The Cape Town city centre has premier party venues offering a unique, tailored experience for visitors keen to paint (the) town red. Here’s where you need to be when you let your hair down.
Fab views, great food, a “bottle” service, luxurious interiors, red carpets, fancy stanchions, popular artists and DJs, and reserved seating … These are the characteristics of contemporary party venues in the Cape Town Central City. Every little detail has been considered to ensure the ultimate party and VIP experience.
The bottle service offering is a unique feature of these party spots. Tables are booked in advance and cordoned off. In some venues, if you haven’t pre-booked, you can’t get in. Clubgoers paying for bottle service therefore get exclusive service and don’t wait in line.
Not only do these patrons get to party in a posh, restricted location, they also have access to a selection of spirits, mixers, and a dedicated "bottle person" who is on hand to pour drinks, make shots, and maintain the table’s drink inventory.
DJ at Saint Champagne Bar and Lounge.
MEMBERS ONLY
One of these destination nightclubs, Darling Zsa Zsa at 101 Hout St, reserves entry for members as well as guests who’ve pre-booked dinner at the Zsa Zsa Restaurant downstairs. Once they’ve enjoyed the sublime Mediterranean cuisine, they’re escorted to the spacious premium lounge bar and entertained by leading DJs and performers. Darling Zsa Zsa members pay a cool R10 000 a year, which gets them and four friends access to the venue, as well as a complimentary bottle of tequila.
It’s no wonder owner Shaun Westwood uses words like “zhuzh” and “exclusive” to describe Darling Zsa Zsa and its superior, unique lounge club experience. It's where you come "with a close-knit crew of the right people and arrive looking the part”.
Being located in town, with its vibrant nightlife, was a deliberate choice for the entrepreneur who believes the CBD lends itself to their high-end market which appreciates a venue of an international standard.
POSH PATRONS
Patrons at the CBD’s party spots range from young adults and upwards. And meeting their needs guarantees a venue’s success and appeal.
Philile Cindi, a 28-year-old content creator and social work professional, says she and her friends find the tailored VIP experience and exclusivity at these venues a drawcard.
“Young people value places that make them feel like they’re rolling with the Joneses. We like how these places look, the good music, food and that they’re in affluent areas. If there are great views, it’s a plus.”
Arcade in Bree Street.
NEED FOR SELF-EXPRESSION
These contemporary clubs feed patrons’ need for self-expression. According to Aubin Azagbo, owner of Code Flex Champagne Bar Lounge – one of the city centre’s va-va-voom venues that opened in March at 31 Shortmarket St – everyone lives by a certain code in life and at Code Flex, they provide a space for people to “flex” and be their authentic selves. The business’s offering is strictly spirits and champagne.
The entire experience at these venues reflects and supports marketing research that points to consumers’ willingness to spend more on experiences than on material items. In one scientific study that appeared in the May 2020 Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, the conclusion was that people are happier with experiential purchases than material ones.
Lead author and professor Amit Kumar is quoted on Medium as saying one possible explanation is that “while many material goods do last longer in a physical sense, experiences also ensure and live on in our memories and in the stories we tell other people”.
BEST OF THE BEST POSH PARTY VENUES:
1. Allure Rooftop Lounge opened in March 2022. It offers breathtaking views of Cape Town and an impressive drinks and food menu. Unlike other CBD party spots, it is open Monday to Sunday and offers lunch and sunset drinks from 13h00. Festivities continue until 02h00.
71 Waterkant St | 021 569 9092 / 067 102 8634 | www.allurerooftop.co.za
2. COCO is “the pinnacle of nightlife excellence”. The brains behind the business include Shaun Duvet, Stephane Cohen, Federico Scarpecci and Sameer Wadhwa, all experienced in the exclusive party venue industry in South Africa. When an opportunity came along, the “dream team” created a bar, lounge, and club exclusive to the CBD. The venue does strictly bottle service and operates from Fridays to Sundays from 22h00 onwards.
70 Loop St | 078 591 1813 | www.cococpt.co.za
3. SOUK offers bottle service, tapas, cocktails, spirits, champagne and wine, shisha and music. It trades from Wednesdays to Sundays from 17h00 until late. Table bookings are essential.
163 Long St | 060 682 6894 | www.soukcpt.com
4. ARCADE is the brainchild of Marco Picone and Niki Bjorn Reschke who are also behind I Love The Dough in Bree St. The vibey pink décor and signage at I Love The Dough is carried through at ARCADE. The venue trades from Wednesdays to Saturdays from 15h00 until midnight. It is perfect for after-work drinks and partying till late. Table bookings are highly recommended.
152 Bree St | 060 861 0511 | www.arcadect.com
5. Saint Champagne Bar & Lounge is a “sophisticated sanctuary that offers a high energy experience that transcends the notions of a classic upmarket lounge”. Add exclusivity, excellence and elegance to the mix. It operates from Tuesday and Thursday to Sunday from 23h00 and strictly offers bottle service.
37 Harrington St | 073 531 6312 | www.saintlounge.co.za
IMAGES: Arcade, Saint Champagne Bar and Lounge, Darling Zsa Zsa