Best-of list · Craft Beer
The best craft beer bars in Cape Town for 2026, from Banana Jam and Devil's Peak to Newlands Brewery and Jack Black's. Editorial picks, updated 2026.
The short answer
6 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
The Cape Town craft beer scene is South Africa's deepest. The list below shows why.
Banana Jam runs a Caribbean kitchen in Kenilworth with one of Cape Town's biggest beer lists, over 30 taps and around 80 bottles, plus its own Afro-Caribbean Brewing Company upstairs. It is laid back, family friendly and beer serious at once. The jerk plates pair well with a hoppy pour. Go for the house brews and a Caribbean plate, and take your time.
Devil's Peak pours from The Taproom, an upmarket room in its converted Salt River warehouse, with fresh beer straight off the brewery and a proper kitchen. The King's Blockhouse IPA is the flagship and the board runs deep. It opens to 11pm most nights. Go for a fresh IPA at source, with a plate to match.
Full listing & hours →Newlands dates to 1820 and is the oldest working brewery in South Africa, running tours Tuesday to Saturday that end with tastings and pints in the historic on site pub. It is heritage more than nightlife, and over 18s only, with pre booking required. Go for the tour, the history and a couple of pints in the brewery's own bar.
Jack Black's opened its Diep River taproom in 2016, a beer first room from one of the Cape's best known craft names, with fresh lager and ale on tap, solid food, live music and community nights. It runs year round and welcomes a mixed local crowd. Go for the Brewers Lager fresh from the brewery and a long afternoon.
Full listing & hours →Woodstock Brewery pours from a beerhall at 252 Albert Road, where a tasting flight runs up to nine craft beers and a balcony looks over the working brewery. It is known for cheeky beer names, daily food specials and live music. Open daily, it suits a long session. Go for a tasting paddle, a balcony seat and the band.
Saggy Stone started on a Robertson farm in 2007 and now pours through six taprooms, including Green Point and Kloof Street in the city, so the farm beer is never far. The range is distinctive and properly made, and the city taprooms keep it casual. Go for a fresh pint of the lager or pale ale and a relaxed hour.