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Last night, on a recommendation by a local, we headed down to Panama Jacks in the Table Bay Harbour where it has been for more than 28 years, and where fish doesn't get any fresher..
Panama Jacks is a quirky, hidden gem with LOTS of character, and I was almost sad to hear that it will be moving in February to the E-Berth Cruiseliner Terminal in the Port of Cape Town (opposite the Silo District), as its current location seems important to its authentic reputation. However, I soon realised that with such a loyal following and team, Panama Jacks will probably make anything its own and thrive.
Onto the food:
We selected the Seafood Platter for Two on our first visit which was authentically served in a large pan. Kingklip, calamari strips, grilled scallops with garlic butter, mussels with cream sauce, deep fried prawns and grilled baby Mozambique lobster accompanied by savoury rice and a trio of sauces.
Service:
We were served by the uber efficient, knowledgable and friendly Prina who I could not fault. She did a lot to ensure that our first visit here was seamless and we would return gladly.
*Recommendation: Panama Jacks is the Orignal Cape Town Harbour Best Seafood Restaurant since 1989 for good reason, and its hidden gem status has made it a favourite for locals for as long as I can remember. Think seafood heaven: deep sea South Coast lobster, monster Abalone, oysters, fresh fish, and lobster sushi.
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Could not find any fault with their food this evening. Tasty seafood platter for 2 which was well worth the money spent. Platter consisted of prawns, calamari, mussels, kingklip, langoustine and savory rice. Tasty sauces accompanied the seafood. We ordered chips as a side. Our waiter was a bit quiet and did not engage much with us. The restaurant itself is also a bit scruffy...
But.... Very fresh and tasty seafood.
Amazing! Love this place! The food was out of this world! Prices are REALLY good too and the staff are all friendly and fantastic and looking after You! Will def be back soon!
A much hyped seafood restaurant inside the port. It’s 10 min from waterfront. Food is okay, not the freshest seafood, there are better seafood restaurants in capetown
Old and quaint thus be prepared for a rough and ready venue.
Service is excellent and the food is delicious.
Wine menu is average
Well worth a visit to taste authentic cape seafood
It's situated in the harbour and in my personal opinion , it's not the easiest of places to find.
We opted for lunch and noticeably you can see it's very popular as it was packed .. The Restuarant itself very simple , plain chairs and wooden tables , couple of flags on the ceiling , nothing really special about the decor if you into that kind of thing ..
The service was good . The waitress to always checking up and ensuring all is well ..
The food was delicious !! We ordered the seafood platter for 2 .. The calamari in particular, so so tender . Calamari a definite favourite..
Pasta made from scratch and quite a healthy portion .. value for money .
Will we go back ... for sure
Been for: Dinner
Ambience: 💠💠💠 - - Driving through the docks, you wonder if you've come to the right place. Panama Jack's is not a trendy night out, but it has an authentic dock-side charm.
Food: 💠💠💠💠 - - We had the bouillabaise as a starter and the grilled fish misto platter for two. The bouillabaise was delicately flavored with tender prawns and mussels, but the fish was a bit overcooked. The misto was great, with the king prawns stealing the show.
Value for Money: 💠💠💠💠 - - The food was very good, and the portions generous. The wine list was also reasonably priced. They also offer corkage at R40/bottle.
Service: 💠💠💠💠 - - Attentive and warm service. The table next to us was having some trouble choosing a wine, and the waitress spent about 15 minutes helping them install apps to help them choose the best option for their tastes.
Lunch Sunday
Great ambiance
Seafood great; platter for two; Additional prawns
Enjoyable; fresh; well prepped;
Great fish; prawns great; calamari & mussels excellent
Service ok for Sunday lunch
Scintillating dry white wine
Thanks, enjoyable afternoon
A real harbour experience. No fuss or bother, and definitely not fine dining. I had the langoustines which came with salad and rice and they were delicious. Others had calamari and Mozambiquean prawns. The seafood was fresh and filling but we found the service to be lackluster and to lack a vibe/energy.
