“Where’s the beef?” Better still, where’re the good steaks to be had in the Cape Town city centre? Here are four steak and grill specialists that come highly recommended.
If you’re in search of a perfectly prepared steak in town, we’ve got you covered. From the quality of the meat to the fire it’s seared on … here are three established serious steak venues, plus a steakhouse new to the inner city. Whatever your preference, you won’t go home hungry.
BO-VINE IN THE CITY
Bo-Vine’s second Cape Town branch opened inside a split-level Heritage Square corner in March 2025. It’s owned by hands-on operational partner Chase Charles and Gregor Bremer, who created a modern interior with earthy tones and black and white accents. “Bo-Vine is not that old-school steakhouse many of us grew up with,” says Charles. “We want to make it an experience. Obviously an amazing meal and service, but we want to hear you also had a great time, vibey music and a really fun dinner out.”
Bo-Vine’s flagship is Bistecca Fiorentina, a 1.2 kg dry-aged Chalmar T-Bone basted with rosemary, olive oil and garlic, usually shared. But “the most popular steak is definitely the ribeye”. Charles says “all aging is done in-house”, so diners can order dry-aged (T-bone, tomahawk and wing rib) or wet-aged cuts (fillet, sirloin, picanha, ribeye, hangar steak and Karoo Wagyu ribeye).“All our meat on the bone is Chalmar beef, which is one of the best feed lots in the country and offers amazing consistency, flavour and value,” he adds. Steaks are flame-grilled and seasoned with their signature spice mix.
There are sautéed mushrooms, onion rings and creamed spinach, to boerenkaas (a Dutch cheese) mac and cheese or crispy kale as sides. In sauces, creamier bearnaise or pepper brandy vies with herby chimichurri or café de Paris butter.
If the reviews are anything to go by, the meat boards are excellent. One recent patron wrote on a Facebook restaurant group: “I am at a loss for words when trying to explain how much we enjoyed the meal. I don’t think I have every tasted meat that good …”
Bo-Vine In The City, Heritage Square, 101 Hout St. Mon to Sat 12h00-23h00; Sunday 12h00-22h00. Tel: 021 203 5800; www.bovinegrillhouse.com, Insta @bovine.inthecity
CARNE ON KEEROM
Carne has attracted serious meat lovers since 2008, with Milanese restaurateur Giorgio Nava sending waiters tableside to show off the meat selection of the day. “In my restaurant since day one, you get the main ingredient, and rarely decoration,” he says.
Popular cuts include flat iron shoulder steak (ill filletto di spalla di Manzo), gamier hangar (lombatella), ribeye and picanha. If a hunk of meat is what you’re after, look no further than prime rib. “We offer a few cuts with meat cooked on the bone, to really enjoy the flavour,” says Nava. Find prime rib on the bone or beef T-bone (La Fiorentina) to share. “We offer sirloin, and also sirloin on the bone.”
“Our beef is mostly free-range, and we also have grassfed. We’re known for longer dry ageing,” says Nava. Meat is grilled in a Spanish Josper charcoal oven, to give “a beautiful smokiness” and “crispiness on the outside”. Other grills include Dorper lamb T-bone or pork sirloin on the bone. Carne’s 400 g ‘Safari Platter’ of several free-range game meats is popular with visitors. A plate could include impala, kudu, blesbok, black wildebeest and ostrich, grilled with olive oil.
Carne avoids basting, preferring diners to “taste the flavour of the meat, not the flavour of the sauce” in steaks prepared only with olive oil, salt and pepper. But the restaurant does provide a few sauces such as bearnaise or salsa verde, on the side. These are steaks with no frills. “It’s the simplicity of how we present the food. These days, when people make an effort to go out, they want to see a good steak.”
Carne on Keerom, 70 Keerom St. Mon to Sat 18h00-21h30. Tel: 021 424 3460, www.carne-sa.com; Insta @carneonkeerom
IRON STEAK AND BAR
Iron Steak & Bar opens to street level with its dining tables or booths. The steakhouse was ranked sixth in the world of the Top 10 Steakhouses by Time Out Travel. “Our most popular steak by far is the flat iron, cut from the shoulder. It’s our signature cut and a customer favourite thanks to its tenderness, bold flavour and excellent value. Second only to fillet in tenderness, it delivers far more flavour at a more affordable price,” says Justin Barker, executive chef of the Pan Collection Hospitality group. “This makes it our Iron Steak flagship offering – a hidden gem that turns first-timers into regulars.” The cut is part of the restaurant’s daily steak winter special.
At the more expensive end, Barker says customers enjoy the T-Bone or a marbled ribeye, serving one or shareable between two. Iron Steak prepares steaks on a cast iron oven and grill using Nambian hardwood, steaks all finished in a basting butter infused with rendered beef fat, rosemary and garlic. Dressed mixed greens are served with all steaks, to balance any richness. On the side, diners can order hand-cut fries in wagyu beef fat, creamy mash with rich red wine jus or their popular truffle leek mac and cheese. Sauces include peppercorn, truffle aioli or a tangy chimichurri which Barker declares is “great with flat iron”.
Iron Steak and Bar, 114 Bree St. Open Monday to Sunday 12h00-23h00. Tel: 021 422 1175; www.ironsteak.co.za; Insta @ironsteaksa.
MERCHANT BAR & GRILL
“It’s about the art of grilling, and cooking over fire.” One floor up, with leather seating, old bricks and cosy fireplaces, Merchant offers mouthwatering steaks from flat iron to fillet, sirloin and prime rib. All dry-aged and served alongside Merchant wine sauce and café de Paris butter.
In meat know-how, chef Dave Schneider is in a different league. “I was a blockman for Ryan Boon and helped run the factory. It gave me insight into the supply chain, buying from specific farms, different breeds,” he says, showing off nuanced, yellowed fat around thick steaks, cut inhouse. “It’s not just looking at two steaks next to each other, it’s looking at two cows next to each other. Whether it’s wagyu or regular fat and understanding how it sits on the animal.”
Merchant beef is from Fairfields in Napier or Greenfields in KwaZulu-Natal. “If I want beef from a specific farmer, I must buy the whole cow, and I do. Or a whole hind quarter. I break it down myself. And I can age it on the bone here.” This bulk buying and onsite ageing produces optimal steaks – and competitive pricing. “With beef, I want it to just speak for itself,” says Schneider, brushing only with rendered beef fat, fermented koji (for umami) and salt, then grilling on “a big wood-fired braai with multi levels”.
Recommendations? “Our prime rib is the most complex cut on the animal, the most interesting. If you’re really a beef connoisseur, that is the best part to tackle,” he suggests. And this chef also rates the fillet. Merchant coats it in fat, then dry-ages it. “It’s got colour, it’s got flavour. You haven’t tried fillet until you’ve tried this.” Perfect with a side of beef-fat roast potatoes.
Merchant Bar & Grill, 91 Bree St. Dinner on Tuesday to Saturday 17h00 to 22h30. Tel: 021 773 0440, www.chefswarehouse.co.za/merchant; Insta @merchant_on_bree.
IMAGES: Claire Gunn, Jacques Mollentze, Carne on Keerom, Bo-Vine
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