There are many types of restaurants. Some that mesmerise you with dry ice dishes, some that offer dark corners for quiet retreats, some that are loud and pumping and perfect for a good time out … and then there are some that aren’t really just restaurants at all, but places you visit to be whisked away into a whole different way of living. That’s where Pigalle Cape Town comes in.
I visited Pigalle for I Love Foodies before, back in May 2017. So much has changed, and yet nothing has changed at all. Sure, the menu has been amended a little. Prices have increased (hello inflation). Perhaps the clientele has shifted. But good things are hard to break, and Pigalle still has everything that’s made it a Cape Town staple. This is more than just dinner. It’s live music. It’s dancing. It’s excellent service. It’s unique dishes. It’s an experience and an absolute treat.
Ample seating, dancefloor, and an intimate atmosphere … this is what characterises Pigalle Cape Town.
The first thing you’ll be struck with when entering Pigalle is the opulence. From the flower curtain that graces the entrance to the abundance of red in the restaurant’s interior, the expansive floor plan, the dance floor, the stage … it’s all set out to draw you into its own little world, a world you definitely won’t be wanting to leave for a while.
So let’s settle in to walk you through some of the evening.
Getting Started With Starters
I love starters. A good starter menu is one of the many joys of life, and if I could, I’d always order a handful to share. Usually when I do I Love Foodies reviews, I’ll go for starters – mains – desserts but Pigalle had different plans. See, they wanted us to try a range of their favourite dishes to give us an all-round feel. And did we complain? No, we did not.
So from the starter menu, we had:
- Oyster Thermidor (R70 each)
- Black Mussels (R170)
- Prawn Soup (R140)
- Calamari (R130)
As a pairing, I enjoyed a glass of Moet & Chandon, while my sister Sabine, who doesn’t drink alcohol, was offered an Appletizer to get that “sparkling bubbly” feel as well.
Champagne is always a favourite (left). The calamari (right) were excellent, too.
The mussels, oyster thermidor, and prawn soup are all winners.
Every single dish was fantastic.
I love oysters but surprisingly I’ve never had baked oysters before. They were cheesy and great, without much of that ocean flavour you’d usually get with oysters. The prawn soup was excellent – a little salty, but good. The mussels were rich in flavour and very seafood-y. And the calamari, while they didn’t look too exciting at first, were absolutely tender and full of flavour.
I’d have every single one of these dishes again.
The Main Act
For mains, our lovely waiter Trymore brought me a glass of the Haute Cabriere Pinot Noir (excellent choice), while he gave Sabine a Grapetizer – he was incredibly thoughtful, wanting our glasses to match even with the non-alcohol version.
When there’s so much good food, it’s hard to know where to start.
Mains was an absolute feast. While I want to say we tried the whole menu, that’s hardly true. The Pigalle menu is exceptionally large. But we did try a lot of it. So here we go:
- Linefish Kingklip Nacionale (R440)
- Medium Langoustines (R800)
- Prawn Linguine (R375)
- Lamp Rump (R400)
- Cajun Ostrich (R375)
- Side of chips, rice, and veg
If there’s one thing Pigalle is not, it’s that they’re not shy on portion sizes. Every single dish was beautifully presented and absolutely massive. So while prices may occasionally be on the higher side (it really does differ depending on the dish), you’re definitely getting excellent value.
Like the starters, the mains were excellent. This is good news, as very often restaurants impress with their starters but drop with the mains. And that’s definitely not the case here.
While everything at Pigalle is excellent, the restaurant is known for its exceptional seafood.
Verdict? Delicious. My notes of the evening literally say “very delicious” and “superb”. Ok, they say more than that, but that just about sums it up.
The line fish (kingklip for the day) was great though a tad on the spicy side for me, but I loved that it came with scallops and mussels.
The langoustines need no words – these were excellent. It’s actually one of the many dishes that Pigalle is famous for!
The prawn linguine was extremely generous in its portion of prawns. Many prawn/seafood pasta dishes I’ve had at other restaurants go heavy on the pasta but skimp on the actual goodness, which is definitely not the case here.
Finally, both the ostrich and the lamp rump were perfect. While Pigalle is known for its exceptional seafood, it’s always a good sign that they are able to offer consistent excellence across the board, so you can literally order whatever you want and know that you’ll get an excellent dish presented to you.
I don’t think I could choose a single favourite even if I had to, and my choices would be due to personal preference, not excellence per se. That said, the langoustines and ostrich steak would be towards the top, for sure.
A Sweet Finish
By this point of the evening, the restaurant was packed. The band had been playing for a while, beautiful background music that was loud and exciting but never intrusive – you could still hold a comfortable conversation.
As the evening progressed, the first guests also took to the dance floor, getting up between meals for a dance or two, then sitting back down again. It was beautiful to watch.
Pigalle’s cocktails are great – the margarita is always a winner, and the virgin daquiri was fab!
You can never go wrong with a good dessert – baked cheesecake and creme brulee.
There was no dancing on my side, but there was dessert. Cocktails first, were I enjoyed a fantastic margarita and my sister went for a virgin strawberry daiquiri. Equally excellent. And then we shared the creme brûlée (R130) and the baked cheesecake (R140), both of which were rich and creamy but also light and fluffy and not overly sweet.
It was the perfect end to a perfect meal.
Visit Pigalle
All in all?
Pigalle is consistently excellent. It was excellent when I first visited in 2017. It’s excellent now. And we all know that, in the restaurant world, consistency is key.
Food. Menu diversity. Service. Ambience. It’s all top-notch, and I’d be back in a heartbeat.
Everyone else thinks so, too, so booking is an absolute must. You’ll find all the details below.
Pigalle Cape Town Contact Details
Address: 57a Somerset Road, Green Point, Cape Town, South Africa, 8060
Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday (Dinner 17:00 – 02:00) | Thursday – Saturday (Lunch 12:00 – 14:30 & Dinner 17:00 – 02:00. The kitchen closes at 22:30.
Website: www.pigalle.capetown
Call: +27 21 421 4848
Email: info@pigalle.capetown
Written by Benike Palfi
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Article Date: March 2026
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