Botany Café, The President Hotel’s newly refurbished café brings a fresh and wholesome dining experience to Bantry Bay. Inspired by Karen Dudley’s The Kitchen, the deli-style eatery boasts fresh daily menus with flavour and sustainability at the forefront. The approachable cuisine, down-to-earth atmosphere and contemporary charm provide an idyllic setting for a leisurely lunch or bubbly and brunch gathering at this coastal attraction.

Beyond the food concept, the hotel’s ethos celebrates all things local, down to the interior design.

Keeping in line with the hotel’s commitment to being ‘Cape Town’s most-loved hotel’, The President is diversifying various spaces and offerings throughout the luxury establishment, including the remodelled café. Surrounded by lush greenery and earthy tones, the gorgeous interiors pay homage to the café’s namesake and the region’s rich history.

Botany Café draws its name from ‘Botany Bay’ – now known as ‘Bantry Bay’ – inspired by the botanical garden planted in this bay for medicinal plants and herbs in the early 1800s. With an average of 290 wind-free sunny days per year, it’s still the perfect micro-climate to enjoy a sunny lunch spot during winter.

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A Culinary Experience Curated with Love

At the heart of Botany Café is the hotel’s head chef and curator of flavours, Sergio Adams, and his talented team. With a rich background in culinary arts and locally inspired cuisine, the team brings their passion for creating wholesome meals to Botany Café.

Inspired by culinary doyenne Karen Dudley’s The Kitchen, the menu celebrates diverse flavours and wholesome, plant-forward dishes. “We wanted to have pleasing, fresh flavours that are familiar yet different. These flavours represent how we like to eat in Cape Town – inspiration from around the world combined with local flavours. It’s all about mixing it up and combining contrasting flavours to create something unique and exciting,” says Botany’s culinary team.

The menu is never static; it evolves daily to showcase the freshest, locally sourced ingredients.

Each day, guests can enjoy a selection of five different seasonal salads, that are made with love and are perfect as a deli plate or for takeaway. The café also offers five varieties of sandwiches daily, crafted with wood-fired bread from The Woodstock Bakery. This bread is slow-fermented and hand-shaped from superior stone-ground flour, ensuring you taste the quality in each bite.

Current favourite items are the juicy Love Sandwich, all the salads (Kale Salad, Parmesan Cauliflower, Sumac Greens and Tabbouleh, and more) and, of course, the café’s famous World Peace Brownies! A popular combination is the Shared Platter, a selection of deli favourites which can be shared between friends, giving you a taste of everything on offer.

For those seeking heartier options, the menu includes a mix of favourites such as the ‘tart of the day’, terrine, honey mustard sausages, Balochi kebab, kimchi fritters, Arayes (Middle Eastern stuffed pitas) and Involtini di Melanzane (eggplant roll-ups). And if you have a sweet tooth, you can indulge in the delectable array of treats, including fudge, cheesecake, doughnuts, tarts and cakes. To complement the food, there’s a selection of freshly squeezed juices, teas and coffees, perfect for any time of the day.

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Freshness & Flavour With Each Bite

The menu is never static; it evolves daily to showcase the freshest, locally sourced ingredients. This dynamic approach ensures that each visit offers a unique and delightful adventure, reflecting the hotel’s commitment to innovation and quality.

Botany Café will also launch a picnic pantry, allowing patrons to stock and savour deli favourites at home, from pickles to preserves, jams, relishes, party nuts, and delicious sandwich and salad additions like mustards and pestos. You can even order your favourite dishes to serve at home to your own guests. They will also be stocking your favourite merch – a selection of MIIR drinkware and the beloved Karen Dudley recipe books.

“Our vision is to curate a memorable culinary experience by engaging all the senses and creating a space where guests can connect with our chefs, the food, and the surroundings. A vibrant deli-style café, where the enticing aroma of Bootlegger coffee and freshly prepared dishes greet you upon arrival. A counter overflowing with a selection of sweet and savoury mouthwatering dishes to draw you in. A space where people can share a true passion for food, sustainability and wholesome eating,” says Reinard Korf, the hotel’s General Leader.

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The Finishing Touches

Beyond the food concept, the hotel’s ethos celebrates all things local, down to the interior design. “Building on The President’s ongoing transformation to a more resort feel, the designers, Source IBA, worked with the hotel team to transition this space into a beautiful, Instagram-worthy café and deli space. They embraced a ‘soft modern’ aesthetic, characterised by clean lines with some curvaceous elements and restrained colours with tactile finishes, ranging from hand-rendered walls, hand-glazed tiles and timber furniture,” says Mardre Meyer, the Creative Director at Source IBA.

Earthy tones radiate throughout the café’s interiors, from the limewashed walls to the kombu green tiles and the Monstera plants that grace wall niches, offering a tranquil atmosphere for casual dining occasions and social gatherings. Trendy terrazzo granite stone counters and modern accents like brass pendant lights breathe life into the tranquil yet elevated atmosphere.

Surrounded by lush greenery and earthy tones, the gorgeous interiors pay homage to the café’s namesake and the region’s rich history.

With cosy heating and comfortable seating, not even winter could keep you from visiting this dining destination. During summer, patrons are invited to sit near the terrace, where poolside views and the Atlantic Ocean seascape immediately draw you in.

“We hope guests have an exceptional experience every time they visit. We want them to feel the warmth of our hospitality and the passion behind everything we offer at ‘Cape Town’s most loved hotel.’ Whether Botany Café is their go-to spot after a walk on the promenade, or their favourite spot for meetings, social gatherings or brunch, we want to create a space where they feel inspired, nourished and relaxed and keep coming back for more,” adds Korf.

Experience Botany Café at The President Hotel. Visit the website below for restaurant and accommodation bookings and follow them on social media for upcoming events.

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