These heritage food tours are sustainable and community-driven, uses food as a vehicle for honest storytelling and social change, supports the informal economy, and empowers local African entrepreneurs.
South Africa is experiencing a tourism boom. Nowhere else is this more evident than in Cape Town. While there is an influx of fine dining and European influenced establishments, it also comes with exclusivity, tourism-driven inflation and gentrification. This leaves a large part of the tourism sector inaccessible to the domestic market who struggle to afford the average Cape Town experience. Local heritage food tour company, Unexplored Cape Town is responding to this trend with their approach to sustainable tourism – Tourism 2.0, which is community-driven, inclusive, and restorative. Inclusivity is a vital component for storytelling and heritage preservation, something we all need to think about this Heritage Month.
Responsible tourism
“With the current trends in tourism that we are observing in Cape Town and South Africa, tourism cannot be neutral: it has a responsibility. It can either fuel exclusion, or it can become a force for inclusion, dignity, and positive change,” says founder of Unexplored Cape Town, Dennis Anees Molewa. “Cape Town is often celebrated as a dream destination. It’s the fine dining capital of Africa. Yet behind that image lies a more complex reality: a city shaped by slavery, now challenged by gentrification, inflation, and inequality.”
With their Tourism 2.0 approach, Unexplored Cape Town keeps inclusivity and sustainability at the heart of everything they do. Their heritage food tours intertwine Cape Town’s African food cultures and history with storytelling that is inclusive and honest, showcasing the narratives of African food entrepreneurs and their small businesses.
Through experiences such as a cooking class in Salt River, two food tours in the CBD, and a Bellville food tour, Unexplored Cape Town uses food as a conduit to connect people with spaces. Their work highlights not only cuisine, but also urbanity, spatiality, and inclusivity in a city marked by inequality yet defined by remarkable togetherness. Their latest food tour, Two Sides of Cape Town, offers a four-hour walking tour to explore the contrasting informal and formal food economies, ranging from heritage-rich African and local eateries to artisan-driven culinary experiences.
What is Tourism 2.0 and why is it needed?
For too long, tourism has been extractive: removing culture from its context, sanitising stories for postcards, and letting revenue bypass the communities that give a city its soul. In Cape Town, where slavery’s legacy has long been ignored and gentrification squeezes out small African-owned businesses, this model only deepens inequality. Unexplored offers another way: tourism as solidarity.
Tourism 2.0 is an invitation to reimagine travel. It is not about consuming a destination, but becoming part of its living story. It means building relationships, not transactions; solidarity, not spectacle. In Cape Town, a city of contradictions, beauty, and unresolved histories, this approach is necessary. Unexplored Cape Town also places a large emphasis on supporting local food businesses that follow sustainable practices.
“As a Capetonian born and raised in this city, exploring my home with fresh eyes and taste buds was empowering and emotional. I walk many of the streets on our route often without knowing my neighbours around me,” shares Rifqah van Schalkwyk, a recent participant in the food tour. “Learning about the various cuisines and people, where they came from and how they arrived in my city, was not entirely new to me, but the narrative and approach were beautiful without unnecessary romanticising.”
Moving beyond extractive tourism
By partnering with small, POC-owned, local businesses, particularly those owned by Cape Malay/Creole and African diaspora entrepreneurs, the food tours ensure that revenue circulates locally to support livelihoods within Cape Town’s informal food economy. Food serves as a powerful entry point to share honest cultural truths about slavery, migration, and resilience. This experience aims to promote an understanding of the history and heritage that currently shapes Cape Town’s food culture. This fosters a sense of belonging and opens up inclusive public spaces many visitors would otherwise miss, such as interfaith communities and authentic African kitchens. Every shared meal and story acts as a catalyst for regeneration, strengthening cultural heritage and community resilience, with revenue being reinvested into food businesses through the African Food Business Fund.
“Through our food tours, our goal is to reimagine how visitors and locals alike engage with Cape Town. Every plate of food, every story shared, every partnership forged is part of a bigger vision: a tourism model that restores dignity, uplifts communities, and celebrates the city’s diverse culinary heritage from a de-colonial perspective,” shares Molewa. “A major part of this is supporting local food businesses through the African Food Business Fund. With every booking, 5% is redirected to the fund to support local food businesses. We would also like to encourage international and local tourists to donate what they can to the fund. Right now, we’re focusing on providing essential kitchen equipment to help improve operations and reduce overhead costs for food businesses in Cape Town.”
Hands-on cooking class
Apart from their food tours, Unexplored Cape Town also offers a unique Cape Malay/African-Creole cooking experience. It starts with a walking tour of Salt River, where they can shop for ingredients from small local businesses while exploring the cultural heritage of one of South Africa’s most multicultural neighbourhoods. The experience culminates in a three-course Cape Malay/African-Creole cooking class, offering a journey into the history of spices and the Camissa people.
Details and booking information for all tours: unexplored.co.za
