Health Food in Cape Town

Great stores to stock up on organic and special diet food

Health food in Cape Town can now be found so much easier. After the much discussed 'banting' and 'vegan' diets of the last decade, special diets and vegan food held entrance even in some restaurants in Cape Town. Staple diet food and health food is now available in many local shops and supermarkets. There are many specialised health food stores, specialty plant-based coffee shops and even vegan restaurants in the Mother City cater for special diets now.  Online shopping for organic, natural and healthy food has become easily accessible too and delivery for healthy food baskets is supporting the local farming communities.

Where to buy health food in Cape Town?

Below you will find a variety of shops or local wellness brands that sell health food in Cape Town. This is only a selection, please do ask around in your new circle of friends in the various neighbourhoods to find your new favourite health food store and if you are keen to pay it back, let us know about your favourite health food store!

Dischem and Clicks, both chemist chain stores with pharmacy departments, are located in many shopping centres. They stock lots of grains, flours, nuts, berries and dried fruits and other organically grown dry produce and well as specialised diet foods including gluten-free and dairy free products for baking and cooking. Specialized diet brands. And another shout out to Dischem for offering health care aids such as crutches (from R150 per stick in 2025), sitting pillows aka "donuts" and even a variety of walking frames for the badly injured - and all was available in the bigger shops or online. We were positively surprised to get so many useful gadgets when an accident brought life to a still stand (or slow walk) for quite some time. I know from experience that we would have had major problems sourcing mobility aids in many parts of the world, but here, the big Dischem flagstones catered for all other immediate needs!

Wellness Warehouse in Cape Town, first opened in 2007, is a local success story and there are so many health food branches today many suburbs. Join their member programme and get access to regular discounts. The have a wide variety of natural, organic and healthy food, lifestyle and beauty products. Their flagship stores are in Kloof Street/ City Bowl and in Cavendish Shopping Center/ Claremont, and they also offer online shopping facilities. Locate a store

Nature's Deli Health Shop in 8 Raats Drive, Table View, which is opposite Bayside Mall, sells a wide range of homeopathic medicines and organic health food like fresh Essene Bread. They also offer advice and tips for your wellbeing and occasionally host experts for talks or presentations.  Visit their website.

Go Natural at Somerset West: There you can stock up on many organic foods, juicers, stone mills, water destillers, cleaning products and cosmetic ranges. More info.

Faithful to Nature: If you are after King Soba Noodles, EnviroKidz Organic Musli and Nairns oatcakes, then Faithful to Nature (in Sunnyvale, Noordhoek) will be one soon of your favourites. This is an online store without shop, but you can collect your ordered products from their warehouse instead of having the products delivered. More info.

Think Organic in Kenilworth stock a good range of organic and biodynamic food products. They also offer organic fruit and veggie bags which they weekly deliver to your door. More info here.

In the recent year, many local supermarkets including Checkers and Pick n' Pay Hypermarkets, as well as some of the internationally oriented SPAR franchise's shops have an excellent variety of international health care food ranges and organic produce. Spar in Sea Point and Spar in Milnerton cater for many European tastes and have an enormous range of health food. The food emporium in Constantia has a great range of health food as well.

In most local supermarkets, you will find special heath food sections with wheat free, gluten free and dairy free products. The organic food sections and sections for special dietary requirements in the supermarkets Woolworths, Shoprite/ Checkers, Spar and Pick n'Pay are constantly growing. Please do not hesitate to ask the store manager about specialised food items which you can not find, often they can order them in for you. Keep an eye on organic ranges which are part of the regular food items on the various shelves. As dairy replacement you will get mainly soy or rice milk and some times goats milk (especially at Woolworths). Tofu and tempeh as well as vegan meat products are still a bit scarce in most shops, but almond or cashew nut butter as well as vegan milk alternatives such as almond or oat milk as well as alternative milk powder and vegan joghurt is available in many stores. 

Any other question regarding special diets and food in Cape Town? Then see our FAQ regarding food in Cape Town. 

Where can you order organic fruit baskets?

Three of the most popular local fruit and veggie producers are Babylonstoren and Boschendal who even offer free delivery of fresh vegetable boxes and fruit baskets if you order a minimum amount.

Babylonstoren: Fresh produce boxes from the own farm such as the fabulous "Best of the Basics" boxes in various sizes, organic ready-meal kits and organic produce can easily ordered and are reliably delivered. More info.

Boschendal: With a wide range of ready made meals, Boschendal also offers a variety of local delicatessen and own farm produce boxes as well as seasonal fruit in their online shop, depending on the season it is worth a look and order there! More info.

Wild Organics: Here you can place your online order your weekly 'wild bags' with a variety of organic seasonal produce from local farming communities and collect your bag at one of the several collection points for free or have them delivered for a minimal fee. More info.

Where can you find vegan restaurants in Cape Town?

Finding vegan dishes and food options for gluten-free and dairy-free meals in most restaurants is still a bit tricky in Cape Town. There is often one of two vegan options on a menu, and restaurants must label dishes if they contain dairy or gluten, but this is really only just the beginning. Even many coffee shops add a special R15/R20 fee for milk alternatives such as Almond or oat milk if you order your Latte Macchiato dairy free.

So here are some great places for good vegan meals and burgers:

• Limetree Cafe in Bergvliet
• We Cafe in Church Street, Tamboerskloof
• Wild Fig in Observatory
• Hudsons in Greenpoint, Kloof Street or Claremont
• Wildsprout in Kenilworth and Sea Point

A good resource for finding news about vegan restaurants or places where your special diet is catered for are the two facebook groups called: Cape Town Eats Group and Best Thing Ever. There you will get the latest recommendations from Cape Town foodies. And enjoy reading the Inside's Guide listing of fully vegan restaurants here.

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