Babylonstroren Cape Town is a magical place that’s certain to delight people of all ages. Here’s why we think you MUST make time to visit Babylonstoren Cape Town.
What is Babylonstoren Cape Town
Babylonstoren is a working farm, shop, garden and restaurant complex set in 3.5 hectares of glorious Cape farm land. It originates in the 17th century and has a Dutch heritage. There is a small boutique hotel you can stay at. There is also a wine tasting room on site.
We visited for lunch on a Sunday afternoon as part of our 5 day Cape Town trip. It’s the only wine estate that charges an entry fee in the area, but it’s well worth it.
Where is Babylonstoren Cape Town
Babylonstoren is an easy 45 minute drive outside Cape Town about 15 minutes before the town of Franschoek. We hired a private taxi to take us there, stay with us and bring us back. You could easily do the drive yourself though, roads are good and well signposted. Here’s a map showing you the exact location:
What did we have to eat at Babylonstoren
The lunch menu at Babel restaurant is split into stirrings, progression and culmination. Most dishes are offered with or without a wine pairing option. I found that really helpful. You can choose your stirrings/starters by colour, the options were red, yellow or green.
I chose red and can say this was one of the prettiest, most creatively put together starters/light meal I’ve ever eaten!
The gaspacho soup in a glass was zingy and fresh, it usually comes in a large black bowl but as we were sharing, they split our gazpacho into 2 small glasses. I had the excellent beetroot risotto to follow which was creamy, salty, fresh and wholesome all at once. Everything cooked at the restaurant is made using ingredients grown on the farm, so there is a genuine farm to fork philosophy at work here and they work with what’s in season.
An idea of prices at Babylonstoren Cape Town
The picture speaks for itself! We were speechless at good value these prices represent. (The printed prices are in South African Rand)
We LOVED our prickly pear snack we were offered while waiting for our lunch!
What to buy there
That will present you with a problem as there is so much to buy from Babylonstoren! Decide if you’d like things that are perishable, like bread and cheese or things that will last, like beautiful coffee table books, scented candles and soaps. It’s the perfect place to stock up on gifts!
I particularly liked the oud and rooibush candle as that was a perfect mix of South Africa and the Middle East for us!
How to book a meal at Babylonstoren
You must book your meal before you go to Babylonstoren. You can make your booking 2 months prior to when you’d like to go but not before. We sat in the air conditioned area of the inside of the restaurant as it was very extremely hot the day we visited . You can sit outside on the terrace in the garden of Babel restaurant where we ate.
There is a smaller coffee shop The Greenhouse where you can have a drink or a snack. That’s more casual. You don’t have to book for the coffee shop.
Have you been to Babylonstoren or has this article inspired you to go? We’d love to know!
Looking for a Cape Town hotel? Read about our experience at the One and Only Cape Town.
Need ideas of where to eat and drink in Cape Town? Read the insider guide to Visiting Cape Town.
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