The food was excellent, everything we had. Two seafood platters, calamari, salmon, chocolate volcano and fruit sorbet. Our waiter was attentive and food was delivered quickly.
It is a little difficult to find so check your directions first. Once there, it is a charming out of the way spot.
Lots of live lobster and abalone. Best way to eat it. You pick your own from their tanks
A big thank you to the managers who, when our second Uber cancelled on us promptly ordered a taxi which was there in minutes.
I went to Panama Jacks for a Sunday lunch visit with the hubby. We both had the escargot for starters and shared a seafood platter for two with baby kingklip option. Although the waiter fumbled a bit through our orders, he made up for it with service that was prompt and friendly. We special ordered our fish and calamari to be cajun style. The food was superb and portion sizes filling. I would recommend this restaurant for anyone in the mood for decent seafood. The vibe is chill and they have an excellent selection of wines on their new winelist. Well worth a visit.
We had a company dinner here. My first time at Panama Jacks. Scallops were delicious - a very rich dish. I had the Prawn Sanagi - this was also very rich. The seafood platter looked amazing. My friend had the grilled Kingklip and he said it was superb. This is an expensive restaurant. it does get very busy so make a reservation. I think this restaurant is overrated for the prices they charge - I have had better prawns at the Ocean Basket.
Dock like eating experience. This place is legendary with locals and foreigners alike. 'Famous' for their seafood. Choose your own crayfish from the ponds in the restaurant! Great quality food, good service and casual dining.
We have been there 3 times in the last few months. Our first time was amazing, and second time the same. However on the last occasion we got the impression that the portions got a bit smaller. The wine list was being redone so you have to order wine without actually knowing what you're getting or what you are going to pay. In the end, the food and vibe was still good
Love this place! The food is great and the decor is awesome. Apparently, it's been there since the early 90s, which already tells you they have a winning recipe here.
The service is a tad slow, but the waiters are all pretty cool and always up for a laugh.
The banofee pie changed my life forever, it's incredible.
Pretty decent seafood restaurant. Its literally in the middle of the docks and is a tad bit difficult to find but the food is great! Did the seafood platter for 2 followed by desserts. I had the banoffee pie which was super sinful. 🙈
The lunch menu was really delicious, and a great place to get seafood. Really enjoyed the food and the portion size and price is really reasonable. The service was OK, and the fish tanks were a little dirty, but very cool little place!
I can't fault this place!! They had my favourite wine - Springfield Whole Berry & the food was amazing. I can recommend the lobster calafornia rolls and the prawns, crayfish, scallops, calamari rings, kingklip fillet even down to the bread roll was amazing. The waitress gave us friendly and attentive service and we had a great time. Will be back soon!!
Great service! Very well done Kingklip in the most beautiful setting we've all loved as a breakfast: Florantine. Well executed and beautiful flavours. The starters I tried oysters (I'm afraid you can't take too much credit lol) however the Mexican version was divine. An overall great dining experience. I would recommend giving this harbour restaurant a try :)
Very goof place for sea food lovers....ordered king prawns and they were huge....if u want everything the sea has to offer just order the sea food platter
Love the food! the prawns, the crayfish even the rice, super delicious ymmmm.
We will always go here for decent fresh seafood.
the staff and the interior is a bit of a unique quirk but you get over it once you dig in.
(best to visit on a cool day, for it can get boiling inside, and a bit oudated but part of the charm)
Hidden away in the habour by the container terminal, this place is rustic & offers a wide variety of seafood!
The lunch menu is reasonably priced & the portion sizes very big - Main menu sides comes at an additional cost. If you feel like something a little different, it's worth a visit ☺
Had a lovely crayfish lunch!!! I did think they were in the harbor with a view, but alas there is no real view!!
