Belly of the beast

About Belly of the beast

Belly of the Beast is an intimate, industrial-chic boutique restaurant located at 110 Harrington Street in the Cape Town City Centre. Founded by chefs Anouchka Horn and Neil Swart, the establishment operates as a thirty-seater venue featuring an open-plan kitchen where the culinary team plates and serves dishes directly to guests. The restaurant rejects traditional à la carte formats in favour of a single, no-choice multi-course tasting menu that changes daily based on what local, sustainable producers supply each morning. Rooted in a zero-waste, nose-to-tail philosophy, the kitchen blends contemporary culinary techniques with nostalgic South African flavours, often incorporating elements like open-flame cooking and regional heritage ingredients.

Because all guests are served simultaneously during dedicated lunch and dinner seatings, punctuality is required. Due to the highly integrated nature of the set menu, the kitchen requires at least 24 hours of advance notice to accommodate basic dietary requirements or vegetarian and pescatarian preferences, though they cannot cater to strict vegan or entirely onion- and garlic-free diets. Reservations must be made online in advance, children under twelve are not permitted, and the venue accommodates limited outside wine options subject to a standard corkage policy.