Venues

Awara Restaurant: A Multi-Cuisine Dining Experience in Cape Town

If you’re looking for a place to satisfy your craving for Indian cuisine with a modern-Asian twist, Awara Restaurant is the perfect place to visit. The restaurant is located on Church Street, Cape Town, and is somewhat of a hidden treasure.

The Restaurant

When you walk through the simple door into the dimly lit diner, you’ll feel like you’re in a private club. With dark green, black, and gold colors and a marble floor, the style is modern and moody. The large, open space is separated into smaller sitting and dining areas by walls of plants that make the room feel cozy.

The action in the glass-walled kitchens is mesmerizing, with a dramatic flame flare in the curry section, bright embers of the fire grill in the tapas section, and a bustle of activity in the tandoori kitchen. Chefs Vikas Paul, Jagdish Chand, and Narad Muni are in charge of each area and do a great job.

The menu has many old favorites from Bukhara, which has been the best place in Cape Town for North Indian food for more than 25 years. Dishes range from Murg Lababdar (chicken tikka in tomato and onion gravy) to Nihari Gosht (slow-roasted lamb curry with fennel and ginger), and there are as many rice dishes, bhajis, and naan breads as you could want.

Besides Indian cuisine, Awara offers an extensive street-food snack and tapas section that expresses modern-Asian flavors in a delightful fire-inspired procession. Some of the recommended items to try are:

Pani Puri for pops of flavor that wake up your taste buds
Prawn Palak Papdi Chat is fried spinach leaves that have been battered with chickpeas. They can be used like nachos to scoop up prawn popcorn, tomato, and chickpeas with vinegar.
Lettuce wraps with Korean chili chicken
Elegant Teriyaki octopus with a wasabi mayonnaise sauce
Malai broccoli that is dipped in chickpea flour and cooked in a tandoori oven.

The Cocktails of Awara Restaurant

The colorful and spicy tapas menu goes well with the bar menu, which is full of interesting drinks. Some of the suggested drinks are the Kerala Dreams (spiced rum, tamarind, ginger, and lime) and the Masala Old Fashioned (whiskey, bitters, and garam masala).

The Dessert

The caramel cheesecake flan at Awara is a smooth, rich, and decadently creamy treat that was inspired by a Brazilian dish that the owners fell in love with.

The Ambience of Awara Restaurant

Get there early for drinks and tapas and sit outside on the wraparound deck to avoid the crowds. It’s at the same level as the green trees on Church Street, and it’s a breath of fresh air in the middle of the city.

The Details

Awara Restaurant is open from Sunday to Thursday, 11 am – 10 pm, and Friday and Saturday, 11 am – 11 pm. You can find it at 33 Church Street, Cape Town.