British food in Cape Town: a proper cuppa, a Sunday roast and the footie

Cape Town does British comfort food better than most cities abroad, thanks to a long British history, a big British community and a lot of pubs.

The short version

• UK Emporium in Milnerton imports British groceries and delivers around Cape Town; when we checked on 7 November 2026, a 160-bag box of Yorkshire Tea was R299.90 (about £13.50) [1].
• For a Sunday roast, the Foresters Arms in Newlands is famous for its carvery, and the Fireman's Arms in town does a pub-style roast [2][3].
• Fish and chips is a Cape Town staple, usually with hake or snoek: Kalky's in Kalk Bay and Fish on the Rocks in Hout Bay are classics [4].
• For afternoon tea, the Mount Nelson does the full silver-service version for R650 (about £29) [5].
• Cape Town is on South African time all year, so a 3pm Saturday kick-off in England is 5pm here in the UK winter and 4pm in the British summer.

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = ZAR 22.20).

Tea, Marmite and the British shop

South African supermarkets will keep you going on most basics. Rooibos is the local cuppa, ordinary black tea is everywhere, and you'll find plenty of familiar biscuits and chocolate. The things you'll miss are the specific brands: your usual tea bags, proper gravy granules, a particular brand of crisps.

UK Emporium is the go-to. It's a shop and online store at Unit B20, Milnerton Business Park, Racecourse Road, Milnerton, importing goods directly from the UK [1]. The range covers hot drinks, groceries, biscuits and confectionery, crisps, cereals, cleaning products, beers and ales, and seasonal lines [1].

A few prices when we checked on 7 November 2026 [1]:

Imports cost noticeably more than they do back home, so most Brits save the imports for treats and stock up on tea bags when friends fly in. Delivery costs R99 (about £4.50) on orders under R1,000 (about £45), and is free above that within about 60 km (37 miles) of Cape Town [1]. Several tea lines were out of stock when we checked, so look online before you drive over.

Marmite. You'll find Marmite on supermarket shelves, but the South African jar is made locally under licence, and plenty of Brits say it isn't quite the same. If you're particular, bring a jar back in your suitcase.

Christmas pud and mince pies. Look at UK Emporium's seasonal lines in the run-up to Christmas [1]. Christmas lunch here is often a braai or a cold spread in 30°C heat, which takes some getting used to.

Local swaps that do the job

Half the fun of living here is finding South African food that scratches the same itch:

• Rusks dunked in tea fill the gap left by a digestive.
• Boerewors, the coiled farm sausage, isn't a Cumberland, but it's grand in a bun with fried onions.
• Bobotie, spiced mince baked under an egg topping, is the Cape's answer to shepherd's pie.
• Milk tart sits somewhere between a custard tart and a cheesecake.
• Savoury pies are sold everywhere, from bakeries to garage forecourts, for when you'd normally reach for a pasty.

Where to get a Sunday roast

A roast in Cape Town is a winter thing for some places and a year-round fixture for others. Time Out Cape Town's September 2026 round-up of the best Sunday roasts is a good starting point [2]. These are the most British of the bunch:

• Foresters Arms ("Forries"), 52 Newlands Avenue, Newlands. A proper pub near the rugby and cricket grounds, "well-known for our Sunday Carvery" in its own words, with a children's play area and lots of screens for sport [6]. Time Out notes you eat under the oaks in summer and by the fire in winter [2].
• Fireman's Arms, corner of Buitengracht and Mechau Streets, city centre. A pub dating from 1864, serving a hearty pub-style roast from noon to 8pm on Sundays [2][3].
• The Conservatory at The Cellars-Hohenort, Constantia. A five-star hotel's formal three-course take on the British roast, for when the in-laws visit [2].
• Lime Tree Café, Bergvliet. A relaxed neighbourhood café with a Sunday roast that changes regularly [2].

Book ahead for all of them, particularly on rugby weekends in Newlands.

A full English? Cape Town cafés do big cooked breakfasts, but we haven't found one we can vouch for that sells itself as a proper full English. Ask in our community group for Brits in South Africa; someone will have strong opinions about where to get decent bacon.

Fish and chips

Cape Town's chippies are a joy, and many sit right on the harbour. The usual choices are hake, which is close to cod, and snoek, a local oily fish that's worth trying at least once. Time Out's March 2026 list names 19 [4]. Three to start with:

• Kalky's, Kalk Bay Harbour. A harbour institution since 1996, with line fish when the boats come in [4].
• Fish on the Rocks, Hout Bay. A takeaway by the harbour breakwater with picnic benches by the sea [4].
• Lusitania Fisheries, Waterkant Street, city centre. An old-school chippie, busy with office workers at lunchtime [4].

Afternoon tea

The Mount Nelson in Gardens, the pink grande dame of Cape Town hotels, serves afternoon tea in the Lounge with live piano. There are more than 60 loose-leaf teas, scones and a mix of sweet and savoury bites, including South African milk tart [5].

It's a splurge, but a memorable one, and a good outing when family visit from the UK. The Conservatory at The Cellars-Hohenort in Constantia also does a weekend high tea.

Watching the football (and the rugby, and the cricket)

Rugby and cricket rule Cape Town, so you'll never struggle to find a Springbok test on a big screen. Football takes a little more planning.

• The Fireman's Arms shows rugby and European football on nine HD screens, plus the Grand Prix and tennis [3].
• The Foresters Arms has lots of screens for sport and is the pub for rugby days at Newlands [6].

The time difference is kind to football fans. South Africa doesn't change its clocks, so it's 2 hours ahead of the UK in the British winter and 1 hour ahead in the summer. A Saturday 3pm kick-off becomes a sociable 5pm or 4pm. Ring ahead to ask if your match is on, because a big rugby weekend can take over every screen in the place.

For cricket, our guide to British life in Cape Town covers Western Province Cricket Club and the British clubs and societies in the city.

Sources

1. UK Emporium – Cape Town: online shop and tea range (prices checked 7 November 2026)
2. Time Out Cape Town: The best Sunday roasts in Cape Town (16 September 2026)
3. The Fireman's Arms
4. Time Out Cape Town: The best fish and chips in Cape Town (3 March 2026)
5. Belmond: Afternoon tea at Mount Nelson (checked 7 November 2026)
6. Foresters Arms (Forries) (2026 menus)

Keep reading

• British life in Cape Town
• Nightlife in Cape Town
• Cost of living in Cape Town vs London and the UK average
• The emotional move