This restaurant is in a private home, and each meal is prepared and served by the homeowners, Monica and her mother Sheila. The atmosphere is home-y and warm, and each course from the bread bowl to the desert is made with love.
Every morsel of food is made from scratch, incredibly flavorful, and it tasted even better than I imagined. The food is made fresh to order, and well worth the wait. I don't eat meat, and the was no shortage of vegetarian and vegan fare! There were 8 different salads, game meats, and a decadent, yet light, dessert of blueberry ice cream with plum crumble.
Groups are welcome (our group had 25 people), and the owner and her mother were incredibly hospitable and in addition to being excellent self-taught chefs, they are moving storytellers. Plan to stay 2-4 hours depending on the size of your group, and be sure to call ahead to make a reservation and to advise of any dietary restrictions.
The food is really fantastic! the amazing lady who also is the owner had a great preformance. The musicians had a really nice African music preformance! everyone should visit this place!!
I wish I could give more than 5 stars. It was such an HONOR to eat here. To be invited into this home & given the best tasting food I have ever had in my life. I can't recommend this enough. Not to mention how unbelievable the performances were. I was left completely speechless I don't think I've ever been in a room with greater talent & vocals. It would be a dream to come back & eat here again someday. If you have the opportunity to visit you better not waste it! I felt completely safe & welcomed & this would be one of the highlights of all the traveling I have done in my life.
I am not sure what I was expecting before I got here. "Some restaurant in some outskirts part of the town, could be fun." What I didn't realize was that this is more of an experience than just another restaurant - a fabulous experience involving a life story of building something from scratch, to a super-energetic marimba-band, with some amazing food in between. You won't regret going here.
Food excellent ...Great service
The best experience of my life! Sheila, the owner was the best. She shared her story and life experiences. She was gracious. The food was excellent! I had ostrich for the first time and it was amazing! I highly recommend this restaurant!! It was a five-star experience.
What a nice restaurant with tantalizing taste
There were lots of items to choose from so I tried a little of everything. All delicious. The fish was outstanding and the yams were cooked perfectly. They only contained their natural sweetness and not bogged down is any surpy sauce. So refreshing.
We took several students from the United States and had an outstanding time at Lelapa. It was the best restaurant we tried for enjoying authentic African food even though we ate at several much more expensive and exclusive restaurants. It was also a super-fun experience with great music and hospitality.
If you are in Cape Town, Lelapa is a must visit! Mama Sheila is an amazing host and has some very interesting stories. The food has many different flavors and gets better with the Marimba band playing along for the entire meal. My favorites were the chicken and the ostrich. The place is the perfect place to experience African cuisine.
Lelapa Resturant food and service was very top notch. The atmosphere was close to home and Mama Shelia has some good stories to share! Thanks for opening your doors to our group from Global Linkages!
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