The crayfish was super yummy and really well priced!!
Be sure to go at lunch though as their prices change on the evening menu!!
It was a really good lunch and I will definitely be back!!!
Besides some of the freshest fish I've had in Cape Town, what I absolutely loved is how non pretentious this place is, it's all about their food!
For starters my boyfriend and I had the mussel chowder, was very tasty, I generally prefer the clam variety. My mom had the avocado crayfish, absolutely delicious! We all shared the seafood grill misto for two, was more than enough for three people especially after starters. Really recommend it!
Delicious meal once again with Chris Wingrove, Dylan Wingrove and Alan Wingrove. Tuna and Kingklip were delish, as were the prawns. Very tasty mussel chowder served by an efficient, bubbly waitress. Will definitely be back!
Best restaurante in Cape Town. My girlfriend had a great a sushi platter, and I tried the most amazing oysters followed by a Lobster. I really recommend this place, great location and atmosphere.
Although we had to wait quite a bit for our meals to arrive; I can gladly say that it was well worth the wait. Best fish I've had yet - The Baby Kingklip with plum sauce is a sure winner. Brilliant service from the friendly waiter as well.
Was very excited to come to this Cape Town institution, which lived up to its name. A solid dining experience, with generous servings of fresh seafood...but was not overly impressed given the old decor and expensive prices. Prefer Cesco's in JHB...
The food was excellent. had oysters to start which were super fresh. For Mains had the platter for 2 which was really good value for money and extremely tasty.
Your quintessential dive bar. Don't expect any frills or 1000 thread count napkins. What you can expect is good quality seafood, huge portions, criminally low prices and friendly service. Truly a hidden gem. I'd definitely recommend it!
This place is amazing. The vibe is awesome, the food is awesome and i really like the placement in the harbour, you get to see a very different side of the harbour. The sushi being amazing is a bonus!
Always a great seafood choice. Never disappoints. Service is always good, regardless of how busy it gets. If you're unsure of what to have, order the prawns!
Tucked away gem at the Cape Town harbor. Decor very rustic. Service was friendly and efficient. The seafood platter that we enjoyed consisted of delicious crayfish, scallops, kingklip, calamari, mussels and rice. The prawns however was severely overcooked. Platter can definitely be shared between 3.
Best seafood and sushi in Cape Town. Amazing vibe, great people and great food. Booking is a must, especially during the holidays. Menu offers a wide variety.
A great evening, ambience very similar to Cesco' s in JHB. The food and service were both excellent despite them being understaffed which they advised upfront on the phone when making the reservation.
The menu provided so many mouth watering selections that it was difficult to choose, as was the wine selection. The variety of wines was better than in most upper range restaurants. I vote this a BIG yes for a Friday evening out with someone comfortably special!
Hidden away and normally quite busy. Panama Jacks offers a cosy interior with an interesting menu. Great tasting seafood. Waiters are a bit slow at times.
Panama Jacks is a really nice sea food restaurant right on Cape Town's habour. The big platters are really nice to share between a few of you as you get to taste a bit of everything! Apparently it's often fully booked, so if you do decide to go, be sure to make a reservation!
Still an awesome place after all these years. The waiter, although good, lacked some skills in attending to the table, unless it's the style? Food came out exceptionally fast (we did arrive a little before 12 tho and were the second table in the restaurant). Even when the restaurant filled up, ordering desert saw a super speedy delivery too. It did take some attention grabbing of the waiter again though.
All in all a great experience, great food, friendly staff, chilly venue, but sitting close to the fireplace resulted in a nicely rounded (bellies and overall) experience.
I had so much fun here. It was freezing and horribly windy but once we were inside it was warm and cozy!! Surprisingly big place, and full of people. Amazing food and good vibe. Can't wait to go back
This gem is hidden away in the docks of the waterfront and I definitely recommend you find it! From sushi to fresh lobsters that you can pick out yourself, I challenge you to not find something you like! The staff are very friendly and it's a fantastic vibe..
