I recently saw a headline declaring Cape Town as Africa’s leading art hub, and it didn’t surprise me at all. With Zeitz MOCAA, the largest art gallery on the continent, calling Cape Town home, it’s no wonder the city is a cultural powerhouse. This month, the annual International Public Art Fair will take place in Salt River, where you can watch muralists create live art. Additionally, the Investec Art Fair is featuring a mix of paid and free art events. Even an art gallery I wasn’t previously aware of is hosting an evening event. And let’s not forget First Thursdays, which occur every first Thursday of the month in the CBD—an experience I’ve enjoyed twice before. I’m sharing this again because my recent visit was nothing short of fantastic.

Where I started

First Thursdays see the city buzzing at night. Art galleries, stores, clubs, bars, and restaurants are all open later than usual. Some of the venues offer free wine and beer, and sometimes food too. And there’s always creative art on display. I started my February 2020 edition of First Thursdays at Yours Truly. A restaurant and bar on Cape Town’s trendy Kloof Street. It’s my favourite club-like place in Cape Town. The crowd is diverse and filled with friendly people and good vibes. They serve delicious pizza, which I had, and Kopparberg cider, which is Swedish, meaning you don’t find it all over Cape Town. While at Yours Truly load-shedding happened, which means the electricity was cut out to alleviate the pressure on the power grid. South Africa is having major issues with supplying electricity at the moment. Anyway, luckily, our pizza was done in time. We left soon after the lights went out.

Yours Truly Address: 73 Kloof St, Schotsche Kloof, Cape Town,

More food

We looked for a place to eat again, as my friends didn’t get to eat at Yours Truly because of the power outage. That took us to Love Thy Neighbour on Bree Street. A lovely restaurant with an indoor and outdoor seating area. The outside section has large picnic-style tables, meaning people who don’t know each other end up sitting next to each other. For us, this leads to a couple of cool conversations, and this must be why the place is called Love Thy Neighbour. I didn’t eat again, though I have eaten at the restaurant before. The food is delicious; they stock fresh ingredients, and they braai or barbecue some of their meat on a fire where you can see your food being made. I had mojitos instead of eating, and they were very strong but tasted good. The bartender didn’t skimp on the lime. It was getting late, so we all decided we wanted to see something artsy.

Update: Love They Neighbour is permanently closed

Young Blood Art Gallery

I suggested the Young Blood gallery as it has different levels, meaning it has lots to see. Plus, I saw snippets of the artwork on display on the First Thursdays website because I love to plan ahead. And the gallery is on Bree Street, meaning we didn’t have to walk too far. I will say that what was on display was far better than what was featured on the site. I was happy we went and took lots of photos. So I will show what I saw in photos rather than write too much.

Address: 70, 72 Bree St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8001

Jazzy

I love jazz, so we all walked to Wale Street to see a live jazz band at the gin bar. I have never been to the Gin Bar, although I have been to the front section, which is Honest Chocolate, a little restaurant that sells artisanal, ethical chocolate and other yummy chocolate treats. The Gin Bar was packed, and people were standing on top of each other. The music was brilliant, and it didn’t disappoint. I will say that the place was sweltering hot; other than that, I didn’t mind standing the whole time, which is a testament to how great the band was. After the band finished their set, a DJ played some music. I didn’t really like his set, though, so we all decided to leave.

Address:The Gin Bar 64A Wale St

I Love the Dough

We ended up back on Bree Street at a fairly new pizza restaurant aptly named I Love the Dough. It was made to take photos with bright pink neon lights and a few humorous quotes on the walls. The DJ was playing awesome music. It was jam-packed and, again, like the Gin Bar, hot as hell. I loved it, but it was still too full. People were standing outside, spilling onto the street of the place. We left because it was just too warm inside.

Address: 101 Bree St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8001

Iron Steak and Bar

The music drew us in, and this steak restaurant was far less full. Great music and an ice-cream station got me interested. The décor inside is modern and sophisticated. I have never been to this restaurant and intend on eating there soon. I even took a copy of the menu so that I have an idea of what I’m going to order when I eat there. The first Thursday part of the night ended at around midnight, just like Cinderella left after having a ball.

Address: 114 Bree St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8001

 

Thank you for reading and please feel free to comment.

Safe travels!

Nikki xx