Cape Town will be home to Africa’s first Time Out Market towards the end of 2023. As a concept that showcases a city’s best food and drink experiences under one roof it is a fitting replacement for the V&A Food Market which was closed down to be re-invented and upscaled into this global brand.

The first Time Out Market opened in 2014 in a historic market hall in Lisbon, Portugal quickly turning into the most popular destination in the city with over 4 million visitors a year. The success of Lisbon brought further expansion with Time Out Markets opening in: Miami, New York, Boston, Montreal,  Chicago, and Dubai.

Time Out Market Cape Town will feature 13 local chefs and restaurateurs, four bars and one stage. Guests will get to experience some of the city’s very best food from a variety of concepts while coming together with family and friends to enjoy their meals – on china with flatware – at communal tables.

So far 8 vendors have been confirmed including a halaal offering. Patrons can expect dishes from award-winning chefs and restauranteurs including Bertus Basson, Vusi Ndlovu, Peter Tempelhoff and Chef Anwar Abdullatief.

“We have put great emphasis on curating a line-up that is unique to our beautiful region – our mission is to celebrate the best local talent from award-winning to up-and-coming, give guests a local experience that is exciting yet accessible, and be a meaningful addition to this fantastic city and the V&A Waterfront,” says Russ Meyer, General Manager of Time Out Market Cape Town.

After bringing us The Happy Uncles, South Africa’s first halal fine dining restaurant, Chef Anwar Abdullatief and TV personality and Chef Yolani Abrahams, who got married in 2021, will bring Barakat – a halal fine-dining experience like no other – to Time Out Market Cape Town. The Cape Malay-inspired menu will introduce diners to the unique and indulgent flavours that originated in the Mother City, and both Anwar and Yolani also want their diners to engage, converse and enjoy a full Cape Malay experience while eating dishes like Ou mense onder die kombers (slow braised ossobuco cooked in hearty aromantic nutmeg and clove, wrapped in cabbage, with baby beetroots, creme parsnip and spiced jus); Tomato “Breedie’‘ (Cape Malay tomato based sauce with slow cooked lamb knuckles); or Aromatic Fish (pan fried local kingklip in fragrant chili, turmeric and coriander sauce and sambal).

Currently Barakat is the only Muslim owned halaal eatery at this Time Out Market. The other eateries are not muslim owned or halaal certified at the time of writing.

These are the other offerings available:

De Vrije Burger by Bertus Basson will bring Stellenbosch’s award-winning burger to Cape Town.

Chef Vusi Ndlovu will create a new concept at MLILO ‘Fires of Africa’, with dishes that celebrate African shisanyama heritage.

The Melting Pot Seafood is an internationally inspired seafood concept inspired by Chef John Van Zyl’s travels.

Unframed Ice Cream will excite foodies with their twist on classic ice cream flavours.

Chef duo Matt Van Den Berg and Carla Schulze will bring How Bao Now and their Asian-inspired high-end street food to the market.

YARD will serve authentically inspired pizza from Pizza Warehouse.

Peter Tempelhoff and team who are behind The World’s 50 Best nominated restaurant, FYN, brings a Ramenhead branch to Time Out Market Cape Town.

In the lead up to the opening, Time Out Market Cape Town will announce further additions to its lineup as well as how local culture will be part of this unique experience.