overall it’s got a lovely atmosphere but I wouldn’t recommend it for kids under 5.

Used to love this place but I think it's lost is allure. Went for dinner with friends from the UK. Service wasn't great even though they weren't busy, music was terrible and didn't fit the restaurant at all (some kind of pop/hiphop) and the food was average at best with prices similar to much better restaurants like Beluga for instance. R300 for pork schnitzel is just nuts. Beer selection was not great either, but house wine was good. Place just felt a bit dated and run down and lacked the ambiance of before.