I've only been here once, so my review is only based on that one experience. The food was absolutely divine, and the portions were large. Both of us tried the butter prawns, and they were nothing short of super yum. They're cooked with butter and soy sauce - a combination I've never seen with prawns before. I love that the restaurant is willing to branch out from your standard lemon butter prawns - it makes the dining experience that much more interesting. Their service was okay. The blond lady who is at the front of the restaurant and seats people was pretty rude (we didn't have a reservation), but out waitress was okay. Location-wise, it's in the middle of nowhere - good luck finding it :'D I liked the decor - it feels like you're in a ship almost - with the decorations, lighting and lack of large windows. Overall a good experience :)
Misha Massimo Beltrami
+4.5
Went there with 8 friends last night. Great hidden gem in Cape Town harbour. Little difficult to find at first, but its worth it. We shared 2 Platters for 2 between 5 people and its was plenty! Amazing fish, brilliant lobster and the rice is a winner.
Decor is busy, old and fits the vibe of the restaurant to a tee. Staff are friendly and the food doesnt take long at all. Awesome
No view, but who needs a view when there is Great food, good atmosphere, fairly priced. Good service. Had the cold Atlantic platter, which was good, however lacked a "kick".
It has old school ship decor and creates a vibe in the restaurant. This spot is great for dates very nice atmosphere. Amazing seafood!!! A must . Staff was friendly , prices are above average but it is worth it..
Wish I lived in Cape Town so I could eat here at least once a week. Hubby and I ate here last year October and fell in love. We don't have the opportunity to eat seafood like this is Joburg. Okay there is no view but who needs a view when the food is so good. My only complaint would be that our waitress seemed disinterested and the tables and chairs are wonky. We ordered the baby crayfish cocktail for starters and wow! Cooked and chilled to perfection. We shared the crustacean platter for two and gobbled the whole thing up. Expensive but not expensive for what you are getting. Huge prawns, nice size lobster and we didn't eat the rice, we didn't want to waste the space. Love the live lobster and abalone tank. This place lives up to the hype.
Amazing meal.. Try the butter prawns with chile, or baby sole with plum sauce, nuts, and spring onions! Had a blast cool vibe, interesting lobster selection pool, a must try at cape towns Harbor
Very good seafood we had a seafood platter tasty and satisfying. ..They have a pool of live shell fish, so you know its all fresh and good.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
One of Cape Town's secret seafood restaurants. It's not at the V & A Harbour - no, its somewhere in the docks. From the outside it looks okay - nothing special, until you step inside.
Wooden furniture, brass boat instruments as decor, creative table coverings and the whole ceiling covered in flags and the food ... the food ...
You can choose your own lobster, crab and abalone from big water tanks. Totally amazing!
I had a Mexican Tomato Oyster shot ... deeeeeelish!!!!!! We shared a bowl of mussels in tomato - one word - yummy!
Hein had Sole with a sauce and said it was really good.
I had (yes, I'm a piggie) a Seafood platter for 1. Oh my gosh! It had a bit of everything on there and it was just out of this world!
Sadly one of my favourite dishes (deep-fried whitebait) can't be ordered anymore ... sad, sad face! But I've included a picture of it.
The prices are reasonable, the ambience is just amazing and the service and food is outstanding!
Forget about going to the Waterfront for seafood - Panama Jacks is the place to go!
HAVE BEEN PROMISING TO VISIT PANAMA JACK'S FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS. MANAGED IT AT LAST AND ENJOYED EVERY MOMENT AND EVERY BITE.
HAVE THE ADMIT THAT THE SITE OF THE PREMISES IN DAYLIGHT CAME AS A BIT OF A SHOCK, BUT
ONCE INSIDE THE ATMOSPHERE TOOK OVER AND IT WAS DEFINITELY MY SCENE.
