Cape Town chefs Anouchka Horn and Neil Swart have turned their cult-favourite restaurants – Belly of the Beast (an intimate, set-menu fine dining experience), Galjoen (a locally sourced, seafood-focused restaurant) and Seebamboes (a small, experimental surf-and-turf tasting concept) – into a tight-knit collective: The Belly Restaurant Group. And in 2026, they’re growing, with three new spots on the way: BURI, Quagga and No Show.
Still rooted in their signature style – nostalgic, ingredient-led and quietly refined – the group remains intentionally small. Each restaurant seats fewer than 35 guests and sits within a couple of blocks on Harrington Street in Cape Town’s East City Precinct, a once-gritty pocket now buzzing with food and creativity.
What’s new for 2026
– BURI brings the humble boerewors roll indoors, reimagined with top-quality ingredients in a fun, no-fuss setting.
– Quagga will focus exclusively on wild game and venison — a first for the city — exploring everything from charcuterie to lesser-known cuts.
– No Show offers a more casual, walk-in-only experience, serving “Belly-quality” dishes without the need for a booking.
Together, the expansion strengthens the group’s commitment to sustainability, allowing for smarter, whole-animal cooking across multiple kitchens.
A taste of home, reworked
At the heart of every dish is memory. Anouchka and Neil draw on their Afrikaans upbringings, reinterpreting familiar flavours with a modern edge – think rooi-noodleslaai with fresh fish, or smoked snoek dip with a punch of chilli oil.
The approach is simple: bold flavour first, no unnecessary fuss. No foams, no theatrics – just thoughtful cooking with locally sourced ingredients that speak for themselves.
Sustainability, naturally
Sourcing is strictly local, with long-standing relationships with South African farmers and producers. The kitchens follow a whole-animal philosophy, turning everything from prime cuts to overlooked parts into standout dishes – all while keeping waste to a minimum.
That ethos extends beyond the plate, too, with a strong focus on staff wellbeing and sustainable working hours in an often demanding industry.
Built on trust (and a little surprise)
Part of the magic lies in the unknown. At Belly of the Beast and its siblings, menus aren’t published – guests are invited to trust the kitchen, discovering each dish as it arrives.
It’s a format that’s earned a loyal following and helped redefine what relaxed fine dining looks like in South Africa: personal, playful and deeply rooted in place.
With three new openings on the horizon, The Belly Restaurant Group isn’t scaling up in the traditional sense – it’s simply expanding its world, one small, thoughtful restaurant at a time.