The Menu to Match the Best Hotel in the Best City

Temo Mpodi

When the world’s best city gets its best new menu, you take notice. Heirloom, the signature restaurant at the Cape Grace Hotel, has reopened under the direction of Chef Wesli Jacobs, and the timing could not be better.

With Cape Town freshly crowned Best City in the World at the 2025 Telegraph Travel Awards, Jacobs’ debut feels perfectly in sync with the moment — a confident, flavour-first expression of South African cuisine that delivers on every plate.

Cooking That Matches the Moment

Perched at one of the Cape’s most iconic addresses, with Table Mountain rising behind and the V&A Waterfront buzzing below, Heirloom now offers food that truly belongs to its setting.

Since taking over in May 2025, Jacobs has quietly shaped a seasonal, locally rooted menu that reflects both South Africa’s diverse food heritage and the character of his kitchen team. The result is cooking that feels honest, modern, and unmistakably Cape Town.

There’s no pretension here. No foams. No overthought plating. Just beautifully sourced produce treated with precision and care.

Highlights include:

• Abalobi sashimi with linefish, candied chilli, avocado emulsion, and grapefruit – a coastal homage to freshness.
• 1kg Mozambican lobster with fragrant biryani rice, hand-cut chips, and house peri-peri – indulgent yet grounded.
• Karoo pap and vleis, revealed under a cloche of braai smoke – pure nostalgia turned fine dining theatre.

For dessert, the milk tart mille-feuille reimagines a South African classic as an elegant French pastry. It’s daring, familiar, and absolutely brilliant.

Beyond the Plate

From 1 October, the poolside terrace reopens as a Riviera-inspired retreat, offering a Mediterranean-style menu and expertly mixed cocktails in a space cleverly sheltered from the Cape’s famous winds.

Inside, The Library now serves an elevated selection of Champagnes and top-tier South African MCCs by the glass — a refined touch that speaks to the hotel’s effortless sophistication.

The Verdict

If you’re planning to visit the Best City in the World this summer, make Heirloom part of the experience. Jacobs’ food is confident but unpretentious, local yet cosmopolitan, and memorable without trying too hard.

Book the table. Order the lobster. Stay for the cheese trolley.
This is Cape Town dining at its best.