The Waterside

Book It or Skip It?

The Waterside is easy to get into by the standards of Cape Town's serious dining scene, and that accessibility is part of its appeal. Unlike The Test Kitchen, which requires planning weeks out, or La Colombe, where weekends fill fast, The Waterside sits in a more forgiving booking window. If you're organising a meal two to five days out, you'll likely find availability. That said, waterfront tables on fair-weather evenings do move quickly, so booking three to five days ahead is sensible rather than leaving it to the morning of.

What The Waterside Is

The Waterside occupies the ground floor of the Pierhead Building at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, directly below PIER Restaurant, with which it shares a wine list. Both are part of the La Colombe group, one of South Africa's most consistent fine-dining operators. The Waterside is the more relaxed expression of that pairing: same kitchen standards and wine access, lower formality. Chef Roxie Mudie leads the kitchen here, and the food is presented with care without the ceremony that defines the floor above.

If you've eaten at PIER and want a return visit at a lower register, this is worth knowing: the wine list is identical, the culinary DNA is shared, but the setting and pacing are more informal. For diners who find fine dining's choreography distracting, The Waterside delivers a more comfortable experience without stepping down on kitchen quality.

The La Colombe group's track record matters here. Across its portfolio, it has consistently produced technically precise, South African-inflected cooking with strong produce sourcing. At The Waterside, that discipline carries through under Mudie's direction. The cooking is presented with attention rather than fuss, which is the right choice for a waterfront room where the setting does its own work.

The Wine List Is a Genuine Advantage

Sharing a wine list with PIER means The Waterside punches above its casual positioning on the drinks side. The La Colombe group has long maintained serious cellar depth, and access to that list at a more relaxed price point makes The Waterside a smart choice for wine-focused diners who don't want to commit to a full tasting menu experience. For a broader sense of what Cape Town's wine scene offers around the waterfront and beyond, see our full Cape Town wineries guide.

How to Think About This Versus the Alternatives

If your benchmark is technical ambition, Fyn or Salsify at the Roundhouse push harder in that direction. If you want a relaxed but quality-grounded meal at the V&A without the weight of a tasting menu commitment, The Waterside is a practical choice that trades on its group pedigree. Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia is the closest comparable in spirit: group-affiliated, high sourcing standards, lower formality than its flagship sibling.

For those staying in the city and building a broader itinerary, our full Cape Town restaurants guide covers the wider field, and our Cape Town hotels guide and bars guide are useful companions. If you're extending into the Winelands, Dusk in Stellenbosch, Delaire Graff, and Le Quartier Français in Franschhoek are worth the drive. For something farther afield on the West Coast, Wolfgat in Paternoster is a different proposition entirely and one of the more distinctive rooms in the country.

The Practical Summary

The Waterside is at the Pierhead Building, next to the NSRI, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town 8001. It is part of the La Colombe group. Chef Roxie Mudie leads the kitchen. The booking window is forgiving relative to comparable Cape Town venues. Price range and hours are not confirmed in available data, so check directly before visiting. The wine list is shared with PIER upstairs, which is a meaningful advantage.

Quick reference: La Colombe group venue, V&A Waterfront, chef Roxie Mudie, shared wine list with PIER, easy booking, casual register.