MENU WAS GOOD - FOOD EVEN BETTER.
WILL DEFINITELY VISIT AGAIN SOON - CAN'T WAIT
Great little place, perfect little lunch stop if you are in the area and don't mind a very fishy smell.
They offer fantastic Lunch Specials and have a wide variety of seafood available. Food was delicious and well worth what you are paying for. Service was good. The Atmosphere is suited to the location of the place as it's situated in the harbour and definitely gives off a "Fisherman's Pub" type vibe :-)
All and all if you are in the area pop by you'll enjoy it.
I'll be keen to pop by here again for a dinner sometime.
Cool place for those looking for a more relaxed and somewhat Cape Town experience. Yes, its in a shed in the harbour and that's by design!
The food is brilliant and I love the thought of having a beer served in a court bottle! Its cool.
I took some JHB folk, and CPT folk, there for dinner and they all loved it.
defiantly a recommendation from me!!
Omigosh! All the dishes we had were absolutely superb. We started off with Prawn Nigiri and Prawn Fashion Sandwiches which was totally sensational! Next we had the half kilo prawns with veg, what a feast my tastebuds are still buzzing! last but definitely not least we had the Chocolate Volcano for dessert, ooh what to say but totally awesome! All in all compliments to the chef and I will definitely be back!!!! Thanks Panama Jacks for an amazing meal all round, loved it!
Definitely a great restaurant with very fresh fish and 🦞 lobsters. The menu is great, even for no fish lovers. The view is fantastic, directly on the port and the service is very professional and friendly. Thank you very much for the great treat.
A great place for an very informal good meal and value for money. The food is good and the service was a bit slow but we were not in a hurry so it did not matter. A big cruise ship 'spoiled' the view. You can see the Harbour and Bloubergstrand when there is no cruise liners. A Sailors paradise. Makes me think of Peter Sport Bar in the Azores Islands.... Just much bigger 😁
Amazing seafood and a beautiful view. Great service and wonderful atmosphere. This place offers it all. A must for all seafood lovers. Great selection of wine as well.
One of the best seefood dinners I ever had. Includes oyesters, tuna stake and good wine. Nothing to say more, just that this is exceptional place for seefood in Cape Town. Few pictures attached.
The seafood salad was excellent, and big enough for a main course. The hake was the best hake that one of our group had ever had. One of our group had a tough calamari, and the other not tough. The waitress was attentive and friendly, and the view of the harbour is so interesting. I would definitely return
Had pur year end event there and really enjoyed it. Always like the food but now the new venue is great. Little pricey but over all menue is well priced.
Must visit for great seafood in the docks of cape town. Have the platters. Snails to start also great. Nice service. Quite good value for money.
The best sushi and a great vibe and view now. So glad they changed locations think they will do great here, they just need to update address on website! Now located close to Silo hotel in Waterfront- just continue till the end of the clocktower road and through gate. Situated in building of new cruise terminal.
Can't wait to go back and try the delicious looking seafood platters!
If you sit on balcony it’s a very nice spot. Probably the best spot at the waterfront. Inside is a bit dark.
They have great lunch specials. Seafood is wonderful. Sushi too.
The prices are actually cheaper than some other well known restaurants at the waterfront.
I did prefer the other location, but the food is still good.
What I liked about this place is that so far, despite being at the Waterfront, the parking is still free. The food was great. The views of the harbour great. You just need good company!
Very rustic place but the food was amazing and so was the service. Ordered the grilled prawns and grilled lobster. Perfectly simple and delicious
Good seafood
Had a seafood platter with lobster. Lobster was a bit small but overall quality was good
Good bew location fir afternoon drinks. Still good food that holds its history.
Very impressed with their new venue. Seafood platter very nice
What a great seafood place. One of the best. And a rare treat when you can afford it and crave some amazing seafood
Loved the food, helpful staff, and had a wonderful evening. It's not what it seems from outside!
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