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Belly of the Beast

Contemporary South African
4.8 RRR+
Favourite

Attributes

  • Romantic
  • Gourmet Guide Plated
  • Reviewers' Choice 2022 - Top 20
  • Reviewers' Choice 2023 - Top 20
  • Reviewers' Choice 2024 - Top 50
  • Reviewers' Choice 2025 - Top 100

Book a table

Favourite

Chef's Anouchka Horn and Neil Swart.
We offer a tasting menu for lunch and dinner in our 30 seater restaurant.
There are no menu options or set amount of courses. All you do is show up and trust us to satisfy with our seasonal fare.
We source from local sustainable producers and use every part of the animal. You can expect some dishes that might test your boundaries, but we always balance our menu so that everyone will enjoy the experience.
The 30 seats make for a very personal dining experience, as we do everything from cooking to serving our food.
Belly of the beast works on online reservations only and we require a deposit to confirm the booking.

Lunch: 12:30pm
Tuesday to Saturday

Dinner: 18:45
Monday to Saturday


Terms and conditions:
Arrival time:
Lunch starts at 12:30.
Dinner starts at 18:45.
We serve all tables together so please be on time.
Being late may result in missing out on the courses already served.

Cancellations:
Please note that all cancellations made within 24 hours of your reservation will result in the loss of the deposit. If the party is smaller on arrival, then a no show will be charged for, as we have prepared for the guest.

Allergies/Dietary restrictions:
We do cater for some dietary requirements and allergies but we can only accommodate them with at least 24h notice.

With our small team cooking a multi course menu we can unfortunately not cater for: dislikes, low carb, vegans, onion, garlic, alcohol, coriander, black pepper, butter, cream, soy sauce, sugar, and egg allergies.

We welcome Vegetarians and pescatarians

Please note that although we take great care with regard to dietary restrictions, we have a small kitchen that uses lots of different ingredients that may contain allergens.

We cannot guarantee that there are no trace elements of allergens like, nuts, shellfish etc. in the dishes that we serve.

Gratuity:
a 12% gratuity is added to every table that will be split by the whole team including the kitchen.

Children:
We can only accommodate children above the age of 12, that will eat the tasting menu.

Wine list:
We have curated a great selection of wines from local winemakers and also serve an optional wine pairing with dinner.

Corkage:
We ask that you consider buying wine from us, if you do have a special bottle you would like to bring we charge a R200 corkage fee with a limit of one 750ml bottle per table.

By booking you agree to all our reservation terms and conditions.
For more information, please see our FAQ's on our website.

Gourmet Guide™ Description

Chefs Anouchka Horn and Neil Swart have cemented buzzy Harrington Street as their home since opening Belly of the Beast over six years ago. The long open kitchen and engaging staff, as passionate as these talented chefs, are part of the charm for the 30 diners who sign up for
elevated yet unintimidating dining.

Tasting menus, with no set number of courses for lunch and dinner, are unpretentious and tasty, based on what is freshly available. Some dishes are edgy and unexpected, others more nostalgic, but always evocative. The menu changes every six to eight weeks. For your amuse bouche, you might be lucky enough to devour a Saldanha Bay oyster (or the bite-sized Caprese) with a Bloody Mary dressing, Kashmiri oil, and salted celery, or a mouthful of venison tataki with crispy fried sushi rice, topped with smoked jalapeño mayo, cured egg, roasted tomato oil, furikake, and spring onion.

After dessert, homemade cornflake, strawberry, and white chocolate cookies with a caramelized Ideal Milk foam hit the nostalgia button leaving a last, lingering memory of generosity. It’s no wonder that as bookings open, regulars quickly grab their dates and simply show up with trust.

Opening Hours

  • Monday 18h45 - 23h00
  • Tuesday 12h00 - 14h00, 18h45 - 23h00
  • Wednesday 12h00 - 14h00, 18h45 - 23h00
  • Thursday 12h00 - 14h00, 18h45 - 23h00
  • Friday 12h00 - 14h00, 18h45 - 23h00
  • Saturday 12h00 - 14h00, 18h45 - 23h00
  • Sunday CLOSED

Specials

Belly of the Beast Winter Lunch Special

Lunch: Tuesday – Saturday | 12:30 R650 per person

  • 28 Jul - 29 Aug
  • Tue-Sat: 12:30:00 only
  • All pax
  • Last confirmed: 26 Jul 2026

Reviews (2891)

4.8 out of 5.0
Based on the past 12 months
Food 4.8
Value 4.7
Service 4.8
Ambience 4.7
  • Tim P. Dined: 2 days ago
    4.8
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 4.0

    Reviewed on: Sat 15 Aug 26
    A winter special, indeed. It was cold and grey outside and the food was exceptionally special. One of the delights of being a foodie in CPT are the winter specials from May to August. At R650 for, effectively, a 6 course meal, you cannot get greater value in fine dining. Flavour is key but, sometimes, this can be too much. Not at BOTB, everything is so well balanced and delicious. A side dish tomato salad had a very strong oil dressing but, the sweetness of tomato and saltiness of feta made it utterly delicious. A culinary highlight, every year. Happy days, yummy food!

  • Stijn B. Dined: 3 days ago
    4.5
    Food 5.0
    Value 4.0
    Service 4.0
    Ambience 5.0
  • Siphiwe D. Dined: 2 weeks ago
    4.5
    Food 3.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Mon 10 Aug 26
    The food was okay, definitely could have been better. I love that the menu is a complete surprise and you only know once you get there. Very intimate dinning experience and the atmosphere was great

  • Samantha M. Dined: 1 week ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0
  • Holly N. Dined: 1 week ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Sat 08 Aug 26
    Absolutely brilliant in every way. Some of the most delicious food we’ve had anywhere. Will be back soon.

  • Francisco P. Dined: 1 week ago
    4.8
    Food 5.0
    Value 4.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0
  • Samson M. Dined: 1 week ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Sat 08 Aug 26
    Such a great lunch. The Dorper skaap with kapokbos jus, pap, charred onion and cabbage was a standout for me. Thoughtful cooking, beautiful flavours, and always lovely returning to Belly of the Beast.

  • Kristen R. Dined: 1 week ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0
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