Thirty-two years behind the same bar. No foam, no tweezers, no eight-minute build while your table waits. Just properly made classics from R78, and a happy hour from four until six every day.
The cocktail list runs to thirty builds. These are the ones the bar makes most, and the ones we would put in front of you first if you asked us to choose.
Beyond the classics there are frozen and blended builds like the Purple Reign, the Corona-Rita, Long Island jugs, a slushie and a shooter list, plus the full spirits range and wine by the glass and bottle. The complete drinks menu is here.
Order the Negroni. It is the honest test of any bar — three ingredients, nowhere to hide, and ours is stirred rather than shaken and served with a proper orange peel rather than a sad wedge. At R93 it is also cheaper than most of Bree Street.
Order the Long Island. It is 2-4-1 between 4pm and 6pm, which makes two of them R107 total. There is no better value in De Waterkant and we are entirely comfortable saying so. See the full happy hour list.
Order the Espresso Martini. Freshly drawn espresso, not a pre-mix, which is why it takes a minute longer and tastes like it should. It is the drink that turns a Tuesday dinner into a Wednesday morning.
Gold Margarita or Strawberry Daiquiri. Both are built with fresh citrus rather than a sour mix, which in Cape Town summer is the entire difference.
Thursday. R20 tequila and Jägermeister shots, with a house DJ from eight. This is not a cocktail recommendation and we will not be defending it.
We are called Cafe Manhattan and we have been on this corner since 1994, so yes — the bar takes a Manhattan seriously. Rye, sweet vermouth, bitters, stirred down, no ice in the glass. Ask for it and you will get the version the bar has been arguing about for three decades.
Read how the place started.
De Waterkant sits on the slope of Signal Hill between the Bo-Kaap and the harbour, which makes it one of the few parts of Cape Town where you can genuinely walk between venues. We are on the corner at 74 Waterkant Street, roughly three minutes from Bree Street and a short downhill walk from the Bo-Kaap.
The bar runs 11am to 11pm, seven days a week. The kitchen runs until 10pm, so you can eat properly at half past nine, which is not true of most bars in the area. Burgers, pizza, mains and starters all come out of the same kitchen the whole time — there is no reduced late menu.
Bookings are not required for drinks. For a table on a Friday or Saturday evening, or for a group of six or more, message us on WhatsApp or call 021 002 8867.
Cocktails start at R78 for a Cosmopolitan. The Negroni and Gold Margarita are R93, the Espresso Martini R101, the Long Island R111 and the Strawberry Daiquiri R115. Long Islands are 2-4-1 for R107 during happy hour, 4pm to 6pm daily.
The bar is open 11am to 11pm every day of the week. The kitchen runs until 10pm, so you can order food right up to an hour before the bar closes.
You do not need a booking for drinks — walk in any time. For a table on a Friday or Saturday night, or a group of six or more, message us on WhatsApp so we can seat you together.
Long Islands are 2-4-1 for R107. Happy hour also covers two double brandy, vodka or gin and mixers for R95, and 2-4-1 Ken Forrester Blanc or Merlot, Castle Lite or Black Label dumpies and Olmeca. The wider cocktail menu is at standard price.
We would be in trouble if we did not. Rye, sweet vermouth and bitters, stirred and served up. Ask at the bar.
Walk in for a drink, or book a table if you want the good corner. Happy hour lands at four.