TuBROS, Lansdowne

Updated: 04-12-2025

Lansdowne in the Southern Suburbs is home to some of the most interesting halaal eateries in Cape Town. TuBROS is the latest addition to it’s main thoroughfare, Imam Haron Road – Cape Town’s answer to Durban’s famed foodie hub of Florida Road.

The brainchild of brothers Abdus-Samad and Zameer Sidar, it promises “Lekker Bites – No Long Stories” according to its Instagram page. We love to hear this. Because well curated menu’s usually deliver a better experience.

We checked them out on a quick lunch breakout this week. The eatery is located on a corner and looks like a historic Lansdowne corner shop that’s been revamped and modernised into a contemporary, relaxed eatery. It’s on the smaller side. With padded bench seating on one wall, 2 small round tables and a raised bar with stools it and can accomodate about 15 people at the most. It’s casual and meant for quick stops rather than lengthy catch-ups.

The menu is a combination of east meets west. The main offering is Slider Burgers in Chicken or Beef. They do have one full size burger on offer. And the other option is dumplings from a brand called Zumplings, in a choice of Chicken, Prawn or Beef. I loved that the menu was so focussed. It made choosing really easy. I’m someone that can deliberate for way too long over a menu so this was a huge time saver for me. We opted for the Combo option of 2 sliders with chips and a drink for R99. We were able to get the 2 sliders in one beef and one chicken. And also a portion of the prawn Zumplings. For drinks they offered Bashews and other non Coke options. Win!

While waiting for our order, we saw they also stock frozen bags of Zumplings as well as homemade ice-cream cups in barfi, mango and other traditional flavours.

Our order came to the table in the brown-paper takeaway bag. While they have tables they don’t have a sit-down service. So presentation was very much a takeaway experience. The sliders were wrapped in paper. They were generous in size for sliders and both the chicken and meat version had ample filling. The chicken slider has an Asian Teriyaki flavour. The menu indicated they use chicken thighs but our burger seemed to have chicken breast. While the flavour was good I found the chicken itself a bit tough. The beef slider on the other hand was really good. With a double smash patty, gherkins, cheese, caramelised onions and sauce, it was really flavourful and the taste of the meat shone through. I really like the chunky chips. They were just crispy enough and well seasoned.

The dumplings were served in a plastic clamshell container. You get 3 dumplings on a bed of Asian slaw for R49. Not badly priced at all. The slaw was very tangy and the dumplings were not skimpy on filling. It’s a light meal and may not go very far if you’re really hungry.

If coffee is your thing, you’ll be very glad to know they offer speciality coffee from Proper Coffee. We were lucky enough to chat to Shu-aib Hassiem from Yellow Jacket Roastery who runs the coffee bar. They grind their own beans and offer 2 flavour profiles. A deep and intense grind with chocolatey notes and a more rounded profile with lighter fruity notes. We had flat whites in each profile and enjoyed both. Zulfi preferred the lighter profile and I the deeper one. Neither of us needed to add sugar which we normally do.

They also offer some sweet treats, I spotted chocolate cake, baklava and milk tart so it could also be a good stop for a quick coffee date.

It’s a good choice for a quality meal on the run but I think a more polished sit-down service with crockery and utensils would go a long way. I can say that I would be happy to swing by the next time I’m in the area.